Washington Gardener December 2019 by Kathy J

DECEMBER 2019 VOL. 14 NO. 10

WWW.WASHINGTONGARDENER.COM

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the magazine for gardening enthusiasts in the Mid-Atlantic region

Plant Profile: Pansy and Viola Alternatives to Invasive Nandina Community Forkliftâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mission Uplifts Through Upcycling Leaving Crops Up Over Winter Can Improve Soil What To Do in the Garden This Month DC-MD-VA Gardening Events Calendar

Urban Planning and Street Trees

Seed Exchange 2020:

Registration and Details Inside

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RESOURCESsourc

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.

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

www.sunfarm.com

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WASHINGTON GARDENER DECEMBER 2019

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FEATURES and COLUMNS

Potted amaryllis bulbs are prized in winter by windowsill gardeners. Their huge flowers are colorful and flamboyant. For a compact display and cutting garden, grow multiple bulbs in a single pot. Photo courtesy of Colorblends.com

Win the 2020 Garden Task Calendar. See contest details on page 5.

The large-flowered hybrid pansy plant is a hybrid of the Viola tricolor, a wildflower of Europe and western Asia. It is a symbol of remembrance and the name stems from the French word pensée: “thought.”

Garlic cloves planted in October should have emerged and sprouted short, green foliage that stays up all winter long. Mulch them with straw, leaves, or pine needles to keep winter weeds down and then ignore them. Starting next spring, they will begin to put on growth and then be ready to harvest and cure by the end of June.

ASKtheexpert 9 Clivia Issues, Invasive Nandina BOOKreviews 14-16 Compact Plants, Half-Hour Allotment, Crops in Tight Spaces, Christmas Cottontail, The Gardener Says, Posy Book GREENliving 18-19 Trees Matter, Green Cities HORThappenings 22 Rain Gardens on 19th Street, St. Mary’s College Farm Grant, “Fantastic Fungi” Screening NEIGHBORnetwork 6-8 Ruthie Mundell, Community Forklift NEWPLANTspotlight 11 Tomato ‘Crokini’ PLANTprofile 12 Pansy and Viola (Viola sp.) SEEDexchange 20-21 2020 Registration Details TIPStricks 10 Amaryllis Three to a Pot, Leaving Crops Up Over Winter Can Improve Soil

DEPARTMENTS

ADVERTISINGindex BLOGlinks EDITORletter GARDENcontest LOCALevents MONTHLYtasklist NEXTissue READERreactions RESOURCESsources

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ON THE COVER The Garden of Lights display at Brookside Gardens, Wheaton, MD. In our January issue: Giant Solomon’s Seal 2020 Garden Trends Photo Contest Details and much more . . .

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EDITORletter

The Year in Review The close of 2019 finds us not only at the end of another year, but also rounding out a decade. How can it be 2020 already?!? Looking back through my phone’s photo files, it seems like just yesterday that I was sorting seeds for our winter Seed Exchanges and here I sit again, surrounded by boxes of seed packs that need labeling and counting. This year, I was lucky to travel with fellow garden communicators. I spent a week each in Denver, CO, and Salt Lake City, UT, and return from each city with renewed gratitude for our green East Coast climate. It was not a great year for my own garden nor our community garden plot. The very wet spring delayed plantings and much of the direct-sown seeds washed away. Then the late summer Your editor attending a “Purple Rain” drought put a fast end to the season. movie party in Columbia, MD. Still, there were a few successes. My garlic bulbs were huge and flavorful, my marigolds won ribbons at the county fair, and lilac shrubs yielded armfuls of bouquets. I was able to grow enough cut flowers and herbs to share with attendees at a talk I gave at a local DC library. Speaking of talks, I spoke at more than two dozen garden clubs and at a number of other locations this past year—from independent garden centers to local public gardens. At the Rooting DC conference back in February, I gave three talks in one day—each on a different topic and to a standing-room-only crowd. That was an exhausting day that I will make a note not to repeat. I also had the privilege of attending talks by dozens of other garden speakers and learning from them. I pick up not only horticultural knowledge, but also tips on becoming a better public speaker. I won’t soon forget the talk I attended this fall by Christopher Woods, author of Gardenlust, that started with him running down the aisle to a rock anthem, then making everyone get up to dance along with him, Now that is a way to get the room energized! Outside the garden world, I attended my fair share of concerts, art exhibits, and movie screenings. If you didn’t know it already, I am not a morning person, due in large part to my late nights out. Looking back through my scheduler, I see days crammed with deadlines and conference calls, as well as numerous meetings with project partners and press tours for story ideas. These last few weeks of the year, I plan to figure out how we will celebrate the upcoming 15th anniversary of this publication. Yes, time sure does fly! I look forward to a busy 2020. Happy gardening,

Kathy Jentz, Editor/Publisher, Washington Gardener KathyJentz@gmail.com 4

WASHINGTON GARDENER DECEMBER 2019

Credits 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! Jessica Kranz Taylor Markey Intern Ruth E. Thaler-Carter Proofreader 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 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 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 14, Number 10 ISSN 1555-8959 © 2019 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 My favorite article in the November 2019 issue is “A New Wave: The Delaware Botanic Garden Opens.” I loved your description of the meadow. Plus, now I have a new garden to visit—one that I didn’t know about before. ~ Jennifer Whalen, Silver Spring, MD I loved the article about the new Delaware Botanic Garden. I am always looking for new road trips! ~ Katie Rapp, Gaithersburg, MD

READERcontt

Reader Contest

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For our December 2019 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, Washington Gardener Magazine is giving away a copy of our local DC-MD-VA Garden Task Calendar. (Prize value is $20.) Each month includes a list of what to do in the garden for local DC-MD-VA and Mid-Atlantic gar�� deners, along with a gorgeous �� photo of a seasonal flower from a local public garden collection in our area. Go to: http://www.lulu.com/ shop/kathy-jentz/washington-gardener-calendar/calendar/product-24317409.html to order this calendar for gifts and to treat yourself! This calendar is a keeper that you can use for years. To enter to win the DC-MD-VA Garden Task Calendar, send an email to washingtongardener magazine@gmail.com by 5pm on Tuesday, December 31, with “Garden Task Calendar” in the subject line. In the body of the email, tell us your favorite article in this issue and why. Please also include your full name and mailing address. The calendar winner will be announced and notified on January 1. o

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My favorite article in the November 2019 edition is the Delaware Botanic Gardens opening article because it will provide a brand-new place for me to explore with my bird photography. Without this article, I would have never known it exists. ~ Lilian Cerdeira, Rockville, MD My favorite article is the one on Calamint (Calamintha). I have a plant that was given to me. However, I did not know much about it. For some reason, I had not looked it up, so the article was useful. ~ Dorothy Cichra, Silver Spring, MD I liked the article about arranging spring bulbs in different colors! It will be exciting to see how they come up in the spring. ~ Mavis Burdett. Silver Spring, MD First, thanks for all you do, Kathy! Great work on the recent issue and kudos for training the next generation of journalists through mentoring interns. My favorite piece in the November 2019 issue was about the stickwork sculptor. He is a true visionary and his pieces are spectacular. I’ll have to seek out more examples of his work! ~ Stephanie Richard, Rockville, MD My favorite article this month was about the stick sculptor. It is fascinating to see how people create art—and a livelihood—from a love of nature. Because the article is timely and local, I can make a point of going to the U.S. Botanic Gardens to see his work. Thank you for highlighting the gifts to be found in our own backyards, both literally and figuratively. ~ John Rebstock, Cheverly, MD o

Y ou Can Make a Difference. . . by

Sharing Your Harvest

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. DECEMBER 2019

WASHINGTON GARDENER

NEIGHBORnwork

Meet Ruthie Mundell By Taylor Markey

Community Forklift Uplifts with Upcycling Washington Gardener Magazine recently had a chance to speak with Ruthie Mundell, donations outreach & special projects coordinator, Community Forklift board member, Build Reuse, on what Community Forklift does, what led her there, and what projects they have coming up. Tell us a little bit about Community Forklift and its mission. Community Forklift (communityforklift. org) is called that because we aim to lift up communities through reuse. The idea is that something like 40 percent of our nation’s solid waste is made out of building materials. If you think about it, every time that a house gets demolished or every time somebody renovates a kitchen and takes out some old cabinets, it’s all going to landfill incinerators, which cause greenhouse gases and are usually located in poor communities. We’re trying to be one solution. The idea is that if somebody has a kitchen or renovation project in their house, 6

WASHINGTON GARDENER DECEMBER 2019

or even their entire house, that they want to get rid of, and it’s still in decent shape, then, instead of throwing it in a dumpster, they donate it to us, and we’ll come pick it up for free. They get a nice tax deduction and all of that good material that’s reusable can come to us. We can sell it cheaply, so folks can afford repairs. We’re located in a working-class part of the DC region, so basically instead of wealthy communities sending their construction waste to working-class communities for them to deal with the pollution, we’re sending it as resources to them because we haven’t trashed everything up and wrecked it all; we carefully removed it, basically turning waste into resources. Our mission is to make repairs affordable, create green jobs for folks facing barriers to employment, and help prevent construction waste and reduce construction waste and demands for new materials. Tell us about your background. I have always known that I wanted to

be a treehugger. When I was young, I thought that meant I was going to be in environmental law or be a scientist. I was not a great student at science. I went to a pre-law program and did okay, but it was not where my gifts lay. I did not go straight to law school after college, I took a little time. I did fundraising for an environmental education organization for a while, and then, I was in my early twenties and my mother got sick, so I moved back home to Southern Maryland, where I grew up, and took care of her until she passed away. After that, I wasn’t quite ready to go back to an office job, so I found an organic farm for a time, which was wonderful, but very hard work. I was making minimum wage as a farmhand, I was still looking for work. I was at Green America’s Green Festival—a big show for green businesses. I came across this booth, and there was a guy who was explaining that they were about to open this place called Community Forklift near Edmonston, MD. He explained the concept—salvaged parts for old house parts and keeping stuff out of the landfill—and I thought, “That’s perfect for me.” I had renovated an old farmhouse with my parents when I was a teenager, so I loved old stuff, and knew a bit about remodeling, renovation, and old house parts, and the mission really just spoke to me. He said, “Well, we’re hiring for a CEO,” and I said, “I’m 24. I don’t think I’m quite CEO-level yet, but why don’t you hire me when you find your CEO?” There were just a few of us in the beginning and everybody did everything—ran the cash register, researched prices, picked up donations—but we just kept growing and growing. I sort of carved an image for myself here because I was so passionate about the mission that I was always the person who was going to community festivals saying, “Hey, check this place out.” I would go on Craigslist, Facebook, and community discussion lists and say, “Have you heard of this place?” I became the marketing & outreach director just because that was where my passion was. I wanted to spread the gospel. I carved out that spot for myself. We kept growing and now we have 50 people.

