August 2023 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine –Carrots, Monkey Balls, Dumbarton House, and much more…

 

The August 2023 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine is out.

Inside this issue:

·         How to Grow Delicious Carrots (even in containers!)

·         Monkey Balls, the Funky Milkweed

·         Getting Rid of the Spotted Lanternflies

·         Meet Claudia Tsas, Founder of Kharis Lavender Fields

·         Moisture-Loving Native Plants

·         Be Wary of Low-Acidity Vinegar When Canning

·         Preserving History at Dumbarton House

·         Great Gardening Books Reviewed

·         Mothballs Are a Pesticide

·         Propagating Softwood & Semi-Hardwood Cuttings

·         and much more…

 

Note that any submissions, event listings, and advertisements for the September 2023 issue are due by September 5.

 

>>  Subscribe to Washington Gardener Magazine today to have the monthly publication sent to your inbox as a PDF several days before it is available online. You can use the PayPal (credit card) online order form here: http://www.washingtongardener.com/index_files/subscribe.htm

Monday Thoughts: “A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill except for learning how to grow in rows.” ~ Doug Larson

 

“A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill except for learning how to grow in rows.” 

~ Doug Larson

Collecting My Laurels

Photo by Sean and Allison McManus.

I’m honored to announce that I won two 2023 Media Awards—Gold Laurel Medals of Achievements—and a Silver Laurel as well. These international awards are presented by GardenComm (Garden Communicators International) and recognize individuals and companies achieving the highest levels of talent and professionalism in garden communications.

    Here are the awards I received:

• Gold: Podcast Series (Overall): GardenDC Podcast

• Gold: Speaking (Live Presentation): Deer & Garden Mammals Talk

• Silver: Social Media: @WDCgardener Twitter Account

   The categories are judged for “accuracy, content, production value, and style.” The 2023 competition had 121 entries in 39 categories.  

   “The GardenComm Media Awards showcase writers, photographers, editors, videographers, social media managers, publishers, and trade companies that have demonstrated excellence in garden communications in print or electronic communications,” says Maria Zampini, president of GardenComm.

   Since the early 1980s, the GardenComm Media Awards program has recognized outstanding writing, photography, graphic design, and illustration for books, newspaper stories, magazine articles, and other works focused on gardening.

   The full list of winners will be available on the GardenComm website at https://gardencomm.org/.

GardenDC Podcast Episode 161: Adaptive Gardening

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we chat with Duane Pancoast, author of The Geriatric Gardener, all about adaptive gardening. The plant profile is on the Franklin Tree 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 French Drain Systems with Craig McManus, host of The Garden Question Podcast.

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

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 76: Horticultural Therapy

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/09/gardendc-podcast-episode-76.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 73: A Late Summer Pep Talk

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/09/gardendc-podcast-episode-73-late-summer.html

This episode is archived at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/episodes/Adaptive-Gardening-e2890vb

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 Duane Pancoast, author of The Geriatric Gardener 01:49 How Pancoast started gardening 03:30 How Pancoast got into horticulture after graduating and a job at a landscaping company 04:44 Pancoast’s current career and how he got there 05:22 His involvement with GardenComm 06:36 Pancoast’s at-home garden: climate, soil, woody plants 08:24 How Pancoast heard about Adaptive Gardening 11:09 Who does adaptive gardening apply to and what is adaptive gardening? 12:55 Time management in the garden 15:05 Rest breaks and using timers 17:31 Helpers in the garden: Pros and Cons 18:58 “One of the ways that can make [downsizing] less traumatic is to take something from your old garden with you,” said Pancoast 20:34 Gardening with containers and the can-in-can method 23:37 Tips on how to garden without bending over: being kind to your back and knees 24:58 Gardening with arthritis 26:27 Patio and deck gardening with containers: the kitchen garden 28:57 Lessening the load with soaker hoses during in-ground watering 31:14 …and container watering 32:10 Tips for gardening with back pain and preventing back pain 33:59 Finding help in the garden 36:11 Embracing imperfection 38:59 Adaptive Gardening FAQ 40:19 Find The Geratric Gardener The Geriatric Gardener (wordpress.com) 40:44 Additional resources for information on adaptive gardening: Slow Gardening by Felder Rushing 42:13 Contact Pancoast: email, pancoastduane@gmail.com; facebook, Duance Pancoast; blog, thegeriatricgardener.wordpress.com 43:40 Good houseplant choices for adaptive gardening 45:45 “Tend your garden, don’t toil in it” 47:06 Plant profile: Franklin Tree 49:02 What’s new in the garden? Cosmos and sunflowers are blossoming; garden photo show at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, Virginia closes on August 30th; Horticultural Classes offered at Community College of Baltimore County, contact Winnie Tan at wtan@ccbc.edu or call 443-840-3787 for more information; Garlic planting party and poetry slam on October 28th at the Washington Youth Garden at the US National Arboretum 51:50 Groundcover Revolution by Kathy Jentz 53:10 The Urban Gardener by Kathy Jentz and Teri Speight 54:09 The Last Word on French Drainage Systems with Craig McManus 56:28 “You should never see a French Drainage System once it’s been constructed: grow your plants right on top of it!”

