Saturday, September 09, 2023

GardenDC Podcast Episode 164: Begonias

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we chat with John Boggan, a retired Smithsonian botanist, all about Begonias. The plant profile is on Salvia 'Black and Blue' 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 the Last Word on the Raspberries by Christy Page at the Food Gardening Network.

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

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 15: Orchids

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/06/gardendc-podcast-episode-15-orchids.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 18: Shade Gardening

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/07/gardendc-podcast-episode-18-shade.html


BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month! 
See how at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/support.

Show Notes: 00:01:07 John Boggan’s passion for gardening and botany. 00:03:21 A fascination with wildflowers. 00:06:10 The Smithsonian's botanical research. 00:06:22 Why the Smithsonian employs botanists. 00:09:30 Passion for tropical plants. 00:11:46 Begonias are diverse and hardy. 00:13:43 Begonias you may encounter. 00:16:10 Begonia seed reproduction mystery. 00:17:29 Begonias are easy to propagate. 00:20:32 Soil texture and watering. 00:23:29 Begonias need bright, indirect light. 00:25:57 Fertilizing begonias. 00:28:05 Prune begonias for new growth. 00:28:36 How to groom begonias. 00:31:19 Favorite begonias and foliage. 00:33:03 Hardy begonias can withstand heat. 00:34:04 Planting hardy begonias deeply. 00:38:19 Begonias thrive in bright shade. 00:39:59 Dark foliage begonias. 00:42:23 Begonia's unexpected relatives. 00:45:56 Begonias are easy and gratifying to grow. 00:46:14 The Begonias and Gesneriad family. 00:51:40 Pokeweed discussion and reactions. 00:55:52 Low-maintenance alternatives to lawns. 00:57:13 Raspberries are the best berries. 00:57:23 Memories and growth through raspberries. 00:59:18 New raspberry bushes growing.

We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/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
Interview Edit and Show Notes: Christine Folivi

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John Boggan and his begonias.
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Friday, September 08, 2023

Fenton Friday: That Burning Feeling!

I made a rookie mistake this week. I harvested a ripe red pepper off one of the plants (see above pic) and took it home to try it out. I cut off one small sliver and popped it in my mouth without thinking. My tongue was ON FIRE!!! I ran around like a crazy person trying pretty much every way Google said to kill the effects of a hot pepper -- from olive oil to milk -- nothing really worked except for eating some sweet cherry tomatoes. Thank goodness I had a few of those tomatoes still on hand. 

The funny thing is that I have no idea what kind of pepper this is. I had wrongly assumed it was a sweet snacking variety. Looking at the list of peppers I planted, the ONLY hot ones on the list were Chesapeake/Baltimore Fish variegated hot pepper and Thai Hot Orange pepper -- just by looks I KNOW it is not either of them! If you have any clue what this one might be, drop me a line in the comments.

This week in the community garden plot, we've had another week of HOT (near record) temps and I've been busy weeding and watering. We are once again getting missed by several forecasted storms and then having several windy, dry days that aren't doing the plants any favors. 

We are still harvesting a few handfuls of 'Ferrari' Beans, lots of Zucchini, a few Mexican Sour Gherkins, 'Lunchbox' Peppers, a couple 'Sun Sugar' Tomatoes, and a few Blackberries.

And a quick reminder that I'll be cutting many of our cutting garden flowers and more from my home garden for my FREE flower arranging class at the DC State Fair. See me at the demonstration area on Sunday, 9/9 at 10:30am. See more info at https://dcstatefair.org/events/dc-state-fair-2023.

How is your garden plot growing this week?

 

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 12th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.)  See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above (at the top, left on this blog).
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Wednesday, September 06, 2023

Franklin Tree Plant Profile

Franklin Tree Plant Profile

Franklin Tree (Franklinia alatamaha) is a small ornamental tree or large shrub. It is native to the southeastern United States and is hardy to USDA Zones 5 to 8. It is also known as Gordonia alatamaha or Gordonia pubescens.

It was named after the founding father Ben Franklin. John Bartram and his son William discovered Franklinia growing along the banks of the Altamaha River in Georgia. The tree is no longer found in the wild, but it is available in cultivation thanks to the original seeds gathered by the Bartrams. Franklinia has a reputation for being difficult to grow and it deserves a place of pride in a collector’s garden. It can be propagated from seeds or cuttings taken in early fall or by layering the lower branches. The fragrant flowers bloom in mid- to late-summer and are an open Camellia-like blossom with bright yellow stamens at the center of a ring of creamy-white, curved petals. It is in the tea family and is also related to Stewartia. The fall foliage color is attractive as well. It prefers to be planted in part sun to part shade in rich, but well-draining soils. It is susceptible to wilt and root rot. This tree resents being moved, so do not disturb the roots after planting it.
Franklinia Tree: You Can Grow That! The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine as part of our Plant Profile series for Mid-Atlantic USA gardeners. Audio, text, photos, and editing by Kathy Jentz ➤ If you enjoy this video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our Youtube channel (thank you!) ➤Remember to TURN ON notifications to know when our new videos are out ➤ FIND Washington Gardener Magazine ONLINE ~ WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com ~ http://twitter.com/WDCGardener ~ https://www.instagram.com/wdcgardener/ ~ Facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine ~ Podcast: GardenDC

