Monday, June 23, 2025

Monday Thoughts: "Back in the orchard I could again home in on the natural world, on gratitude and hope.” ~ Diane Flynt

 

"Back in the orchard I could again home in on the natural world, on gratitude and hope.” 

~ Diane Flynt

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Saturday, June 21, 2025

GardenDC Podcast Episode 244: Got Milkweed?

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with UMD extension educator Ginny Rosenkranz all about Milkweeds. The plant profile is on Gardenia and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events in the What's New segment. We close out with the Last Word on Making Gardening Fun for Kids by Christy Page of GreenPrints.

If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 47: Pollinator Victory Gardens


BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter/subscriber at: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/subscribe

Visit https://shop.kathyjentz.com/ to browse our new online store!

This episode is archived at: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/episodes/Got-Milkweed-e34i2n7

Show Notes will be posted after 6-24-2025.

We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/message Note that we may use these messages on a future episode.

And be sure to leave us a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform plus share us on social media with #GardenDC, so other gardeners can find us too!

Episode Credits:
Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz
Interview Edit & Show Notes: Ian Ferris
Music: Let the Sunshine by James Mulvany

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Friday, June 20, 2025

Fenton Friday: Cucumbers and Dahlias

Cucumber seedlings - hardware cloth screen
covering mound - photo by Colin Davan

This week's weather was hot and humid with LOTS of rains -- so there was no need for any supplemental watering. We did apply a weak solution of fish fertilizer* to the tomato and pepper plants, now that they've been in the ground for a few weeks. We'll continue to do that weekly throughout the season.  

The Cucumber seeds planted last week have sprouted (pictured above), but only one of the Zucchini ones has. I will give those another week before considering replanting that mound.

We harvested another quart of Blackberries and cut a few Dahlias (these plants were left in the ground last year).

We reset a large trellis up and started four kinds of bean seeds on/around it. Those include Bush Bean 'Jade', Bush Bean 'French Filet', Pole Bean 'Rattlesnake', and 'Iron and Peas' Cowpea.

And we seeded in a couple rows of Basil ('Prospera' and 'Italian Large Leaf') and planted a Thai Basil seedling along with a 'Prospera' Basil photo for comparison purposes.

In the Pollinator Garden Strip, the Marigold seedlings are starting to flower, but the Zinnias are still a few weeks from any flowers. 

Next week, we conquer rebooting the Cutting Garden.

What are you growing in your edible garden this week?

About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house in zone 7 Mid-Atlantic MD/DC border. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 14th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton"  into the Search box above (at the top, left on this blog).

*This link is to our Amazon affiliate account. Washington Gardener may earn a few pennies if you click on the link and order something, but it will not impact your purchase price.

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Thursday, June 19, 2025

June 2025 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine: Centaurea, Mock Strawberry, Bottle Gourd, Summer Bulbs,, and much more…

 

The June 2025 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine is out.

Inside this issue:
·         Scintillating Centaurea
·         How to be a Green Gardener
·         Native Spring Flowers
·         A New Penstemon
·         Overhead Power Line Safety
·         Mock Strawberry
·         Blackberry Fizz Cocktail
·         Growing African Miniature Bottle Gourd
·         “Earth, I Thank You” Documentary Premieres
·         Garden Book Reviews and Contest
·         Summer Bulbs for Containers
·         Meet Ilana Z. Rubin, Forest Therapy Guide
and much more…

Note that any submissions, event listings, and advertisements for the July 2025 issue are due by July 5.

>>  Subscribe to Washington Gardener Magazine today to have the monthly publication sent to your inbox as a PDF several days before it is available online. You can use the PayPal (credit card) online order form here: https://www.washingtongardener.com/index_files/subscribe.htm



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Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Hosta Plant Profile

Hostas (Hosta spp.) are known for their beautiful foliage that range from bright chartreuse greens to deep blue-green tones. Many hosta plants also have variegated foliage with cream or white edging or patterns. Hosta are also known as Plantain Lily and are native to Asia.

In addition to their attractive foliage, hostas send up flower stalks of white or purple flowers in the summer that attract various pollinators. Some varieties of hosta are particularly known for their honey-like flower fragrance. They do best in best in rich, humusy soils that are kept relatively moist, but not water-logged. Hostas prefer shady locations, but can tolerate additional sun exposure with extra watering. Hostas die back to the ground over winter and leaf back out in the spring, so they pair well with early-spring blooming bulbs like snowdrops or daffodils. Hostas are very low-maintenance. To encourage more vigorous growth, sprinkle a slow-release fertilizer as they begin to grow in spring and mulch with an organic compost. If deer, vole, or rabbits are an issue, apply a repellent spray. If slugs or snails chew on the leaves, spread iron phosphate pellets or diatomaceous earth around the plants. Hostas can be miniature or dwarf-sized with leaves just an inch or so wide, all the way up to selections that are several feet wide. There are common hostas that are fairly inexpensive and quite rare ones that cost hundreds of dollars for a single division. The good thing about hosta is that you can start with just a few as they multiply in clumps and are easy to dig and divide to spread them about and form a dense groundcover in a matter of years.


Hosta: You Can Grow That!

