GardenDC Podcast Episode 292: Hydrangea Tips and Tricks

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with garden writer, speaker, and radio host C. L. Fornari* about Hydrangea Tips and Tricks. The plant profile is on Cornflower 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 "Benjy and the Bees" from Christy Page of GreenPrints.

*You can order C. L. Fornari's book Hydrangea Happiness at https://amzn.to/4f9rJKr
This link is to our Amazon affiliate account and we may earn a few pennies from these sales, 

but it wil not impact your purchase price.

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 279: How and When to Prune Hydrangeas

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2026/03/gardendc-podcast-episode-279-how-and.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 142: Hydrangea Care and Pruning

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/03/gardendc-podcast-episode-142-hydrangea.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 60: Hydrangea Varieties with Andrew Bunting

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/05/gardendc-podcast-episode-60-hydrangeas.html

Show Notes will be posted after 7/5/2026.

This episode is archived at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/41ItA0vT18kl4oQhdIRFuC?si=xjuJc6x5RqmguQQI1wgTLw

 

The GardenDC podcast is also available on -

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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!

*You can order C. L. Fornari's book Hydrangea Happiness at https://amzn.to/4f9rJKr
This link is to our Amazon affiliate account and we may earn a few pennies from these sales, 

but it wil not impact your purchase price.

Fenton Friday: Cilantro = Coriander

I cut the last of the bolted Cilantro to dry and save the seeds (aka Coriander). A few plot gardeners asked about it when they saw me cutting the stalks. They hadn't made the connection that Cilantro seeds are the same herb Coriander that they purchase at the grocery store, so I shared a few stalks with them.

Hidden by the Cilantro were a few stalks of bolted Lettuces and a bolted Radish (pictured above). I'll let these all go to seed and collect them as well for planting this fall and sharing at our Seed Exchanges this winter.

In the place of the Cilantro, I planted two Basil plants -- 'Lemon' and 'Monteverde' (a trial plant from PanAmerican Seed) along with a row of 'Treviso' Basil seeds (an All-America Selections winner). Both the 'Treviso' and 'Monteverde' are new disease-resistant kinds.

Next to the Basil are the Tomatoes. We added 'Fourth of July' Tomato to the two other tomato plants we'd already planted there along with a new African Marigold 'Lanna Lace' that I was sent to try out from PanAmerican Seed. We top-dressed around the Tomatoes with a aged horse manure and coffee compost mix that I was gifted by EarthBrew Compost.

I plucked one ripe tomato off the 'Citrine' Tomato plant. I would have left it on for the interns to taste next week, but thunderstorms are in the forecast tonight and I thought it might get knocked off and then rot on the ground before their next visit. There are more ripening now (see pic above) for them to hopefully sample soon. 

 

We thinned the Okra 'Puerto Rico Everblush' seedlings and 'Thriller' Squash seedlings. They are all growing very quickly!

I harvested the Romaine Lettuce from a container I had it growing in and planted 'Rich Purple Pod' Heirloom Pole Beans and stuck a tomato cage in it for them to climb on. My hopes are that by growing them in the the tall container the ravenous bunnies do not get the bean seedlings before they get a chance to grow up.

In another container, I planted a 'Fairytale' Eggplant seedling and put a cover cloth over it to protect it from the awful flea beetles.

Next to the Blackberries, I put in a new Mouse Melon plant (aka Mexican Sour Gherkin) that I had bought at a local nursery to replace the one I lost to the harsh winter. It can use the berry bushes and a nearby trellis to grow up and clamber over -- especially now that the berries are not very productive right now.

In the pollinator garden strip, a dwarf Sunflower seedling is blooming as is the Mountain Mint and Borage. The Zinnias are really starting to take off. 

I cut more Dahlia flowers, watered, and weeded a bit more today.

Next week, I need to get the Pepper seedlings in and plant the Cosmos seeds.  

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).

Cornflower Plant Profile

Cornflower Plant Profile

Cornflower (Centaurea cyana) is also known as Bachelor’s Buttons. It blooms in late spring typically in bright blue – but it is also has varieties with pink, white, or purple flowers.

