Washington Gardener April 2020 by Kathy J

APRIL 2020 VOL. 15 NO. 2

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the magazine for gardening enthusiasts in the Mid-Atlantic region

10+ Ways to Wage War on Weeds Transitioning the Kitchen Garden from Spring into Early Summer Coronavirus Impacts on Local Garden Centers Simple Steps for Planning a Victory Garden What to Do in the Garden this Month New Hemlock Hybrid Withstands Killing Insect 8 Safety Tips for Using Spring Lawn Equipment

Lilac (Syringa vulgaris)

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Green Spring Gardens

www.greenspring.org

A “must visit” for everyone in the metropolitan Washington, DC, area. It’s a year-round goldmine of information and inspiration for the home gardener. It’s an outdoor classroom for children and their families to learn about plants and wildlife. It’s also a museum, a national historic site that offers glimpses into a long, rich history with colonial origins. Located at 4603 Green Spring Rd., Alexandria, VA. Information: 703-642-5173.

�� RARE AND EXCEPTIONAL PLANTS

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GARDENER AND COLLECTOR �� Barry Glick �� Sunshine Farm and Gardens 696 Glicks Road �� Renick, WV 24966, USA �� Email: barry@sunfarm.com

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o oo o oo Need a Garden Club Speaker?

Washington Gardener Magazine’s staff and writers are available to speak to groups and garden clubs in the greater DC region. Call 240.603.1461 or email KathyJentz@gmail.com for available dates, rates, and topics.

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INSIDEcontents

FEATURES and COLUMNS

Young Choe studied oriental art in Korea before moving to the United States. Choe combines her artistic talent and horticultural knowledge to create Kusamono (wildﬂower and grass bonsai) and Kokedama (mossball) that she learned about in Japan. Both of these unique art forms require moss. Young participates in monthly workshops at the Natural History Society of Maryland that focus on identifying mosses found in Maryland and cultivates moss for her uses in creating plant art work.

Win a “Keep Calm and Garden On” T-shirt. See contest details on page 5.

The dates to maturity indicated for different types of produce start with the date: 1. Direct-sown seeds sprout in the garden, or 2. Transplants are planted in the garden. Pictured here is cabbage ‘Katarina’. Photo courtesy of All-America Selections. See more about growing cabbage in the March 2015 Washington Gardener cover story.

Cicadas will not damage most evergreen trees. Periodical cicadas cause damage to deciduous trees when they gouge slits in thin branches to lay eggs. Brood X Cicada. Photo by Pmjacoby / CC BY-SA (https:// creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-sa/3.0).

BOOKreviews 16-18 The Little Gardener, Gardening with Grains, Plants that Cure, Pollinator Victory Gardens GARDENbasics 8 Ways to Wage War on Weeds EDIBLEharvest 20-22 Transitioning the Kitchen Garden from Spring to Summer FLOWERfun 12 Time for Tulips GARDENDCpodcasts 12 A re-cap of the first episodes of a new local garden show. NEIGHBORnetwork 14-15 Young Choe, Kusamono Artist NEWPLANTspotlight 11 Hemlock Hybrid ‘Traveler’ PETgardens 18 Batgirl and Beatrix PLANTprofile 9 Lilacs SEEDgiveaway 7 Free Seeds for Our Readers SPECIALfeature 6 Garden Centers and the Virus TIPStricks 10 Planning a Victory Gardens, Lawn Equipment Safety

DEPARTMENTS

ADVERTISINGindex BLOGlinks EDITORletter GARDENcontest LOCALevents MONTHLYtasklist NEXTissue READERreactions RESOURCESsources

23 11 4 5 13 11 3 5 2

ON THE COVER Lilac (Syringa vulgaris) ‘Maiden’s Blush’ in your editor’s garden. In our May issue: Knowing When to Harvest Tomato Fruit Virus and much more . . .

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Credits

EDITORletter

Seeds of Change

Normally, the cover story of the April issue is all of the local garden tours going on in the spring. Even taking those listings out of the events pages, I’m usually still left culling and sharing only a fraction of the garden talks and festivals. (The rest we share in our Washington Gardener Discussion Group.) This time, all of those events have disappeared. Some will be rescheduled for fall, most will not happen at all. Without these events, I also am stuck with a living room full of seeds that I normally give out by the basketful at my table/booth at festivals and pass around to attendees at my talks. Now, I am giving seeds out using the postal service Your editor interacting with an educational instead. (See page 7.) I’ve spent every exhibit at the Philadelphia Flower Show. Sunday this month packing up seed requests and plan to continue to do so over the next few weeks until the supply is depleted. These seeds are not doing anyone any good stored in their packets. They need to be planted! On social media, many gardeners are sharing their experiences in shopping at local garden centers, while practicing social-distancing. We interviewed several of these businesses and describe how they are operating under the new guidelines. (See page 6.) In the DC metro area, we are fortunate that these are still considered essential businesses. In Pennsylvania currently, that is not the case for independent, family-owned garden centers and I pray for their horticultural industry that this situation changes soon. I am receiving innumerable information requests from those new to vegetable gardening. There is a resurgence in interest in growing our own food and some are calling it Victory Gardening 2.0. The National Garden Bureau put together some basic guidelines to get folks started. (See page 10.) One of the challenges of food gardening here in the Mid-Atlantic climate is transitioning the garden from spring into early summer when temperatures can fluctuate wildly, so we share some crops that bridge that divide and some methods for success in raising them. (See page 20.) The GardenDC Podcast is already on its seventh episode! (See page 12.) There are so many more fascinating plant people I plan to interview. I have episodes planned through early summer and then may take a break and restart the series in the autumn. If you have content ideas, please don’t hesitate to share them! The garden classes I usually teach in person are now being offered online. (See page 13.) I hope many of you will sign up for one or more of these. All are tailored to our local gardening area and are chock-full of tips you can use in your garden. Remember: Gardening is not canceled! Happy gardening,

Kathy Jentz, Editor/Publisher, Washington Gardener KathyJentz@gmail.com P.S. I spent an afternoon this month updating the Washington Gardener Amazon Store at www.amazon.com/shop/wdcgardener. Scroll down and hit “Fave Gardening Tools” for some of my tried-and-true garden helpers and some new favorites. I am in thrall with my Root Slayer Shovel (https://amzn.to/2zdxh6f)! 4

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Kathy Jentz Editor/Publisher & Advertising Sales Washington Gardener 826 Philadelphia Ave. Silver Spring, MD 20910 Phone: 301-588-6894 kathyjentz@gmail.com www.washingtongardener.com Call today to place your ad with us! Ruth E. Thaler-Carter Proofreader Emily Coakley Charlotte Parker Dulany Interns Cover price: $4.99 Back issues: $6.00 Subscription: $20.00 • Washington Gardener Blog: www.washingtongardener.blogspot.com • Washington Gardener Archives: http://issuu.com/washingtongardener • Washington Gardener Discussion Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ WashingtonGardener/ • Washington Gardener Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/WDCGardener • Washington Gardener Instagram: www.instagram.com/wdcgardener • Washington Gardener Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Washington GardenerMagazine/ • Washington Gardener Youtube: www.youtube.com/ washingtongardenermagazine • Washington Gardener Store: www.amazon.com/shop/wdcgardener • Washington Gardener Podcast: https://anchor.fm/kathy-jentz/ • Washington Gardener is a womanowned business. We are proud to be members of: · GardenComm (GWA: The Association for Garden Communicators) · Green America Magazine Leaders Network · Green America Business Network Volume 15, Number 2 ISSN 1555-8959 © 2020 Washington Gardener All rights reserved. Published quarterly. No material may be reproduced without prior written permission. This magazine is purchased by the buyer with the understanding that the information presented is from various sources from which there can be no warranty or responsibility by the publisher as to legality, completeness, or technical accuracy. All uncredited photos in this issue are © Kathy Jentz.

READERreactions

READERcontt

March 2020 Issue

Reader Contest

For our April 2020 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, Washington Gardener is giving away a “Keep Calm and Garden On” Tshirt (prize value: $25). Washington Gardener has an online store of print-on-demand “Keep Calm and Garden On” merchandise. In these times, it seems the message is more relevant than ever! We have added some new item choices to it, such as phone cases, buttons, and magnets. See https://www.cafepress. com/washgardener. To enter to win a “Keep Calm and Garden On” T-shirt, send an email to WashingtonGardenerMagazine@gmail.com by 5:00pm on Thursday, April 30, with “Keep Calm and Garden On” in the subject line and in the body of the email. Tell us what your favorite article was in this issue and why. Include your full name and address. Winners will be announced on May 1. o

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Are you trying to reach thousands of gardeners in the greater DC region/MidAtlantic area? Washington Gardener Magazine goes out in the middle of every month. Contact KathyJentz@gmail.com or call 301.588-6894 for ad rates (starting from $200). The ad deadline is the 5th of each month. Please submit your ad directly to: KathyJentz@gmail.com.

