My favorite flower colors are…

My favorite flower colors are shades of purple and green. I especially love it when those two colors are combined in one bloom. Here are a few examples from my garden:

Clematis ‘Taiga’

Hardy Hibiscus ‘French Cabaret Purple’

Rose 'The Bishop'

Bearded Iris - variety unknown

Campanula - variety unknown

Datura Hybrid  'Double Purple'

What are your favorite flower colors?

This post is part of the #GardenBloggersChallenge sponsored by Gardencomm for the month of May. You are invited to join in and can see more details at https://info.gardencomm.org/

Collecting My Laurels

Photo by Sean and Allison McManus.

I’m honored to announce that I won two 2023 Media Awards—Gold Laurel Medals of Achievements—and a Silver Laurel as well. These international awards are presented by GardenComm (Garden Communicators International) and recognize individuals and companies achieving the highest levels of talent and professionalism in garden communications.

    Here are the awards I received:

• Gold: Podcast Series (Overall): GardenDC Podcast

• Gold: Speaking (Live Presentation): Deer & Garden Mammals Talk

• Silver: Social Media: @WDCgardener Twitter Account

   The categories are judged for “accuracy, content, production value, and style.” The 2023 competition had 121 entries in 39 categories.  

   “The GardenComm Media Awards showcase writers, photographers, editors, videographers, social media managers, publishers, and trade companies that have demonstrated excellence in garden communications in print or electronic communications,” says Maria Zampini, president of GardenComm.

   Since the early 1980s, the GardenComm Media Awards program has recognized outstanding writing, photography, graphic design, and illustration for books, newspaper stories, magazine articles, and other works focused on gardening.

   The full list of winners will be available on the GardenComm website at https://gardencomm.org/.

Three Silver Laurels in the 2023 GardenComm Media Awards!

I've got some Big News to share!

 

The GardenComm Media Awards were announced today and we won three!

Now we are up for the Gold Medal levels in these categories and will find out in August who won those honors.

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Here is the official press release:

Kathy Jentz Receives 2023 GardenComm Media Awards Silver Laurel Medal of Achievement

May 31, 2023 – Kathy Jentz received the 2023 Media Awards Silver Laurel Medal of Achievement presented by GardenComm: Garden Communicators International for 

• Podcast Series (Overall): GardenDC Podcast
• Social Media: @WDCgardener Twitter Account
• Speaking (Live Presentation): Deer & Garden Mammals Talk

The categories are judged for "accuracy, content, production value, and style."

This national award recognizes individuals and companies who achieve the highest levels of talent and professionalism in garden communications. The 2023 competition had 121 entries in 39 categories.  Recipients of the Silver Medal represent the best in their category and will now compete for Gold Medals in their category.

“The GardenComm Media Awards showcase writers, photographers, editors, videographers, social media managers, publishers, and trade companies that have demonstrated excellence in garden communications in print or electronic communications,” says Maria Zampini, president of GardenComm.

Since the early 1980s, the GardenComm Media Awards program has recognized outstanding writing, photography, graphic design and illustration for books, newspaper stories, magazine articles and other works focused on gardening.

The full list of winners will be available on the GardenComm website following the 2023 Annual Honors & Awards event on August 4^th at 6:30 pm ET held in conjunction with the GardenComm 75^th Annual Conference presented by Endless Summer® Hydrangeas, August 1-5.  For more information about this award, contact Chris Sabbarese via email at info@gardencomm.org.

About GardenComm

GardenComm, Garden Communicators International, is an organization of professional communicators in the green and garden industry including book authors, bloggers, staff editors, syndicated columnists, free-lance writers, photographers, speakers, landscape designers, television and radio personalities, consultants, publishers, extension service agents and more. No other organization in the industry has as much contact with the buying public as GardenComm members. Learn more at www.gardencomm.org.

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Power Circle Activated!

For the past few years, I have been helming a "power circle" for a small group of garden bloggers -- all members of the Garden Communicators International (used to be called Garden Writers Association). We have monthly phone calls on various topics ranging from marketing tips to content ideas. The group is winding up to a close now, so I'll miss our regular gatherings. I still plan to stay in touch through GardenComm and by visting their blogs regularly. I thought I would share the other members' blogs and highlight a bit about them.

Amy Whitney blogs at Small Garden News and she is the Southeast USA. Her blog concentrates on organic food gardening and she has two books that you will want to check out -- one on Fall Garden Planning and the other is a Garden Planner and Notebook.

Duane Pancoast blogs at The Geriatric Gardener. He covers issues surrounding aging in the garden. He just published a book on that same topic and you should be able to order that soon.

Gail Pabst co-writes her No Farm Needed blog with her daughter. Check out their online store which features their pressed flower crafts from flowers that they both grow.

Gerald Simcoe's web site is GeraldSimcoe.com. He studied horticulture at Longwood Gardens, but now spends his time painting. Check out his floral still lifes -- from flowers grown in his own garden.

Keri Byrum's blog is Miss Smarty Plants. She was in Florida for awhile, but is back in Iowa on a farm. She specializes in growing hops for local breweries and has great information on raising backyard chickens.

Marianne Willburn writes at Small Town Gardener and you may know her from her two recent guest appearances on the GardenDC podcast. You may also know her book Big Dreams, Small Garden, which we reviewed in the magazine a few years ago. She is a DC-area local -- living in Lovettsville, VA.

I am GardenComm

You may have heard me talk about GWA or the Garden Writers Association in the past. Recently, the organization re-branded to become GardenComm (https://gardencomm.org/). We are trying to get the word out that the organization is for everyone in the garden media world -- garden book authors, podcasters, photographers, radio hosts, bloggers, public relations professionals, newspaper columnists, speakers, etc. If you communicate about gardening, you should join up (or renew if you let your membership lapse in the past)! Feel free to use me as your referral!!!

This video was shot and edited by Alexa Silverberg at the Smithsonian-USBG Orchid Exhibit.

We are away at the Garden Writers Conference

The Washington Gardener Magazine blog, garden tip of the day, and most all our social media is on break as we attend the 2016 GWA Annual Conference & Expo. We aim to return inspired, refreshed, and renewed. You can follow along and virtually experience the conference using #GWA2016 on Twitter, Instagram, etc.

Meanwhile, while we are gone, enjoy some of our most popular past blog posts:

• Top 10 Hottest Gardeners in the DMV
• DC's Cherished Cherry Trees in Danger 
• 7 Stress-free Perennials that Work Hard for You in...
•  Garden Blogger Bloom Day BLING
• Wisteria, How I Love/Hate You

 PS If you are attend GWA2016 too, please say, 'Hi' and do come to my panel discussion "Eavesdrop of the Editors" and roundtable "Social Media: Beyond the Basics."

Video Wednesday: Garden Writers Get Happy!

I'm just back for the annual Garden Writers Symposium -- held this year in Pittsbugh, PA
I am exhausted from the 18+ hour ideas, but also inspired and most of all HAPPY to have such a wonderful week with my garden communication colleagues.
Take a look at this flashmob video we filmed there at Schenley Plaza.

Don't forget to PLANT SOMETHING!