GardenDC Podcast Episode 96: Women in Horticulture

In this episode, we talk with Heather Wheatley CPH, CBLP, Director of Education at HOMESTEAD GARDENS, Inc. about women in the horticulture industry. The plant profile is on Witch Hazels and I share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events.

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Links mentioned in this episode include:

~ Women in Horticulture: Delaware Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1833008573633962 ~ Ladies in the Landscape: https://ladiesinthelandscape.com/ ~ Emergent Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/471693102884875 ~ Blythe Yost, Tilly Design: https://tillydesign.com/

~ Perennial Plant Association: https://perennialplant.org/

~ GardenComm*: https://gardencomm.org/ *note that there is a student-level membership and feel free to list me (Kathy Jentz) as your reference if you join

Show Notes: 1:15 Meet Heather Wheatley from Homestead Gardens and learn all about women in horticulture! 1:48 “Aren’t we lucky to be able to talk about women in horticulture?” — Heather mentions how grateful she is for her career 2:49 “There’s Homestead Heather!” — Heather and Kathy talk about people’s reactions to their muddy clothes 3:39 “It’s more than just a career, it’s a lifestyle.” — Heather 4:05 Kathy mentions a time when her neighbor was surprised she was in her pajamas 5:06 “They weren’t sorry for it.” — Heather talks about how women persevered through discrimination for future generations 8:09 “I had green blood and a green fist.” — Heather talks about how she got into horticulture 12:46 “At that point, I was either a horticulturist or I wasn’t.” — Heather talks about what she did after her grandmother passed away 17:52 Heather talks about the delicious chicken from Lettie's Kitchen 18:58 Heather mentions how gardeners in Maryland and Delaware use chicken compost — “It’s a full circle of life there.” 19:22 Kathy explains how the USDA failed to represent women farmers in their data — “They were always there. They just weren’t counted.” 21:20 Heather talks about her dogs — “If you are a gardener, the English Bulldog is the way to go.” 23:20 Heather provides advice for future horticulturists 25:09 “If you have passion and aptitude, a lot of times that’s enough.” — Heather 28:52 What makes Homestead Gardens special — it’s dedicated to educating the staff 33:08 Heather talks about what needs to change in higher education regarding agriculture 35:17 Heather mentions scholarships for horticulture students 36:20 Kathy talks about networking opportunities 38:10 Heather talks about the jobs and pay at Homestead Gardens — “Passion and aptitude will move you quickly through the ranks.” 40:55 Some of Heather’s sheroes in horticulture 44:34 Heather discusses how the next generation of horticulturists are using technology 48:32 Heather provides wisdom for budding women horticulturists — “There’s no glass ceiling if you don’t accept that there’s one.” 49:17 How you can contact Heather 50:40 Learn about the Witch Hazel in this week’s Plant Profile! 52:50 What’s new in the garden: Spring has sprung and the interns’ seeds are sprouting! 53:34 News in the gardening world: Native Gardens for Your Woodland Neighbors virtual event and Spring Celebration at Glencarlyn Library Garden 55:05 Celebrate spring at the National Garden Bureau online book party 55:59 Look forward to “The Urban Garden: 101 Ways to Grow Food and Beauty in the City” by Teri Speight and Kathy

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

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 55: Michaelle Scanlon and Deborah Lessne, co-owners of Garden sPOTS, about container gardening basic and starting their own business
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/04/gardendc-podcast-episode-55-container.html

The episode is posted at:

https://anchor.fm/gardendc/episodes/Women-in-Horticulture-e1fot7n

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We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://anchor.fm/gardendc/message Note that we may use these messages on a future episode.

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Episode Credits:

Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz
Editing and Show Notes: Dorvall Bedford

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Fenton Friday: Post-Snow Report

Last weekend we had a surprise freeze with snow and ice. Luckily, all came through that fine. The Arugula (under a cover cloth) and the Garlic (uncovered, but insulated by straw) actually seem to have more than doubled in size!

Today it is in the 70s and the forecast seems clear of another freeze scare for the next few weeks.

The  Radish 'Rudolf' seedlings are up [see pic at right], while the row of 'Tonda di Parigi' Carrots alongside them are not -- though I do not expect to seem them make an appearance for several weeks. The organic salad bowl mix seedlings are also up in both the container [top photo] and the row in the ground.