Y ou Can Make a Difference. . . by

Sharing Your Harvest

Thanks so much for your coverage of the Taking Nature Black Conference in this issue of the magazine. It’s very well done. I appreciate especially that Teri Speight picked up on our love story theme and captured the fact that the conference was set up like a Thanksgiving feast. There was more to chew on than any one person could manage, but if approached wisely, you would leave completely full and with enough leftovers to last a long, long time! ~ Caroline Brewer, Audubon Naturalist Society Thanks again for another great issue of Washington Gardener! My favorite article was the Garden Matters 2020: Solutions for Ecologically Sustainable Landscapes. After reading The Overstory by Richard Powers, about a year ago, I was inspired to convert part of my lawn to native plantings. The “Lawns to Meadows” segment was a great reminder of why I embarked on this goal and journey. I’ve reduced my lawn/grass area approximately 50%. I was also really excited to read the book review of Nature’s Best Hope by Douglas Tallamy, which complements this topic. I immediately went online and was able to download the book! Thanks for a great read recommendation during this time of social distancing. ~ Beth Naff, Arlington, VA I enjoyed the article about Green Matters very much. I missed a lot of the presentations, so really appreciate the write-up. ~ Anne Hardman, Silver Spring, MD

Plant an extra row in your garden and deliver the harvest to a local food bank or shelter. The need is great! With your help, PAR can continue to make a difference for America’s most vulnerable. Call our toll-free number (877.GWAA.PAR) or visit our website at www.gardenwriters.org/par for more information.

I think my favorite “article” this month was the to-do list! During my life in lockdown, I appreciate a list of actionable items. I have the time now and can actually work through them all for once! ~ Stacy Saul I liked “Vegetables in the Shade.” I have a shady section of my garden since the trees along my border with my neighbor have gotten so tall. I was at a loss as to what would grow well in that area. Thanks to the article, I will be planting my cabbage and broccoli there. Thank you! ~ Ed Yemola, Drums, PA o APRIL 2020

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SPECIALfeature

Coronavirus Impacts on Local Garden Centers

By Charlotte Parker Dulany and Emily Coakley [Editor’s Note: This information is current at the time of publication. As with all things related to the coronavirus outbreak, things can change quickly. We recommend you check the garden center’s website, or call ahead, before venturing out.] Accompanying the outbreak of the coronavirus, regulations to close nonessential businesses were expected to negatively affect garden centers and nurseries in the Washington, DC, region. This section of the marketplace, which many anticipated to have a downfall in visitation, has surprisingly seen growth in sales. Staff and seasonal employees must practice social distancing, but are able to operate independent garden centers largely by receiving phone/ online orders for curb pickup and offering discounts on plants and other products. At the end of March, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan issued a “stay at home” order for all citizens except those in essential jobs. Garden centers were among the few categories listed as essential, so many have remained open to serve their surrounding communities. The health and safety of both employees and customers has been the top priority for many businesses in the 6

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DC metro area, and they are adhering to the Center for Disease Control guidelines, as well as state and local health regulations. Nancie Corbett of Bluebird Farms in Berlin, MD, is one business owner dedicated to using the restrictive regulations to her benefit. Through Facebook Live and online retail, Bluebird Farms has been open to continue serving the public and gardeners who rely on it in a virtual landscape. “We’re trying to just keep plants moving and people buying,” Corbett said. In a partnership with nearby Windmill Creek Vineyard and Winery on a victory garden project, the winery donated some of their land for 60 garden plots and sold plants at a 20% discount. Dave Reed of Meadows Farms Nurseries & Landscape (18 locations in Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia), said, “So far, we’re happily working and ‘stay at homers’ are looking to plant to get out of the house and to improve the home front while they’re stuck there.” To accommodate social distancing, Meadows Farms introduced “Parking Lot Pick Up,” a system where customers can place a phone order, call when they get to the store, and have their car loaded, reducing the risk of interaction and contact.

Bobby Lewis from Meadows Farms observed that “people seem to be staying home and using their yard as an ‘oasis,’ so to speak. These ‘oases,’ perhaps gardens or flowerbeds, are providing people with outlets and hobbies during a stressful time, which is why it is necessary for garden centers to find unique ways of operating while adhering to social distancing.” The stay-at-home order has also prompted garden centers like Stadler Nurseries (three locations in Maryland and Virginia) to offer delivery services. Through April 23, any tree purchased at over $200 will be professionally installed by the nursery. Just purchase a tree on Stadler’s website, and they will come and plant the tree, so customers don’t have to leave the house. For those who choose to leave the house, garden centers are working to ensure levels of utmost safety for both customers and employees. Homestead Gardens (two locations in Maryland) is implementing extra sanitizing procedures and asking for all payment to be made through credit card versus cash. For Homestead Gardens, “The health and safety of both our employees and our community is our top priority.” David Yost from Merrifield Garden Center (three locations in Virginia) said he has seen shoppers continue to come in and purchase plant and garden supplies because “most of our activity is outdoors, with plenty of fresh air and room to spread out.” For now, garden centers have found ways to successfully and safely operate under the threat of the coronavirus. Gardening seems to act as a productive way to get outside, be active, and make the most of a difficult situation. o Charlotte Parker Dulany is a senior multiplatform journalism major graduating from the University of Maryland in May. She is an intern this spring semester with Washington Gardener. Emily Coakley is a senior broadcast journalism major, as well as a history minor, at the University of Maryland. She is from Westminster, MD; loves to travel; and has an interest in sports journalism. She is interning this spring with Washington Gardener.

SPECIALfeature

Seed Giveaway By Kathy Jentz

We have a surplus of seed packets left over from the annual Washington Gardener Magazine Seed Exchanges that we host each winter. We gave away two big boxes already at local gardening events like Rooting DC and to Master Gardener groups. We had intended to do more giveaways at upcoming local garden festivals, but since these are all now canceled through April (and beyond), we have launched a mail giveaway. Here is the list of currently available seeds: • ‘Viroplay’ Spinach • ‘Early White Patty Pan’ Summer Squash • ‘Cocozelle Green Stripe’ Summer Squash • ‘Early Prolific Straightneck’ Summer Squash • ‘Boston Marrow’ Winter Squash • ‘Waltham Butternut’ Winter Squash • ‘Moon and Stars Red Flesh’ Watermelon • ‘San Marzano’ Tomato • ‘Red Pear’ Tomato • ‘Yellow Pear’ Tomato • ‘Brandywine Pink’ Tomato • ‘Principe Borghese’ Tomato • ‘Livingston’s Paragon’ Tomato All the seed packs are from heirloom seed company Landreth Seed and have a sellby date of 2019. They have been tested and are still viable. For individuals, put 1–2 stamps on your self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) for 1–3 seed packs and 2–3 stamps for 4–6 seed packs. Include a note listing which seeds you want and a few alternatives, in case we run out of some items. We will fill the orders on a first-come, first-served basis. If you are a community garden, farm, school garden, garden club, etc., and want 20 or more seed packs, send a pre-paid Priority Mail flat-rate envelope. Include a note listing which seeds you want and a few alternatives, in case we run out of some items. We will fill the orders on a first-come, first-served basis. Send your SASE by April 30 to: Washington Gardener Magazine Seed Giveaway 826 Philadelphia Ave. Silver Spring MD 20910 A donation* of $5 to Seed Swap Day for any seeds received is a wonderful way to support our annual Washington Gardener Magazine Seed Exchanges, but is not required. Here is how to donate via Paypal: go to https://seedswapday.blogspot. com/ and click on the “Donate” icon on the upper right corner of the page. *Note that the donation is not tax-deductible, but is much appreciated to keep our seed-sharing mission alive! Any remaining seeds will be donated to local community gardens. A HUGE THANK YOU to American Meadows/Landreth Seeds for donating these seeds to our annual Seed Exchanges!. o Kathy Jentz is the editor and founder of Washington Gardener. APRIL 2020

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10+ Ways to Wage War on Weeds By Kathy Jentz

William Shakespeare said, “Sweet flowers are slow and weeds make haste.” Ain’t that the truth! Weeds are fastgrowing and unsightly, but moreover, they deprive your desired plants of sunlight, nutrients, and water. Here are 10+ ways to get rid of them quickly. 1. Cut the weed off at its base. It will grow back. Cut it again—and again, until it exhausts its stored energy. This method prevents weed dispersal in the soil when you pull them out by the roots and is far less work than pulling. Let the cuttings lie where they fall to decompose, but discard them if they have already gone to seed. Get them early! 2. Hoe them out when the weed is small. They haven’t developed deep root system yet and are easy to just scratch out. Use a long-handled hoe/ weeder to save bending over, and do it frequently. You can use a scuffle-hoe. I like the Cobrahead long-handled cultivator tool (https://amzn.to/3c7j9dw). 3. Never leave bare soil. Plant thickly; plant cover crops. This includes containers! Spread wood chips in paths and leaf mulch in beds. 8