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Monday, September 04, 2023

Monday Thoughts: “But a little garden, the littler the better, is your richest chance of happiness and success.” ~ Reginald Farrer


“But a little garden, the littler the better, is your richest chance of  happiness and success.” 

~ Reginald Farrer

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Saturday, September 02, 2023

GardenDC Podcast Episode 163: Plant Geekiness and Must-Have Plant Picks

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we chat with Michael Perry aka Mr. Plant Geek, all about plant geekiness and his must-have plant picks. The plant profile is on Ninebark 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 the Last Word on the Joy of Apple Picking by Christy Page at the Food Gardening Network.


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

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 109: Lavender

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/06/gardendc-podcast-episode-109-lavender.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 64: Daylilies -- the Perfect Perennial?

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/06/gardendc-podcast-episode-64-daylilies.html


BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month! 
See how at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/support.

Show Notes: 01:07 Welcome Michael Perry, aka Mr. Plant Geek 01:54 Michael’s gardening background 02:46 Gardening mentors and Michael’s grandparents 04:31 Michael’s current garden in Suffolk, UK: soil and layout 06:18 Plant organization and “editing” the garden 07:24 Michael talks USDA zones and cold snaps 10:18 Cordylines in the Mid-Atlantic US and zone busting 11:54 “It’s hard to manage a garden when you are traveling a lot,” says Michael. 12:49 Hardcore plant geeks: GardenComm Annual Meeting in Minneapolis 13:31 Michael’s impression of American networking 15:20 Michael’s highlights from the GardenComm conference 17:09 The overflowing garden vs the neighbor’s lawn 19:42 Upcoming annuals to look out for: Petunias 21:22 “A plant that hasn’t had any work, but I think should be revived is Salpiglossis,” says Michael 22:52 The ultra-cool Petchoas 24:01 Buying new plants vs buying familiar plants 25:37 Perennials: the New lavenders 26:38 Alstroemeria 28:23 Iris 29:50 Hemerocallis/Daylillies 30:45 Breeding flowers at home 31:58 Geums 34:31 More colors in Hostas 35:32 Collectors and auctions: hostas and snowdrops 37:55 Houseplants: Caladiums 38:45 Flowering houseplants: Orchids, African Violets 41:06 Begonias 43:20 Woody Plants: Cercis aka Redbud 44:26 Diervilla 45:27 Hydrangea 46:40 Edibles: sprouting seeds 47:38 Edible flowers 49:10 Edi-mental gardens 50:30 Find Michael Perry at @mr_plantgeek on Twitter and Instagram, on mrplantgeek.com, New Plant News on Substack, or find his book “Hortus Curious” 52:03 Plant Profile: Ninebark 54:55 What’s new in the garden? Dahlia season in the community plot. 55:18 In the community: Friends of Brookside Garden’s perennial fall plant sale on September 9 at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland; Arlington Rose Foundation’s rose show at Merrifield Garden Center in Fair Oaks, Fairfax, Virginia on September 22-24 57:18 Groundcover Revolution by Kathy Jentz 58:39 The Urban Gardener by Kathy Jentz and Teri Speight 59:39 The Last Word on the joy of apple picking by Christy Page

We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/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, Editor, and Producer: Kathy Jentz

Show Notes: Alexandra Jentz

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Friday, September 01, 2023

Fenton Friday: Beans and More

This week in the community garden plot, we've been busy weeding and watering and watering and watering. We are getting missed by several forecasted storms and then having several windy, dry days that aren't doing the plants any favors. Our last good rain was exactly a week ago and no more rain is in the week-ahead forecast -- just heat -- lots of heat.

We are harvesting the 'Ferrari' Beans, Zucchini, a few Mexican Sour Gherkins, 'Lunchbox' Peppers, a couple 'Sun Sugar' Tomatoes, and Blackberries.

The cutting garden is booming now with lots of beautiful blooms. The Dahlias especially are coming into their own and I've been very pleased with many of the color combinations. I'll be cutting many of these flowers and more from my home garden for my FREE flower arranging class at the DC State Fair. See me at the demonstration area on Sunday, 9/9 at 10:30am. See more info at https://dcstatefair.org/events/dc-state-fair-2023.

How is your garden plot growing this week?

 

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 12th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.)  See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above (at the top, left on this blog).

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