Photo Contest Extended to 1/22

I just now found out that the USPS may have serious disruptions in our area on 1/20 due to the inaugural. Coming after a holiday weekend with no mail on Monday (MLK day), this is giving me serious concerns regarding the entries being submitted for the Washington Gardener photo contest we run annually. Therefore, I'm extending the deadline for entry by one day to 1/22.

If you are mailing anything due next week for work or personal purposes, you might want to take similar action or check that your local post office is open. They are removing many neighborhood street postal boxes in DC as well. Here are some details from the USPS.

The MANTS-on Family

It was like Old Home Week at MANTS yesterday. It seemed in every aisle, I heard "Hey, Kathy" and turned around to see and get a hug from someone I'd not seen in months, if not years. Many of these folks I'd interviewed for Washington Gardener or have exhibited next to at other events or just know from the local gardening world. It has made me re-think whether or not to get a booth at MANTS myself next year for the magazine as this definitely is the place to be in the local horticultural universe. I'm still waffling on whether that would be worth it for us or if being able to run-around the show untethered as I have been is the still the better option.

Pictured here are a few fun, new-to-me things are saw on the show floor. The camelia in bloom is from the Cam Too booth. The Salad Table and doghouse with green roof are both from the MD HGIC/Master Gardeners display just outside the hall. The stone wine rack, manels, pavers, etc. are all made from tufo volcanic stone from Italy. Finally, the suspended water plant baskets are from VanBloem Gardens. The tradeshow continues today and Friday -- get over there if you can.

Yes, Virginia, Compost Happens

Smart Gardeners Knows That Compost Happens
– and How to Spread It Around

For gardeners in the DC-area, soil quality is essential. Some have too much sand, but most have too much clay and the key to breaking up all that hard, red earth is rich, organic materials. Smart gardeners know that they can create clay-busting, organic matter for free from their own kitchen and yard waste. They compost. Then they spread it around. The basics of composting are outlined in the new January/February 2009 issue cover story of Washington Gardener Magazine.

Washington Gardener Magazine’s January/February 2009 issue is jam-packed full of terrific timely articles for gardeners in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Inside it is:
· 9 New Plant Picks for 2009
· An Organic Approach to Growing Edibles
· Gardening by Mail
· Managing Stormwater with a Rain Garden
· Trifoliate Orange, A Sharp Surprise
· Visiting Virginia’s State Arboretum
· Grow Winter Hazel for Gorgeous Winter Color
· When a Dead Tree is a Good Tree
· Top Tips for Garlic Mustard Control
· Local Green Industry Events
· And much, much more.

Washington Gardener magazine (http://www.washingtongardener.com/) is the gardening publication specifically for the local metro area — zones 6-7 — Washington DC and its suburbs. Washington Gardener magazine’s basic mission is to help DC area gardens grow better. The magazine is written entirely by local area gardeners. The content of the magazine gives real examples that residents of the greater DC region can use immediately in your own garden.

Washington Gardener is a local, independent, and woman-owned business based in Silver Spring, MD. The publication is dedicated to promoting the best practices for area gardening.

To subscribe to our magazine: Send a check for $20.00 payable to Washington Gardener magazine to: Washington Gardener, 826 Philadelphia Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910 OR click on the “subscription” link at http://www.washingtongardener.com/ to subscribe online using a secure credit card transaction.

Flower Photo Tips and Tricks

I got a call yesterday to be on local CBS affiliate WUSA9 early this morning to talk about the 3rd Annual Washington Gardener Photo Contest and give some garden photo tips. Since I brought my camera along today as part of the talk, I thought I'd use it for a taking a few snaps of the studio during a commercial break. The photos propped up on the coffee table are some of last year's contest winners.

