Sunday, August 30, 2026

Devil's Trumpet (Datura spp.) Plant Profile

 See video plant profile at 

https://youtu.be/0XFNUsovlHk?is=UJ2Z6DfCr1oGiO0-

Datura Plant Profile

Devil’s Trumpet (Datura spp.) is an herbaceous (non-woody) plant that is an annual in our region. It is hardy to USDA Zones 9-10. Some Datura are native to the southwestern United States and others originate in the Caribbean and Central America.  

The large, fragrant flowers bloom from mid-summer until frost. The plants tend to sprawl on the ground and can form a mound of 3-feet wide or more.

The plant is moth-pollinated. Datura wrightii is the host plant for the larvae of the Hawk moth (Sphingidae). It is a good choice for a nighttime or moon gardens.

It is often confused with Angel’s Trumpet (Brugmansia sp.). However, Brugmansia blooms points down, while Datura’s flowers face up or out. Also, Brugmansia’s fruit is smooth, while the Datura fruit or seed capsule is prickly. They are both members of the nightshade family and are considered poisonous in all parts, so are essentially deer-resistant, but should also be kept away from small children and pets—and handled with care.

The common name jimsonweed refers to Datura stramonium also known as Mad Apple or Thorn Apple amongst many other common names. It was used by indigenous peoples of the Americas as a hallucinogen and intoxicant.

Datura grows best in full sun and in well-draining soils. It is quite drought-tolerant once established. Apply an all-purpose fertilizer regularly to encourage continual blooming.

 To propagate Datura, sow the seeds indoors in February or directly outdoors after the last frost of spring. Collect the seed capsules before they open up, if you do not wish it to self-sow in future years.

 Datura: You Can Grow That!

 The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Audio, Photos, and Text by Kathy Jentz

Video and Editing by Koree Perry

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

~Jewels of Opar Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/10/jewels-of-opar-plant-profile.html

~ Celosia Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/11/celosia-plant-profile.html

~ Monkey Balls Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/11/plant-profile-monkey-balls-gomphocarpus.html

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Saturday, August 29, 2026

GardenDC Podcast on Summer Break

GardenDC: The award-winning podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening and Beyond is taking a break for the end of summer and will be back soon with new episodes. While there is no new episode today, we recommend you re-listen to a past favorite or catch up on some that you might have missed. We also have the following suggestions of past episodes (listed below) that we think you will enjoy:
- GardenDC Podcast Episode 210: Fall Garden Prep

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


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, August 28, 2026

Fenton Friday: Zingy Zinnias and Citrine Success

 Ripe Tomato on Tomato 'Citrine' plant on July 20, 2026.

Guest Blog by Maya Hand

I had never gardened before this summer, beyond occasionally weeding with my mom when I was little! I grew up with my mom growing many herbs and flowering plants in our backyard. She had squash and zucchini some years, and she always had cherry tomatoes, which I enjoyed plucking and eating off the vine. She usually planted the Tomato 'Super Sweet 100.'

 

On June 1, I transplanted Tomato ‘Citrine’ and The Purple Tomato™ seedlings into the community garden plot on Fenton Street. I planted Zinnia Zydeco™ Fire and Zinnia ‘Crestar Fieldgrown Mix’ seeds in the pollinator strip.

 

There was a good deal of weekly weeding to do in the plot and pollinator strip throughout the summer. The main aggressors were morning glory vine, mulberry weed trees, and crabgrass. The most ease I had pulling up the was when using a weeder after a rain. The moisture that remained in the soil helped get the roots loose. There was one Mulberry Weed tree next to the Purple Tomato that persisted even though we kept it covered by a piece of old tile. I cut it back each week, along with uncovered side shoots.

 

I watered and weeded every Monday when fellow intern Koree, editor Kathy Jentz, and I went to the garden together. Kathy watered the plants during the rest of the time (except when rain did the watering for us). There were several Mondays when I added a bit of fish fertilizer to the water for the tomatoes.

 

The Zinnia seeds were up by the end of the first week of June.


Zinnia seedlings on July 6, 2026.

On June 22, I added a Tomato ‘Fourth of July’ seedling and an African Marigold 'Lanna Lace' seedling to the same patch as the 'Citrine' and The Purple Tomato™. I also top-dressed around the Tomatoes with a mix of aged horse manure and coffee compost.