NEIGHBORnwork What is a typical workday like for you? It depends on the time of year. We’ll do a lot of community events here at the warehouse to bring people together and to teach people about repair and upcycling. In the nicer weather of the spring and the fall, I may be planning workshops or getting ready for events that we have coming up here. We just had the Green Friday event, where people can make presents instead of going to the mall to buy plastic junk. We’re Pallet alwaysfence tryingat to Wangari do creativeGardens things to get people thinking about ways they can reuse or upcycle stuff. Some of my work is contacting people from the community who love us and who want to help us—kind of helping match them up with ways they can volunteer here, whether that’s teaching a workshop or a lawyer who just wants to get their hands dirty on the weekends, so they’ll help us process the donations. What mistakes and triumphs have you Old roof �les garden encountered in = your work?edger We’ve been through a lot of debt in the early years, and we’re still climbing out of that. It was partly because there was a long learning curve with figuring out how to price things. We’d get amazing, really valuable antiques, and then we’d get very basic building materials—a toilet or a sink from five years ago from Home Depot—everything was just priced the same. That was definitely hard at the beginning to figure out. It’s easy enough to look up something and say, “Oh, here is this piece of modern lumber. This is what is charged at Home Depot or Lowe’s.panel Okay,doors we’ll charge 40 percent Old wood —> Garden wall! less,” but it’s a lot harder with a vintage item to figure things out. The problem was that we weren’t making enough money to cover our expenses. Yes, people donate the materials to us for free, but we put a lot of time and resources into this to pick up donations—gas and keeping our big trucks on the road. In the early years, there were a few times I was never sure if I was going to get paid, but over time, the mission attracted so many interested, smart people, both volunteers and staff, that we kept getting more and more The Larkins builtyear, a treehouse efficient. Every there would with be

materials from the Forkli�

do, they would love this. We were right. We had a lot of support from our community. Wonderful people came out to teach workshops and to exhibit, like the educational booth hosted by the Prince George’s County Master Gardeners. Every year, it’s gotten bigger and bigger. Even that first year, we had people lined up outside the gate before we opened. It is like Black Friday for gardeners. After that, we realized, “We hardly Jeﬀ Wilkes built an insect hotel sell any gardening over the winter with scrapssupplies from the Forkli� anyhow, so let’s not even bother to put them out. Let’s just keep everything in storage, organize it all together, and then have it ready to go out the morning of the Garden Party every year.” This year, I think we had something An arbor made of old secutity doors from like 75 people waiting in line before Community Forklift. Arbor made of old security doors gates opened, just excited to see $1 something that we would figure out how flower pots, $2 rakes, or whatever. It’s to make it work better. We were able to always really fun. Also, it’s pretty festive transform things and instead of going because we have a costume contest into debt, now we’re paying down debt. and a photo booth. People are asked The Coopers built a chicken coop One big success we’ve had that I’m to wear their best garden party attire, with materials from the Forkli� really happy about is we started selling whether that means dressing like a things online. It takes a lot of work to gardener in your clogs and your overalls describe things, to take pictures, and to or in a beautiful garden party outfit list things. What I’ve contributed to that with seersucker and bow ties and frilly was trying to publicize the fact that we dresses. have an eBay store and we have stuff We get all sorts of costumes. One for sale online, because a lot of people year, we had Peter Rabbit. I think that Ma� granite have beenWeber comingetched here forayears and was probably one of the best. This past scrapnowith they have ideahouse that wenumbers sell some year, we had a mother and daughter things online. snail. Their snail spirals were made out of ductwork that they had gotten here Can you tell us a little bit about the at the Community Forklift. Annual Garden Party? It’s just a fun time every year to We’ve been doing that for 10 years planter remind Chandelier the community that we’re here, now. The very first one, we had been and all the gardeners can come and get donated a bunch of gardening flower really cheap supplies and learn from pots and old gardening tools. We knew each other and the different workshops that over the winter, not as many and things. people come in, and they forget that [Editor’s note: The date for their 11th we’re here because they don’t want to Annual Garden Party is Saturday, April come out to the cold warehouse, granite counterso,scraps 4, 2020.] Upside-down we wanted to do something to remind make great pa�o stones people that we exist. “Hey, the start of What other big projects are you the spring season, let’s remind you to working on? come back out to the Forklift.” And we We have been very lucky recently to get thought, “Hey, we have all of this great some capacity-building grants. We’ve gardening stuff. Why don’t we price it gotten some small grants from some all and organize it and clean it up? And of our local leaders in Prince George’s we’ll put it out all at once. We’ll say, County, and we’ve really appreciated ‘Here are used garden tools.’ See if that. WeCinderblock just recently planter hired a director people are interested.” of development for the first time ever, I suspected gardeners are crazy, so we’re able to do some fundraising to they’re very passionate about what they help us expand and be more financially

Granite counter scrap + 4 terra co�a pots = po�ng table

DECEMBER 2019

WASHINGTON GARDENER

NEIGHBORnwork secure and more stable. We don’t own our building right now and we’ve got rent and the trucks. A lot of our revenue goes right into just trying to stay afloat and we want to be a little bit more steady long-term. We also have so many more donations coming in. The word has been spreading. More and more folks are calling us up and saying, “Yeah, I have an entire house to donate. Will you come deconstruct it?” We’re working with partners who will deconstruct a house instead of demolishing it, basically taking it all apart by hand rather than bulldozing it. It’s a great way to create jobs for some folks who are facing barriers to employment, because it’s a pretty entry-level job. While learning how to deconstruct a house, you’re Arbor made of old security doors learning construction skills, and it might take a couple of weeks versus two days for a bulldozer. We’re hoping to expand the number of deconstruction projects that are coming our way and also bring in more kitchens and more bathrooms. Right Pallet fence at Wangari Gardens now, we’re having a hard time keeping up with the demand—people who want us to come get all of their pool stuff instead of throwing it out—so we’re going to expand our donations crew to go pickMa� things up. It’setched a big priority. We Weber a granite will also continue to make the warescrap with house numbers house easier to shop and easier to find what you need.

Jeff Wilkes built an insect hotel with scraps Community Forklift. Jeﬀfrom Wilkes built an insect hotel

with from thewhen Forkli� pieces andscraps even little ovals they cut out sink holes on a countertop. They have to pay to throw them all away. We don’t think about it as ordinary homeowners—we just put our trash on the curb, but the businesses are having to pay $80 a ton to throw things out. They love the fact that we’ll come pick up their granite scraps for free. We get a lot of cool granite pieces and they’re wonderful in the garden. You can use them for garden edgers or turn them upside down, so the side is coop up, The Coopers builtrough a chicken andwith use them as patio pavers. I’ve seen materials from the Forkli� people do beautiful mosaics using the granite counter pieces, and it’s supercheap here. It’s $5–$13 per square foot for granite scraps. We also get interesting architectural pieces that can be really cool art in a garden. For example, an arbor was made out of three, ugly, old metal secuofwill olduse security doors rityArbor doors.made People the security doors and windows and things for trellises. Another item that is not so much a work of beauty, but is pretty great in Chandelier planter a garden, is insect hotels. We have so many interesting little scraps of wood and weird pieces of things, and people build really cool insect hotels out of our materials.

How can our readers take advantage of Community Forklift (reclaim materials and use them in their gardens)? TheOld bestroof stuff�les here, coolest things = the garden edger we get, go very quickly. My advice for n wall! any gardener is to come often, all year long, because things go so quickly. If you walk in and you see something, don’t wait because it’ll be gone tomorDo you have your own home garden? counter row.Upside-down We also have agranite lot of flash sales scrapsAt the moment, I don’t have a garden. I Ma� Weber etched a granite that we do make regularly. If a pa�o particular great stones scrap with house numbers section of the store is too crammed, Granite scraps, from Community Forklift, turned upside-down to be garden pavers. then we’ll have a sale. Keep an eye on our blog and social media, because we have one or two sales a week and they’re often really good ones. In terms of cool projects folks can do in the garden, we get a lot of granite Cinderblock planter donated to us. The granite fabricators Old wood panellove doors —> Garden wall! and installers to donate, because with they are always cutting the end pieces and cutting off pieces and broken

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Granite counter scrap + 4 terra co�a pots = po�ng table

WASHINGTON GARDENER DECEMBER 2019

Upside-down granite counter scraps make great pa�o stones

recently moved into a house in Laurel, MD, so I don’t have anything growing yet, but I am very proud of a place where I lived years ago in DC. It was a little rowhouse down off of H Street in Northeast, and the whole backyard was paved. It was ugly. It was backed by a garage that we couldn’t access. It was a rental property. There was a garage wall and completely paved, so it was hot. I really wanted to at least grow tomatoes and have a little bit of a backyard sanctuary, so I took some panel doors and I painted the panel doors in bright colors and attached them along the fencing of the walls. I had very pretty, multi-colored garden walls and that did a lot to make the whole backyard look brighter. Then I did container gardening and I built some containers out of Forklift materials, and I got some really cool, over-sized flower pots here. They were wonderful and that’s what I grew my tomatoes in. I created myself a pretty little backyard sanctuary out of this ugly, paved mess. I was very proud of that.