On the air, we gave a top 10 of garden photo tips. This is a list that I've shared with readers before. They come courtesy of our first year contest judge Josh Taylor, Jr. of Archiphoto Workshops. Here they are in case you missed it:

Top 10 Tips to Photograph Flowers
1. Above all else, photograph them in early morning or at dusk, not in bright sunlight. Flowers grow there, but don’t take photos of them in direct sun.
2. Capture them singularly as a portrait much like you would a human subject.
3. Flowers must be holding hands or kiss to photograph them in groups of two. There should be no separation between them; the petals must touch.
4. Pick groups in odd-numbered groups. When you have three flowers, they should form a triangle.
5. Select mass groupings of blooms just for the color.
6. Look for patterns in the foliage, such as veins in the leaves. Sometimes the foliage is the more attractive element in a plant.
7. Turn it over. Often the backside of a flower (where the stem junction is) makes a very impressive picture with the contrast of green against the petals.
8. Use a low camera angle, if you shoot on a day with a cloudless, clear blue sky and use it is a background to make the flower really pop.
9. Avoid dead foliage and flowers past their prime. Groom them out of the shot if possible. Seek out the insects among the flowers – examine the flower closely and choose those without blemishes or defects.
10. Hold the camera steady and avoid movement.

I'd add to this list: Have patience! Great photos take work and time.

First Bloom of the New Year

This tiny flower appeared yesterday on my small patch of Vinca minor (common periwinkle) covering up a manhole near my back sidewalk. At least four months early and braving frigid, 55+ mph winds, it is a little New Year's miracle. The bloom is barely the size of a pea, but it stood out to me in the stark gray-brown landscape.

Pat Howell of Deephaven Landscapes in Takoma Park, MD, who we profiled in the magazine last year, does an annual what's-of-interest-in-the-garden survey among her circle at this time of year then shares it with the Takoma Voice readers. This year, she has asked me to help and gather the images that folks send along with their responses. I'll post any here that I get in a week or so. Should be interesting to see if anyone else had a spring bud or two burst open ahead of schedule.

New Years = New Photo Contest Season + Happy Hunting

The 3rd Annual Washington Gardener Photo Contest entry period runs from January 1-21, 2009.

The winners are announced at the Washington Gardener Seed Exchange on January 31, 2009 and then are published in the March/April 09 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine and are displayed at a local art show, PhotoSynthesis, this spring.

For a complete list of the 2009 contest rules, download the PDF linked here. A blank Word .doc entry form can be downloaded here.

We look forward to seeing your wonderful work!

A Christmas Trip

One of the best kept secrets in DC is that Christmas Day is a perfect time to visit all the downtown monuments and the U.S. Botanic Garden on the Mall -- much easier parking and non-rush fares on Metro, crowds are fewer, and the holiday decorations are still fresh. Not just the outside gardens, but the USBG's main building is open too. (Tip: do not go near the USBG bathrooms that day unless truly desperate -- phew!) When I arrived on Christmas afternoon, it was crowded with families and couples. I'd wager fewer than 5% of those I saw there or viewing the Capitol Christmas Tree are from the DC-area. Judging by the bus-full of Japanese college students that pulled up, tour operators know about this Christmas Day option, but we need to let the hometown crowd know that there is an alternative to crowded movie theaters and bad Chinese food when the house starts to close in on them and they need a little air. Also surprisingly open on Christmas Day itself is Mt. Vernon, one of these years I'll make it over there to see that in full holiday regalia.

The day after Christmas, I toured Hillwood to see the Christmas decor and the winter interest in the gardens. This was my first time seeing it at this time of year and it is was stunning. During the growing season you don't realize how many gorgeous conifers and other evergreens are on the estate. The orchid house is a big draw as well. The perfumed air hits you as you enter and They close for the whole month of January, so you need to get over there quickly.

We have done in depth Daytrip articles in Washington Gardener magazine on Mt. Vernon, Hillwood, and the USBG, which can be purchased in our back issue collection. It is always fun to revisit them and see how they change each season.

We are blessed in the greater DC-area to have so much within an easy travel distance to us. We have covered many of the local gardening attractions in the past 4 years of the magazine, you'd think I'd be stumped for more entries to visit. On the contrary, I have a folder stuffed with brochures for "must do" places and we have just begun to hit the highlights. For 2009, we have many more Daytrips planned. Look for features on local wineries, knot gardens, and a few more surprises in the coming year.

From My Garden to Yours

Have a wonderful holiday week!

Linking In

Today my Google alerts brought me a flood of Washington Gardener links. Of course, some are way old and others totally irrelevant to us (such as citations for Washington Gardner Elementary School), but three new ones caught my eye.

