Monday, October 27, 2025

Monday Thoughts: “Old crow watching hungrily, from his perch in yonder tree. In my garden I’m as free as that feathered thief up there.” ~ John Denver


“Old crow watching hungrily, from his perch in yonder tree. In my garden I’m as free as that feathered thief up there.” 

~ John Denver





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Saturday, October 25, 2025

GardenDC Podcast Episode 261: Carnirvorous Plants


In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with the Ethan Kamerow of Cultivate the City, all about Carnivorous Plants The plant profile is on Mexican Bush Sage 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 the Many Ways to Use Pumpkin by Christy Page of GreenPrints.


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

BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter/subscriber at: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/subscribe

This episode is archived at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/35IVk9NntTKBrET6m9PfRQ?si=7GAIM-ryTiuxfSxLGDmydA

Show Notes will be posted after 11/5/25.

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
Interview Edit and Show Notes: Cavit Ireland
Music: Let the Sunshine by James Mulvany

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Flowering Pitcher Plants
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Friday, October 24, 2025

Fenton Friday: Harvesting Roselle and Sunchokes


This week we harvested Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) and took off the outer calyx (pictured above) to let it dry on some indoor screens to make tea. I also saved a few of the seed pods to dry and share at our next Seed Exchanges.

Then we pulled one of the Jerusalem Artichokes aka Sunchokes from the pollinator garden strip. I had planted them there this spring figuring that the concrete borders will keep them in check and in future years they'd be available as a food crop to anyone who needed them. Pictured below are the tubers from that plant. I am letting them cure now along with the few Sweet Potatoes we harvested a few weeks ago. 


I'm still cutting Dahlias daily. We are expecting a frost maybe this weekend. We shall see...

Once the frost hits, we will pull out the last of the Basil, Tomatoes and Peppers. 

We thinned the Radishes and harvested some Cilantro. The Lettuce mix and Cover Crops are also growing well. However, one of the four Cauliflower seedlings has taken a hit. It is under a covercloth and all foliage was eaten -- maybe a slug or rabbit?

What are you growing in your edible 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 14th 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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Wednesday, October 22, 2025

Hairy Aster Plant Profile

Hairy Aster Plant Profile

Hairy Aster (Symphyotrichum pilosum) is native throughout the eastern half of the United States. It is a perennial wildflower with small daisy-like flowers running along tall stems. The stems have a hairy texture—hence the common name.

It’s other common names include Frost Aster, Awl Aster, Steelweed, and Hairy White Oldfield Aster.

Hairy Aster blooms from summer into fall and is hardy to zones 3 to 9.

It grows best in full sun. It thrives in disturbed soils such as along roadways. It is also salt-resistant and drought-tolerant.

Hairy Aster is visited by many kinds of pollinators. Its seeds are also a winter food source for songbirds.

If left to go to seed, it will self-sow easily. It is low-maintenance and requires no fertilizing or other care.

Hairy Aster: You Can Grow That!

 

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Audio and Text by Kathy Jentz

Video and Editing by Ellen Isaacson

 

➤ If you enjoy this video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our Youtube channel (thank you!)

➤Remember to TURN ON notifications to know when our new videos are out

➤ FIND Washington Gardener Magazine ONLINE

~ WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com

~ http://twitter.com/WDCGardener

~ https://www.instagram.com/wdcgardener/

~ Facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine

~ Podcast: GardenDC

 

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

~ White Wood Aster

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/10/white-wood-aster-plant-profile.html

~  Baptisia Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/07/baptisia-plant-profile.html

~ Gentian Plant Profile

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


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Monday, October 20, 2025

Monday Thoughts: “Planting bulbs into dark soil is an act of faith, the hope for a future garden that is bright and colorful.” ~ Jenny Rose Carey

“Planting bulbs into dark soil  is an act of faith, the hope for a future garden that is bright  and colorful.” 

 ~ Jenny Rose Carey

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Saturday, October 18, 2025

GardenDC Podcast Episode 260: Orchids of the First Ladies


In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with the Arthur Chadwick of Chadwick & Son Orchids, all about the First Ladies' Orchids. The plant profile is on Snake Plant 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 the October Leafy Soirée by Christy Page of GreenPrints.


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

BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter/subscriber at: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/subscribe

This episode is archived at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4mS2vLpKE5WTofsvIc06Nq?si=kexOF-4GQPWXWFgqsPum9w

Show Notes will be posted after 10/28/25.

