Washington Gardener Magazine December 2022

Barry Glick

Sunshine Farm and Gardens

696 Glicks Road

Renick, WV 24966, USA

Email: barry@sunfarm.com www.sunfarm.com

7304 Carroll Avenue, #229 Takoma Park, MD 20912 301-270-4642

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

Green Spring Gardens

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.

Authors and Showing Up

Last week, a post on Twitter went viral from a new author who opined that only two people had shown up for her book store event when more than 25 people had responded that they would make it. Writers of all stripes responded and assured her that her situation was far from unique. They shared stories of giving readings to empty chairs and a few store employees. They tweeted about well-publicized signings that were completely ignored. Uber-famous authors told of events that no one attended. The overriding message was that it happens to all of us. I’ve given talks to audiences of two and been to events where not one copy of my book was sold. It happens, but there are also those delightful occasions where the crowds are standing-room-only and the signings keep you there an hour past the planned time.

This past weekend, I attended a local book author event and was happily busy the whole time. I observed that some of the other authors around me were busy too, while others were not so well engaged. During short breaks, I chatted with some of these not-so-busy folks and one told me she couldn’t wait to leave and was counting the minutes. I replied that it must be tough for many writers to put themselves out there at events like this since we are predominantly introverts by nature. And there lies the conundrum: We want crowds to attend and buy our books, but we also want to go home and snuggle up with a good book ourselves.

In this issue, we have several book reviews—two of which are of books bt firsttime authors: Ashlie Thomas and Gary Lewis. I have interviewed both Thomas and Lewis on the GardenDC Podcast and can attest that they are both well worth meeting if they ever come to do a book event near you.

May your winter be filled with lots of good garden reads!

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

Credits

Kathy Jentz

Editor/Publisher

Washington Gardener

826 Philadelphia Ave. Silver Spring, MD 20910

Phone: 301-588-6894 kathyjentz@gmail.com www.washingtongardener.com

Ruth E. Thaler-Carter Proofreader

Brandie Bland

Jaime Breeden

Interns

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Volume 17, Number 10 ISSN 1555-8959

© 2022 Washington Gardener

All rights reserved. Published monthly. 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.

Your editor’s view from her table at a local book author event at the Busboys & Poets bookstore in the Takoma neighborhood, of Washington, DC.

Reader Contest

For our December 2022 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, we are giving away a copy of Groundcover Revolution by Kathy Jentz (value $27, https://amzn. to/3W5HO8Y).

Tired of spending your weekends mowing, trimming, and edging? Then it’s time to say goodbye to your standard grass lawn and join the Groundcover Revolution! Turns out you’re not alone in your desire to ditch the lawn and replace it with something prettier, more diverse, lower maintenance, welcoming to pollinators, and good for Earth’s climate health. Reducing the lawn is among the biggest trends in homeownership, with an endless stream of homeowners looking for an eco-friendly alternative to a traditional turfgrass lawn. In the last few years alone, over 23 million American adults converted part of their lawn to natural landscapes, and now they’re looking to do even more.

To enter to win a copy of Groundcover Revolution, send an email to WashingtonGardenerMagazine@gmail.com by 5:00pm on December 31 with “Groundcover Revolution” in the subject line and in the body of the email. Tell us what your favorite article was in this issue and why. Please also include your full name and mailing address. The winner will be announced and notified on January 1. o

Your Ad Here

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.

USBG Holiday Show

By Jaime Breeden

The holiday “Seasons Greenings” show returns to the U.S. Botanic Garden with a network of G-gauge model trains in the gated outdoor gardens.

The massive diorama setup features several trains equipped with a series of cars darting through caves, weaving along cliffs, and crossing sky-high bridges humming with life. What’s more, all across the display are little dioramas depicting various methods of farming from across the world.

A Florida orange grove with an intricately modeled store full of stock, a foggy Finnish greenhouse with orderly lines of leaves, cropping systems from Mali and Uganda, and a model of Machu Picchu seated next to a potato farm—all offer a fresh glance on the sorts of operations that feed billions of people every day.

The excitement isn’t limited to the outside. Inside the conservatory, among the poinsettias, are models of DC’s landmarks made from plant parts.

Miniature versions of museums, monuments, even memorials to people like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Albert Einstein, all adorn the indoor garden court, giving guests even more to gander at than usual. While buildings like the White House and Lincoln Memorial are to be expected, there are some structures that might surprising to see.