The GardenDC podcast is also available on -

• Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gardendc/id1502631179
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5AsWArNpQo8OlzHoMDMSI8
• RadioPublic: https://radiopublic.com/gardendc-G2ql5V
• iHeartRADIO: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-gardendc-73615877/
  
• aCast: https://play.acast.com/s/gardendc
  
• Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/776561ca-75d6-4c63-833b-7dafedf57a72/GardenDC
• Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/GardenDC-Podcast/B08JJNZBMX
• Breaker: https://www.breaker.audio/gardendc
  
• Bullhorn https://www.bullhorn.fm/gardendc
• Chartable: https://link.chtbl.com/GardenDC
• Castbox: https://castbox.fm/channel/GardenDC-id2691161?country=us
• Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/us/show/5587897
• Headliner: https://play.headliner.app/podcast/37086
• Ivy: https://ivy.fm/podcast/gardendc-940013
• Listen Notes: https://lnns.co/VIfcBjWRnw6
• Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/gardendc/
• PocketCasts: https://pca.st/9phvd8bk
• Podcast Addict: https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/2629285
• Podfollow: https://podfollow.com/GardenDC
• Podlink: https://pod.link/GardenDC
• Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/gardendc-1137444
• Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1502631179/gardendc
  
• Reason: https://reason.fm/podcast/gardendc
• Samsung: search for GardenDC on the Sampsung app
• Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/gardendc
• TuneIn: http://tun.in/pj7Sb
• Vurbl: https://vurbl.com/station/gardendc/
• YouTube: https://youtube.com/washingtongardenermagazine
• Google Podcasts at this link (note that currently, this link will only work on Android devices.)

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 Editor: Marissa Yelenik

Show Notes: Alexandra Jentz

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Fenton Friday: Zucchini Trials

Zucchini hiding in Asparagus foliage.

By Taylor Edwards 

At the beginning of the internship, Kathy Jentz let me choose what I wanted to grow in the community garden plot over the summer. I knew nothing about gardening but I knew that whatever I grew, I didn’t want it to go to waste. I chose two types of Zucchini ('Incredible Escalator', a climbing zucchini and 'Dark Star' zucchini) and Zinnia 'Mazurkia' (Zinnia elegans). 

We planted the vegetables on June 7 and the flowers in the community garden a few weeks later. Throughout the summer, we would check the growth of each plant and tend to the rest of the plot. Because it was so hot, we did a lot of watering and pulling out weeds. I planted the seeds by creating a mound, inserting the seeds into it with my finger, and then watering it before and after. Within a few weeks, the Climbing Zucchini started to grow and you could see the tiny leaves come out of the ground. Unfortunately, the 'Dark Star' Zucchini didn’t sprout at all. After giving it a chance, we tried out a different squash in its place. That one didn’t grow as well so we decided to give the Climbing Zucchini room to grow by itself. There were trellises put up to guide the zucchini to grow on to them. What we found while growing the Zucchini was that the area had to be weeded out a lot. By the end of the summer, the Zucchini took over the bed and the leaves were spreading out into pathways. I haven’t done anything yet with the Zucchinis that I took home, but I plan on using the recipes that Kathy sent me to saute them and put them in pasta. 

