Three Spring Talks

Registration just opened up for three talks I am giving at local public gardens this spring. These fill fast, so sign up soon!

Dealing with Deer and Other Mammals in the Gardens

Speaker: Kathy Jentz, Editor/Publisher, Washington Gardener Magazine

Saturday, April 6 from 2-3:30pm

At Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, VA

Bambi may be cute, but he would love to make a feast of your garden. Learn proven and humane tactics for gardening with deer, rabbits, rodents, groundhogs, and other creatures that are attracted to both edible and ornamental gardens. $18/person. Register online at https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/parktakes/ using code 27C.63BB or call Green Spring Gardens at 703-642-5173.

Dealing with Dry Shade

Speaker: Kathy Jentz, Editor/Publisher, Washington Gardener Magazine

At Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD

Thursday, April 18 from 2-3:30pm

In our hot and humid summers, a shade garden can be a soothing sanctuary but dealing with dry shade is a common challenge for many local gardeners. Kathy will discuss design choices, soil amendments to increase moisture retention, and proven plant choices that work in these tough conditions. We'll also examine case studies of local gardens who have not only conquered dry shade but made it a rewarding environment to grow in. FOBG Fee: $20, Regular Fee: $22

Register at: https://apm.activecommunities.com/montgomerycounty/Activity_Search/designing-for-dry-shade/57596

Water in the Landscape: Creating A Garden Oasis

Speaker: Kathy Jentz, Editor/Publisher, Washington Gardener Magazine 

Tuesday, June 25 from 2-3:30pm

At Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD

Water features and water gardens can be a magical addition to your landscape. Water can be stimulating or calming, depending on how it is used. There are numerous uses for water gardens from sustaining native wildlife to masking ambient noise. This class explains the basics of installing and maintaining a water feature of any size into a garden. It also highlights water garden plant choices appropriate for our region. FOBG Fee: $22, Regular Fee: $25

Register at: https://apm.activecommunities.com/montgomerycounty/Activity_Search/water-in-the-landscape-creating-a-garden-oasis/58479

Local Gardening 101

Guest Blog by Racquel Royer

Gardener, speaker, and editor-in-chief of Washington Gardener Magazine Kathy Jentz shared her tips for finding and taking advantage of local gardening resources at a talk for Knowledge Commons DC in Dupont Circle last week. Knowledge Commons is a “free school for thinkers, doers, and tinkerers – taught anywhere, by anyone, for everyone.”

“All gardening is local,” Jentz says.

Her first step was to “start with your soil.” That means getting a soil test to discover what your soil needs to help plants grow. In doing so, it’s important to let those testing the soil know what your plans are so that they can specify what you might need. Soil test kits can be purchased and mailed in to a lab like the one at Penn State. The next step is to amend the soil with aged manure and leaf compost. Kathy shared many local and free sources of both.

After taking care to prepare your soil, local plants can be obtained at garden club swaps, garden centers, public garden plant sales, and by posting on group lists like DC Urban Gardeners and DC Metro Plant Swap. There are so many gardening clubs and groups to join and most welcome new gardeners. A few good local plant swaps Jentz mentioned are those held by the local chapter of the Rock Garden Society, Takoma Horticultural Club, and the Four Seasons Garden Club. A few of Jentz’ favorite area nurseries and garden centers include Homestead Gardens, Merrifield, Behnke, and Meadows Farms among others.

If you’ve started growing your plants and encounter problems, Jentz advised to reach out to places like the UMD HGIC online, in-person at Master Gardener clinics, and to submit questions for the Washington Gardener’s “Ask the Expert” column.

Another great way to get involved in the local gardening community is to attend garden tours like the ones held by Brookland Garden Club and Virginia Garden Week, or to join  local garden clubs. If you’d like to do some local garden adventuring on your own, some great, lesser-known public gardens to visit and get inspired by include the Franciscan Monastery, Tudor Place, Oatlands, and the Bishop’s Garden at the National Cathedral.

Happy local gardening!

About the Author

Racquel Royer is a senior studying broadcast journalism in the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, College Park. She is from Tampa. FL. This summer, she is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener.

Creating an Oasis in Your Garden Talk

On Saturday, June 16, from 10–11:30am, I'll be speaking at Green Spring Gardens, 4603 Green Spring Rd., Alexandria, VA, on "Water in the Landscape: Creating an Oasis in Your Garden."

Water features and water gardens can be magical additions to your landscape. They can stimulate or calm, sustain native wildlife, and mask ambient noise. Washington Gardener Magazine and Water Garden Journal editor Kathy Jentz explains the basics of installing and maintaining a water feature of any size in your garden and highlights water garden plant choices appropriate for our region.

And no, having a water garden doesn't breed mosquitoes! As a matter of fact, quite the opposite -- water features can be great mosquitoes deterrents. Find out more at my talk.

Fee: $18/person. Code 290 286 0301. Register at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/parktakes or call 703-642-5173. Out-of-county registrants, add $2 for programs.

Video Wednesday: Kathy Jentz, Garden Speaker

Kathy Jentz is editor and publisher of Washington Gardener Magazine, based in the Washington, DC region. A life-long gardener, Kathy believes that growing plants should be stress-free and enjoyable. Her philosophy is inspiration over perspiration.

To book her for a garden talk, see: http://greatgardenspeakers.com/listing/kathy-jentz-4c818b5cdacc5.html