January Reader Contest: CSN Stores

For our January 2010 Washington Gardener Magazine Reader Contest, Washington Gardener is giving away a $70 gift certificate for CSN Stores. CSN Stores has over 200 online stores where you can find everything from stylish furniture, leather messenger bags, or great cookware.

CSN (http://www.csnstores.com/) has a patio and garden section that includes decor, outdoor furniture, storage, heating, and lighting.

To enter to win the gift certificate code (valued at $70), send an email to WashingtonGardener@rcn.com by 5:00pm on January 30 with “CSN” in the subject line and tell us what signs of spring coming you see in your garden now. In the body of the email, please also include your full name and mailing address. The winner will be announced and notified by February 2.

Video Wednesday: A Brief History of the US Botanic Garden

Bill McLaughlin, the plant curator for the US Botanic Garden, hosted a tour of the USBG this last eekend for the Four Seasons Garden Club. I tagged along and took this video.

Garden Clubs Meetings are the Cure for the Winter Blahs

I recently shared my Cures for the Winter Blahs over in a guest post at the DC Ladies blog. I'm thinking today, with the miserable ice storm we had overnight here in the Mid-Atlantic, we could all use some small does of spring. I list a few ways to do that in the DC-area such as a visit to the US Botanic Garden's tropical conservatory.

Another way I get away from winter is by attending as many garden club meetings as I can. Truly, this is the time of year to get out and listen to talks on wonderful subjects from creating miniature terrariums to growing heirloom vegetables. This past week I attended the local chapter of the Rock Garden Society's monthly meeting and a talk hosted by my own Silver Spring Garden Club. (I'm the current president.) Later this week is a potluck and indoor plant exchange with the Takoma Hort Club and next week is a lecture put on by the Four Seasons Garden Club.

At one recent event, a lady, who is in several clubs, said to me, "Oh, I only attend one or two garden club meetings a month, that is usually more than enough for me." My own philosophy is so entirely the opposite, if I have the evening free and I'm a member of the club (or could easily attend as a guest or join at the door), why wouldn't I go?!? Even though my garden may be encased in ice, doesn't mean I have to be! Hope to see YOU at a local garden club meeting soon.

Saving Native Hemlocks: Washington Gardener Enews

Washington Gardener Magazine's Monthly Enewsletter

Washington Gardener Enews ~ January 2011

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

~ Saving Native Hemlocks

~ Magazine Excerpt: Growing and Cooking Kohlrabi

~ Reader Contest:CSN Stores Gift Certificate

~ Washington Gardener Magazine Photo Contest – Entry Deadline is January 22 !

~ Washington Gardener's Recent Blog Post Highlights

~ Spotlights Special: Juniperus horizontalis 'Gold Strike'

~ Mid-Atlantic Garden To-Do List

~ Washington Gardener Magazine Seed Exchange Registration Form and Details

~ Upcoming Local Garden Events

~ Washington Gardener Magazine Back Issue Sale!

and much more...

MANTS Pt 5: Dr. Richard Olsen on Grafted Witch Hazel

Dr. Richard T. Olsen, Research Geneticist at USDA-ARS, shows a unique graft at the recent MANTS 2011. It is two winter-flowering Witch Hazels grafted onto an undersized Persian Ironwood  (Parrotia persica) to form a standard (lollipop-shaped tree). Imagine this as the jewel of a tiny, townhouse garden or as a focal point in a formal herb garden layout. This graft avoids the Witch Hazels suckering issues and puts the Witch Hazel blooms right at eye height. The grower is Sunleaf Nursery of Madison, OH. I believe the two Witch Hazels were 'Diane' and 'Arnold's Promise.' Unfortunately, the video footage was not useable, but I was at least able to capture this image from it.

MANTS Video Pt 4: Barbara Melera on Blue Lace Flowers

It is turning out to be day full of "blue" plant and "Barbara"s! This Barbara is Barbara Melera, owner of D. Landreth Seed Co. in New Freedom, PA (formerly of Baltimore, MD), the heirloom seed house with a long, illustrious history. Here she introduces us to what was once old and is new again: Blue Lace Flowers. Can't wait to try some of these seeds out myself this spring.

MANTS Video Pt 3: Barbara Katz on Blueberries

Barbara Katz, London Landscapes LLC, shared her thoughts on blueberry shrubs that she saw at the recent MANTS 2011. I have three small blueberry plants myself and just planted them this fall. I know I'll be fighting the birds over what small amount of fruit they produce for the first few years, but I'm hoping in future years to get a decent enough yield that the birds an I can share.

Register NOW to Save Your Seed Exchange Spot

It's that time again! Washington Gardener Magazine's Seed Exchange are coming up on Sat Jan 29 in MID and Sat Feb 5 in VA. I hope you can make one of those dates.

Open publication - Free publishing - More seed swap

The full information and registration form is posted here.
(IF you have already signed up, thank you! I will be sending confirmations to those registration I have received so far over the next few days.)

MANTS Video Pt 2: Stephanie Cohen on 'Home Run' Pink Roses

Stephanie Cohen aka The Perennial Diva talks about the new pink 'Home Run' roses. Up until now only available in red. Home Run are from Weeks Roses. Spring Meadows/Proven Winners has recently partnered with them to market these disease-resistant shrubs.

Video Wednesday: What's New & Exciting at MANTS Pt 1

Here is the first in a series of five short clips I filmed at MANTS 2011 last week. MANTS is the trade show for the Mid-Atlantic nursery trade. Landscapers, designers, and garden centers come to MANTS to place orders for plants and garden-related materials for their installations and to sell to consumers. This is my fifth (sixth?) time attending MANTS and I have to say, for me, it was the best one so far. The mood seemed brighter, vendors had more focused exhibits, and their were several new plant introductions to ooh and ah over. In this clip, Barbara Ellis, garden writer, lecturer, and coach, talks about a plant she found particularly enthralling. I will edit and load up the other four clips in the next few days, so come on back to see and hear the favorite new plant picks from local garden world luminaries.

Video Wednesday: Seed Exchange Time!

This video was taken at our Washington Gardener Seed Exchange two years as part of the ThinkGreen show and it aired multiple times on Montgomery County, MD cable television. I'm sad to report that ThinkGreen is no longer in production, another victim of the poor economy.

To sign up for this year's Seed Exchanges, go to this form and print it out. Be sure to mail it in soon, Registrations are rolling in and space is limited!

A BIG thank to to Phil Shapiro of self-described "public geek" of Takoma Park, MD for his assistance in ripping and uploading this file online.