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4. Smother weeds. You can use landscape cloth, cardboard, or newspapers. The latter two materials are great for the layer/lasagna method. Mow the weeds and let the remains lie where they are, then cover with a thick layer of newspaper or cardboard. Next, hose down the paper. Finally, cover with a thick layer of leaf mulch. When ready to plant in this area, dig a hole through the mulch and newspaper, and plant in earth. 5. Solarize with clear plastic. Black or white plastic sheeting will not “cook” weeds as quickly clear. Mow down the area, then cover with the clear plastic. Weigh down the edges of plastic sheeting to prevent ventilation. Use the sun’s power! Note: This doesn’t work in the shade. 6. Use boiling water. BE VERY CAREFUL! This works best for weeds in cracks and at sidewalk edges. 7. Use HORTICULTURAL vinegar (very, very carefully). Wear eye protection, long sleeves, gloves. Create a shield with a cardboard box so you only spray the weeds and not other plants. Apply

this on sunny, non-windy days. The vinegar must be 30% strength. See: https://amzn.to/390nEVx. 8. Use a weed torch. Burn weeds with a weed torch, like the one from JJ George at https://amzn.to/37VT0LG). Be careful and selective. Do not use on windy days! 9. Use a pre-emergent for crabgrass and Japanese stiltgrass to bind up seeds. Be careful with use, because it will also inhibit propagation of plants that you want to self-seed. This must be timed while the forsythia are in bloom. I recommend the corn gluten preemergent from Espoma (https://amzn. to/2uv8dFR). 10. Eat your weeds or use them medicinally. There are many recipes online for edible weeds (garlic mustard, lamb’s quarters, etc.). 11. Weed after a heavy rain. It is much easier to remove weeds when soil is not hard-baked and very satisfying to get the whole root out in one pull. o Kathy Jentz is the editor and founder of Washington Gardener.

PLANTprofile

Lilac (Syringa vulgaris) By Kathy Jentz

The Lilac is a large, ornamental shrub whose flowers emit one of the most beautiful scents found in nature. On a sunny, breezy day, I can smell the lilacs in my side yard all the way down the block. The Mid-Atlantic area is pretty much the southern most region that lilacs can flourish in, because they need to experience a winter freeze and like a temperate climate. They prefer a sunny, well-ventilated location and can take almost all soil types. The only real problem for them in our region is that they are prone to powdery mildew. In our humid climate, most show signs of it by late summer. It will not kill the plant; it is just unsightly. Remember to prune them after they finish flowering. Trim the bush to shape it and remove suckers at the same time. You can give them some leaf mulch or aged manure as compost, but don’t over-fertilize them. The ‘Bloomerang’ Lilac was introduced to the market in recent years. It re-blooms throughout the growing season. This plant is a bit controversial among old-school gardeners who like their blooms to stay “in season.” In my opinion, flowering too often or not at the “correct” time is hardly a reason to dislike a plant! I am partial to the old standard lilacs, though, and find them to be hardier, more-robust plants. Other new introductions include dwarf varieties. Lilacs are also available in shades other than the classic blue-purple. Look for white, pink, and yellow kinds. o Kathy Jentz is the editor and founder of Washington Gardener.

Syringa vulgaris ‘Madame Lemoine’

APRIL 2020

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TIPStricks

Planning a Victory Garden

When the Victory Garden Manual was first written in 1943, it was pretty easy to come up with reasons to grow your own vegetables. It was wartime and food was scarce. The food that was available might not have been the freshest or healthiest. Statistics say that in 1943, nearly 40% of all fruits and vegetables grown in the U.S. were grown in-home and community victory gardens. That’s impressive! Now, as the National Garden Bureau (ngb.org) celebrates its 100th anniversary (1920–2020), it seems timely to reintroduce the concept of victory gardening with quick and easy steps to plan and grow your own vegetable garden. They are calling this Victory Garden 2.0! Here are easy steps to start yours. 1. Know your growing zone! Generally, our region is USDA zone 6–7. 2. Make a list of the items your family enjoys eating. • Determine how much produce your family can reasonably consume during key harvest times. How much zucchini will your family really need? Should you use two plants or four plants? • Decide whether you have the resources to freeze or can excess produce (if so, then you can grow more!). • From this list, start to research specific varieties. 3. Decide which of these plants you will grow from seed or buy as transplants. • Now add “Days to harvest” to your list from Step 2. These can be found on labels and seed packets. The longer the days to harvest, the longer the growing season you will need. Some vegetables needed to be started indoors or purchased as a transplant so you have enough time for harvesting before your first frost in the fall. • Of your list of favorites, determine which crops can be grown early and replaced with summer crops, then replaced again with fall crops. For example, you could planting peas in the spring, then tomatoes in the summer, and back to peas for the fall. • Also, from your list of favorites, determine which ones can be grown as companion plants. 4. Plan your garden space (in-ground, raised beds, containers) accordingly. 10

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Make certain the location is in an area that gets plenty of sun for the crops you choose. 5. Know your soil or buy good-quality gardening mixes. 6. Follow suggested sowing and planting dates. You will need to check the date of the last frost in your area [May 5 for DC] so you know when it is safe to plant your seeds and starter plants outside. 7. Starting with plants or seeds? Seeds make more sense in most cases rather than buying seedlings. Many varieties are available from your local garden retailer or an online sources. 8. Start composting As the gardening season goes on, you can use compost to top-dress your gardens. 9. Don’t forget to plan for pollinatorfriendly flowers . This will ensure your vegetables are properly pollinated! o

8 Safety Tips for Using Spring Lawn Equipment

Spring is here and home gardeners are eager to spruce up their yards. The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI, opei.org), an international trade association representing outdoor power equipment, wants you to keep safety in mind when working outdoors. “Before you use a mower, trimmer, blower, power washer, chainsaw, pruner, portable generator, or other piece of outdoor power equipment this season, it’s important to refresh yourself on handling and safety procedures,” said Kris Kiser, president and CEO of OPEI. “You should take the time to do basic maintenance to ensure your equipment operates safely.” 1. Read your owner’s manual. Follow all guidelines for your outdoor power equipment and familiarize yourself with the controls. If you have lost your manual, look it up online (and save a copy on your computer for easy reference in the future). 2. Inspect equipment. Check the air filter, oil level, and the gasoline tank. Also look for loose belts and missing or damaged parts. Replace any parts needed or take your equipment to a qualified service representative for servicing. 3. If you have gasoline-powered equip-

ment and didn’t empty the tank before winter storage, drain the fuel now. You should never leave fuel sitting in the gas tank of your equipment for more than 30 days. Untreated gasoline (without a fuel stabilizer) left in the system will deteriorate, which may cause starting or running problems or damage the fuel system. 4. Protect your power by only using E10 or less fuel in gasoline-powered outdoor power equipment. With today’s higher ethanol-content fuels, most manufacturers recommend using a fuel stabilizer, especially if you don’t use up all the gas purchased right away. Some gas stations may offer 15 percent ethanol (E15) gas or higher ethanol fuel blends, but any fuel containing more than 10 percent ethanol can damage— and is illegal to use in—small engine equipment not designed for it. 5. Store fuel safely. Label your fuel can with the date of purchase and ethanol content of the fuel. Never put “old” gas in your outdoor power equipment. If you don’t know the date of purchase, dispose of the fuel safely in the can and buy fresh fuel. Always store fuel out of the reach of children or pets, and in approved containers. 6. For battery-powered equipment, recharge only with the charger specified by the manufacturer. A charger that is suitable for one type of battery pack may create a risk of fire when used with another battery pack. Follow all charging instructions and do not charge the battery pack or tool outside the temperature range specified in the instructions. 7. Store batteries safely. When the battery pack is not in use, keep it away from other metal objects, like paper clips, coins, keys, nails, screws, or other small metal items. These can make a connection from one terminal to another. Shorting the battery terminals together may cause burns or a fire. 8. Clean your equipment and store it in a dry place. Remove any dirt, oil, or grass. Clean equipment will run more efficiently and last longer. Never store your equipment in a place that is damp or wet. o These tips were compiled by Charlotte Parker Dulany, a spring intern with Washington Gardener.