Some standouts include the fountain of light and water planted next to the arboretum summer house and looking like carved trees among the tropical beds, and a personal favorite: an historic conservatory “palm house.” The dome of “glass” encircling a towering spiral staircase intricately decorated with the very plants it was housing was enchanting to view and think about.

Plant a Row for the Hungry (PAR) is an easy program to participate in and really does not take any extra resources than what you may have in your garden. In normal times, about 35 million people wonder where their next meal will come from. Most of these are children. That’s where PAR steps in.

PAR is such a simple program: It urges gardeners to Plant A Row (or a container) dedicated to feeding the hungry, and then take the harvest to someplace or someone that needs it. Once you have donated, send an email to KathyJentz@gmail.com with the total (in pounds and ounces) of what you gave. That is all there is to it. Easy. Effective. Adaptable and Helpful.

Overall, these exhibits offer ways to rethink one’s place within the world around them. If you have a chance to visit the gardens before these exhibits go down in early January, you should take it. o

Jaime Breeden is a fourth-year journalism student at the University of Maryland, College Park, and an intern this fall session with Washington Gardener.

Seed Swapping Planting Tips Expert Speakers

Overview

Washington Gardener magazine, the publication for DC-area gardening enthusiasts, is hosting the 17th 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

Two Seed Exchanges will be held: Saturday, January 28, 2023, in MD and Saturday, February 4, 2023, 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 Green Spring Road, Alexandria, VA.

How to Register

You can easily register online at WGSeedEx.brownpapertickets.com

Be sure to select the correct date and location for the Seed Exchange you are going to be attending.

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!

Seed Exchange attendees

to bring their used or

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 about 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 KathyJentz@gmail.com by January 25.

*See photo contest details on page 12.

Sarah Galloway Documentary Filmmaker

By Jaime Breeden

Sarah Galloway is a documentary filmmaker specializing in translating complex topics into clear and compelling stories. Her first independent film, Bike Riddim, won the Asbury Park Press Award at the 2018 Asbury Park Music + Film Festival. Her second independent film, WILD in the Garden State, is screening in festivals now.

Tell us about your background, where you grew up, what your family was like, your education, etc.

I did most of my growing up in Tappan, New York: a few hundred feet from the New Jersey border and 15 miles north of New York City. The north side of the house had a long stretch of lawn where my siblings, friends, and I held epic battles of “Red Light Green Light.”

On the southern side of the house, my mother, Janet, designed and planted a garden. She grew up during WWII in England where everyone who could had a Victory Garden. My mom gave my sisters, brother, and me our own

small plots to plant what we wished. I remember my brother and I going round to the neighbors to show off our first crop of carrots. My older sister planted flowers. I thought: How lame; you can’t eat flowers! I followed in my father’s footsteps and went into media work. After an undergraduate degree in anthropology at Binghamton University, I went to film school in Chicago at Columbia College. After my first year, I won a full tuition scholarship to complete my MFA.

Do you garden at home? If so, what do you like to grow?

When we moved from New York City to the Garden State, New Jersey, our house had a typical suburban lawn. We knew we wanted to transform it into a park-like garden, but we had little gardening experience.

To get started, we ordered a preplanned pollinator garden designed by the Xerces Society. At first, we struggled to remember the names of the

plants in that first garden bed:

• Meadow Blazing Star (Liatris ligulistylis)

• Sweet Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium purpureum)

• Ohio Spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis)

• Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)

• Prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis)

• New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae)

• Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)

• Wild Senna (Senna hebecarpa)

Now, when we go hiking, I love it that we can recognize plants growing in the wild because we’re familiar with them from our own backyard.

Since our first garden bed, we’ve added a lot of beds with plants that are more local to the Jersey shore, including Seaside Goldenrod (Solidago sempervirens), Northern Bayberry (Morella pensylvanica), Beach Plum (Prunus maritima), and Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum).

How did you get into film work?

While I was working on my MFA, I landed an internship at Kartemquin Films, a documentary shop in Chicago. I was hired because of my editing skills and because I knew how to play basketball! I didn’t know that Hoop Dreams would become a classic film. After film school, I had a strong desire to make lots and lots of short films —just to get better. I returned to New York and freelanced for a while before I landed a dream job in the Exhibition Department at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). There my wish to make lots of short films certainly came true. I worked on videos and interactive media, and later managed a team of freelancers. The exhibition team opened two special exhibits and updated permanent halls every year. I honed my craft working at the museum for 20 years. I left AMNH after my husband Dave retired as an architect. I’ve been freelancing since then, focusing on post-production. I especially love the challenge of crafting storylines that comes with editing documentaries.

