Washington Gardener Magazine is the award-winning publication for Mid-Atlantic USA gardeners by local gardeners.
Monday Thoughts: “For what has made the sage or poet write But the fair paradise of Nature’s light? In the calm grandeur of a sober line, We see the waving of the mountain pine; And when a tale is beautifully staid, We feel the safety of a hawthorn glade” ~ John Keats
In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with Mark Weathington, Director of the JC Raulston Arboretum, all about gardening for Hummingbirds. The plant profile is on Ostrich Ferns 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 "Preventing Lettuce Tip Burn" 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 140: Daphne Shrubs and Their Relatives
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/03/gardendc-podcast-episode-140-daphne.html
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 229: Mahonia Reexamined
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/02/gardendc-podcast-episode-229-mahonia.html
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 47: Pollinator Victory Gardens
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/02/gardendc-podcast-episode-47-pollinator.html
Show Notes will be posted after 8/21/2026.
This week, we got some good rainstorms, but it has also been very hot and humid -- with a typical mid-to-late summer Bermuda High weather pattern.
The Squash 'Thriller' has a few fruits ready to harvest (see photo above) with several more developing on the vines. I hope to have enough at once to enter into the Montgomery County Fair in a few weeks. This is the time of year when I'm really crossing my fingers that the timing works out so I can submit some decent entries.
I'm picking Okra about every other day. The Eggplant 'Fairy Tale' had several fruits about to drop today, so I gathered them up too. Now I have to figure out how I might use them in a recipe. Suggestions?
The rest of the plot is coming along well including the Beans, Peppers, Cucamelons, and Tomatoes. I also cut more bouquets of Dahlias, Gomphrena, and Lisianthus.
The Zinnias in the Pollinator Strip are now blooming, so the thinning we did last week really helped.
I pinched back the flowers on all the Basil plants again to encourage them to become fuller.
I'm struggling with Morning Glory vines and weed trees (mainly Mulberry and Catalpa) that are unrelenting in our plot. The more I pull and cut these off at the base, the more they just keep coming back twice as big. I tried putting overturned buckets on them, but they still seem to find the light. We are not permitted to use chemical interventions and digging never gets all the roots out. Any advice?
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 August 2026 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine is posted and archived online at:
https://issuu.com/washingtongardener/docs/washington_gardener_magazine_august_2026
Inside this issue:
Lovely and Luscious Lisianthus
Meet the Flower Potluck Founders
How Glyphosate Affects Bees
Managed Landscapes Help Combat Summer’s Biggest Challenges
Growing Salsify: The Oyster Plant
Murmurations About Starlings
Garden Book Reviews
Is Gardening the Secret to Long-term Exercise?
Summer-blooming Bulbs for Shady Gardens
Raise Your Garden to New Heights
Millipedes’ Ancient Origins
A New False Sunflower
and much more…
Note that any submissions, event listings, and advertisements for the September
2026 issue are due by August 15.
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Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) is an annual cut flower plant with blooms that are typically pink, blue, purple, or white. Single forms resemble tulips, while double forms look like roses.
Lisianthus is also known as Eustoma, Prairie Gentian, Tulip Gentian, or Texas Bluebell.
Lisianthus will bloom starting in summer into fall.
Lisianthus sold at garden centers are typically potted, dwarf variations, so they don’t get too leggy and flop before they bloom.
Because they can be difficult to start from seeds, most cut-flower growers buy started plugs to grow them out Some growers disbud* the first two flowers on Lisianthus to allow the plant to develop more fully.
Lisianthus can be planted in the garden in early April as they can tolerate a light frost.
They prefer to grown in full sunlight in well-draining soils. They do well planted in combinations with Zinnias.
It is hardy to USDA Zones 8 to 10.
Lisianthus: You Can Grow That!
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video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine as part of our Plant
Profile series for Mid-Atlantic USA gardeners.
Audio, video, and text by Kathy
Jentz
Editing by Koree Perry
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If you liked this video, we think you will like these other Plant Profiles:
~ Bronze Fennel Plant Profile
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/07/bronze-fennel-plant-profile.html
~ Gentian Plant Profile
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/10/gentian-plant-profile.html
~ Larkspur Plant Profile
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2026/06/larkspur-plant-profile.html
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Chef Peter Andros of Gourmet & Gourmand will join us to share tomato recipes and tastings.
Farmers at the market will contribute their locally grown selections — from super-sweet ‘Sungold’ to not-so-pretty ‘Cherokee Purple’ — and we’ll explore which tomatoes make the short list of favorites. We’ll have tomato gardening tips, tomato recipes, tomato activities for kids, and much more. All to celebrate one of summer’s greatest indulgences — the juicy fresh tomato.
Tip: Your tomato taste voting ballot is also your entry into our prize drawing for a basket full of gardening goodies. The drawing is at 12:00noon sharp, so be sure to fully fill out your ballot by 11:45am and then stick around for the prize announcement as you must be present to win!
“Take time to sit. Put a bench in the garden, and just think. Slow your mind and let the garden speak to you, rather than always trying to manipulate it.” ~ Ellen Ecker Ogden
In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with photographer Becca Mathias about capturing better images of our home gardens. The plant profile is on Lemongrass 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 Zoodle Your Zucchinis" 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 238: Flower Photography Tips
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/04/gardendc-podcast-episode-238-flower.html
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 202: Documenting Gardens
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/07/gardendc-podcast-episode-202.html
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 17: Garden Photography
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/06/gardendc-podcast-episode-17-garden.html
Show Notes will be posted after 8/15/2026.
This week we got another decent rain storm of almost an inch. For most of the time, it has been very breezey and not stiflingly hot.
The BAD NEWS is that some jerk broke off the metal sign I purchased for the Pollinator Garden Strip and stole an entire Marigold plant. (This could be two different jerks, but I doubt it.) Of course, they took the special Marigold that I was sent to trial by a plant breeder, not the ones on the other end of the strip that are regular old Marigolds.
The GOOD NEWS is we have Okra and lots of it! (See photo above.) BTW, if you are not an Okra fan or an unfamiliar with growing it. See here and here.
The Squash vines have several fruits forming and one looks very close to picking. With the Montgomery County Fair just a few weeks away, I'm hoping we have some nice specimens ready to enter by then.
The rest of the plot is coming along well including the Eggplants, Beans, Peppers, Cucamelons, and Tomatoes. I cut more bouquets of Dahlias, Gomphrena, and Lisianthus.
We weeded and watered. We thinned out the Zinnia seedlings to give the reamaining plants more space to grow and flower. I pinched back the flowers on all the Basil plants to encourage them to become fuller.
When I was weeding near the back corner of the plot, I pulled out a tiny Carrot by accident. I assume it self-sowed from plants that were in there last spring or fall.
I still need to clear out the last of the Dill stems to plant more Beans.
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 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...