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Photo by Peggy Greb, USDA-ARS

New Plant Spotlight

New Hemlock Hybrid ‘Traveler’ A first-of-its-kind hybrid hemlock that is not vulnerable to the insect hemlock woolly adelgid has been developed by the Agricultural Research Service’s (ARS) U.S. National Arboretum. ‘Traveler’, as the new variety is named, is a cross between the Chinese hemlock (Tsuga chinensis) and native Carolina hemlock (Tsuga caroliniana). The new tree has the native hemlock’s handsome symmetrical evergreen growth habit with slightly weeping branches. It has a moderately slow growth rate and produces large cones. Its most important characteristic is the ability to survive attack from the hemlock woolly adelgid. “We’ve had trials of ‘Traveler’ growing since 2000, and we haven’t seen any damage from the insects despite the trees being planted out among susceptible Carolina and Eastern hemlocks,” said ARS horticulturist Susan Bentz of the U.S. National Arboretum’s Floral and Nursery Plants Research Unit in Beltsville, MD. Sap-sucking hemlock woolly adelgids are closely related to the aphid. Originally from Asia, the hemlock woolly adelgid arrived in the United States in 1951 and has since spread to 17 states from Georgia to New England and southwestern Nova Scotia, decimating stands of both Carolina and Eastern hemlocks. The insect has virtually eliminated hemlocks as a marketable ornamental tree in the eastern U.S. A plant patent has been applied for ‘Traveler’, and ARS is looking for commercial propagation partners to help bring this new plant to the nursery trade. o

• 21 Great Gifts for Gardeners • Victory Gardens 2.0 • DIY: Bird Nesting Materials Ball • Hidden Treasures in the Garden Plot • An Abundant Bloom Day - Despite the Chill See more Washington Gardener blog posts at: WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com o

April–May Garden To-Do List

• If you started seeds last month, thin them and start the hardening-off process. • Start some more seeds—especially flowering annuals like impatiens, marigolds, nasturtium, and petunias. • Do not set out seedlings or tender annuals until after Mother’s Day (traditional last frost-free date for our entire area). • Water shrubs and trees deeply during any dry spells. • Prune winter damage on evergreens. • Make compost tea and use on seedlings. • Turn your compost pile. • Sharpen tools. • Prune flowering shrubs, such as forsythia and azaleas, when they finish blooming. • Repot and fertilize houseplants. • Set aside a few hours each weekend for attending garden shows and tours. (You may have to do this virtually for the immediate future.) • Weed by hand to avoid disturbing newly forming roots. • Prepare your soil—add lime, compost, etc., as needed. • Walk your garden—look for early signs of fungal disease. • Divide perennials and herbs. Pot up extras to give away at plant swaps. • Fertilize new growth. • Plant and prune roses. • Transplant small trees and shrubs. • Buy or check on your stored summer bulbs (such as dahlias and caladiums). Pot them and start to water to give them an early start on the season. • Build a raised bed for vegetables. Add lots of manure and compost. • Buy an indoor plant to liven up your office space. Try an Orchid or African violet. • Start/keep fertilizing your indoor plants. • Cut back and clear out the last of your perennial beds and ornamental grasses. • Mulch beds with a light hand. • Feed birds and provide nesting materials (try dryer lint), as well as houses, for the start of their family season. • Sow beans and corn directly outdoors. • Start carrots, turnips, and parsnips in well-draining beds or in deep containers. • Keep cutworms off newly planted edible seedlings by surrounding the seedlings with collars cut from a plastic bottle or cardboard tube. • Pick peas often to encourage the plants to produce more. • Ensure new seedlings do not dry out by installing a drip-irrigation system. • Start herbs from seed or cuttings. • Edge garden beds. • Remove Ivy, Pachysandra, and other vine-like groundcover from under shrubs. • Work in dry, not wet, soil to avoid compacting the earth. • Hand-pick cabbage worms from broccoli and other cabbage-family plants. • Put row covers over vulnerable crops—remove covers to allow for pollinating once they set flowers. • Thin lettuce seedlings and plant more seeds in new rows. (You can eat the seedling greens you pull.) • Plant a tree for Arbor Day or Earth Day. o APRIL 2020

WASHINGTON GARDENER

FLOWERfun

GARDENDCpodcast Tulips. Photo courtesy of IBulb.org.

It’s Time for Tulips!

Although spring showers might be keeping you waiting from enjoying being outdoors, you can still have it indoors—with tulips! According to ibulb.org, the bright colors and elegant shapes of tulips lift your spirits and boost your energy level. These historic yet trendy flowers will cheer up the look of any room. Because plant breeders have succeeded so well in crossing tulips over the centuries, you now have an extremely wide choice in flower colors and shapes. There are single-flowered, double-flowered, lily-flowered, and fringed tulips—and these are just some of them. Will you be bringing spring indoors with tulips? If so, it would be good to know how to care for them, so you can enjoy them as long as possible. As soon as you bring them home, roll the tulips up in some newspaper and put them in a vase filled with water at room temperature. The tulips will become completely saturated with water and stand up nice and straight. Then trim the stems at an angle. The leaves can remain attached to the stem since they will not decay in the water. Arrange the tulips in a clean vase filled with fresh water at room temperature. Tulip stems will lengthen considerably in the vase and gradually turn into an impressive natural work of art, so remember this when selecting the vase. Put your vase of tulips in a place where you can see and enjoy them. Full sun, however, should be avoided since this will reduce the flowers’ vase life. Since tulips will mature faster if placed next to a bowl of ripening fruit, keep them away from the fruit bowl. Keep your watering can handy, since these flowers are exceptionally thirsty. Top up the water in the vase often. o 12

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GardenDC Podcast Episode Guide The GardenDC podcast is all about gardening in the greater Washington, DC, and Mid-Atlantic area. The program is hosted by Kathy Jentz, editor of Washington Gardener Magazine, and features guest experts in local horticulture. Episode 1: A discussion with garden writer Marianne Willburn about the Philadelphia Flower Show, rose pruning, Edgeworthia, March gardening tasks, and more. The episode is posted at: https://anchor.fm/kathy-jentz/ episodes/March-7--2020-ebb59b. Episode 2: A chat with Kit Gage, a Chesapeake Bay landscape professional, about the recent Green Matters Symposium, the novel The Overstory, and Doug Tallamy’s Nature’s Best Hope. Our Plant Profile in this episode is about the cool-season annual Sweet Alyssum. The episode is posted at: https://anchor.fm/kathy-jentz/episodes/March-14--2020-eatace. Episode 3: This episode includes a chat with Kim Roman of Square Foot Gardening 4 U (SFG4U) about Square Foot Gardening techniques, microgreens, and what cool-season edibles you can start right now. Our Plant Profile in this episode is about Forsythia. The episode is posted at: https://anchor.fm/kathy-jentz/episodes/Match-21--2020-ebhqku. Episode 4: This episode includes a talk with Doug Oster all about tomatoes — from the earliest varieties to ripen to combating blight issues. Doug shares his best tips and tricks. Our Plant Profile in this episode is about Heuchera. The episode is posted at: https://anchor.fm/kathy-jentz/episodes/March-28--2020-ebvisr. Episode 5: In this episode, we talk with Abra Lee of Conquer the Soil, a horticultural storyteller and Longwood Fellow. The plant profile focuses on the Pussy Willow and we add a new segment about what is growing in our community garden plot and home garden this week. The episode is posted at: https://anchor.fm/kathy-jentz/episodes/April-4--2020-eccdu7/a-a1lkb1p.

Episode 6: This episode, we chat with David Ellis, editor of The American Gardener, the magazine of the American Horticultural Society, about favorite spring flowering trees and shrubs. The plant profile is about pansies/violas and we reflect on the late, great Henry Mitchell. The episode is posted at: https:// anchor.fm/kathy-jentz/episodes/April11--2020-ecjig8. Episode 7: In this episode, we chat with returning guest Marianne Willburn about chickens in the garden, her fuzzy ducklings, and new hugelkultur installation. The plant profile is about lilacs and we vent about leaf blowers. The episode is posted at: https://anchor.fm/kathyjentz/episodes/April-18--2020-ecsf6q. You can become a listener-supporter for as little as $0.99 per month! See how at: https://anchor.fm/kathy-jentz/ support. We are also available on: • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/ show/5AsWArNpQo8OlzHoMDMSI8 • RadioPublic: https://radiopublic.com/ gardendc-G2ql5V • Breaker: https://www.breaker.audio/ gardendc • PocketCasts: https://pca. st/9phvd8bk • Overcast: https://overcast.fm/ itunes1502631179/gardendc • Google Podcasts We welcome your questions and comments. You can leave one at https:// anchor.fm/kathy-jentz/message. Note that we may use these messages in a future episode. o

TOP AREA GARDENING EVENTS DC-Area Gardening Calendar ~ Events ~ April 16–May 16, 2020 Garden Book Club Next Meeting For the next Washington Gardener Magazine Garden Book Club selection, we will be reading Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard by Doug Tallamy. “Douglas W. Tallamy’s first book, Bringing Nature Home, awakened thousands of readers to an urgent situation: wildlife populations are in decline because the native plants they depend on are fast disappearing. His solution? Plant more natives. In this new book, Tallamy takes the next step and outlines his vision for a grassroots approach to conservation. Nature’s Best Hope shows how homeowners everywhere can turn their yards into conservation corridors that provide wildlife habitats. Because this approach relies on the initiatives of private individuals, it is immune from the whims of government policy. Even more important, it’s practical, effective, and easy—you will walk away with specific suggestions you can incorporate into your own yard.” (See also our review on page 16.) You can order it at our Amazon link: https://amzn.to/39ZN1Hk. Our spring 2020 club meeting will be on Thursday, June 11, from 6:30–8pm at The Soupergirl, located right next to the Takoma Metro stop. Soupergirl offers soups for sale that are incredibly healthy. They are 100% plant-based, low-salt, low-fat, and—most importantly—absolutely delicious, so plan to come a bit early to purchase and eat your dinner with the Garden Book Club. Note: If we cannot meet in person by June, we’ll move the meeting to a virtual forum. Stay tuned for updates. RSVP under our Event tab on the Facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine page, so we know how many chairs to reserve for our group. The Washington Gardener’s Garden Book Club is free and open to all. We meet quarterly on a weekday evening near a Metro-accessible location in the DC-area. We will announce the details of each upcoming meeting about two months in advance. o