Jeﬀ Wilkes built an insect hotel Any final thoughts? with scraps from the Forkli�

I would like to say that Community Forklift would not be here without the support of the local gardening community, because the Garden Party that we’ve had every year has really helped us spread the word about our services. That’s one of the best things for us. Everybody knows you can donate your old sweater to Goodwill or your old toys. Nobody knows you can donate old kitchen cabinets to a charity. The more thatCoopers we’ve been able to get the word The built a chicken coop out there, the more good stuff we’ve with materials from the Forkli� been able to keep out the landfill, and the more people we’ve been able to employ. We’ve been able to give new lives to people as well as new lives to old materials, and I know for a fact that the gardening community in this region is one of the reasons why we’ve grown and thrived. o Taylor Markey is a senior at the University of Maryland, College Park majoring in multiplatform journalism and an editorial intern Chandelier planter at Washington Gardener this autumn.

*These responses have been edited for length and clarity.

KNOWitall by Debra Ricigliano

Garlic Shoots

Back in early November, I planted garlic. I see that some green leaves have already sprouted. Can I cut off these green shoots for a salad before winter kills the bulb? No, don’t cut those leaves now! Your garlic won’t be killed by winter weather. Protect it with shredded leaves or mulch, leaving about 1" of the green showing. In spring, pull back the covering when the soil warms and fertilize in mid-April and again in mid-May. Leaves will shoot up, and the bulb will bulk up. Leaves begin to die back in late June/ early July. Harvest when ½ of the foliage turns brown. In our area, garlic is ready to be harvested around July 1.

Clivia Starting to Yellow

Many years ago, I purchased a Kaffir Lily (Clivia miniata) at the Philadelphia Flower Show and it has special meaning to me. Recently, the bottom leaves are turning yellow. What is causing this and what should I do? Also, sometimes it does not bloom well. Is it true that they need a rest period? It is normal for the older leaves to turn yellow and eventually shrivel as the plant ages. Prune off the affected leaves. The rest of the leaves should be green, strappy, and healthy. Yellowing of younger leaves can indicate overwatering: a more-serious symptom. The potting mixture should dry out slightly between waterings when it is actively growing and completely dry out during the rest period. Clivias do need a dormant period to help with blooming. Starting in late fall or early winter, withhold water and fertilizer and move the plant to a cooler area where temperatures are in the 40–50° F range. Keep it there for about 6–8 weeks, then move it back to a sunny location and begin to water again. You will soon see some new growth and a flower stalk. At this point, begin to fertilize it every two weeks with a water-soluble houseplant fertilizer at half-strength. They bloom best when pot bound. Repot your Clivia every three to five years in the spring, after the flowers fade, when necessary.

Nandina berries photo by Ellen Nibali, HGIC.

Ask the Expert

Evergreen for Screening

Unfortunately, I had to remove a spruce tree that blocked my house from the road. I need to replace it as soon as possible. Do you have any suggestions for an evergreen tree that will provide a screen and can I plant it now? Evergreens are vulnerable to drying winds, freezing weather, and fluctuating winter temperatures. The damage shows up as browning of needles and tip dieback. If at all possible, wait until early spring to plant. There will be more choices of plant material in the spring as nurseries receive new shipments of trees for the planting season. Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana), Norway spruce (Picea abies), Japanese cryptomeria (Cryptomeria japonica), and Green giant arborvitae (Thuja plicata ‘Green Giant’) are some suggestions for a replacement tree.

Nandina Invasive

My gardening friends and I have gotten into a discussion about nandinas. Is it true that they are now considered an invasive plant? We were also disturbed to hear that the berries are toxic to birds. Should nandinas be removed from landscapes? As of May 14, 2017, the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) added Nandina domestica to their Tier 2 invasive plants in Maryland. They are still sold, but appropriate signage has

to be posted in a conspicuous manner, informing consumers that the plant has the potential for environmental harm and to plant with caution. For more information about Tier 2 plants, go to the MDA website (https:// mda.maryland.gov). Nandina was the subject of a February 2018 blog from the Maryland Invasive Species Council website titled “Not so Heavenly” (http://mdinvasives.org). According to the blog post, the plant has naturalized in two Maryland counties: Prince George’s and Frederick. Fortunately, there are attractive alternatives, such as itea (Itea virginica), fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenia or F. major), cranberry viburnum (Viburnum trilobum), and sweet shrub (Calycanthus floridus). Then, there is the issue of berry toxicity and birds. The berries contain cyanide. There have been reputable reports about the death of cedar waxwings after feeding on nandina berries in Georgia. We recommend replacing nandina, or at least removing the berries, and not replanting them. o Debra Ricigliano is a Certified Professional Horticulturist. She has worked as a horticulture consultant for the University of Maryland Extension Home and Garden Information Center since 1997. She is a graduate of the Institute of Applied Agriculture at UMCP. To ask a gardening or pest question, go to http://extension.umd.edu/ hgic and click on “Get Help.” Digital photos can be attached.

DECEMBER 2019

WASHINGTON GARDENER

TIPStricks

Photo by Colorblends.com.

Growing Amaryllis: Three-to-a-Pot

A single blooming amaryllis bulb can be a beautiful windowsill display in your home, but planting three to a pot is the key to creating a fuller potted plant display. Colorblends shared the best tips to successfully grow three-to-a-pot amaryllis. To get started, you will need: • Three top-size amaryllis bulbs • A broad, shallow pot with at least one drainage hole in the bottom (round pots work best); the minimum pot size should be 7 inches deep by 11 inches in diameter • Potting soil • A waterproof saucer or plate to catch the water under the pot • A cork or other pad to place underneath in case the saucer gets wet Once you have everything you need, it is time to begin planting. To plant your three-to-a-pot amaryllis, you should: Fill 1/3 of the pot with potting soil. Place the three bulbs close together but not touching, approximately 1½ inches apart; Position each bulb so the bottom 2/3 will be buried, leaving the top 1/3 above the soil surface. Add potting soil around and between the bulbs. Tamp the soil to seat the bulbs securely. Do not fill soil to the top of the pot; leave space below the rim for water to pool and drain when watered. To ensure the best growth, you should water your bulbs well. During the 10

WASHINGTON GARDENER DECEMBER 2019

pre-growth stretch, water them sparingly. You can tell if water is needed by touching the soil and seeing if it is dry. After three to eight weeks, a stem will appear, and you should water as needed to keep the soil damp, but not wet or soggy. Set the pot by a sunny window. The warmer the room, the faster the bulbs will grow. South- and west-facing windows offer the best light. You should turn the pot occasionally to encourage balanced growth, since amaryllis are phototropic and lean toward the dominant source of light. If they are in dim light, their stems may grow overly tall and become weak. Once your flowers open, move the pot out of direct sunlight and keep them away from heaters or hot air vents, so the flowers will last longer. To keep the blooms looking fresh, snip off faded florets. If all of the florets on a stem are spent, cut off the stem about 2 inches above the bulb. You can also cut stems from the pot for use as cut flowers, but do not cut them until their flower buds have opened. Never use scissors to cut them; always use a sharp knife, and make the cut about 2 inches above the bulb. Refresh the water every three days or so and retrim the stem ends once or twice weekly, and they can last up to 10 days in the vase. For more information about planting flower bulbs, visit Colorblends.com. o

Leaving Crops Up Over Winter Can Improve Soil

Did you know that leaving plants in your garden over the winter can be good for the soil? According to the Soil Science Society of America (https://soilsmatter. wordpress.com), this is something that gardeners should consider on a yearly basis. Leaving the residue, also known as plant “litter,” over the winter provides numerous benefits for the soil and your garden. By doing this, you can reduce erosion and the loss of valuable topsoil. Residues cover soil and protect it during the non-growing season. It also helps soil to catch rainfall, which reduces the impact that rain can have on the soil surface. It will also slow down any flow of melting snow over the soil, which will

help protect the soil structure, keeping it intact for next year’s crops and gardens. Leaving residue on the soil surface can also prevent soil crusting. Without the residue, the soil will not absorb any water, which can create little streams that can turn into larger streams. Such streams will carry away the soil and the important nutrients that it needs. By having residue, you can avoid this. Not only is residue great for preventing soil crusting, it is also beneficial to reduce the growth of weeds. Weeds are often early spring germinators, but residue will limit the resources and space that the weed seedlings require to grow. Residue also benefits the soil by providing it with shade, which regulates the soil temperature. It is important to keep the soil cool, because cooler soil temperatures provide more-suitable conditions for soil microbes, which are necessary for maintaining a productive soil for crop growth. The cooler temperatures also aid in the retention of soil moisture, which is great for crop growth and seed germination in the spring. Lastly, crop residue provides microhabits and a source of organic matter. Micro-habits protect and benefit the germinating plant seeds and establishing seedlings, and organic matter provides an energy source for soil microbial populations, which results in faster decomposition rates and the release of essential nutrients for crop growth. Organic matter also helps maintain good soil structure, which will reduce erosion, improve water infiltration, and soil aeration. One caveat: Unhealthy plants—such as leaves with powdery mildew or other diseases—should be removed and discarded in the trash, not composted. If you have not already cleared out your garden, you should try leaving residue in place to prepare for the upcoming winter months. o These tips were compiled by Jessica Kranz, a senior broadcast journalism major at the University of Maryland, College Park and an editorial intern at Washington Gardener this autumn.