I did a bit of weeding and planted the peas after I soaked them in a cup of water overnight. They are purple Sugar Magnolia Snap Peas from Botanical Interests. I'm so looking forward to them!

Are you back in your edible garden yet? If so, what are you growing?

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 11th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above.

17+ Cherry Blossom Viewing Alternatives in the DC Region

(One of our most popular and imitated annual blog posts -- updated for 2022.)

Dumbarton Oaks

It is Cherry Blossom Festival time again in Washington, DC. 

If the crowds are too much for you or you are just looking for a new angle to take a selfie - here are a several local alternatives to the Tidal Basin display:

#BlossomCam

The Trust for the National Mall and The National Cherry Blossom Festival hosts the #BloomCam. Go to the live feed here: https://nationalmall.org/bloomcam to view the trees along the Tidal Basin in real time as they bloom.

Petal Porch Parade

New this year is the Petal Porch Parade. These are homes decorated to bring the cherry blossom parade feel to your neighborhood. See more about them here and search the map of locations here.

Video Tours

There is now also a virtual tour videos posted: https://nationalcherryblossomfestivallive.org/

Public Gardens

~ The National Arboretum has a splendid and more varied display and LOTS or parking. Stroll around Fern Valley and the other gardens as well while you are there. Take the Self-Guided Tour: Beyond the Tidal Basin: Introducing Other Great Flowering Cherries  to explore the arboretum’s collection of over 2,000 cherry trees representing 600 different cultivars, hybrids, and species of various shapes, sizes, flower colors, and bloom times, including trees that have been created by arboretum scientists. Note: The free tour covers several miles of arboretum roads, and can be driven, biked, or walked. Pick up a brochure in the Administration Building.

~ Tudor Place is a lovely place to take a stroll on your own through the spectacular Yoshino Cherry Blossoms during the full bloom. Event and entry fees may apply.

~ Dumbarton Oaks in Georgetown, WDC, has a marvelous orchard of cherries. There is an admission fee that goes to support the gardens and you will want to make advance reservations. Parking is also a bear in that neighborhood -- I recommend you walk or take the bus. 

~ Hillwood Estate in NW DC is pleased to celebrate the National Cherry Blossom Festival with short guided tours of Mrs. Post’s Japanese-style garden. Docents will be available to answer questions between the tours. The suggested entry donation to Hillwood is $12 per adult.

~ Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD, also has beautiful cherry blossom trees and many other flowering trees like plum, apricot, magnolias, and quince in bloom right now, and you don’t have to fight the crowds to see them. The gardens are also full of flowering bulbs like hyacinths, tulips, and hillsides of daffodils.

~ Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, VA, has over 100 cherry trees surrounding a lovely lake that you can stroll around. Admission to the gardens is a mere $5

~ Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens in Richmond, VA, has a ring of Yoshino cherry trees around their lake and Okame cherry blooms throughout the gardens. There is an entry fee of $10 to visit the gardens.

~  River Farm in Alexandria, VA, is a historic 25-acre site on the banks of the Potomac River. River Farm was once part of George Washington’s original five farms, and currently the headquarters of the American Horticultural Society. The grounds offer spectacular river views, a wildlife garden, and delightful children’s areas. 

~ Green Spring Gardens near Annandale, VA, has several flowering cherry trees in its collection. There is also a wonderful witch hazel collection there.

Neighborhoods and Other Less-visited Spots

~ The Bethesda, MD, neighborhood of Kenwood for their stunning display. Park and walk in for an immersion in cherry tree lined streets.

~ Sarah Lawler suggests The Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism During World War II is a beautiful spot to see cherry blossoms. It is located near Union Station at the intersection of Louisiana Ave., New Jersey Ave. and D Street, NW, WDC. And across the street is a grove on the U.S. Capitol grounds.

~ Foxhall and Reservoir Rds, NW. Washington, DC. The Foxhall Village neighborhood near Georgetown has cherry blossom-lined streets that are known as the best-kept secret among locals.

~ Brenda Lynn shared she always bikes from Arlington, VA, in order to avoid having to park to take metro. It's a beautiful ride, and one could also bike along the GW parkway in VA to view all the blooms along the Potomac River. 

~ Oxon Run Park at 1200 Mississippi Ave SE, Washington, DC, has fairly new cherry tree plants and a lot of space to spread out and fly a kite.