Special Notice

Webinars

Because of coronavirus precautions, most of the upcoming area gardening events through April 15 have been postponed or canceled. To confirm whether events you’re interested in will still be held as scheduled, go to the websites of the host organizations. While programs and events have been canceled, a few local public gardens are still allowing visitors on their grounds. See our listing of current openings and closings at https://washingtongardener. blogspot.com/2020/03/public-gardensstill-open-during.html. Many public gardens are offering online tours of their collections. Visit their websites to access them. Here are a few to start with: ~ Brookside Gardens https://www.montgomeryparks.org/ parks-and-trails/brookside-gardens/ ~ Dumbarton Oaks https://www.doaks.org/ ~ Franciscan Monastery https://myfranciscan.org/ ~ Green Spring Gardens https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/ green-spring ~ Hillwood Estate https://www.hillwoodmuseum.org/ ~ Longwood Gardens https://longwoodgardens.org/ ~ Tudor Place https://tudorplace.org/ ~ U.S. Botanic Garden https://www.usbg.gov/

Washington Gardener Magazine’s editor Kathy Jentz will be holding a series of webinars this spring on Wednesday evenings. All of the subjects are tailored to our local growing area. They are each about 45 minutes in length followed by a 15-minute live Q&A session. Sign up soon to get the introductory price of $10 each.

Event Listing Updates

• Wednesday, May 27 Small Space Garden Design: Squeezing it all in to Your Garden Register at: https://event.webinarjam. com/register/7/2ogrztr

See updated event listings on the Washington Gardener Yahoo discussion list. Join the list at http://groups.yahoo. com/group/WashingtonGardener/.

How to Submit Local Garden Events To submit an event for this listing, email washingtongardenermagazine@gmail. com with “Event” in the subject line. Our next deadline is May 5 for the May 2020 issue, for events taking place after May 15. o

• Wednesday, April 22 Planting Your First Vegetable Garden in the Mid-Atlantic Register at: https://event.webinarjam. com/register/1/vor3ytv • Wednesday, April 29 Native Perennials for Pollinators Register at: https://event.webinarjam. com/register/3/51m9vck • Wednesday, May 6 Can’t-Fail Container Gardening Basics and Beyond Register at: https://event.webinarjam. com/register/4/zkw8yu0 • Wednesday, May 13 Dealing with Deer and Other Mammal Pests in Your Garden Register at: https://event.webinarjam. com/register/5/gq7kwb5 • Wednesday, May 20 Water in the Landscape: Creating a Garden Oasis Register at: https://event.webinarjam. com/register/6/y19oycg

If you have any problems, registering, contact kathyjentz@gmail.com o

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Contact kathyjentz@gmail.com or call 301.588.6894 for ad rates. The ad deadline is the 10th of each month. Please submit your ad directly to: KathyJentz@gmail.com.

APRIL 2020

WASHINGTON GARDENER

Meet Young Choe:

Horticulturist, Artist, and Teacher

By Emily Coakley

Young Choe combines her artistic talent and horticultural knowledge in her unique hobbies and work. When I took on this interview assignment, I enjoyed the chance to find out about her passion and the ways she inspires others. Tell us about your background and how you first got involved with horticulture. Since I was young, I have always loved flowers and plants. I grew up in Seoul, South Korea, and lived in a Japanesestyle house with a garden that had beautiful flowers and trees that influenced my love for and interest in plants. I always wanted to study horticulture. However, my parents thought it was not the right subject for me to study. 14

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Instead, they encouraged me to study art because I had shown talent in that area. I ended up studying Oriental painting and calligraphy. When I was in my middle twenties, I moved to America. About 25 years ago, I began volunteering at the Bonsai Museum in the U.S. National Arboretum. At that time, I went back to college to follow my passion and studied horticulture at the University of Maryland. After I received my horticulture degree, I started working in the horticulture field at USDA-ARS and USDA-NRCS. What is a typical workday like for you? I work four days a week at the Woody Landscape Plant Germplasm Repository (WLPGR) that belongs to the U.S. National Arboretum. The mission of

the repository is to collect, document, preserve, evaluate, and distribute plant genetic resources; mostly seeds and plant materials. My job is managing the seed storage facility at the Arboretum. I process and catalog the seeds to make them ready for storage, distribute the seeds, and conduct research to verify seed viability. I propagate plants from cuttings from our established collections at the Arboretum to develop a larger inventory of desirable and interesting plants. I still volunteer at the Bonsai Museum in the Arboretum, taking care of accent plants for bonsai displays. In addition, during the non-winter months, I use my weekends to travel and teach the art of Kusamono in the U.S. and internationally.

NEIGHBORnetwork What is your favorite part about what you do? What is the hardest part? My favorite part about what I do is Kusamono (the art of wildflowers and grass arrangements in unique pots). I learned this combination of horticulture and art from Japan about 20 years ago. Now I travel around the nation giving seminars and demonstrations on the art of Kusamono. More information is on my website: www.kusamonochoe. com. The hardest part…(it’s not easy to share my weaknesses)…even though I am a horticulturist, I am not good at working outdoors in gardens and I’m scared of worms, bugs, snakes, etc. That is why I love my job, because I do not have to deal with them that often. However, when I do see them, I still scream. What is one thing you want people to know about you? I am like a swan on a lake. When people see a swan on a lake, most people only see its elegant beauty. They do not see all the work the swan is doing below the water to propel itself through the water. When people see my Kusamono creations, most of them do not understand how much work is involved to create, maintain, display, and photograph it, and most importantly, continue learning about all types of plants. Because I teach Kusamono workshops in many different regions around the world, I not only have to know about Mid-Atlantic plants, but I also have to learn about plants in the regions where I am teaching. Kusamono needs lots of care to keep looking beautiful for years. I am a hard worker! Tell us about some of your favorite hobbies. I love traveling to beautiful places. I enjoy learning by seeing beautiful nature, gardens, and art museums. I also love photography because it allows me to capture beautiful moments forever. Whenever I have a chance, I also love to enjoy performing arts, too. Actually, my favorite hobby is Kusamono, but during the last few years, it slowly has become work. However, this hobby fulfills all the other hobbies like traveling, photographing,

and meeting wonderful people around the world. What an awesome hobby I have! What are you most proud of accomplishing in horticulture? I don’t like to use the term “proud” but I am happy to combine this beautiful art with horticulture. I often introduce myself as an articulturist (artist & horticulturist). I created this term by combining my horticulture knowledge and my artistic senses. It took me a long time to gain experience in these two areas. When I was first introduced to Kusamono, I wanted to learn from the best. To do that, I first had to learn to speak Japanese so I could communicate with the teacher, who lived in Japan and only spoke Japanese. At the time, I never thought I too would become someone to share this art with others. There are only a handful of people who are actively practicing the art of Kusamono in the United States. What is one piece of advice you can give the readers? When I started studying Horticulture 101, the professor asked us to interview someone in the field you want to be in in the future. I went to the U.S. Botanical Garden (sorry, I didn’t go to the National Arboretum) and talked with one of the staff. He answered a few questions, but I still clearly remember that he told me, “If you want to be able to make money in this field, forget about studying horticulture.” I didn’t understand that at the time, but I realize it now. Even though I can’t make lots of money, I feel I am so blessed to be one who does the work I love. So, do what your heart/passion in your heart wants to do and enjoy your life.

What is one thing you wish more people knew about horticulture? One of the most important things in horticulture is watering—especially for plants in containers. Watering depends on many different variables, such as the age of the plant, its species, what kind of soil it has, the environment it’s in (how much sun and shade), size of pots, etc. In Japan, professional bonsai nurseries train their employees how to water bonsai in a three-year span. You cannot touch or work with bonsai until you learn how to water them. Like Kusamono, many bonsai live in the same small and shallow pot for years. Therefore, the roots will grow and take up a lot of space in the pot. Once the Kusamono is dried out, you have to soak it in water for a while until it is saturated. If you water them like any other plants, the water will just spill out of the pot, resulting in an unwatered plant. If you miss one day of watering during the summer, all of the hard work and effort in growing the plant is gone and cannot be recovered. Proper watering and care is never an easy task in horticulture. Are you currently working on any new projects? When I do presentations or workshops about Kusamono, many people ask me to write a book about it because there is none written in English. I am working on a book that will have beautiful pictures of Kusamono; contain plant science information; and cover all aspects about Kusamono, including how to create, maintain, types of plants, soil mix, pots, moss, etc. Any final thoughts? Thank you to Washington Gardener Magazine for giving me an opportunity to introduce myself and the art of Kusamono to our own Washington, DC, gardeners. Your magazine provides wonderful information about plants and people in the horticulture field. o Emily Coakley is a senior broadcast journalism major, as well as a history minor, at the University of Maryland. She is from Westminster, MD; loves to travel; and has an interest in sports journalism. She is interning this spring with Washington Gardener.