GARDENnews

Quick Links to Washington Gardener Blog Posts • DIY: Leaf Rose Project • Plant Profile: Rosemary • Book Donation to Brookside Gardens • Paperwhites: You Can Grow That! See more Washington Gardener blog posts at: WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com o

December–January Garden To-Do List

Tomato Crokini F1 This small, round, cherry tomato crushed it as the winner of the AllAmerica Selections (AAS) trials for the best new edible plant tested in the Southeast region. It was bred by H.M. Clause (http:// clausehomegarden.com), a company based in Portes-Les-Valence (in the French county of Drôme). It has a very sweet (Brix of 8.5), light acidic taste, giving it the perfect sweet/ acid balance. Pronounced like “rock” not “crook,” Crokini’s round fruits are small and firm with a crunchy texture and good flavor. This winner gets high marks for durability because fruits do not crack on the vine, yielding up to 10–12 fruits per cluster. Crokini provides a lovely burst of sweetness. Overall, the yield was better than comparisons because of the in-bred Late Blight resistance well into September. The Southern AAS judges like the better taste and texture as compared to Sweet Million. It is also highly resistant to tomato mosaic virus, Fusarium wilt, root-knot nematodes, and tomato yellow leaf curl. Overall, Crokini is a “cleaner” plant because it is slightly more compact than comparisons with evenly distributed fruit. o

Photo courtesy of AAS/NBG.

New Plant Spotlight

• Keep watering your poinsettias and give them plenty of light. Ensure they are away from drafts and that the pots drain freely. • Last chance to plant bulbs or, if you have waited until the ground is frozen, pot them up for forcing indoors. • Gather holiday greens. Some, like holly and boxwood, benefit from being pruned by growing thicker. • Feed birds and provide them with a fresh water source. • Check houseplants, and any plants you brought indoors for the winter, for insects. • Provide some special protection to tender or early-flowering plants like Camellias. • Stake newly planted large trees or shrubs to protect them from winter winds. • Check any tropical or summer-blooming bulbs, corms, tubers, and bare root plants in storage for rot or desiccation. • Apply scale and dormant oil treatment to evergreens. • Spread ashes from wood fires on your vegetable beds. • Keep succulents and cacti on the dry side. • Water your cut Christmas tree daily. • Gently remove layers of snow from outdoor evergreens with a broom. • Start organizing your pile of incoming garden catalogs. • Keep an eye out for bark damage from rabbits and deer. • Spray broadleaf evergreens with anti-desiccant to prevent dehydration. • Use the branches from your Christmas tree as bedding mulch or as a windbreak. • Keep watering newly planted trees and shrubs as needed. • Cover strawberry beds with straw or pine needles. • Prune stone fruit trees like cherries, plums, and peaches. • Clean, sharpen, and store your garden tools. • Reduce fertilizing of indoor plants (except Cyclamen). • Set up a humidifier for indoor plants, or at least place them in pebble trays. • Continue to rotate houseplants to promote even growth. • Attend a local garden club meeting. • Start new indoor plants from cuttings—try an easy one, such as violets. • Check the plants under tall evergreens and under the eaves of the house to see that they have sufficient moisture. • Weed. Weed. Weed. • Pick a budding gardener on your gift list to give some inspirational garden books and magazines, then watch the new gardener blossom. • Store your fertilizer and seeds in rodent-proof containers. • Do any filling and grading needed around your yard. The soil will settle during the winter months. • Vent cold frames on sunny days. • Avoid walking in frozen planting beds. • Remove and destroy gypsy moth egg masses. • Clean your gutters. • Prune maples, dogwoods, birch, elm, and walnut—if needed. • Some alternatives to de-icing salts include sand, beet juice sugars, light gravel (grit), or non-clumping kitty litter. Using de-icing salts around driveways and sidewalks can harm your garden plants and turf. o DECEMBER 2019

WASHINGTON GARDENER

PLANTprofile Pansies and violas are easy-care flowers that thrive in cool weather and add a bright spot to garden beds and container plantings. These dainty blooms arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t your grandmotherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s old-fashioned flowers. Pansies and violas now come in dozens of colors, color combinations, bloom sizes, and growth habits (from mounding types to trailing). Recent introductions have improved their cold tolerance and blooming vigor as well. There are more than 500 known species of violas and they are indigenous to every continent except Antarctica, according to Barbara Melera of Harvesting-History.com. By the way, did you know the differences between a pansy and a viola? Although pansies are generally larger than violas, it is actually the petal count and position that differentiate them. Pansies have four petals pointing upward and only one pointing down. Violas have three petals pointing upward and two pointing down. Pansies and violas (also known as Johnny Jump-ups) can be started from seed in the fall for spring blooms or in the spring for summer and fall blooms. Pansies and violas are perennials that are hardy from Zone 3 to 9, although they are short-lived plants and usually treated as coolseason annuals. They prefer highly composted, evenly moist soil and they bloom best in full to part-sun. They go dormant in the heat of the summer and coldest parts of winter, but will begin to bloom again when the weather is more temperate in the spring and fall. Give them a slow-release fertilizer mixed into the soil when planting them or added as a top dressing after planting. The best time to fertilize pansies and violas is in the early spring and again in late summer as they come out of their dormancy for fall blooming. To keep them looking their best, deadhead them regularly (that is, removing the spent flowers and stems). When they become leggy and overgrown, you can cut back the whole plant to a couple of inches high to rejuvenate it. In the winter, lightly mulch around the plants and keep them watered. If they are in a container, it is especially important not to let them dry out in the harsh winter winds. Great companions to pansies and violas are snapdragons and sweet alyssum. o Kathy Jentz is the editor and founder of Washington Gardener Magazine. 12

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Pansy and Viola (Viola sp.) By Kathy Jentz

TOP AREA GARDENING EVENTS DC-Area Gardening Calendar ~ Events ~ December 18, 2019 – January 18, 2020 • Tuesday, December 31, 11am Gardener’s Focus: Bones of the Winter Garden The winter garden may not be as splashy as spring bulbs or summer blooms, but there’s something equally amazing about a peaceful winter garden. Evergreen plants take center stage, deciduous woody plants become architectural, and hardscapes become more important. Winter’s cool light shapes the experience, and we can sense more=subtle shades of green and brown. The few flowers in bloom are very special, and the texture of conifer needles and tree bark seems richer in the winter sunlight. Tickets are distributed at the Hillwood visitor center upon opening each day. A limited number of tickets may be prereserved by phone by Hillwood members. This 20-minute tour is limited to 10 people, and meets in the visitor center conservatory. See https://www. hillwoodmuseum.org. • Tuesday, January 7, 1pm; Saturday, January 11 at 10:30am Tour: Stop! Smell and Touch Our Plant Conservatory Join Tom Melo, a docent at the U.S. Botanic Garden (USBG), for this handson exploration of the plant collection, specifically designed for individuals who are blind or have low vision, and their companions. Featuring notable sensory and tactile elements along with verbal description, there will also be opportunities on the tour route to smell and touch certain plants. Please note: This program is designed to be a more-intimate experience and limited to 10 participants. It is free, but pre-registration required. The Saturday program is a repeat of the Tuesday tour. Details at usbg.gov. • January 8–10 The Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show MANTS celebrates its 50th year of success at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, MD. MANTS is where the industry comes to buy, shop, meet, see, and be seen every January. See MANTS.com.

• Thursday, January 9, 7:30–9pm Herbivory: Why It Is Important that Plants Get Eaten This talk by Charles Smith will cover native plants and their role as the foundation of ecosystems. Smith is a native of Arlington, VA, and a naturalist and ecologist with 27 years of experience in natural resource inventory, planning, management, and monitoring. He is currently branch chief of Fairfax County Stormwater Planning Division, focusing on stream and natural area restoration. The event is hosted by the Virginia Native Plant Society (VNPS) and held at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, VA. VNPS programs are free and open to the public. No reservations are necessary for lectures. See https://vnps.org. • Saturday, January 18, 10–11:30am Kokedama: The Art of Crafting Living Moss Balls Originating in Japan, kokedama are living plant and moss balls. Traditionally displayed sitting on a surface, they also look magical bound up with string and hanging. Similar to bonsai, they are a lovely way to bring a bit of greenery indoors and can live for years with proper care. In this hands-on workshop with instructor Kathy Jentz, you’ll have access to all the materials needed to make your own beautiful kokedama and will be taken step-by-step through the unique process. Everyone will make two kokedama to take home. Cost: $40. Register at activemontgomery.org

Save These Future Dates • Sunday, January 19, 1:30pm 50 Years of Green Spring As Green Spring Gardens turns 50, discover how this special place became a unique county resource. Green Spring historian Debbie Waugh discusses the fascinating lives of the last private owners, Michael and Belinda Straight, and their gift to the Park Authority in 1970. Enjoy a photo history of the first 50 years and look ahead to the next 50 years. $10 per person. Register online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/parktakes (code 288.09DB) or call Green Spring Gardens at 703-642-5173.

