Saturday, March 11, 2023

GardenDC Podcast Episode 141: Nature's Best Hope

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with Doug Tallamy, author of Nature's Best Hope. The plant profile is on the Cornellian Cherry and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events in the What's New segment. We close out with Eva Monheim, host of The Plant a Trillion Trees Podcast, who shares the Last Word on Trees with Unique Services.


Tallamy's books include Nature's Best Hope (https://amzn.to/40363q9), Nature's Best Hope Young Reader's Edition (https://amzn.to/3JtQ2UE), Bringing Nature Home (https://amzn.to/3l3wqNE), and The Nature of Oaks (https://amzn.to/42gRWPZ). 
Note these links are connected to our Amazon affiliate account and this podcast may earn some pennies from your purchase but it will not affect your purchase price.

BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month! 
See how at: https://anchor.fm/gardendc/support.

Show Notes: 01:20 Meet Doug Tallamy, author of “Nature’s Best Hope.” 01:55 “I was born with nature in my veins… It was the love of nature that brought me to plants.” 03:59 “We’ve lost 3 billion breeding birds… we can do something about it.” 05:10 Tallamy says he’s growing biodiversity. 05:38 Restoring ecosystems is easier and faster than Tallamy thought. 06:02 Keystone plants: they create most of the food that supports the food web. 06:33 “Deer is a four-letter word on this podcast.” 07:24 Tallamy has had Lyme disease FIVE times – here’s what you can do to avoid it. 09:39 We always garden for aesthetics, even when we switch to natives, even if they don’t support the food web. 11:04 You should aim to have 70% native and 30% non-native total plant material. 14:21 Who should you plant pollinator gardens for? 17:31 Telephone poles are “ugly as sin” and nobody ever complains, so people shouldn’t complain about nature either. 18:36 “The kids on this planet are the future stewards on that planet.” 19:27 “Every one of us has the responsibility of taking care of those ecosystems, not just the tree huggers, not just the few ecologists.” 20:19 “The planet has huge problems and more and more people recognize that, but they all feel powerless – what can one person do? But one person can do a lot.” 21:48 “Where” is the Homegrown National Park? 24:46 “There’s this idea if you use native plants it’s going to be wild and ugly.” 25:59 There’s a legal precedent for HOAs to not push lawns now. 26:26 The demand for natives still exceeds supply. 29:10 Tallamy brought 1,199 species of moths back to his property. 30:03 “We all are nature’s best hope.” 32:24 Genetic variability is so important in the age of climate change. 37:36 “Everybody needs a healthy environment…” regardless of political ideology. 42:03 “Gardeners are stewards of plants, which makes them stewards of everything.” 42:26 “We need to save all the plants, and gardeners are in a better position to do that than anybody.” 43:02 “Every square inch of your property is part of your landscape, and what you do with those square inches is going to determine how much life is going to exist in your garden.” 44:49 “You have the potential to be a model for all of your neighbors. Just make a wonderfully attractive, productive landscape and enough neighbors will say ‘hey, I want that too,’ and that’s how we change the entire culture.” 45:52 Cornus Mas: this week's Plant Profile. 47:15 Garden Update: the Siberian Squill are popping up and looking adorable. 47:49 Upcoming Events: U.S. National Arboretum’s Flowering Cherry Symposium; Foraging and Cooking with Invasive and Non-Native Plants; Potomac Rose Society’s favorite roses; Gardens by the Bay in Singapore. 50:09 “Groundcover Revolution” by Kathy Jentz. 51:37 “The Urban Garden” by Kathy Jentz and Teri Speight 52:34 The Last Word on Trees with Unique Services by Eva Monheim.

Also, you can read the transcript of the interview portion at: https://freepodcasttranscription.com/transcription/2253ee5ff57df121c2b77094c5ba463fe9d54a0d.srt

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

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 20: Native Plants, Diversity in the Garden, and Sunflowers
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/07/gardendc-podcast-episode-20-native.html
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 50: Deer-Resistant Native Plants
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/03/gardendc-podcast-episode-50-deer.html

This episode is archived at: 

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.

And be sure to leave us a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform plus share us on social media with #GardenDC, so other gardeners can find us too!

Episode Credits:
Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz
Editing and Show Notes: Jessica Harden

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Wednesday, March 08, 2023

Sarcococca Plant Profile

Sarcococca Plant Profile

Sweet Box (Sarcococca spp.) is a small evergreen shrub or groundcover that is hardy to USDA zones 6 to 8. It is native to China and is virtually maintenance-free.

It thrives in shade, even dry shade, and is deer- and rabbit-resistant.

This easy-to-grow plant can be propagated by semi-hardwood cuttings in late summer.

Christmas Box (Sarcococca confusa) has small, white flowers in late winter that send out a sweet, vanilla-like fragrance that gives this plant its name. The red berries appear in fall and then turn black. They are enjoyed by birds. It can be pruned to a low hedge of about 3 feet wide and high.

Himalayan Sweet Box (Sarcococca hookeriana var. humilis) grows to only about a foot high and spreads by underground roots to cover an area about 3 feet wide. The flowers are not as sweet as the Christmas Box and the berries or drupes are black.

Sweet Box (Sarcococca ruscifolia) is very similar to Christmas Box except that the berries stay red and the plant is somewhat larger reaching 4 feet high and wide at maturity.