The first ripe 'Citrine' Tomato appeared later that week -- they are ready to eat when they turn a beautiful light golden-yellow. By the end of June, the 'Citrine' Tomato plant was continuing to produce fruit, and the Marigold had one flower and a few buds forming. Sometime in the second week of July, Kathy saw one 'Fourth of July' Tomato ripening before it disappeared (likely eaten by a rodent). 

Since the Zinnias had still not flowered by the last week of July, I thinned them out (removed several seedlings so they weren't crowding each other so much). The Zinnias started blooming the following week! I regretfully forgot to take a photo of them in bloom.

We entered one flower from the 'Lanna Lace' Marigold into the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair in August, and it received a first place ribbon in one of the marigold categories. We also entered the The Purple Tomato™ under the "Most Unusual Tomato" category, but as they were not fully ripe at that point, they did not earn a ribbon.

Me with our first-place African Marigold 'Lanna Lace' flower,
at the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair, on August 18, 2026.

Of the tomato plants, the Tomato 'Citrine' grew the largest and produced the most fruit. I did not see another 'Fourth of July' Tomato after the one that disappeared. I saw unripe tomatoes on the Purple Tomato plant. However, Kathy harvested some ripe tomatoes from the Purple Tomato™ when I was not at the plot. My last day at the garden was August 10. By then, I had tasted a few 'Citrine' Tomatoes!

Tomato 'Citrine' and African Marigold 'Lanna Lace' on August 10, 2026.

Despite being told by two cooks in my life (my mom and stepdad) that I have a developed palate, I am unable to describe the flavor and texture of the 'Citrine' Tomatoes in a way that is distinct from similar cherry tomatoes. I don’t have a very developed intra-vegetable palate!

I tried the nine varieties at our TomatoTaste at the FreshFarm Silver Spring Market and liked 'Citrine' the best. (Note: Those tomatoes were from farms in the DMV, not us.) But I was too busy managing the table to pay close attention to the experience of eating each. I will say that that I like its combination of lightly sweet with a touch of sour -- and there's that satisfying snap that all fresh cherry tomatoes have when you bite into them.


What are you growing and harvesting in your garden this week?

About the Author: Maya Hand was an intern with Washington Gardener Magazine this summer 2026 session.

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).

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Monday, August 24, 2026

Monday Thoughts: “Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.” ~  Henry David Thoreau

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Sunday, August 23, 2026

Tomato Taste Results: Sun Sugar's Sweet Victory

The rain held off and we had more than 200 people come to yesterday's Washington Gardener Magazine 16th Annual Tomato Taste at the FreshFarm Silver Spring Market. Here are the results of the ballots submitted.

  1. Sun Sugar from Mock's Greenhouse   
  2. Citrine from The Farm at Our House
  3. Sun Gold from Ben's Produce
  4. Cherokee Purple from Mock's Greenhouse   
  5. Juliet from Quaker Valley Orchards  
  6. Spiral Sweet Grape Tomato from Spiral Path Farm    
  7. Beefsteak from The Farm at Our House        
  8. San Marzano from Keep Step Farm
  9. Purple Cherry from Mock's Greenhouse 

This year the top three tomatoes had the vast majority of votes -- those sweet cherry varieties are hard to beat! Last year's winner was 'Citrine' so not a big surprise that it ranked high again.  The rest of the pack were separated by just a few votes. This shows you that there were no real "losers" in this batch and that every tomato had its share of hard-core fans. Talking to folks, after they voted, they each insisted their chosen tomato was far superior to the others and I heard raves for each one of the 9 choices. (My personal faves were 'Juliet' and 'Beefsteak'.)

Big thanks to Chef Peter Andros of Gourmet & Gourmand who joined us this year and shared three delicious tomato recipe tastes.


Thank you also to Dimitri Olive Oil for the Balsamic Viniagrette and to Spring Gap Mountain Creamery  for the fresh Mozarella they donated for the prize package!

In addition to the tastings, many people stopped by to create colorful tomato art and to pick up the free tomato seeds, growing tips, stickers, and recipes that we gave out.


We gave out a gift bag full of gardening goodies, tomatoes, and market money to one of the tomato taste voters (and the balsamic vinegar plus mozarella!). Congratulations to Maxine Siegler (pictured above)!  