~ National Harbor hosts a Sakura Sunday celebration. See: https://www.nationalharbor.com/events/annual-events/cherry-blossom-festival/

~ Anacostia Park at 900 Anacostia Drive, SE. Washington, DC. Cherry trees bloom along the Anacostia River at the 1,200-acre park that is one of Washington, DC's largest recreation areas.

~ An anonymous post to my blog, tipped me off that there are several blocks of cherry blossom trees creating an arch above the streets of Garrett Park Estates in Kensington, MD. "Take Strathmore Road near Holy Cross Church, turn onto Flanders and then I think it’s Waycross. The trees span several streets, are lovely, and totally free of crowds!"

~ Adam Bailey let me know that “Stanton Park and Lincoln Park on the Hill — and the Capitol Hill neighborhoods in general — have a good display of blossoms, too.”

~ "Scott Circle, at Massachusetts & 16th, also has some great cherry blossoms," reports John Boggan. 

~ Katie said, "There's a neighborhood off Query Mill in North Potomac, MD, that has streets lined with cherry trees. Not as fantastic as Kenwood, but if you're in the upper Montgomery County, it may be more accessible. Streets include Moran and Bonnie Dale. It blooms a few days later than Kenwood."

~ Casey Trees has an interactive map to find blooming street trees near your location. To try it out, go here: https://caseytrees.org/2019/03/heres-our-updated-d-c-cherry-blossom-map/

Grow Your Own!

 Ever since getting my weeping ‘Higan’ cherry, I feel no need to rush downtown. I keep a daily watch on my baby tree and celebrate loudly when the buds finally burst open. I highly recommend it. 

   Here is a video we created about growing ornamental cherry trees locally: 

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2018/04/plant-profile-cherry-trees.html.

   In addition, in the very first issue of Washington Gardener Magazine, we did a PlantProfile column on the selection and cultivation of cherry trees for our area. 

Got other DC-area Cherry Tree viewing locations? Please share them in the comments below.

>>> Visit our Amazon Store for all your Spring Gardening needs! <<<

Primrose Plant Profile

Primrose Plant Profile

Primroses (Primula hybrids) are a cold-hardy perennial to USDA zones 4-8. They come in an array of flower colors including reds, whites, yellows, oranges, purples or pinks with yellow centers and scalloped green foliage.

They are widely sold as a houseplant at local supermarkets and garden centers in late winter and early spring. At just $2-5 each, I buy several and use them to decorate my home with flowers during the gray days of January and February.

When they stop flowering, I plant them out in the garden in a moist, part-shade spot. They come back reliably each year with little to no care and bloom about the same time outdoors as they did inside.

One extra step I do for them is that I pinch out any spent blooms as I come across them during regular watering (side note: never let them dry out!). This encourages more and longer flowering from the plants. You can also give them a few drops of liquid fertilizer to prompt more flower formation when they start to slow down.

Rather than compost these sweet little plants, why not plant them out in your garden and be rewarded with blooms for years to come?

Primrose: You Can Grow That!

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Audio, Photos, and Text by Kathy Jentz

Video and Editing by Hojung Ryu

 

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Marching into Bloom Day

It is Garden Blogger's Bloom Day again! On the 15th of each month, we gardeners around the world with blogs share a few flower photos from our gardens.

Here in the Mid-Atlantic USA (USDA zone 7) on the DC-MD border, we had had a very harsh winter. January was our coldest and snowiest in years. We had a tantalizing taste of a few warm days and we are back now to the typical March of cycles of cold temps and blustery winds followed by glimpses of  spring. Today is a lovely spring-like day.

Blooming in my garden today, I have Winter Jasmine, Witch Hazels, Heather, and Hellebores. The Forsythia flowers are opening and the buds on my Flowering Plum are just about ready to burst. Early bulbs flowering now include Snowdrops, Crocus, Winter Aconite, and early-season Daffodils like 'Tete-a-Tete'  and 'February Gold'. In outside containers, I have Primroses, Alyssum, and Pansies.

The Saucer Magnolia (pictured above) is looking particularly lovely. The early blooms that opened on it last week got zapped by ice and snow over the weekend, turning them to brown rags, but those flowers still in bud at that point are opening up just fine now.

Be sure to follow @WDCgardener on Instagram for daily pics of what is blooming in my garden and other area gardens that we visit.

So what is blooming today in YOUR garden?

Monday Thoughts: "Spring is nature's way of saying, Let's Party!" – Robin Williams

 "Spring is nature's way of saying, Let's Party!"

– Robin Williams