This profile was excerpted from the book "Groundcover Revolution" by Kathy Jentz (Amazon author affiliate link: https://amzn.to/4l78pia) The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine. Audio, Photos, and Text by Kathy Jentz Editing by Ian Ferris ➤ If you enjoy this video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our Youtube channel (thank you!) ➤Remember to TURN ON notifications to know when our new videos are out ➤ FIND Washington Gardener Magazine ONLINE ~ WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com ~ http://twitter.com/WDCGardener ~ https://www.instagram.com/wdcgardener/ ~ Facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine ~ Podcast: GardenDC If you liked this video, we think you will like these other Plant Profiles: ~ Sarcococca Plant Profile https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/03/sarcococca-plant-profile.html ~ Bletilla Plant Profile https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/05/bletilla-plant-profile.html ~ Stinking Hellebore Plant Profile https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/02/stinking-hellebore-plant-profile.html

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Monday, June 16, 2025

Monday Thoughts: "A garden is a friend you can visit anytime." - Gertrude Jekyll

"A garden is a friend you can visit anytime." 

- Gertrude Jekyll

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Saturday, June 14, 2025

GardenDC Podcast on Short Pre-Summer Break

 

The GardenDC Podcast is on a short pre-summer break. We encourage you to catch up with some of the past episodes that you may have missed or re-listen to some past favorites.

May we suggest these episodes focusing on summer gardening topics?
- GardenDC Podcast Episode 68: Summer Vegetables
- GardenDC Podcast Episode 23: Summer Cocktails
- GardenDC Podcast Episode 112: Summer Garden Refresh


BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter/subscriber at: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/subscribe

Visit https://shop.kathyjentz.com/ to browse our new online store!

We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/message Note that we may use these messages on a future episode.

And be sure to leave us a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform plus share us on social media with #GardenDC, so other gardeners can find us too!
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Friday, June 13, 2025

Fenton Friday: Cukes and Zukes

The summer interns are pictured above next to their respective plant responsbilities. (This image also gives you a good idea of what our plot looks like overall this week. I stood on the cistern's platform to take it.) They helped weed and water this week. We cleared out the right-hand bed for the Zucchini and Cucumbers, There are four mounds now. One each for 'Japanese Climbing' Cucumber that I ordered from Seed Savers Exchange, Slicing Cucumber English Seedless from Harvesting History, 'Dark Star' Zucchini from Seeds of Change, and 'Nimba' Zucchini from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. I hope all the seeds come up in each mound and that we will be thinning them to the best two or three seedlings on each mound soon after that. To protect the tiny cuke/zuke seedlings as they ermerge from birds plucking them out, we put hardware cloth wire covers over the mound.

This week's weather was hot and humid -- we had some rain, but by have had to do some supplemental watering..

We harvested a quart of Blackberries and cut the Garlic Scapes. The Cilantro and Arugula are bolting and I put a cover cloth over them as I want to collect their seeds.

The tomatoes and peppers are settling in. We planted Margold seeds in a line in front of both these groupings adding to the one Marigold 'Marvel II' plant we put in last week, which is already blooming.

In the Pollinator Garden Strip, the Common Milkweed, Calendula, Borage, Violets, and Cornflower are all flowering. The Marigold and Zinnia seedlings are doing well, but the Celosia have disappeared so I'm going to reseed that section--maybe with miniature Sunflowers. Also, someone threw a glass bottle in there that shattered everywhere so am picking out that glass as I weed and water--I'm hoping I get it all.

And... we have mice. One of the interns spotted and removed a dead one from our plot and we save a live one scurry through. So, on top of the resident rabbits and rats, we'll need to keep an eagle eye out for these new pests and have any fall fruit and other things cleaned up in the plots to discourage their future visits. 

Next week, I hope to start our Green Beans seeds, Basils, and reboot the Cutting Garden.

What are you growing in your edible garden this week?

About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house in zone 7 Mid-Atlantic MD/DC border. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 14th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton"  into the Search box above (at the top, left on this blog).

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Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Trillium Plant Profile

Trillium Plant Profile

Trillium (Trillium species) are perennial plants with three leaves and three petals on the flowers. Depending on the species, the blooms are white, pink, yellow, and deep red. They are considered a spring ephemeral flower as they emerge in early spring and flower for a few weeks.

There are about 40 Trillium species that are native to the eastern United States. They are also known as wood lily or wake-robin.

They are hardy to USDA Zones 4-9.

Trilliums are pollinated by a variety of insects, including bees, beetles, flies, and moths. Small mammals eat the fruits. Ants are attracted to the seeds, which they help disperse.

Trillium grow best in fertile, moist, but well-draining soils that are high in organic matter. 

They prefer to be in part-shade such as in a woodland edge habitat.

Once established, Trillium will naturalize and expand into clumps with multiple flowers.

Plant trillium rhizomes in early spring or late summer. You can also dig divide established clumps to multiply them.

This plant is low maintenance. It will yellow and die back to the ground by summer. If you want a neater garden look, you can cut it back, but wait until the leaves start dying back before doing so.

A few species of Trillium are considered endangered in the wild, so you should never divide or remove them from public or private lands. Buy Trillium plants and rhizomes from a reputable nursery.

Trillium: You Can Grow That!

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Audio, Photos, and Text by Kathy Jentz

Video and Editing by Miguel Zarate

➤ If you enjoy this video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our Youtube channel (thank you!)

➤Remember to TURN ON notifications to know when our new videos are out

➤ FIND Washington Gardener Magazine ONLINE

~ WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com

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~ Facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine

~ Podcast: GardenDC

If you liked this video, we think you will like these other Plant Profiles:

~ Fleabane Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/05/fleabane-plant-profile.html

~ Golden Ragwort Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/05/golden-ragwort-plant-profile.html

~ Lyreleaf Sage Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/04/lyreleaf-sage-plant-profile.html

And learn even more about Trilliums on GardenDC Podcast Episode 99: Trilliums > https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/04/gardendc-podcast-episode-99-trilliums.html

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