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BOOKreviews

The Little Gardener: Helping Children Connect with the Natural World Author: Julie A. Cerny Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press List Price: $24.95 Order Link: https://amzn.to/3esqAgH Reviewer: Erica H. Smith Teaching children at home and starting a garden have assumed new importance in these challenging times. This book helps readers learn how to do both at once. Julie Cerny, an outdoor educator in New York’s Hudson Valley, has created a comprehensive but not intimidating curriculum for little and big gardeners to work at together. The book travels from the earliest stages of visualizing a garden-to-be all the way through to harvesting home-grown food, with fun and fruitful lessons that teach garden-related subjects like art, math, writing, carpentry, and biology. This gardening journey is meant for children from preschoolers to teenagers, although it will probably work best with elementary-age kids; all the activities can be adjusted as appropriate. Some parts of the text are written for the adults who are guiding and teaching, and some simplified sidebars are just for kids. There are additional reading suggestions for those who want to delve more deeply into particular subjects, and in fact, a good general gardening book or some websites will be needed to help with growing requirements of specific plants, since that 16

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information isn’t included except incidentally. I really like the first section about dreaming, then noting down, what you want your garden to provide for you and others, and imagining what the experience of walking through it and using it would be like. Children have original ideas that are worth listening to when we’re making plans, rather than just being told to follow someone’s list of instructions. If there’s something a child really wants to see or feel or eat in a garden, they’ll be more likely to put up with the work it takes to get there. Of course, instructions are also useful, and plenty of them are provided in subsequent chapters: how to design, lay out, and construct a garden; when and where to sow which sorts of seeds; how to make a compost pile; which insects and animals might visit your garden and how to deal with them, etc. While this is all good and necessary information—with checklists!—the key to the book is how it approaches learning. Each section ends with activities and journal prompts for the kids, and they’re not just homework, because they’ll help create the garden dreamed about in the beginning. And they sound fun! There’s also plenty of instruction for the adult who might be an inexperienced or reluctant educator, including a great list of suggestions near the end titled “(A Guide to) Becoming Little Gardener’s Guide in the Garden.” These include “Be patient and flexible,” “Wear time loosely,” and “Welcome mistakes,” along with other important advice. Being patient means that the garden of your child’s dreams may not appear instantly and begin producing food and flowers right away. You could use this book to start small with a few containers, and then plan the rest of the garden to be ready next year, when we hope all the children will be back in school—although it will still be a great time for them to learn in the garden. o Gardening with Grains: Bring the Versatile Beauty of Grains to Your Edible Landscape Author: Brie Arthur Publisher: St. Lynn’s Press,

List Price: $23.95 Order Link: https://amzn.to/34Ft6vC Reviewer: Erica H. Smith Brie Arthur, author of The Foodscape Revolution, is one of the foremost recent promoters of edible landscaping, or adding beautiful plants you can eat to a garden of ornamentals. When gardeners adopt this idea, they usually start with fruiting shrubs and trees, then some herbs and edible flowers, and finally jump in all the way and plant peppers and lettuce in the perennial border. Most of us don’t think about using grains like barley or sorghum as part of our landscapes. This book demonstrates how lovely and also useful these plants can be. Arthur starts by telling the story of how she became the “Crazy Grain Lady”: partly accident, partly inspiration. If you’ve ever visited Chanticleer Garden and admired the Serpentine planting there, you’ve seen one of her models. Of course, not all of us have a large swath of lawn out of which to carve a meandering bed planted with gorgeous wheat, but from the many examples she provides in this book, you may be able to find space that works for you. Clumps of grains work just as well in beds as clumps of nonedible ornamental grasses, and some will even grow in containers. Six major grains are introduced in separate chapters: the cool-season grains—barley, oats and wheat; and the warm-season grains—corn, rice and sorghum. Arthur also covers companion plants, many of them edible, that grow well alongside grains, and provides ideas for bed-edging plants that repel animals and may help keep them from munching on your grains. There are

BOOKreviews plenty of tips for planting, maintaining, and (importantly) harvesting the grain garden. (Yes, you can thresh and winnow at home!) The book also provides recipes and craft ideas to use your grain harvest, and a list of seed from sources. And lots of gorgeous photos! The only thing that’s stopping me from ordering some seed right now is the lack of a sunny space to plant in. Grains do require full sun, and I will have to do some thinking before coming up with a grain garden concept in my largely shady yard. Maybe all I’ll manage is a mini-meadow or a thriller (focal point) of rice or sorghum in a big pot, but if so, I’ll come back to this book for inspiration. o Erica H. Smith is a Montgomery County Master Gardener whose volunteer activities include the Master Gardener Demonstration Garden in Derwood, MD; the Grow It Eat It program; and speaking engagements on food-growing topics. She is the author of several novels; visit her website at ericahsmith.wordpress.com.

Plants that Cure: Plants as a Source for Medicines, from Pharmaceuticals to Herbal Remedies Authors: Elizabeth A. Dauncey and Melanie-Jayne R. Howes Publisher: Princeton University Press List Price: $29.95 Order Link: https://amzn.to/3et9jnx Reviewer: Emily Coakley Plants that Cure is an impressively illustrated book, filled with color photographs and diagrams of the natural history of plants with medicinal properties. The book covers topics that include how plant compounds can treat heart conditions, dementia, indigestion, arthritis, eyesight, types of cancer, and more. The book starts off by giving a synopsis of the history behind medicinal plants and herbs, dating back to ancient times. Following the introductory chapter, the book is organized by a body system, with detailed information and pictures of plants from around the world that can be used to treat each condition. Listed throughout the chapters, readers can also find interesting fun facts about types of plants. Author Elizabeth A. Dauncey is a freelance toxicolo-

gist, while Melanie-Jayne R. Howes is a pharmacist, chartered chemist, and leader in research at the Royal Botanic Gardens. Especially during a time when health concerns seem to be on everyone’s mind, I recommend picking up Plants that Cure for an interesting and insightful read about the power behind plant medicine. o Emily Coakley is a senior broadcast journalism major, as well as a history minor, at the University of Maryland. She is from Westminster, MD; loves to travel; and has an interest in sports journalism. She is interning this spring with Washington Gardener.

The Pollinator Victory Garden: Win the War on Pollinator Decline with Ecological Gardening Author: Kim Eierman Publisher: Quarto Publishing Group, List Price: $24.99 Order Link: https://amzn.to/3etgHPT Reviewer: Andrea F. Siegel The rapid decline of pollinators should be a monumental concern to anyone who eats, since the vast majority of the world’s crops rely on pollination. Kim Eierman, a noted environmental horticulturist and founder of EcoBeneficial, a horticulture consulting/communications company, tells us that the urgency that inspired the Victory Gardens of the two world wars is needed right now to fight the threat to our food supply and environment. Everyone can be a part of that fight by improving the dreadful lot of pollinators.

This doesn’t mean eliminating your lawn (although if you consider the effort, dollars, and fertilizer that go into creating it just so you can continually cut it down…) but it does mean carving out space for four-season, pollinatorwelcoming areas on your property, to take pollinators through the stages of their lives. For a fairly slim volume, The Pollinator Victory Garden is packed with an impressive amount of helpful information, and of course, lovely photos—though many readers would benefit from captions that named the flowers in photos of diverse plantings. This book has a very straightforward approach. Everything in here can be adapted to every climate and location, and there are growing suggestions for all. For one thing, the 160-page book provides textbook-type information about bats, bees, beetles, birds, butterflies, etc., geared toward helping us understand the varied diets and habitats we should provide to address pollinator needs. This education, which includes how pollination and ecosystems work, turns into the steps to take in creating gardens and habitats. Having explanations about such things as the attributes of and differences between natives, nativars, nonnatives, naturalized, and invasive plants, we can make more-informed decisions about what to grow. The habitat information is very helpful, because it goes into the value of such features as windbreaks as shelter, rocks for warming, and—two personal favorites—piles of unraked leaves and dead plants with stalks for overwintering (it’s nice to know that the mess is appreciated). Info boxes within the chapters are tremendously helpful. The chapter about offering a diverse buffet for pollinators features a sample host plant checklist showing readers how to determine which plants support, for example, a particular butterfly, and a sample bloom inventory chart of plants that flower from early spring through fall so there’s always something on the menu. The chapter about pollinators Book Reviews continued from page 18 APRIL 2020

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has boxes naming native flowers pollinated by each group of pollinators, including beetles and moths. Many readers will be most appreciative of the tips list and Pollinator Victory Garden checklist—two great summaries of the key “musts” in the book, with native plant lists, divided by season, for a number of pollinators; recommendations of other books, websites (including the author’s own), and the like. As a whole, the book is valuable for the insights it gives gardeners at every level of skill and knowledge. It could serve as a textbook and guide for schools and community groups looking to create Pollinator Victory Gardens, pollinator paths, meadows, and opportunities for volunteers. o Andrea F. Siegel is a writer and a master gardener in Maryland.