• Washington Gardener Magazine’s 2020 Seed Exchanges are on January 25 at Brookside Gardens and February 1 at Green Spring Gardens. See pages 20–21 for details. Start saving, packing, and labeling your seeds! • APLD DC-MD-VA Winter Lecture Garden Design with Acclaimed British Designer Jo Thompson Tickets, Saturday, February 1, at 10am. Details at https://dcmdva-apld.org.

Still More Event Listings See even more 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 January 5 for the January 2020 issue, for events taking place after December 15. o

Advanced Landscape IPM PHC Short Course January 6-9, 2020 Location: University of Maryland, College Park, MD Contact: Amy Yaich, Admin. Assist. II, 301-405-3911 Email: umdentomology@umd.edu Information: https://landscapeipmphc.weebly.com/ Recertification credits will be posted on the website Recertification page as awarded by participating states.

 DECEMBER 2019

WASHINGTON GARDENER

BOOKreviews religious, medicinal, and celebratory rituals for many cultures throughout history.” Coming into this book with no prior knowledge of floriography, I had great interest in finding out about how nature speaks to us and how we can speak through nature in return. “By creating a sentiment using the language of flowers, a posy can serve as a vehicle to convey profound messages that sometimes cannot be articulated in words.” This book is great to flip through and very visually appealing. I would recommend it as a coffee table book, a gift to someone looking for wedding ideas, or some inspiration about bouquets for any occasion or emotion. o The Posy Book: Garden-Inspired Bouquets That Tell a Story By Teresa H. Sabankaya with Foreword by Amy Stewart Publisher: The Countryman Press List Price: $24.95 Order Link: https://amzn.to/2M0Yhtg Reviewer: Taylor Markey Teresa Sabankaya provides information about the language of flowers, posy recipes to help figure out what you want to say, and steps for how to make a posy in The Posy Book, which is complemented with beautiful photos taken by Danyelle Dee and illustrations by Maryjo Koch. The book is also augmented with a modern floral dictionary. For those who do not know (like me), posies are small flower bouquets, “like floral greeting cards,” as the author describes in her first chapter. The Posy Book is split up into five main chapters: A Posy Primer, A History of the Language of Flowers, Posy Recipes, Making Posies, and The New Language of Flowers Dictionary. These sections are followed up with a resource listing and an index of posy ingredients. Although she explains that she is not a historical scholar, Sabankaya shows her interest and dedication to gaining knowledge on flowers and how they speak to us. In the introduction, she says that her purpose for writing this book is to inspire and “to impart the simple knowledge that flowers have captivated us for centuries, and they have played some role in symbolic 14

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Taylor Markey is a senior at the University of Maryland, College Park majoring in multiplatform journalism and an editorial intern at Washington Gardener this autumn.

The Gardener Says: Quotes, Quips, and Words of Wisdom By Nina Pick Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press List Price: $15.95 Order Link: https://amzn.to/2LXDRkN Reviewer: Jessica Kranz In Nina Pick’s The Gardener Says: Quotes, Quips, and Words of Wisdom, you will be exposed to an abundant number of quotes that showcase all of gardening’s many moods and phases. The quotes in the book come from a range of different types of people, such as gardeners, poets, philosophers, and landscape designers, who highlight the

joys and challenges of gardening. Some of the quotes in this book discuss the exhaustion at the end of a long day’s work, the amazement at watching a seedling sprout, and the peace and happiness of time spent in reverie on a quiet bench. Each quote in the book is written in a fun, different font, and I really enjoyed how the important words that the author wanted the reader to see were in pink, while the rest of the words were in green. This allowed the reader to see what they should take away from the quote, and I also thought that the different colors added an exciting element. One quote that I enjoyed while reading the book was “Gardens are a form of autobiography,” by Sydney Eddison. This quote spoke to me because it showed me that no garden is the same, and the garden you build speaks to the person that you are. I would recommend this book to any gardener or non-gardener looking for a simple read about the highs and lows of gardening. o

The Christmas Cottontail: A Story for Gardeners of All Ages By Carol J. Michel and Ty J. Hayden Publisher: Gardenangelist Books List Price: $9.99 Order Link: https://amzn.to/36JJgnD Reviewer: Jessica Kranz The Christmas Cottontail, written by Carol J. Michel and illustrated by Ty J. Hayden, is a fictional Christmas story about how a regular bunny was named the “Christmas Cottontail” by Santa Claus. The story begins with the Christmas Cottontail talking about his job of how

BOOKreviews he creates a list of good gardeners and bad gardeners. Once this list is sorted out, he will fly out with Santa on Christmas Eve and plant seeds and bulbs in each good gardener’s garden. Each year, the Christmas Cottontail will show how grateful he is for his job by telling his fellow workers the story of how he was given his title. He says that one Christmas Eve, he was starving and saw some carrots that were left for the reindeers to eat, and when he went to go eat them, Santa saw him, took pity on the bunny, and decided to take him back to the North Pole. Santa decided to train him to properly scatter seeds and plant bulbs, which is how he became the Christmas Cottontail. This book is a great story to tell any child or gardener over the holidays, and it is also accompanied by terrific illustrations that enhance and help the reader visualize the story. If you are looking for a new holiday book, this should be the one you read next. o Jessica Kranz is a senior broadcast journalism major at the University of Maryland, College Park and an editorial intern at Washington Gardener this autumn.

Crops in Tight Spots By Alex Mitchell Publisher: Kyle Books List Price: $24.99 Order Link: https://amzn.to/2rQJpXh Reviewer: Erica H. Smith I have read a lot of books about planting edibles in small spaces and containers. This one is a decent example

of the genre. It’s pretty and well-written, and has interesting suggestions for plants and projects that all look possible and fun. I should note up front that this book was published in the UK and is written in British English. This shouldn’t be a problem for most American readers, but if you tend to be startled at being asked to start your aubergines in bog-standard fruit punnets and label them with lolly sticks, or to harvest courgettes with your secateurs next to the wormery in the side return, then it may not be for you. It’s also worth noting that the recommended products and suppliers won’t be accessible in this country; of course, we have equivalents for most of them, but some of the advice about “composts” (a.k.a. potting mixes) may be confusing. The book covers plants and projects best suited to indoor growing, ledges and sills, terraces and courtyards, roofs and balconies, small in-ground gardens, and “other awkward spots.” There’s a chart showing which plants are recommended for which situations, and lots of suggestions about appropriate containers. Even in a very small growing area, you could fit in many edible plants following these guidelines. (You will be watering your containergrown plants frequently, especially in our hot summers, but that’s a good way to get to know your garden intimately.) Succession planting maps for a small backyard garden take up several pages and are a useful guide. One thing I appreciate in this book is how each plant is introduced with a level of difficulty, which include “easy,” “moderate,” and “ambitious.” I like that final descriptor better than “hard” or “challenging.” Occasionally, a difficulty level doesn’t fit with my experience, but that’s mostly a matter of climate difference. All the plants are worth trying! I also like the emphasis on recycling; most of the suggested containers and materials are either reused or reusable. Perhaps you’ll come away from this book wanting to grow beans in your alley, or harvest potted cocktail ingredients from shelves, or plant herbs in tin cans attached to a trellis, or start a crop of mushrooms under your bed. You might even want a wormery. o

Gardener’s Guide to Compact Plants: Edibles and Ornamentals for SmallSpace Gardening By Jessica Walliser Publisher: Cool Springs Press List Price: $24.99 Order Link: https://amzn.to/34k8ya1 Reviewer: Erica H. Smith While the gardening industry continues to expand, our gardens are shrinking. Between millennials who can’t afford houses, older people who are downsizing, real estate trends for smaller yards, and everyone’s busy lives, many of us are trying to grow more plants in less space. That means there’s a real need for books like this one. Jessica Walliser writes smart, useful guides to solving gardening problems, and this is no exception. The biggest section of this book is taken up by profiles of specific shrubs, trees, perennials, and edibles that can be considered “compact.” This list could have expanded into an encyclopedia; to fit into a compact volume, it’s necessarily limited to a few best examples. All of them should be available from local retailers or online sources. Profiles include common and botanical names for the specific cultivars, mature dimensions, hardiness, ideal sun conditions, bloom or harvest times, and details of appearance and care. What “compact” means for all these plants naturally varies somewhat. Trees are judged more by width than height; all cultivars mature to a lesser size than others in their species, but obviously Book Reviews continued on page 16 DECEMBER 2019

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BOOKreviews Book Reviews continued from page 15

a basil plant will be smaller than an apple tree, and a coneflower miniature compared to a hydrangea. The one omission I see in these profiles is plant origin; in most cases, North American natives are described as such in the notes, but if you want to put together a garden of natives, you’ll have to read carefully and then do more research. If you want more plants to choose from, review the sample gardens contributed by various garden designers—also a great resource if you prefer to start from a template. There’s also a chapter listing plants that solve particular gardening challenges, such as a boring winter landscape or not enough pollinators. Helping with plant selection is terrific, but I think the best parts of this book are the introductory chapters that talk about defining, selecting, and maintaining compact plants; they answer the basic how, what, and why questions about this sort of garden. One of the sections I liked best was “Where do small-statured plants come from?” with its explanations of selective breeding, vegetative propagation of genetic variants, grafting, and the “fake-out” of plant growth regulators. How do you shop for these plants? How do you plant them and take care of them? Lots of questions are answered with easy-to-read, scientifically up-to-date information. If you’ve got a small garden to start or renovate, this book will guide you through that project. Even if your garden is large, it’ll help you squeeze in a few more plants! o The Half-Hour Allotment: Timely Tips for the Most Productive Plot Ever By Lia Leendertz Publisher: White Lion Publishing/Royal Horticultural Society List Price: $20.00 Order Link: https://amzn.to/2YVbdG7 Reviewer: Erica H. Smith Let’s just get the language issue out of the way up front. This is two books in a row I’ve reviewed that are published in the UK and use British English; we’re still dealing with aubergines and courgettes here, but I’d say you’ll trip over them less in this book. The title itself could be a mystery to some, however. 16

