Washington Gardener Magazine is the award-winning publication for Mid-Atlantic USA gardeners by local gardeners.
“The beauty of the garden flows into your dreams and psyche. Your eyes, now accustomed to noticing the smallest bit of earth awakening in early spring, can spot the impossibility of a buttercup emerging from a crumbling bit of pavement."
-~ Elizabeth Brown
In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with filmmaker Dabney Day, about her new movie The Gardener. The plant profile is on English Daisies 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 "Playing with Frost" from Christy Page of GreenPrints.
BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month!
If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 202: Documenting Gardens
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/07/gardendc-podcast-episode-202.html
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 211: Gardening Meets
Hollywood
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/09/gardendc-podcast-episode-211-gardening.html
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 137: Into the Heart of the Garden
with Maria Rodale
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/02/gardendc-podcast-episode-137-into-heart.html
This episode is sponsored by the FONA Garden Fair & Plant Sale:
Celebrate
spring at the U.S. National Arboretum! Shop from thousands of plants, get
expert gardening advice, browse from 25+ local vendors, and enjoy free family
activities.
FONA members get early access to the Plant Sale tent from 9 AM to 11 AM. Whether you’re looking for herbs for your apartment balcony or shade-loving perennials for your yard, the Plant Sale tent has great options at great prices. Make a donation of any amount to become a FONA member.
This event is hosted by Friends of the National Arboretum and
raises funds to support FONA’s work celebrating the science, beauty, and
community impact of the National Arboretum. Register for
the Garden Fair & Plant Sale to let FONA know you’re coming and to receive important
event updates.
This week was another weather rollercoaster with a good, soaking rain on Sunday and then near freezing temps mid-week.
I planted three 'Seascape' Strawberry plants that came from my brother's garden. They are a day-neutral, ever-bearing variety and already have some flowers on them. My old Strawberry patch there had petered out and while planting these three, I found one of my old strawberry rocks buried there. It still looks great!
I dug up a patch of Lesser Celandine. The same cursed patch that keeps creeping back into my plot! I know this came in with a pot of "strawberry plants" from a garden club plant exchange. Be cautious of gifted plants -- especially if you don't know the gardener or the state of their garden!
We had a compost delivery, so I spread a bucketfull around the newly planted Strawberries and another one around the Peas.
The Kale, Peas, Lettuce, and other seedlings are doing fine.
I harvested a few more Aspargus spears (pictured above) and weeded a bit.
I cut out the old Blackberry canes -- leaving just the few that are already leafing out.
The Garlic is growing fast and the Dahlia bed is starting to show signs of life.
In the pollinator strip, soon we will need to thin the seedlings for both the California Poppies and a Wildflower Mix. I also need to cut back the stems of the perennial plants in there and weed a bit there, too.
Next week, I will see if we are ready to start seeds of some warm-season crops -- depending on what the weather report looks like for mid-April and beyond.
What are you growing and harvesting in your 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 15th 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).
Barren Strawberry (Waldsteinia
fragarioides formerly known as Geum
fragarioides and Dalibarda fragarioides) is a perennial
that is native to the Eastern United States. It is also known as the Appalachian
barren strawberry. It is a member of the
Rose family. It is related to the nonnative Siberian barren strawberry (Waldsteinia ternata).
It has pretty yellow flowers that bloom in spring. The
inedible fruits develop shortly afterward – hence its common name of “barren” strawberry.
Barren Strawberry prefers to grow in part- to full-sun. It
tolerates a wide range of soil conditions.
Barren Strawberry is hardy to USDA Zones 3 to 7. It is found
naturally in forests and along stream banks.
It spreads by underground rhizomes into a dense, low mat and
it can be used as a groundcover. Unlike
many other natives, it is evergreen. The foliage turns a pretty bronze in
winter.
It is pollinated by a variety of small bees and it is
deer-resistant.
Barren Strawberry can be grown from seed, but it is much
easier to propagate it by division.
Barren Strawberry: You
Can Grow That!
The video was produced
by Washington Gardener Magazine.
Audio, Video, Photos, and Text by Kathy Jentz
Editing by Aicha Bangoura
Additional images from Wikimedia Commons.
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If you liked this video, we think you will like these other Plant
Profiles:
~ Sundrop Plant Profile
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2026/03/sundrops-plant-profile.html
~ Amur Adonis Plant Profile
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/03/amur-adonis-plant-profile.html
~ Winter Aconite Plant Profile
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/02/winter-aconite-plant-profile.html
"It’s spring again. I can hear the birds sing again. See the flowers start to bud. See young people fall in love. " ~ Lou Rawls
In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with landscape designer Teresa Watkins, about visiting public gardens for design inspiration. The plant profile is on Barren Strawberry 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 "How to Prune Blueberry Bushes" from Christy Page of GreenPrints.
BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month!
If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 167: Flinging with the Garden Tourist
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/09/gardendc-podcast-episode-167-flinging.html
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 78: Dumbarton Oaks
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/10/gardendc-podcast-episode-78-dumbarton.html
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| Bulletin Board AFTER |
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| Bullletin Board BEFORE |
This week was another weather rollercoaster with windy, sunny days and cool, wet days -- and a few more days 80+ degrees!
The interns and I updated the shared Bulletin Board (shown above). It is shocking how fast the colors fade from the sun. We'll see how long this one remains bright and colorful.
We thinned the Kale seedlings. I saw some of the Peas are emerging and the row of Deer Tongue Lettuce seedlings are up. However, the Oakleaf Lettuce and Crisphead Lettuce 'Queen of Crunch' were not germinating, so we replaced them with 'Bloomsdale' Spinach and Arugula seeds today.
I harvested a few Aspargus spears and can see several more are popping up.
The Blackberry canes are leafing out and the Garlic is growing fast.
The Dahlia bed is looking pretty dead -- I'm not sure if the harsh winter actually did kill them all -- but I'll give them until late May to show signs up life before I give up on them.
In the pollinator strip, seedlings are up for both the California Poppies and a Wildflower Mix continue to grow. The Mountain Mint is filling in there fast. I'm wondering if in a few years it will be ALL Mountain Mint there. That is not a bad thing, but I do like having some annual color and other perennial herbs and flowers there.
Next week, I hope to see the Radish seedlings up and I know the Carrots will take a few more weeks. I think this may be it for the cool-season crops as with the very warm temperatures we are having already, we may switch to warm-seasons sooner than normal.
What are you growing and harvesting in your 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 15th 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).
The April 2026 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine is posted and archived online at:
Inside this issue:
Note that any submissions, event listings, and advertisements for the May 2026
issue are due by April 15.
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...
