Monday, January 19, 2026

Monday Thoughts: "The plant of freedom has grown only a bud and not yet a flower." ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"The plant of freedom has grown only a bud and not yet a flower." 

~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

at No comments:
Labels:

Sunday, January 18, 2026

Seed Exchange 2026 Speakers Announced


UPDATE! More tickets have been released for both events! See the ticket order links at the bottom of this post and full event details at https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/12/seed-exchange-registration-now-open.html.

-----------------------------------------------

Here are the speakers for the upcoming Washington Gardener Seed Exchanges 2026. Seed Exchange attendees trade seeds, exchange planting tips, hear expert speakers, and collect goody bags full of gardening treats.


Talk 1 on 1/31 at the WG Seed Exchange at Brookside Gardens:
"Grow Great Lettuce All Year"
Speaker: Debby Ward of Prior Unity Garden  
Debby says, "One of my absolute favorite things to grow is lettuce." There are so many different varieties that I end up growing over 30 in the fall garden. Lettuce can be started indoors in summer for larger transplants or direct seeded once temps cool down a bit. Debby will share her tips and tricks for growing greens all year round.



Talk 2 on 1/31 at the WG Seed Exchange at Brookside Gardens:
"Grow the Cutting Garden of your Dreams - One Seed At A Time! "
Speaker: Alex Mudry-Till of Quince Blossom Ridge
Have you ever wanted to grow a garden full of flowers, but felt too overwhelmed at a nursery or just didn't want to spend the money on lots of seedlings? Sowing your own flowers is an easy way to get lots of bang for you buck and there are lots of different ways to approach this growing technique. Alex will teach you the various ways she grows from seed for her flower farm, Quince Blossom Ridge. The talk will review the different types of seed, how best to sow them and multiple ways to start your seeds (including plug trays, soil blocks, bulk sowing, winter sowing, and if/when to direct sow). Whether a novice or a pro, you'll be sure to learn new tips and tricks for great germination, healthy seedlings, and happy transplants to grow a bountiful array of flowers, filler, and foliage. 

Talk 1 on 2/7 at the WG Seed Exchange at Green Spring Gardens:
“Cucumbers Love Sunflowers: Companion Planting for the Home Garden"
Speaker: Linda L. Jones, owner, Elements of Nature
Companion Planting is a method of growing plants in proximity to each other because of their ability to enhance or complement the other's growth or attract beneficial insects or repel insect pests. Companion planting includes techniques such as trap cropping, spatial protection, beneficial habitat, and nurse cropping.
    Linda L. Jones is a certified master gardener and owner of Elements of Nature - Botanicals and Farmaceuticals, Clinton, Maryland . She focuses on growing flowers and herbs and gardening education. She is an avid seed collector and has a collection of over 500 varieties of open-pollinated and heirloom, annual, perennial and herb seeds.
   She has presented on several diverse gardening topics and has led workshops throughout the DMV since 2010, beginning as a master gardener intern.
   She often incorporates tips on creative, effective and alternative ways to maximize growing potential and space. In addition she uses her knowledge of growing, food, herbs and flowers and incorporates them into designer and exotic loose leaf teas, lotions and other home arrangements and into her natural products and skin care line - all of which are available at www.elementsofnatureusa.com
   She believes that “Through saving and sharing seeds we are all helping to spread hope and enrich lives across the world”

Talk 2 on 1/31 at the WG Seed Exchange at Green Spring Gardens:
"Grow the Cutting Garden of your Dreams - One Seed At A Time! "
Speaker: Alex Mudry-Till of Quince Blossom Ridge
Have you ever wanted to grow a garden full of flowers, but felt too overwhelmed at a nursery or just didn't want to spend the money on lots of seedlings? Sowing your own flowers is an easy way to get lots of bang for you buck and there are lots of different ways to approach this growing technique. Alex will teach you the various ways she grows from seed for her flower farm, Quince Blossom Ridge. The talk will review the different types of seed, how best to sow them and multiple ways to start your seeds (including plug trays, soil blocks, bulk sowing, winter sowing, and if/when to direct sow). Whether a novice or a pro, you'll be sure to learn new tips and tricks for great germination, healthy seedlings, and happy transplants to grow a bountiful array of flowers, filler, and foliage. 
 
21st Annual Washington Gardener Seed Exchanges
on Saturday, January 31, 2026, 12:30–4:00pm 
National Seed Swap Day!
at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD
 Registration is now open at 
and 
on Saturday, February 7, 2026, 12:30–4:00pm
at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, VA
Registration is now open at 
at No comments:
Labels: ,

Saturday, January 17, 2026

GardenDC Podcast Episode 269: The Future is Nuts

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with Michael Judd of Ecologia Design about all the nut-bearing trees. The plant profile is on Azaleas 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 "What to Grow with Beets" by Christy Page of GreenPrints.

BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month! 