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If you don’t know, an allotment is what we’d call a community garden plot, and this book is all about how to maintain yours (or your home garden) efficiently. It’s very common to take on a plot of land with good intentions of producing healthy, delicious food, and to end up with a weedy, discouraging mess. I do a talk on this same topic, so I was interested in how this author approaches it. Indeed, she’s given us a practical method that should lead to success: Plan on spending two and a half hours a week in your allotment, divided up however works best for you. The weekday half-hour provides the title, but if you only have time on weekends, you can make that work, too. Whenever you finish up your tasks for one day, make a plan for what you’ll do the next time, so you can be prepared with the right supplies and get started right away. Don’t take on too much at first; If your plot is large, don’t be afraid to cover some of it until you’re ready to plant. Choose your plants carefully, and don’t plant too little or too much. All great advice! The only hesitations I have are the usual ones when a book is written far from my usual digging ground. You can throw out most of the information about pests—we sure have them, just different ones—and a lot of the advice about best varieties of crops. If you have a community garden plot, you’ll need to adjust some of the recommendations to adhere to your group’s rules. For example, in the Montgomery Parks

garden I belong to, we can’t install permanent structures like sheds, or solidmaterial paths, and we must garden organically (which this book advises in most cases, but not exclusively). It’s easy enough to consider and then skip these sections, just as you pause over the occasional piece of fleece (floating row cover) or mange tout (snow pea). But that adds up to a lot of pages you’re not likely to refer back to. In general, though, the recommendations are good and translatable to local circumstances. I did spot a few outof-date dictates—no, it’s fine to leave water drops on leaves during the day; the sun won’t burn them, and in fact, you should avoid watering in the evening because of fungal diseases—but that’s made up for by bits like the clear, sensible advice about companion planting with no trace of folklore or woo-woo. As a community gardener, I appreciate the sections about getting along with neighbors and how to keep kids entertained in the garden, and there’s a chapter about how to manage as a new gardener in your first year that’s extremely helpful. There are also a lot of cool photos that make me wish our garden looked more British and I could put up a cute little shed, although I can’t spare that in 400 square feet anyway. I’d recommend this book to anyone who has taken on a plot that feels too challenging, as long as you’re willing to pick and choose from among the morsels of guidance. Encouragement, especially to new gardeners, is more precious than tomatoes. 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.

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.

SOLUTIONS FOR ECOLOGICALLY SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPES FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2020

8 AM - 4 PM

Don't miss out on a fascinating day of presentations highlighting innovative design strategies for creating ecologically sustainable landscapes. We'll explore new and pragmatic gardening practices that move beyond organic methods to embrace ecology-based systems. Learn through industry case studies how to apply re-generative design principles that demonstrate how sites can be developed while preserving their natural ecosystems and enhancing biodiversity.

SEMINAR TOPICS Creative Design Strategies for Low Maintenance & Ecologically Beneﬁcial Landscapes Roy Diblik, author and owner, Northwind Perennial Farm Urban & Suburban Meadows; Transforming Lawns into Environmentally Friendly Habitats Catherine Zimmerman, author and award-winning documentary ﬁlmmaker A Regenerative Approach to Sustainable Landscapes Craig Russell & Paul Mills, Principals, Russell + Mills Studios Embracing Ecological Gardening Methods to Create Functional Ecosystems Rebecca McMakin, Director of Horticulture, Brooklyn Bridge Park

REGISTER ONLINE ActiveMONTGOMERY.org (Course #71640) or call 301-962-1451 EARLY BIRD FEE: $95 per person until January 10, 2020 STANDARD FEE: $110 per person after January 11, 2020 * Registration includes light breakfast, coffee-tea & boxed lunch.

Silver Spring Civic Building 1 Veterans Place, Silver Spring, MD BrooksideGreen.org | 301-962-1451 DECEMBER 2019

WASHINGTON GARDENER

GREENliving

By Jessica Kranz and Taylor Markey On Wednesday, December 4, at the Kellogg Conference Center in Washington, DC, Montgomery Parks and Casey Trees hosted the 8th annual Trees Matter Presents: Green Cities Summit. The panels and speaker programs focused on the health and welfare of trees in our increasingly developed landscapes. The conference was an opportunity for researchers, practitioners, educators, and planners working in cities all around the world to come together, exchange ideas, and create partnerships. With urban populations surpassing 50% worldwide, proper city planning, specifically enhancing green space, is a priority. This conference highlighted cutting-edge urban forestry and urban planning research to inform practitioners and policymakers. The day kicked off with a welcome breakfast and time to meet exhibitors and sponsors, including the Washington Gardener. Dr. Michael Dirr was the opening keynote speaker and discussed “In Search of the Next Great Tree.” He is a professor emeritus at the University of Georgia and author of numerous books, including the Manual of Woody Landscape Plants. Dirr provided an educational and upbeat journey across the many types 18

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of trees around us and which ones he has encountered, along with some fun stories that go along with them. He notes that you do not breed them, but you find them. He also said, “If you see it, get it. And if you can’t get it, steal it.” He provided some information on where to discover new genetics, such as forests, fields, campuses, and golf courses. Dirr also talked about the different sources of variation, which include seedlings, sports/mutations, traditional breeding and selection, chemicals, radiation, and genetic manipulation. Promising tree selections he highlighted included a Mongolian Oak (Quercus mongolica) that he called, “rare, but beautiful.” He said he had yet to “crack the nut on propagation.” He shared an American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) selection that is “more compact and upright than the typical species.” He said that Schmidt Nursery will soon introduce it to the trade. Another highlighted tree was a Japanese Zelkova (Zelkova serrata) that he found on Cape Cod and described as “the most impressive Zelkova I have observed.” He concluded with his final slide in his presentation, stating, “In pursuit of the next great tree, the journey is forever.”

Urban Planning Issues

The “Planning Green Spaces” section within Session One featured roughly 20-minute talks from three presenters, followed by a panel where audience members could ask questions. Ken Ray made a presentation titled “Moving Beyond Complete Streets: Trees in Urban Landscapes.” Ray is deputy director of landscape architecture for the Toole Design Group. He had us consider “four principles to change our approach to transportation design and how trees fit in.” These principles included: design for people, integrate green infrastructure, design from the outside-in, and start with the trees and they won’t be left out. Ray also provided pictures of streets across the country (including some in Boston, New York, St. Paul, Virginia Beach, and more). The second presenter was Kimberly Burrowes, a technical assistance specialist with the Urban Institute. Her presentation was titled “Reflecting Community Priorities in Sustainable Park Planning.” She talked about parks, how they can be better used, and how we can benefit from them. She had us consider the fact that onethird of Americans do not have a park within a 10-minute walking distance

GREENliving of where they live. She stressed the importance of having accessible parks and how they should include input from the community. She also included three strategies for engaging the community to improve parks: community ownership, community advisory boards, and equitable programming. The third and final presenter was Louis Thomas, a project specialist for urban planning at the Center for Sustainable Development and Resilience at the University of the District of Columbia, on “Great Streets Without Trees: Assessing Quality Over Quantity in Urban Tree Canopies.” He brought up questions of “How are we managing green spaces?” and “Where is the appropriate space for trees?”

Citizen Participation

Session Two included a section on “Engaging and Retaining Volunteers,” with three presentations followed by a panel with the presenters. Trinity Pierce, stewardship coordinator of the Chicago Region Trees Initiative (CRTI), presented on “Empowering Citizens to Expand the Chicago Region Canopy by 2050.” Pierce stressed the importance of having clear goals and went into the goals of CRTI, which include increasing the Chicago Region’s Tree Canopy, Reduce Threats to Trees, Enhance Oak Ecosystems, and Inspire People to Value Trees. The second presenter was Jeanne Braha, Rock Creek Conservancy executive director. Her presentation was titled “People-Powered Restoration.” Braha explained the concept of working from the outside in and the importance of considering that there is unequal access to green spaces when thinking about recruitment. Laura Schatzmann, a project specialist at the Center for Sustainable Development and Resilience, had a presentation titled “Engaging Citizens and Enriching Programmatic Environmental Stewardship with UDC Master Naturalist Program.” Schatzmann talked about why DC needs a Master Naturalist Program, along with activating and engaging within the program. Some next steps include a DC Master Naturalist meeting in spring 2020 to connect local

communities and create enhanced curriculum.

Quantifying the Benefits of Trees for the Bay

During Session Two, ecologist Nancy Sonti and Smithsonian researcher Amy Hruska presented their studies to the attendees on the benefit of trees, also referred to as forest patches, in the Chesapeake Bay area. Sonti presented first, and discussed the importance of how trees can mitigate stormwater. As more infrastructure is built, we lose more forest patches, leading to quantities of water flowing into local bodies of water, which carries pollutants and toxic elements, she said. A lot of this polluted/toxic stormwater is flowing into the Chesapeake Bay, affecting the water quality. Through Sonti’s studies, she found that protecting forest patches can prevent this from happening. Sonti studied stormwater infiltration and transpiration on many forest patches in the Baltimore area to understand whether a single tree, cluster of trees, or closed canopy absorbed more stormwater runoff. She found that single trees absorbed the most water because clusters and canopies tend to have overlapped leaves, so it is more difficult for water to penetrate through and reach the ground. Sonti concluded her presentation by telling the audience about the importance of protecting the forest patches they live by and that they should plant a single tree in their garden opposed to planting shrubs because of the benefits they provide.

