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 -

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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).

Virginia Sweetspire Plant Profile

 

Virginia Sweetspire Plant Profile

Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica) is a deciduous shrub that is native to the Eastern United States. It is also known as Virginia Willow.

It grows into a small mound that is 2 to 5 feet tall and wide. It is hardy to USDA Zones 5 to 9.

In the spring, it produces cascading branches of fragrant white flowers that attract butterflies and bees.

In the fall, the leaves turn to beautiful shades of red and orange. The seeds are eaten by songbirds.

It prefers to grow in part to full sun in moist but well-draining acidic soils.

It can spread into a dense thicket via root suckers. You can propagate it by seed, taking cuttings in the spring, and root division.

Virginia Sweetspire is deer-resistant and can tolerate occasional flooding.

Selected cultivars include ‘Henry’s Garnet’, ‘Little Henry’, and  ‘Fizzy Mizzy’.

Virginia Sweetspire: You Can Grow That!

 

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Audio, Video, Photos, 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:

~ Northern Spicebush Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/04/northern-spicebush-plant-profile.html

~ Smooth Hydrangea Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/07/plant-profile-smooth-hydrangea.html

~ Japanese Andromeda Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/04/pieris-japonica-plant-profile.html

PIN THIS FOR LATER!

Win a copy of "The Urban Garden: 101 Ways to Grow Food and Beauty in the City" in the June 2026 Washington Gardener Reader Contest

For our June 2026 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, we are giving away a copy of The Urban Garden: 101 Ways to Grow Food and Beauty in the City by Kathy Jentz and Teresa Speight (prize value: $27, https://amzn.to/4xyef2Y*). 

   In The Urban Garden, you’ll find dozens of inspiring and creative ways to grow flowers, shrubs, vegetables, herbs, and other plants in small spaces and with a limited budget. Whether you want to grow on a balcony, rooftop, front stoop, or tiny urban patio, turn your growing dreams into reality and build a gorgeous and unique garden that showcases your personal style while still being functional and productive. With the ingenious ideas and resourceful tactics found here, you’ll be maximizing yields and beauty from every square inch of your space, while also making a lush outdoor living area you’ll crave spending time in.

   To enter to win the book, send an email by 5:00pm on Tuesday, June 30, to: 

WashingtonGardenerMagazine@gmail.com with “Urban Garden” in the Subject line and in the body of the email tell us what your favorite article was in the June 2026 issue and why. Please include your full name and mailing address. Winners will be announced and notified on July 1. Entry comments might be published. 

*Amazon affiliate link to our account. We may earn a few pennies if you click on the link.

Monday Thoughts: “Sometimes all it takes is a single blossom.” ~ Jane Fulton Alt

“Sometimes all it takes is a single blossom.” ~ Jane Fulton Alt

GardenDC Podcast Episode 290: Louisiana Iris

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with plantsman Rich Crider of Three Shovels Farm all about Louisiana Iris. The plant profile is on Japanese Painted Fern 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 "Plant in June" from 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 64: Daylilies - The Perfect Perennial?

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/06/gardendc-podcast-episode-64-daylilies.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 53: Superior Perennials

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/04/gardendc-podcast-episode-53-superior.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 150: Sourcing Native Plants

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/05/gardendc-podcast-episode-150-sourcing.html

Show Notes will be posted after 6/21/2026.

This episode is archived at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/20zfRrjCpA0UIHJEN2vRu7?si=h6IW9Y5TTySPUgcM9qFtkQ

 

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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• Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/GardenDC-Podcast/B08JJNZBMX
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• Himalaya: https://www.himalaya.com/courses/gardendc-1747568
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• Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1502631179/gardendc
  
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• TuneIn: http://tun.in/pj7Sb
• Vurbl: https://vurbl.com/station/gardendc/
• YouTube: https://youtube.com/washingtongardenermagazine

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!

Louisiana Iris at Three Shovels Farm.

Fenton Friday: Flower Friday

This week was there was rain and heat -- lots of heat.

The Blackberries are being raided by some creature(s) despite the fact that I draped some plastic mesh over the shrub along with a few rubber snakes. The fruits are pretty much all stripped off -- I've only gotten a couple this week.

The Okra 'Puerto Rico Everblush' seedlings are up (see picture above) - so are the seedlings of the 'Thriller' Squash I planted this week in a hill next to them. I'm hoping that the Okra will get tall fast and the Squash can then sprawl out around the base of them. 

One of the returning Dahlia plants is already blooming (see picture at right) and the others are setting bids.

We still need to get the Pole Beans in as well as some Cucumbers or Zucchini. I may pull the Garlic soon to make room for those. I think after all these good rains will be a good time to do so.

In the pollinator strip, the Nasturtium seeds are being slow to germinate, but the Zinnia seeds are all up. I also promised to share a picture and identify the blue-blooming plants that came from a Wildflower Mix we started in the spring. Pictured at right here is part of the mix including Borage, Blue Flax, and the tall "airy" looking one is Phacelia --which I have never grown before. 

Next week, I plan to finally get the Lisianthus seedlings in the cutting garden and to add some rows of 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).