Most of the taste attendees were local, though we also had many who came quite a distance. About two-thirds live in Silver Spring. Another third live close by in Washington, DC or the neighboring towns of Takoma Park, Bethesda, etc. and the rest were from farther out spots in the region from Baltimote to Northern Virginia.  A few were from WAY far outside of the area, we even had votes from Albuquerque, New Mexico!

Thank you to all who came and participated. Thanks to the farmers for growing great tomatoes and to FreshFarm Markets staff for hosting us. Special thanks also to our interns (Koree and Maya) and volunteers (Laura, Nick, and Alexandra) for helping with all the tomato sample cutting, vote tallying, and helping greet all the tomato tasters in the short, but jam-packed two-hour event!
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Saturday, August 22, 2026

GardenDC Podcast Episode 300: Looking Back on 6+ Years of Garden Wisdom and Sharing

When we launched this podcast back in March 2020, our goal was simple: to help you grow your best garden in the unique Mid-Atlantic climate – but our listenership quickly grew worldwide and includes gardening enthusiasts from every part of the planet and growing zone. We couldn't have reached this milestone without you, our dedicated listeners. But most importantly, we wouldn't be here without the incredible wealth of knowledge shared by our past guest experts.

Over the last 300 episodes, we have hosted the brightest minds in horticulture. We’ve learned about native plants from local conservationists. We’ve discovered urban agriculture secrets from community leaders. Extension agents have saved our tomatoes from blight. Author experts have inspired us to redesign our shade gardens.

To every researcher, author, designer, and everyday dirt-under-the-fingernails gardener who has shared their time on this show: thank you. You are the heartbeat of the GardenDC community.

To celebrate, we are doing something special. I have asked some of our favorite past guests to share some nuggets of gardening wisdom with us. They’ve recorded growing tips and busted some garden myths and much more...  

Note that the GardenDC podcast is taking a short break and will be back soon with new episodes. 

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

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 100: Behind the Scenes

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/04/gardendc-podcast-episode-100-behind.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 200: Secrets of a Gardening Podcast

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/06/gardendc-podcast-episode-200-secrets-of.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 250: Garden Hacks

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/08/gardendc-podcast-episode-250-garden.html

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

Show Notes will be posted after 8/31/2026.

This episode is archived at:https://open.spotify.com/episode/3b1cihuXUD2n4HnNE4dspV?si=4lJITQgHQp66hLz6WEwXXg

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

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Friday, August 21, 2026

Fenton Friday: My Okra Summer

Guest Blog by Koree Perry

As a summer 2026 intern for Washington Gardener Magazine, I had the pleasure of growing ‘Puerto Rican Everbrush’ okra (while also failing to grow nasturtium flowers as my chosen pollinator plant). Throughout the entire internship, I tended to multiple plants at the community garden where we were growing things, but growing okra with my own hands was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had in my life! 

I have never been a green thumb. To be completely honest, there were times when I was a child that I didn’t even like being outside, either because of the weather or bugs or not liking dirt on my hands. Throughout this internship, however, I’ve grown an appreciation for gardening and learning how to navigate a garden. The first few weeks showed me that the nasturtium seeds, for whatever reason, were not going to come up. I was a bit sad since I was excited to grow my own flowers, but I stuck through with my okra! I didn’t realize how quickly they would grow, nor did I realize how tall they would get. By the end of June, they were already nice and leafy. 

While growing the okra, my main tasks after first planting were weeding and watering. They weren’t difficult plants to grow by any means, but weeds loved to sprout near them or wrap around them. At first, our editor-in-chief Kathy Jentz showed me how to make the most of my okra seeds by planting at least three seeds in five different holes. When the okra came up through the ground, I cut out the other two seedlings that grew from each group in order to let the strongest-looking ones have the best chance for full growth. Week after week, I pulled weeds and vines away from trying to strangle my okra until they plants reach over three feet in height! 

As the okra pods began to form on the plants, they became incredibly long! Before this internship, I had only ever seen okra that was about the size of my palm, but the okra that I grew had gotten bigger and bigger by the week. At the end of my internship, we entered it into the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair where it placed fourth overall!

For more information about growing okra, see this GardenDC podcast episode:
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2026/07/gardendc-podcast-episode-293-in-defense.html and this plant profile:
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/09/okra-plant-profile.html

What are you growing and harvesting in your garden this week?

About the Author: Koree Perry is an intern with Washington Gardener Magazine this summer 2026 session and is a Baltimore native.

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).

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