Sarcococca: You Can Grow That!

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine as part of our Plant Profile series for Mid-Atlantic USA gardeners.

Video and editing by Jessica Harden

Audio and text by Kathy Jentz

 

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Monday, March 06, 2023

Monday Thoughts: "I grow plants for many reasons: to please my soul, to challenge the elements or to challenge my patience, for novelty, or for nostalgia, but mostly for the joy of seeing them grow." - David Hobson

"I grow plants for many reasons: to please my soul, to challenge the elements or to challenge my patience, for novelty, or for nostalgia, but mostly for the joy of seeing them grow." 
~ David Hobson

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Saturday, March 04, 2023

GardenDC Podcast Episode 140: Daphne, Edgeworthia, and Relatives


In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with Mark Weathington, Director of the JC Raulston Arboretum, all about Daphne shrubs and their relatives. The plant profile is on Sarcococca and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events in the What's New segment. We close out with Steve Ellington, host of the Rootbound Podcast, who shares the Last Word on Jerusalem Artichokes.


BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month! 
See how at: https://anchor.fm/gardendc/support.

Show Notes: 01:24 Meet Mark Weathington, director of the JC Raulston Arboretum! 1:49 Was Weathington born with chlorophyll in his veins and a green thumb? 02:30 “[I] was a business student for 20 minutes…” 03:28 Plant blindness. Did you have it? 04:40 If it’s not something with fangs, we’re conditioned to ignore it. 06:13 Weathington planned on working for a wholesale nursery after college. 07:29 “If you want to learn plants, go work at a retail garden center.” 08:35 Weathington withdrew his name from every job application before the position at JC Raulston opened up. 09:53 “[I do this] to have an impact on the world.” 13:32 Weathington tells everyone to amend their entire yard. 14:09 “It’s a joy to garden [with my bare hands].” 14:39 All about Weathington’s home garden. 16:08 Hardy Gesneriads! 17:40 What is the Daphne family? 18:25 If you have Edgeworthia in your garden, you know what you’re doing. 20:37 Ideal growing conditions for Daphne! 21:47 “The smaller the plant you plant, the easier it is to establish.” 23:11 People are good gardeners because they’ve killed enough plants to have good compost. 26:45 When should I establish Daphne? 30:42 Weathington doesn’t fertilize his plants – people mostly over fertilize. 32:29 The dreaded four letter word: deer. (This time it isn’t bad!) 33:01 Pruning Daphne – when to do it. 34:45 Propagating Daphne, is it easy? 35:48 Guess what Weathington’s favorite varieties are! 36:48 Daphne pseudomezereum – good luck finding it. 40:08 Which Daphne is the most widely grown? And is it hardier and more aromatic? 42:07 When growing Daphne in a container, it needs to be repotted every few years. 43:03 “It’s perfectly hardy in zone 6 until zone 6 has a zone 6 winter.” 45:34 Edgeworthia papyrifera vs. Edgeworthia chrysantha 48:08 “I wouldn’t garden without Winter Daphne.” 50:30 Sarcococca: this week’s Plant Profile. 52:11 Garden updates: mid-season Daffodils are blooming and colorful Dutch Hyacinths. 52:30 Upcoming events: Rooting DC; Tacoma Hort Club; Cherry Blossom Peak Bloom. 54:32 “The Urban Garden” by Kathy Jentz and Teri Speight 55:31 “Groundcover Revolution” by Kathy Jentz 56:53 The Last Word on Jerusalem artichokes by Steve Ellington, host of the Rootbound Podcast

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

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 6: Spring-Flowering Trees and Shrubs

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/04/gardendc-podcast-episode-6-spring.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 75: Versatile Viburnums

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/09/gardendc-podcast-episode-75-versatile.html

This episode is archived at: 


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.

And be sure to leave us a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform plus share us on social media with #GardenDC, so other gardeners can find us too!

Episode Credits:
Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz
Editing and Show Notes: Jessica Harden

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Friday, March 03, 2023

Discuss "The Sakura Obsession: The Incredible Story of the Plant Hunter Who Saved Japan's Cherry Blossoms" with the Washington Gardener Magazine Garden Book Club

For our next Garden Book Club selection, we will be reading: 

The Sakura Obsession: The Incredible Story of the Plant Hunter Who Saved Japan's Cherry Blossoms by Naoko Abe

You can order it new or used at our Amazon link: https://amzn.to/41LWOfk

"The incredible—and improbable—story of how an English eccentric saved Japan’s beloved cherry blossoms from extinction...As much a history of the cherry blossom in Japan as it is the story of one remarkable man, The Sakura Obsession follows the flower from its significance as a symbol of the imperial court, through the dark days of the Second World War, and up to the present-day worldwide fascination with this iconic blossom.." -Amazon.com

Our Spring 2023 club meeting will be on Thursday, April 27 from 6:30-8pm ET via Zoom.
To join us, register here: 
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUtceioqz8oHtZ9PiA4EzcsktFCm8xcGbQ9

The Washington Gardener Magazine's Garden Book Club meets quarterly via Zoom and is free and open to all. We will announce the details of each upcoming meeting about two months in advance. Please check back on this blog for schedule updates and announcements.

Want to read ahead? The next book club selections are:
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