The flowers resemble thistles but they are not thorny or sharp. The blooms are pollinator magnets and are often grown in cut-flower gardens.

The plants grow to between 1 to 3 feet tall and may need staking.

Cornflower is native to Europe and is used in folk medicine as an herbal digestive .

It is hardy to zones 2 to 11.

It is easy to start from seed and can self-sow prolifically. Deadhead it to limit the seed production, but note that birds love the seeds and doing this will limit their access to that food source.

Cornflower prefer full sun and well-draining soils.

It is deer- and drought-resistant. It does not need fertilizing

Cornflower: You Can Grow That!

 

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Audio 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:

~ Larkspur Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2026/06/larkspur-plant-profile.html

~ Gentian Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/10/gentian-plant-profile.html

~ Spiderwort Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2026/03/spiderwort-plant-profile.html

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Monday Thoughts: "I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down / into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass, / how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields, / … / Tell me, what is it you plan to do / with your one wild and precious life?” ~ Mary Oliver

"I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down / into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass, / how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields, /  …  / Tell me, what is it you plan to do / with your one wild and precious life?” ~ Mary Oliver

GardenDC Podcast Episode 291: Summer Tree Care

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with award-winning horticultural author, speaker, and podcaster Eva Monheim* about Summer Tree Care. The plant profile is on Lantana 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 "Planting an Herb Garden" from Christy Page of GreenPrints.

*You can order Eva Monheim's book Shrubs and Hedges at https://amzn.to/4oZ9iN3
This link is to our Amazon affiliate account and we may earn a few pennies from these sales, but it wil not impact your purchase price.

You can listen to Eva's podcast at https://www.youtube.com/@ThePlantATrillionTreesPodcast

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 12: Shrubs and Hedges with Eva Monheim

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/05/gardendc-podcast-episode-12-eva-monheim.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 87: Winter Tree Care with Lou Mayer

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/01/gardendc-podcast-episode-87-winter-tree.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 240: Top Urban Trees with Robert Shaut of Casey Trees

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/05/gardendc-podcast-episode-240-top-urban.html

Show Notes will be posted after 6/28/2026.

This episode is archived at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/17wd3FtSSGCrMBFeZG6g92?si=tOugXm5MQHqHsGIXdm4aew

 

The GardenDC podcast is also available on -

• Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gardendc/id1502631179
• Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc
• RadioPublic: https://radiopublic.com/gardendc-G2ql5V
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• TuneIn: http://tun.in/pj7Sb
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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!

*You can order Eva Monheim's book Shrubs and Hedges at https://amzn.to/4oZ9iN3
This link is to our Amazon affiliate account and we may earn a few pennies from these sales, 

but it wil not impact your purchase price.

Fenton Friday: Dill and Flower Frills

The Dill is blooming and looking gorgeous (pictured above). 

As predicted a few weeks ago, this was a very pathetic Garlic harvest. I have ONE decent bulb (pictured at right). I'm not sure whether to blame the harsh winter or poor seed garlic (it was pricey though!), but next year, I'll move to a different bed and buy seed garlic from a different source.

In the place of the Garlic, I planted a new cutting-garden bed with 8 Lisianthus 'Voyage 1st Love' plants and 2 Gomphrena 'Cosmic Flare' from Plants Nouveau that I am trying out. The Lisianthus variety are doubles with white blooms that have a soft pink edge. The Gomphrena has magenta blooms and chartreuse foliage. I cannot wait to cut my first bouquet of them! 

 

The Okra 'Puerto Rico Everblush' seedlings and 'Thriller' Squash seedlings are growing by leaps and bounds. We'll need to thin them next week.

In the pollinator garden strip, I weeded a bit and planted some additional Sunflower seedlings. I then pulled out some small Sunchokes and added them to a pile of Garlic Chives for our monthly community harvest for the hungry tomorrow. 

More of the returning Dahlia plants are blooming. I cut a bunch of blooms off the Yarrow to bring to a Flower Potluck tomorrow. 

Next week, we need to plant the Cosmos seeds as well as the Pole 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).