Two were mentions in this month's issue of my hometown paper the Takoma/Silver Spring Voice -- both by friends and fellow garden writers -- A Garden Survey for Winter 2008-2009 Washington and Fruit trees for suburban growers.

The last link of interest was a very nice video review from the Left Coast, which I never would have stumbled across if it weren't for Google. Ann Robinson of The Oregonian says:
CONTENT *** (excellent)
While watching one after another video on putting a garden to bed, I picked up lots of helpful tips that I think my garden will thank me for, such as collecting seeds and sowing a cover crop. It's hard to face the reality that the garden's done for the year, but the simple, clear advice helped get me motivated. Many of these segments are done by Kathy Jentz, editor of Washington (D.C.) Gardener magazine. Read the rest of her MonkeySee.com review here.

More Tips on Whitefly and Fungus Gnat Control

Carol Allen, Certified Professional Horticulturist IPM Specialist, read the recent blog link to our current Washington Gardener Enews issue and our cover story on indoor plant pests. She sent along a couple of suggestions and comments:

First - You will bring in fungus gnats for sure with your potted poinsettias and amaryllis. Though the large producers make an attempt to control them, it is inevitable that you will get one or two and they will multiply! Your suggestions of running your plants on the dry side is a good one- especially with poinsettias and amaryllis - those are the conditions they prefer in our low light homes.

A first line of defense would be to replace the top inch or so of the potting medium immediately. New potting soil is fine, there is no need to use sand. Sand would only keep the top layer dryer. The adults will lay eggs in it if it is moist. The fungus gnat larva reside in the top layer where they can get oxygen. They don't go much deeper because conditions are too anaerobic. Also, fungus gnats feed mostly on decaying organic matter, with an occasional snack on roots. Especially dying roots from overwatering. Do we see a correlation here? Uh-huh!

Sticky traps will slow down the adult population only - but that helps. The best control is predatory nematodes applied to the soil surface. These little tiny bug-seeking-missiles-of-doom ferret out the fungus gnat larvae and re-create some thing from a Steven Spielberg movie. I leave the rest to your imagination. Scanmask is a tradename. We carry it at Johnson's in NW and it is available on line. The only downside is that it makes a large quantity, but it stores in the refrigerator - the nematodes are in a dry stasis, no need to fear for your lasagna - for 20 months.
As for whiteflies and scale - a wiping down of the leaves will help, but a magnifying lens to see what you are doing would improve your chances of getting rid of eggs, pupae and larvae. I suggest you use a neem or horticultural oil spray instead of insecticidal soap. The soaps are pretty useless on any phase other than larvae and adults (whitefly) and only larva (crawlers) of scale insects. The eggs and pupae will go unmolested. Insecticidal soap has been known to damage new plant growth, another reason why most IPM folks prefer the oils.

Thanks, Carol. Many of you local DC-area gardeners may know Carol (aka The Orchid Lady) from her frequent orchid repotting workshops and her talks she gives at many local area garden clubs. Which reminds me that I'm booking the 2009 Silver Spring Garden Club speaker schedule next week and I need to add Carol on to that roster.

Photo by Jack Dykinga, ARS.USDA.GOV. Pictured is a tiny pirate bug, Oris insidiosus, feeding on whitefly nymphs.

A Can of Spotted Dick?

Sarah Palin came to the Four Seasons Garden Club's annual Holiday Party last night to preside over the gift giving exchange. Ever the maverick, this plucky gal wore her furs and held court as if she had actually won the recent elections. You betcha!

At one point in the exchange, I ended up with a can of Spotted Dick. My mind immediately began to run down the list of folks to re-gift this too as a joke, but I was saved later in the exchange when someone actually willingly traded me for it. I imagine that the can may come back for an appearance at next year's exchange.

The most fought over gifts were a garden trowel and a hyacinth bulb with forcing vase. In a room full of gardeners, these items traded hands numerous times and I had the hyacinth myself for about half the trading time. My ploy at keeping it out of sight under a nearby chair did not work as it was never out of mind it turned out. I ended up with a quite nice Orchid photo and a quite tacky Wacky Wakers rooster alarm clock. Don't be surprised if that alarm returns next year!

Photo credit: Wendy Bell.