See how at: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/subscribe

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

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 95: Willows

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/03/gardendc-podcast-episode-95-willows.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 25: Paw Paws

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/08/gardendc-podcast-episode-25-michael.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 187: Mad About Mulches

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/03/gardendc-podcast-episode-187-mad-about.html

PawPaw Fest 2026: https://ecologiadesign.com/paw-paw-festival-longcreek-homestead/

SilvoCulture - Nuts for the Future: https://www.silvoculture.org/

Plantra Tree Tubes: https://www.plantra.com/

Show Notes wil be posted after 1/21/2026.

This episode is archived at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0D5t3r8C3UkODdapGhNmzd?si=ADeHfx5FSpykM1QPydzsUA

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
Music: Let the Sunshine by James Mulvany

PIN THIS FOR LATER!

at No comments:
Labels: , , ,

Monday, January 12, 2026

Monday Thoughts: "It is a maxim universally agreed upon in agriculture, that nothing must be done too late; and again, that everything must be done at its proper season; while there is a third precept which reminds us that opportunities lost can never be regained." ~ Pliny the Elder

"It is a maxim universally agreed upon in agriculture, that nothing must be done too late; and again, that everything must be done at its proper season; while there is a third precept which reminds us that opportunities lost can never be regained."

 ~ Pliny the Elder

at No comments:
Labels:

Saturday, January 10, 2026

GardenDC Podcast Episode 268: New Plants and Products for 2026

In this special episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with Debby Ward of Prior Unity Garden about all the new plants and products we saw at MANTS 2026. (We skipped the Plant Profile, What's New, and Last Word segments this time to devote more time to talking about all that cool new stuff.)

BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month! 

See how at: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/subscribe

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

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 223: New Plants and Products for 2025

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/01/gardendc-podcast-episode-223-new-plants.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 177: New Plants and Products for 2024

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/01/gardendc-podcast-episode-177-new-plants.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 133: New Plants and Products for 2023

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/01/gardendc-podcast-episode-133-new-plants.html

This episode is archived at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1Wt3jb8zaTYRGjXqloXcZY?si=MpdQd8ewQqyxIiWgsXccSQ

Show Notes wil be posted after 1/14/2026.

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
Music: Let the Sunshine by James Mulvany

PIN THIS FOR LATER!

at 2 comments:
Labels: , , ,

Monday, January 05, 2026

Monday Thoughts: "I think that to one in sympathy with nature, each season, in its turn, seems the loveliest." ~ Mark Twain

"I think that to one in sympathy with nature, each season, in its turn, seems the loveliest." 

~ Mark Twain

at No comments:
Labels:

Sunday, January 04, 2026

Win a Martha Washington’s Kitchen Garden seed collection from Burpee in our January 2026 Washington Gardener Reader Contest

For our January 2026 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, we are giving away Martha Washington’s Kitchen Garden seed collection from Burpee (value $49.95 each, Burpee.com). 

   Burpee is saluting America’s 250th birthday with four specialty seed kits, including Martha Washington’s Kitchen Garden, that celebrate our country’s garden history and ideals. Unique and educational, they bring history to life in your garden. Plant a taste of history with heritage vegetables known to have grown at Mount Vernon, the home of Martha and George Washington. Included in the kit are plant labels and a keepsake recipe card, along with Lettuce ‘Amish Deer Tongue’, Hot Pepper ‘Fish’, Onion ‘White Lisbon Bunching’, Carrot ‘Danvers 126’, Cucumber ‘Armenian’, Radish ‘Early Scarlet Globe’, Kale ‘Blue Curled Scotch’, and Watermelon ‘Georgia Rattlesnake’.

   To enter to win Martha Washington’s Kitchen Garden seeds, send an email by 5:00pm on Saturday, January 31, to WashingtonGardenerMagazine@gmail.com with “Martha Washington’s Kitchen Garden” in the Subject line and in the body of the email. Tell us what your favorite article was in the January 2026 Washington Gardener issue and why. Please include your full name and mailing address. Winners will be announced and notified on/about February 1. Replies might be published. 

at No comments:
Labels: , ,

Thursday, January 01, 2026

January 2026 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine: Paper Plant, Pennyroyal, Teaberry, and much more…

The January 2026 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine

Inside this issue:

  • Paper Plant (Fatsia japonica)
  • How to Grow Pennyroyal
  • Attracting a Variety of Birds to Your Garden
  • Giving Up on Teaberry and Other Vexing Natives
  • Getting Ahead of Winter Speedwell
  • Laurel Wilt Warning
  • Seed Exchange Registration
  • Garden Book Reviews and Reader Contest
  • Photo Contest Guidelines
  • Meet the Capital Area Food Bank’s Xandra Coleman
  • A New Kale
  • A Visit to the Rehoboth Art League’s Garden
  • and much more…

Note that any submissions, event listings, and advertisements for the February 2026 issue are due by January 10.

>>  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

at No comments:
Labels: , , ,
Subscribe to: Comments (Atom)

Featured Post

Holiday Gifts for Gardeners ~ Top Gardening Gifts ~ 21+ Cool Gardening Gift Ideas

The holiday season is here and I bet you have a gardener on your gift list, so we've   updated   our annual a Holiday Gifts for Gardener...

Most Popular Posts