After Sonti’s presentation, Hruska discussed her studies of forest fragmentation in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which has an area of 64,000 miles. She began her presentation by showing the audience how the watershed is currently ~50 percent forested, when it should be at 95 percent. Hruska also discussed the importance of forest patches, but her study specifically focused on their impact on habitats and global change mitigation. Unfortunately, since her study began in July 2019, she did not have any findings to present yet, but she discussed how they are looking to find out how urbanization has altered forest cover, and how urban forests can benefit biodiversity and ecosystem services in the watershed. The presentations concluded with a panel discussion, and the audience was able to ask any questions they had for Sonti and Hruska. The day ended with a final keynote by Sonja Dümpelmann entitled “Seeing Trees and the Forest.” She described the history of street tree plantings in the cities of New York and Berlin, and the changing relationship between trees and humans in the urban environment. o Taylor Markey and Jessica Kranz are seniors at the University of Maryland, College Park majoring in journalism and are editorial interns at Washington Gardener.

Michael Dirr gives the keynote address on searching for the next great tree introduction for the horticultural industry. Photo courtesy of Casey Trees.

DECEMBER 2019

WASHINGTON GARDENER

Join us for: Seed Swapping Planting Tips Expert Speakers Goody Bags Door Prizes Washington Gardener Magazine presents the

15th Annual Washington Gardener

Seed Exchanges

on Saturday, January 25, 2020, 12:30–4:00PM

National Seed Swap Day! at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD Registration is now open at WGSeedExchange-BR.brownpapertickets.com

and on Saturday, February 1, 2020, 12:30–4:00PM at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, VA Registration is now open at WGSeedExchange-GR.brownpapertickets.com

Feeling Crafty? We have a fun Make-it Take-It Seed Crafting Table

Space is limited, so act today! Washington Gardener Magazine subscribers get $5 off the $20 attendee fee!

WASHINGTON GARDENER DECEMBER 2019

Overview

Washington Gardener magazine, the publication for DC-area gardening enthusiasts, is hosting the 15th annual Washington Gardener Seed Exchange at Brookside Gardens and Green Spring Gardens. These seed swaps are in person and face to face. You bring your extra seeds and swap them with other gardeners. Everyone will leave with a bag full of seeds, new garden friends, and expert planting advice.

When

On Saturday, January 25, 2020, in MD and on Saturday, February 1, 2020, in VA from 12:30–4:00PM (Foul weather that day? Call 240.603.1461, for updates about possible snow/ice delay.)

Where

We are holding a duo of Seed Exchanges one week apart on opposite sides of the Washington Beltway. We urge you to attend the one closest to you. One exchange will be held at Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton, MD. The other will be at Green Spring Gardens, 4603 4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria, VA.

How to Register

Register online at WGSeedExchangeBR.brownpapertickets.com for the 1/25/20 event and WGSeedExchangeGR.brownpapertickets.com for the 2/1/20 one. OR you can fill out the form on the opposite page. Send the form, along with payment, to Washington Gardener, 826 Philadelphia Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910, Attn: SE Registration. Please make checks out to “Washington Gardener.” Registration fee is $20 per person. Friends of Brookside members, Friends of Green Spring members, and current Washington Gardener subscribers receive a discount rate of $15 per person. We strongly urge you to register in advance. There is a limited enrollment of 100 participants at each location!

We are GREEN!!! Garden Book and Seed Catalog Exchange

Seed Exchange attendees are encouraged to bring their used or new garden books and seed catalogs to swap and share at this year’s event. We also ask you to bring your own water bottle or reusable mug and a home-made nametag. We will have a “best nametag” contest, so get crafty!

Hashtags #GardenDC and #SeedSwapDay

Washington Gardener Magazine’s 15th Annual

Seed Exchange Details

If You Have Seeds to Bring and Swap

Please package them in resealable plastic zipper or wax sandwich baggies. Put an average of 20 seeds per baggy—more for small seeds like lettuce, fewer for large seeds like acorns. Label each baggy with a white sticker (such as Avery standard 5160 address label sheets) giving all the information you have on the seeds. If known, include the plant’s common and scientific names; its soil, sun, and watering needs; and, its origins—where and when you collected the seeds. If you don't know all the information, that is okay; just provide as much as you can. Yes, you can bring unused or opened commercial seed packs.

What If You Don't Have Any Seeds to Swap?

Come anyway! Even if you don’t have any seeds to trade, you are welcome to attend. We’ll have plenty of extra seed contributions on hand and many attendees will be there just to learn, network, and prepare for next year’s seed collecting.

Education Program

Expert speakers from the local gardening community will give short talks on seed collection and propagation tips. There will be ample time for individual Q&A throughout the program with the featured speakers, and invited experts as well.

Schedule

(Note: This schedule is subject to change.) 12:00-12:30 Registration check-in 12:30-12:40 Introductions 12:40-1:20 Gardening talk 1:20-1:55 Gardening talk 2:00-2:15 Snack break and room reset 2:15-2:30 Seed Swap preview time 2:30-3:00 Seed Swap 3:00-3:30 Photo Contest winners 3:30-4:00 Door prizes and closing talk

How Do We Swap?

As you check in, staff will collect your seeds and place them at the appropriate seed category tables. You will be assigned a random seed swap number. There will be a short period for attendees to preview all the seeds brought in and available for swapping. You will be called in by your number to pick a seed pack from each of the category tables (if desired).

After the initial seed swap is complete, attendees are free to take any of the leftover seeds and to trade seeds with each other. Dividing of packets is encouraged and extra baggies with labels will be on hand for that purpose.

What Types of Seeds?

Seed swap categories will include natives, edibles, herbs, exotics, annuals, perennials, and woodies (trees/shrubs). If you can pre-sort your seeds in advance into which of these seven major categories fits best, that would help us speed up the process on the swap day.

Door Prizes! Goodie Bags!

Each attendee will receive a goodie bag at the seed swap. The bags include seeds, publications, and garden items donated by our sponsors. In addition, we have some incredible door prizes to give away especially for area gardeners. If your organization would like to contribute seeds or garden-related products for the goodie bags and door prizes, contact Kathy Jentz at 301.588.6894 by January 21.

15th Annual Washington Gardener Seed Exchange Advance Registration Form

Please ﬁll out this form and mail with your check/money order to: Washington Gardener Magazine, 826 Philadelphia Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910

Name:____________________________________________________________________________________ Street Address:____________________________________________________________________________ Email:____________________________________________________________________________________ Seed Exchange Date and Location:  Jan. 25 at Brookside Gardens  Feb. 1 at Green Spring Gardens (We will only use your email address for Seed Exchange notices and will never share them with anyone else.) Seed Exchange Attendee Fee: $20.00 __________ Discount (if eligible*): -$5.00 __________ Optional: Washington Gardener Magazine Annual Subscription: $20.00 __________ TOTAL_____________ *The following groups are eligible to pay the discount attendee rate of $15.00; please CIRCLE if one applies to you: • Washington Gardener Magazine subscribers • Friends of Brookside Gardens members • Friends of Green Spring Gardens members A portion of the event proceeds will go to beneﬁt Native Seeds/SEARCH for conserving crop genetic resources. DECEMBER 2019

WASHINGTON GARDENER

HORThaenings

St. Mary’s College Awarded $30K Grant for Campus Community Farm

Barry Muchnick, assistant professor of environmental studies at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, was awarded a $30,000 grant from the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, one of the oldest and largest community foundations in the United States, on November 12. The funds will be used to support research, development, and implementation of new programming at the Kate Chandler Campus Community Farm, according to St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Muchnick said the “Kate Farm” is a special place to grow food and the grant will deepen and expand the ways the farm serves all St. Mary’s students, along with the surrounding community. The farm educates students about sustainable agriculture and empowers people to become engaged environmental stewards. Not only does the farm grow food and provide an impactful learning experience, but it also “…offers co-benefits including improved well-being through healthy eating, increased contact with nature, and a strengthened connection to our rural landscape and history,” Muchnick said. Muchnick also plans to use the grant to help improve infrastructure, launch a new mini-grant program to support farmbased scholarly and creative projects, and develop new course offerings and a strategic plan for the farm’s future. The assistant professor hopes that this will engage all St. Mary’s students, and not just environmental studies majors. o

Rain Gardens Completion

The Golden Triangle Business Improvement District (BID) announced the completion of 11 new rain gardens and 10 expanded tree boxes along 19th Street NW, at an inaugural planting ceremony on December 9. The project adds more than 4,500 square feet of green space, lining two full blocks on one of the most-vibrant corridors in Washington, DC’s central business district. The initiative is funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Golden Triangle BID, and DC Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE). 22

WASHINGTON GARDENER DECEMBER 2019

Photo courtesy of Golden Triangle BID.