Note: These book reviews include links to Amazon.com for ordering them. Washington Gardener Magazine may receive a few cents from each order placed after clicking on these book order links.

Love Reading?

These books were reviewed by volunteer members of the Washington Gardener Reader Panel. To join the Washington Gardener Volunteer Reader Panel, please send an email with your name and address to: KathyJentz@gmail.com. We look forward to having you be a vital part of our local publication and its gardening mission. o 18

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Local gardeners Jimmy and Andrew shared these photos of their two cats. Jimmy wrote: “Our two cats love the garden. We live in a Tudor cottage with, of course, a cottage-style English garden. (We took inspiration from the Bishop’s Garden at the National Cathedral.) “Our sweet long-haired torti (tortoiseshell) is named Bea, but her full name is Beatrix Farrand, named after the famed landscape architect who designed Dumbarton Oaks in Georgetown. “Our other kitty is a tuxedo (blackand-white) named Batgirl, because when she was a kitten, her little head hadn’t grown into her big ears and she looked like Batgirl from the ‘60s show! “Both are great company outside, whether we are gardening, having morning coffee, or entertaining.” o This is an occasional column in Washington Gardener Magazine featuring photos of pets in gardens. Submit your photos to KathyJentz@gmail.com and use the subject line “Pets in Gardens.” Tell us a bit about the animal and your garden as well.

INSECTindex

The damage is done when the female cicada inserts her eggs into a branch. Photo by Michael J. Raupp.

Egg-laying by cicadas can severely damage young trees. Photo by Michael J. Raupp.

How to Prepare Now for Cicada Brood X in 2021 By Michael

Cicada Brood X, the “big brood,” will hit the East Coast from Georgia to New York in 2021. The Mid-Atlantic region and the DMV (DC-MD-VA) will be the epicenter of the emergence. We will start to see exit holes and mud tubes on the ground in 2021 in April and early May. Nymphs will begin to exit the ground during the first half of May. They will climb onto vertical structures, plants, posts, and buildings to shed their exoskeletons and become adults. This will be weather-dependent—meaning they will come earlier in a warm spring and later in a cool spring. The earliest appearance dates I have seen in this area have been the first week of May. The massive wave of adults will be present in the latter half of the month and early June, when they will be abundant on vegetation and chorusing loudly in the treetops.

Vulnerable Plants

The plants that are the most vulnerable to cicada damage are young sapling trees. My observations place at greatest risk saplings in the 2–4 inch diameter at breast height (DBH) range, because they have a high proportion of small branches that are the size and age favored by female cicadas as egg-

spring of 2021, purchase and place netting on these trees and shrubs before the first week in May and leave it in place until the adult cicadas die in the latter part of June. Several studies have demonstrated that netting J. Raupp provides much better protection from egg-laying cicadas then applications of laying sites. They will use many species, insecticides, which have been shown genera, and families of woody plants in several scientific studies to provide but literature lists these as ones most little or no reduction in cicada damage. vulnerable: Maples, Oaks, Hickory, Once the damage has taken place, Apple, Cherry, nuthomeowners can do Netting can greatly reduce damage caused by producing trees, egg-laying cicadas. Photo by Michael J. Raupp. nothing to reverse it. Ash, Black Locust, They can prune out Birch, Dogwood, and severely damaged, Redbud. flagging branches Established, older, on small trees, but and mature trees pruning would not will withstand the be practical on injury better than larger trees. o young, smaller, and newly established For further reading: trees for the rea• http:// son stated above. bugoftheweek.com/ I have not personblog/2013/6/4/ ally witnessed tree brood-ii-up-in-marydeath, but I have land-imagicicadaiseen young, recently spp?rq=cicadas transplanted trees, • http:// especially fruit trees bugoftheweek.com/ including peaches blog/2018/5/28/ and apples, severely damaged to the impatient-doomed-cicadas-of-brood-xpoint at which significant dieback of imagicadai-spp?rq=cicadas limbs occurred throughout the canopy.

Precautions to Take Now Delay planting trees and shrubs until the fall of 2021. If you plant trees and shrubs this spring or fall, or in the

Michael J. Raupp is emeritus professor of Entomology at the University of Maryland, College Park, and a Fellow of the Entomological Society of America. APRIL 2020

WASHINGTON GARDENER

EDIBLEharvt

by Elizabeth Olson

The coronavirus pandemic has created a huge, ongoing increase in demand for vegetable, fruit, herb, and flower seeds in the United States. The surge in home gardening and efforts to ensure social distancing in seed warehouses have resulted in significant delays in fulfilling orders. Some seed companies are prioritizing commercial accounts. Others have a backlog of three or more weeks before shipping. Still others have temporarily suspended taking new orders so they can catch up with existing orders. Many seed companies are out of stock of regular cultivars. Fortunately, seeds of many vegetable, fruit, herb, and flower species can 20

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remain viable for several years. Gardeners who have seeds left over from previous years can take advantage of this to get started with the joy of kitchen gardening. For gardeners who want or need to purchase seeds, a list of recommended online sources is included in this article. In addition, some local stores that are approved as essential businesses may offer seeds in display racks.

Cool Weather Crops

The soil is still cool and the weather quite erratic in late April and early May. Selected crops well-adapted to cool soils that have good drainage include: 1. Radishes. Days to maturity: 21 to 28.

Chervil is a culinary herb that belongs to the carrot and parsley family. Photo courtesy of John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds.

Transitioning the Kitchen Garden from Spring into Early Summer

Proven spring cultivars are ‘Champion’, ‘Cherry Belle’, ‘French Breakfast’, ‘Lady Slipper’, and ‘Purple Plum’ (the author’s favorite). Gardeners can plant seeds every 10 to 14 days for a continual harvest until the weather becomes hot. 2. Carrots. Days to maturity: 60 to 80, depending on the cultivar. The seeds can be planted in rows that alternate with rows of radishes. Recommended cultivars are ‘Danvers Half Long’, ‘Little Finger’, ‘Thumbelina’ (an AAS winner), and ‘Yellowstone’ (the author’s favorite). 3. Beets. Days to maturity: 25 to 30 for microgreens, 45 to 60 for plump roots, depending on the cultivar. Best cultivars include ‘Bull’s Blood’ (very dark red flesh; also very good for microgreens), ‘Chioggia’ (red- and white-banded flesh), ‘Detroit Dark Red’, ‘Golden’, and ‘Touchstone’ (a golden beet). 4. Chard. Days to maturity: 35 for baby greens, 60 for full-size leaves. This delicious leafy vegetable is closely related to beets. There is a lot of variation in colors of stems and leaves, depending on the cultivar. The stems come in vivid colors, including magenta, yellow, orange, white, and pink-striped. Leaf color ranges from green to deeppurple red. Popular selections include ‘Argentata’, ‘Golden Sunrise’, ‘Magenta Sunset’, ‘Ruby Red’, ‘Verde de Costa Blanca’, and blends such as ‘Bright Lights’ (an AAS winner). Leaves can be harvested as needed. Chard can be grown in large containers with drainage holes. 5. Spinach. Days to maturity: 35 for baby greens, 50 for full-size greens. Recommended cultivars are ‘Bloomsdale’, ‘Gigante d’Inverno’, ‘Merlo Nero’, and ‘Regiment’. Leaves can be harvested as needed. Spinach can be grown in large containers with drainage holes. 6. Chervil. Days to maturity: 45 to 50. It is time to try something new in the kitchen garden! This herb (Anthriscus cerefolium) is underappreciated and rarely found fresh in markets. The delicate leaves have a sweet anise flavor and are used in mild-flavored dishes and in French cuisine. The plants thrive in cool weather only. Chervil grows best in full sun, but will tolerate light shade. It is best direct-sown in the garden soon after the last frost in spring. The plants grow from 12 to 18 inches tall.