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
Interview Edit and Show Notes: Cavit Ireland
Music: Let the Sunshine by James Mulvany

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Friday, October 17, 2025

Fenton Friday: Cowpeas Coming


The Iron & Clay Cowpeas (pictured above) are producing like crazy now. Note that Cowpeas are also known as Southern Peas or Black-eyed Peas, but they are actually a Bean (legume). You can eat them green and also eat the foliage. It is used for animal foraging too. Cowpeas are named that because the cows love them! I'm harvesting them when the pods are almost dry on the vine, then I'm drying them on screens in my sunroom. Then I plan to shell them and save them in glass jars. After all the rabbit trouble we had with these all season long, I'm just happy to get anything from these plants!

I'm cutting Dahlias daily. We escaped the frost last week that others were touched by in our region, but temps are supposed to drop again this weekend -- so fingers crossed that the Dahlias and other plants hang on for a bit more. We will soon pull out the last of the Basil, Tomatoes and Peppers. I yanked out the last of the Zucchini vines and put in more Cover Crop seeds in their place.

The Radish, Lettuce mix, Cilantro, and Cauliflower seedlings are both doing well. We will need to thin the Radishes soon and can harvest Cilantro any day now.

What are you growing in your edible 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 14th 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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Wednesday, October 15, 2025

Autumn Daffodil Plant Profile

 

Autumn Daffodil Plant Profile

Autumn Daffodil (Sternbergia lutea) is also known as fall daffodil, winter daffodil, or yellow autumn crocus. Despite the bright-yellow color, it really does look more like a tall crocus, than a daffodil.

The Autumn Daffodil is an heirloom pass-along bulb that is experiencing a resurgence of popularity.

It is hardy to USDA zones 6 to 9. Autumn Daffodil is native to Greece and the eastern Mediterranean. It's also found in southern Europe.

It is related to Amaryllis and is deer-resistant and vole-proof.

When ordered from a bulb catalog, the bulbs will arrive in late summer or early autumn and should be planted right away.

After planting the bulbs, they may take a year or two to acclimate, but after that they should reliably bloom each fall and increase a bit every year.

It prefers well-drained soil and a mostly sunny location. It does best planted in a spot with a southern exposure and a bit of extra straw mulch in colder climates.

The foliage stays up all winter leaves and grows to about 10-inches tall.          

The bulbs can be lifted and divided before the leaves die down in late spring.

Autumn Daffodil: You Can Grow That!

 

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Audio, Photos, and Text by Kathy Jentz

Video and Editing by Ellen Isaacson

 

➤ If you enjoy this video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our Youtube channel (thank you!)

➤Remember to TURN ON notifications to know when our new videos are out

➤ FIND Washington Gardener Magazine ONLINE

~ WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com

~ http://twitter.com/WDCGardener

~ https://www.instagram.com/wdcgardener/

~ Facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine

~ Podcast: GardenDC


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

~ Colchicum Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/10/colchicum-plant-profile.html

~ Daffodil Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2018/03/plant-profile-daffodils.html

~ Snowdrop Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/02/plant-profile-snowdrops-galanthus-sp.html

 

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Monday, October 13, 2025

Monday Thoughts: “Find me in my field of grass, Mother Nature's son Swaying daisies, sing a lazy song, Beneath the sun." ~ The Beatles

“Find me in my field of grass, Mother Nature's son Swaying daisies,  sing a lazy song, Beneath the sun." 

~ The Beatles

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Saturday, October 11, 2025

GardenDC Podcast Episode 259: From Garden to Farm with the Gardening Gays

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with the Gardening Gays -- Kevin and Dragan, all about their transition from small garden to country farm. The plant profile is on Hairy Aster 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 the Ghost Orchid by Christy Page of GreenPrints.

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

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 224: The Reformation of a Bad Naturalist

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/01/gardendc-podcast-episode-224.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 253: The Farm-to-Vase Movement

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/08/gardendc-podcast-episode-253-farm-to.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 7: Chickens in the Garden

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/04/gardendc-podcast-episode-7-chickens-in.html

BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter/subscriber at: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/subscribe

This episode is archived at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3xSP8Zg1ydgLDyn1vG0yKK?si=4XaMb4tnTR-XPQCHrqgQJA

Show Notes will be posted after 10/15/25.

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
Interview Edit and Show Notes: Cavit Ireland
Music: Let the Sunshine by James Mulvany

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