Additional support is provided by Pepco, Rockrose Development Corporation, The Tower Companies, Carr Properties, OTO Development, Wawa, and Population Services International. “We are proud to demonstrate that it is possible to retrofit a dense, built-out urban environment with green infrastructure,” said Leona Agouridis, executive director of the Golden Triangle BID. “I would like to thank our partners, public and private, for their support of this project over the past years. The 19th Street rain gardens contribute to the environmental sustainability of the metropolitan area and continue to transform the Golden Triangle into the model central business district of the future.” The new rain gardens can capture and filter up to 43,000 gallons of polluted runoff per storm, reducing the risk of local flooding and helping to clean waterways. “EPA is pleased to be a partner in this project that has much to offer for the area’s environment, economy, and quality of life,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic regional administrator Cosmo Servidio. “Controlling stormwater runoff through green infrastructure improves local waters and the Chesapeake Bay.” This project brings the natural environment directly to the thousands of workers, visitors, and nearby residents who walk down 19th Street every day. The BID has planted 33 trees and more than 400 native plants specially selected for their ability to absorb water and survive long dry periods between storms. Several of the plants were chosen for their habitat value for pollinators like bees and butterflies. This initiative is the latest in the BID’s history of green infrastructure projects. The BID previously built six rain gardens and converted 12,000 square feet of asphalt and concrete to green space. The implementation of these

sustainability programs contributed to the BID’s LEED certification earlier this year. The Golden Triangle was awarded LEED Platinum—the highest level of LEED certification —by the U.S. Green Building Council. It is the first BID in the world to be certified through the LEED for Communities program. The rain gardens—which are part of the Golden Triangle’s Gold Is Green program, the BID’s portfolio of sustainability initiatives—have been added to both sides of 19th Street NW between K and M Streets. They join four existing rain gardens at the corners of 19th and L Streets and built by the BID in 2014. To highlight 19th Street as a green corridor, the Golden Triangle has installed Gold Is Green light pole banners and decals on trash and recycling receptacles. Five new educational signs explain how rain gardens work have been installed. o

Fantastic Fungi Screening. On Thursday, December 12, the AFI Silver in downtown Silver Spring, MD, hosted a sold-out screening of “Fantastic Fungi.” The film is “a consciousnessshifting documentary that takes us on an immersive journey through time and scale into the magical earth beneath our feet.” Featured in the film are scientists and mycologists like Paul Stamets, along with best-selling authors Michael Pollan, Eugenia Bone, and Andrew Weil. The director. Louie Schwartzberg, participated in a panel discussion after the film. o

This issue’s “HortHappenings” were compiled by Jessica Kranz and Kathy Jentz. See more photos from events listed here at the Washington Gardener Facebook Page. Click on the “Photos” tab.

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YOU CAN REQUEST A SINGLE COPY OF PRINT BACK ISSUES FOR $6 EACH OR ANY 6 BACK ISSUES FOR $24, OR ALL 40+ PRINT BACK ISSUES FOR JUST $100. PRICE INCLUDES POSTAGE AND HANDLING. PLEASE SPECIFY THE ISSUE DATE(S). ORDER MUST BE PREPAID BY CHECK OR MONEY ORDER. SEND ORDERS TO: WASHINGTON GARDENER, 826 PHILADELPHIA AVE., SILVER SPRING, MD 20910

MARCH/APRIL 2005 • Landscape DIY vs. Pro • Prevent Gardener’s Back • Ladew Topiary Gardens • Cherry Trees

MAY/JUNE 2007 • Roses: Easy Care Tips • Native Roses & Heirloom Roses • Edible Flowers • How to Plant a Bare-root Rose

MAY/JUNE 2005 • Stunning Plant Combinations • Turning Clay into Rich Soil • Wild Garlic • Strawberries

JULY/AUGUST 2007 • Groundcovers: Alternatives to Turfgrass • How to Pinch, Prune, & Dead-head • William Paca House & Gardens • Hardy Geraniums

JULY/AUGUST 2005 • Water Gardens • Poison Ivy • Disguising a Sloping Yard • Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2007 • Succulents: Hardy to our Region • Drought-Tolerant Natives • Southern Vegetables • Seed Saving Savvy Tips

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005 • Container Gardens • Clematis Vines • Sponge Gardening/Rain Gardens • 5 Insect Enemies of Gardeners

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2007 • Gardening with Children • Indoor Bulb-Forcing Basics • National Museum of the American Indian • Versatile Viburnums

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2005 • Backyard Bird Habitats • Hellebores • Building a Coldframe • Bulb Planting Basics

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008 • Dealing with Deer • Our Favorite Garden Tools • Delightful Daffodils

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006 • Garden Decor Principles • Primroses • Tasty Heirloom Veggies • U.S. Botanic Garden MARCH/APRIL 2006 • Top 10 Small Trees and Large Shrubs • Azaleas • Figs, Berries, & Persimmons • Basic Pruning Principles MAY/JUNE 2006 • Using Native Plants in Your Landscape • Crabgrass • Peppers • Secret Sources for Free Plants JULY/AUGUST 2006 • Hydrangeas • Theme Gardens • Agave • Find Garden Space by Growing Up SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2006 • Shade Gardening • Hosta Care Guide • Fig-growing Tips and Recipes NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2006 • Horticultural Careers • Juniper Care Guide • Winter Squash Growing Tips and Recipes • Layer/Lasagna Gardening

SUMMER 2009 • Grow Grapes in the Mid-Atlantic • Passionflowers • Mulching Basics • Growing Hops

MARCH/APRIL 2008 • Patio, Balcony, Rooftop Container Gardens • Our Favorite Garden Tools • Coral Bells (Heuchera) MAY/JUNE 2008 D SOL • Growing Great Tomatoes UT! • Glamorous Gladiolus DO L O !S • Seed-Starting OUT Basics •SFlavorful OLD Fruiting Natives

! OUT

JULY/AUGUST 2008 • Landscaping with Ornamental Grasses • Edible Grasses to Graze On • Slug and Snail Control • Sage Advice: Sun-Loving Salvias SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008 • Autumn Edibles — What to Plant Now • Beguiling Barrenworts (Epimediums) • Best Time to Plant Spring-blooming Bulbs • 14 Dry Shade Plants Too Good to Overlook NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008 • Outdoor Lighting Essentials • How to Prune Fruiting Trees, Shrubs, Vines • 5 Top Tips for Overwintering Tender Bulbs • Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2009 • Compost Happens: Nature’s Free Fertilizer • Managing Stormwater with a Rain Garden • Visiting Virginia’s State Arboretum • Grow Winter Hazel for Winter Color

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2007 • Indoor Gardening • Daphne Care Guide • Asparagus Growing Tips and Recipes • Houseplant Propagation

MARCH/APRIL 2009 ! OUT Tips D • 40+ Free and Low-cost Local Garden SOL ! T • Spring Edibles Planting Guide OU LDfor a Fresh Start • Testing YourSO Soil ! Selection and Care UTTree • Redbud O LD Viewing Spots for Virginia Bluebells • SOBest

MARCH/APRIL 2007 • Stormwater Management • Dogwood Selection & Care Guide • Early Spring Vegetable Growing Tips • Franciscan Monastery Bulb Gardens

MAY/JUNE 2009 • Top Easy Summer Annuals for DC Heat • Salad Table Project • Grow and Enjoy Eggplant • How to Chuck a Woodchuck

FALL 2009 • Apples • How to Save Tomato Seeds • Persimmons WINTER 2009 • Battling Garden Thugs • How to Start Seeds Indoors • Red Twig Dogwoods • Unusual Edibles to Grow in Our Region SPRING 2010 • Community Gardens • Building a Raised Bed • Dwarf Iris • Broccoli SUMMER 2010 • Fragrance Gardens • Watering Without Waste • Lavender • Potatoes FALL 2010 • Vines and Climbers • Battling Stink Bugs • Russian Sage • Garlic WINTER 2010 • Paths and Walkways • Edgeworthia • Kohlrabi SPRING 2011 • Cutting-Edge Gardens • Final Frost Dates and When to Plant • Bleeding Hearts • Onions SUMMER 2011 • Ornamental Edibles • Urban Foraging • Amsonia/Arkansas Blue Star • Growing Corn in the Mid-Atlantic FALL 2011 • Herb Gardens • Toad Lilies • Sweet Potatoes • Cool Weather Cover Crops WINTER 2011/EARLY SPRING 2012 • Green Roofs and Walls • Heaths and Heathers • Radishes SPRING 2012 • Pollinator Gardens • Brunnera: Perennial of the Year • Growing Yacon SUMMER 2012 • Tropical Gardens • Captivating Canna • Icebox Watermelons SPRING 2013 • Great Garden Soil • All About Asters • Squash Vine Borer SUMMER/FALL 2013 • Miniature/Faerie Gardens • Beguiling Abelias • Growing Great Carrots WINTER/EARLY SPRING 2014 • Ferns for the Mid-Atlantic • Chanticleer Gardens • Beet Growing Basics

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.

Want Your Club Profiled? Got a Washington, DC-area garden group, plant society, or neighborhood club that you think should be profiled here? Send the full details to KathyJentz@gmail.com or call 301.588.6894.

Got a Garden Question?

Got a gardening question you need answered? Send your questions to KathyJentz@gmail.com and use the subject line “Q&A.” Please also include your first name, last initial, and what city and state you are writing from. Then look for your answered questions in upcoming issues.

Advertising Index A big THANK YOU to all of our Washington Gardener advertisers. Please tell them you saw their ad in Washington Gardener!

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To advertise with us, please contact KathyJentz@gmail.com or call 301.588.6894 today. Next deadline: January 5 DECEMBER 2019

WASHINGTON GARDENER

Jentz Prints

Antique Botanical Prints for the decorator, collector, connoisseur, and art lover. Jentz Prints can be purchased on most Saturdays at the Eastern Market, and most Sundays at the Georgetown Flea Market.

Antique prints are affordable — most in the $10-$30 range — and they are the perfect gift idea for that plant lover in your life. And don’t forget to buy a few for yourself! For more information, to make a private appointment, or to get a detailed show schedule, please contact Jentz Prints by email at UllrichJ@aol.com. You can also find Jentz Prints on eBay.com under the seller ID: printyman. 24

WASHINGTON GARDENER DECEMBER 2019