EDIBLEharvt

Crops that Bridge from Cool to Warm Weather

Many cultivars fall into this category and there is some repetition among offerings from different suppliers, which is a good thing. Turnips, chicory, and radicchio are noted in the Seeds from Italy listing in the Mainstream Seed Companies section. Under the Specialty Companies heading, see Dixondale Farms for onion and leek plants; George’s Plant Farm for sweet potato slips; and Potato Garden for seed potatoes. Recommended cabbage cultivars are listed below. Days to maturity vary from 45 to 110, depending on the cultivar. The seeds may be started indoors and transplanted to the garden after the danger of frost in spring has passed. Floating row cover should be used to protect cabbages from the imported cabbageworm. Well-grown and wellharvested cabbage heads will store for several weeks in the refrigerator crisper drawer. Gardeners who grow cabbage for the first time will appreciate the fine flavor and will be disinclined to purchase it ever again from a store. • Red cabbage cultivars include ‘Cabeza Negra’, ‘Kalibos’ (a cone-shaped head), ‘Kosaro Red’, ‘Primero Red’, ‘Purple Savoy’ (with pebbled leaves), and ‘Red Acre’ (the author’s favorite). • Green cabbage cultivars include ‘Alcosa’ (a baby savoy cabbage with highly pebbled leaves), ‘Brunswick’ (for storage and sauerkraut), ‘Early Jersey Wakefield’ (a cone-shaped head), ‘Katarina’ (a baby cabbage and an AAS winner), and ‘Late Flat Dutch’ (a huge storage cabbage that has the potential to be well-stored for months). This is also the time of year to plant seeds for leaf fennel (also known as spice fennel). As mentioned in a previous column, this type of fennel does not form a bulb and it comes in two varieties: The feathery leaves are either entirely green or heavily tinted with bronze. This plant is grown for its savory seeds, which can be used in different recipes and sauces. Fennel plants are easy to cultivate and will grow all summer, reaching 4 to 5 feet tall. The seeds are best planted directly in the garden after the last frost

ites of the author), and kabocha-style winter squashes (‘Shishigatani’ is a great cultivar). The company also features a large seed selection of leafy greens, many of which are also suitable for use as sprouts or microgreens.

Many vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers can be grown to full maturity in home gardens and their seeds saved for the following year for personal use and to share.

in spring. Added bonuses are: A) The foliage will provide forage for the larvae of the swallowtail butterfly and B) Fennel flowers will attract braconid wasps, which will provide IPM for tomato plants by parasitizing hornworms.

Online Sources for Seeds and Plants

The following lists (on this and the next page) comprise suppliers which, at press time, were accepting new orders from home gardeners; had reasonable delays (about one to two weeks) in shipping; and had good availability for many vegetable, fruit, herb, and flower cultivars. Worthy substitutes are available for most cultivars that become out of stock.

Mainstream Seed Companies • Kitazawa Seed Company, Oakland, CA, www.KitazawaSeed.com. The seed selection of delicious Asian vegetables is excellent and includes Chef Specialty Garden assortments such as Asian Herb Garden, Tsukemono Favorite Pickling Garden, and Juicing Garden. Single seed packet offerings include bunching onions, edible gourds, eggplants, yard-long beans, Japanese cucumbers, Japanese tomatoes (‘Momotaro’ and ‘Sun Gold’ are favor-

• John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds, Bantam, CT, http://www. KitchenGardenSeeds.com. (The company is often simply called Kitchen Garden Seeds.) Phone calls are accepted at 860-567-6086. The company offers many individual vegetable and herb cultivars that are selected especially for kitchen gardens. Other offerings are special assortments such as Early Bird Direct-Sow Veggie Garden, the Heirloom Tomato Garden, Summer Wellness Garden, and the Easy Direct-Sow Vegetable Garden (for summer). The company’s online cookbook is at https://www.KitchenGardenSeeds.com/ cookbook/. It features many recipes that include home-grown produce. • Nichols Garden Nursery, Albany, OR, www.NicholsGardenNursery.com. Phone calls are accepted at 800-4223985. A great selection of vegetable and herb seeds will delight the gardener cook. The company also offers seeds for many cultivars of flowers, seed mixes for pollinator gardens and lawn substitutes, dried herbs, sourdough starter, and beer and wine making supplies. Gardeners can also find Egyptian walking onions (shipped in August), as well as elephant garlic (a bulbing leek), a sampler of regular garlic, and saffron bulbs (shipments for these will start in September). • Seeds from Italy, Lawrence, KS, www.GrowItalian.com. The current inventory of Italian-grown seed was in stock before the pandemic began and will not be restocked until Italy is no longer in lockdown and international commerce is restored. The website is current; it is updated with every order. The company has a fascinating assortment of herbs, flowers, Italian beans, beets, cabbage, chicory, radicchio, melons, radishes, summer and APRIL 2020

WASHINGTON GARDENER

EDIBLEharvt The best time frame for shipping sweet potato slips to the greater Washington, DC, area is from May 3 until May 13; orders should be placed now. Gardeners should check maturity dates of individual cultivars if ordering for a later delivery window. Sweet potato slips can be purchased by the dozen, either by individual cultivar or in a variety pack. ‘Beauregard’, ‘Georgia Jet’, ‘Carolina Ruby’, and ‘Centennial’ are especially good cultivars. Young sweet potato plants are tender and tasty to vermin. The plants should be protected with floating row cover until they are wellestablished and tougher (when the runners are a few feet long). Well-grown, wellharvested, and well-stored Attendees of the Washington Gardener Seed Exchanges sweet potatoes will keep in January and February found excellent availability. They avoided the spring rush and secured seeds for the season. until Thanksgiving and perhaps even later in the year. winter squash, and turnips, etc. Botani• Outside Pride, Salem, OR, www.Outcally inspired Italian soap—individual bars and gift sets—can be found at www. sidePride.com. This company is perhaps best known GrowItalian.com/soaps-from-italy/. for a wide assortment of cover crops (buckwheat, red clover, mustard, etc.) Speciality Companies and for promoting Miniclover® for lawns. • Dixondale Farms, Carrizo Springs, TX, However, it also sells seeds for more www.DixondaleFarms.com. than 100 varieties of culinary and decoIntermediate-day onion plants and rative herbs ranging from sweet basil to leek plants can be shipped until May sweet woodruff. 17. This is an absolute deadline. Orders Outside Pride also has a fine selection should be placed ASAP. Gardeners with of flower seeds, including: Cornflower limited space can order an intermediate- varieties in six colors (blue, mauve, day onion sampler containing ‘Candy’ pink, red, black, or white flowers), four (a sweet yellow onion), ‘Super Star’ (a o’ clocks in four colors (featuring white sweet white onion and AAS winner), and flowers for moon gardens), and 24 culti‘Red Candy Apple’ (a sweet red onion). vars of marigolds. There might be enough onion plants in • Potato Garden, Austin, CO, http:// the sampler to share with another garwww.potatogarden.com/potato-list.php. dener. The Potato Garden offers early-season, • George’s Plant Farm, Martin, TN, mid-season, and late-season fingerling https://TatorMan.com/. potatoes as well as regular potatoes. More than a dozen named cultivars Fingerling potato cultivars still in stock, of sweet potatoes—including ones with at press time, are listed below. Orders purple, white, or deep-orange flesh—are should be placed ASAP: The deadline for available. Sweet potato plants need to shipping from Colorado is scheduled for run and will take up a lot of room in the May 1. The potatoes should be planted garden, but they are worth it. soon after they arrive. 22

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~ Fingerling, early season. ‘Red Thumb’ (one of the author’s favorites). ~ Fingerling, mid-season. ‘La Ratte’ (another of the author’s favorites) and ‘Rose Finn Apple’. ~ Fingerling, late season. ‘Nicola’.

Final Thoughts

The author wishes to encourage both new and experienced gardeners to allow themselves the pleasure and happiness of kitchen gardening for its own sake. Working in the kitchen garden creates its own joy. The hard labor of preparing the soil is twinned with satisfaction and the expectation of delicious and nutritious rewards from a variety of crops. Vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers are close at hand in a kitchen garden. It is a great convenience to harvest useful items on short notice; for example, an ice-box watermelon on a hot summer day, or just a sprig of parsley for soup in cool weather. Tending kitchen garden plants as they grow and mature is refreshing and educational. It is more work—but also fun—to harvest the crops and prepare them for consumption, storage, or preservation. A valuable side hobby is seed-saving and seed sharing. The participants in this year’s Washington Gardener Seed Exchanges had a great time. Garden clubs may offer similar opportunities. It is also possible to mail many different types of seeds to other gardeners. The Seed Savers Exchange has promoted this among its members for many years. As this year progresses, interested gardeners can also take photos in their gardens and prepare to participate in next year’s Washington Gardener Photo Contest. Relevant categories are: • Garden Critters (birds, frogs, spiders, bumblebees, butterflies, etc.) • Garden Vignettes (scenes of rows of herbs or flowers, saving seeds, etc.) • Small Wonders (close-ups of any garden flower or parts of a flower. This includes the flowers of herbs, vegetables, and fruits). Have a great garden year! o Elizabeth Olson is a Maryland Certified Professional Horticulturist. She is also an avid home gardener who is fascinated by the plants that she grows. She can be contacted through Washington Gardener Magazine.

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