The Zinnias were grown with the other flowers in a separate cutting garden bed. The seeds were placed in rows along with Cosmos, Cornflower, Dahlia, and Scabiosa. We planted them by direct-sowing the seeds onto the ground and covering them lightly with soil. After we planted them, we worked together to cover the bed with a garden netting to support the flowers when they grew taller. Next to the bedding were these never-ending chives that kept on growing back and shading our flower seedlings, so those were constantly being cut down. Throughout the weeks, we thinned the flower seedlings so they would have room to grow. By the end of July and early August, several Zinnias were in bloom and they were gorgeous! I really liked how vibrant the pink was in each petal. I got to take some home in a vase and admire how pretty they were. 

This process taught me how much trial and error you go through as you garden. I knew there was a lot of maintenance, but doing all the work showed how it can benefit your plantings. I felt proud to see the seeds growing into actual plants as the weeks went on. Even if you’re not an outdoors person, I definitely recommend finding a vegetable that you enjoy and start growing it yourself. It takes dedication, but you’ll be satisfied with the results.

About the author: Taylor Edwards is a rising senior majoring in journalism with a minor in Black Women’s Studies at the University of Maryland. She is a native of Waldorf, MD, and an intern this summer with Washington Gardener.

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).

Pickerel Weed Plant Profile

Pickerel Weed Plant Profile

Pickerel Weed (Pontederia cordata) is a perennial plant that is used commonly in water gardens. It is hardy to USDA zones 3 to 10. The upright plants are a nice contrast to other aquatic plants that stay low on the pond surface such as waterlilies.

It has long-lasting flowers that are a blue-purple color and grow on spikes taller than the surrounding foliage. The blooms are loved by pollinators and the flower seeds are eaten by birds. Dragonflies deposit eggs on the stems. The bright-green leaves are shaped like a lance head.

Pickerel Weed is native from eastern Canada through South America. It is found in wetland areas and along the edges of lakes and ponds. It is used in retention ponds to filter the water and provide protection for wildlife.

Plant it in a clay soil mix. It should be placed in full sun and submerged under several inches of water.  Do not let it dry out nor let the water level go higher than the base portion of the leaves.

It can quickly form a small colony if you left it, so it is best to keep it in a large container. Pickerel Weed is easy to propagate by digging up a clump and dividing it. It can also be started from seed.

Pickerel Weed: 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 and text by Kathy Jentz

Video and editing by Taylor Edwards

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Monday Thoughts: “All gardening is landscape painting.” - William Kent

 “All gardening is landscape painting.” 

- William Kent

Washington Gardener Magazine's 13th Annual Tomato Tasting at the Silver Spring FreshFarm Market

   It’s ‘Big Boy’ vs. ‘Mortgage Lifter,’ hybrid vs. heirloom, the tomato wars have just begun. Everyone is sure that their tomato pick is the tastiest. Join Washington Gardener Magazine at the FreshFarm Market in downtown Silver Spring, MD, on Saturday, August 26 from 10am-12noon for a Tomato Tasting. Best of all, this event is FREE!

   Farmers at the market will contribute their locally grown selections — from super-sweet ‘Sungold’ to not-so-pretty ‘Cherokee Purple’ — and we’ll explore which tomatoes make the short list of favorites. We’ll have tomato gardening tips, tomato recipes, tomato activities for kids, and much more. All to celebrate one of summer’s greatest indulgences — the juicy fresh tomato.

   Tip: Your tomato taste voting ballot is also your entry into our prize drawing for a basket full of gardening goodies. The drawing is at 12noon, so be sure to fully fill out your ballot by 11:45am and then stick around for the prize announcement as you must be present to win!

Like and follow our Facebook event page for all updates and to see the voting results afterward:

https://www.facebook.com/events/803509038120764/