Tell us about your new documentary. It is the story of connecting to the natural world in suburban New Jersey. As city transplants, my husband Dave and I had little gardening experience (I don’t count growing the carrots as a

kid!). After years of producing museum videos about biodiversity loss and habitat destruction, I knew I wanted to garden for wildlife. As an architect, Dave wanted to create a beautiful, park-like garden. Shot over 10 years, WILD in the Garden State documents gardening mis-steps, lessons, and experiences that go far beyond replacing a rectangle of lawn. It’s a story of connecting to the natural world in suburban New Jersey.

Why undertake a project like this?

It began as video notetaking while I learned to garden. Native plant gardening was such a wonderful experience that I wanted to share it and reach an audience who—through no fault of their own—doesn’t realize the central role that native plant gardens can play in supporting the natural world.

What is your average workday like?

My schedule is never average! After decades of working on tight deadlines, it was a relief to make my own schedule and return to freelancing.

If I’m working on a freelance project, my day usually look like this: I get up, get breakfast, check email and my calendar. Work for a few hours in my home office. Take a break with Dave to bike to the beach in Asbury Park and run a few miles on the boardwalk. Come home, stretch, shower, get lunch. Then work again until it’s time to prepare dinner. I try not to work again after dinner.

What has been the most rewarding and the most challenging thing about your work?

Most rewarding is collaborating with other creative people. The older I get, the more I value the push and pull from collaboration.

The most challenging thing is how fast media formats change. Video on old formats like Hi8, BetaCam, and High Def are gone unless vintage video decks are kept in repair. Even “born digital” formats get old and are no longer supported.

What do you like to do outside of your job?

Play music. My husband, Dave and I met through playing music. We also

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

like to camp and have gone as far as Glacier National Park in our camper.

Is there anyone you look up to as inspiration, a hero, or a mentor?

In documentary filmmaking, I owe a lot to Michael Rabiger, my advisor at film school. I read his book in New York and decided to apply to Columbia College in Chicago, where he headed up the Documentary Center. I still turn to Michael’s book, Directing the Documentary, to help me figure out how to structure a film—to answer the question: why anyone would want to watch your film.

In the gardening world, I love Sara Stein’s classic book, Noah’s Garden: Restoring the Ecology of Our Own Back Yards (1993). It was the first book I turned to when Dave and I began to garden. Her advice is to partner with nature: “We plant seeds and think we know something about growing plants, yet the number of seeds we plant are a spoonful compared to the oceans of seeds planted by other animals...”(pg. 15). Noah’s Garden features Sara Stein’s own illustrations.

What advice have you gotten that’s stuck with you then most? Make sure you have fun. My dad, Gil

Galloway, said that about working. I follow in his footsteps in that I work in media and try to make the world a better place. That can get all-consuming so “make sure you have fun” is a reminder that nothing is so important that it takes all the joy out of life. It’s hard to be useful or creative when you’re burned out!

What tips or tricks do you have for our readers to get the most out of their own growing spaces at home?

Pay attention to what your plants are telling you. See a plant struggling? Maybe it’s not getting enough sun, shade, water, the right soil. When Dave and I began to garden, we imposed our garden design. Now, as the garden continues to develop, we’ve pivoted away from imposing a design to noticing what the plants are doing and augmenting the design around them.

How can our readers contact you? You can reach me at my website: SarahGalloway.com. I’m also on Instagram and use the hashtag #wildinthegardenstate. o

Jaime Breeden is a journalism student at the University of Maryland and an intern this fall session with Washington Gardener

TIPStricks

Trees Growing Far from Home are Forests’ First Line of Defense

By Korey Morgan

Imagine a young red oak growing in an open meadow, its limbs reaching toward the bright October sky. As fall sets in, its broad leaves are turning a scarlet hue. But this iconic tree is not growing in a New Jersey park or deep in a hardwood forest in Vermont; it stands conspicuously in a lush garden just outside of Nanjing, China.

A growing network of gardens in East Asia, Europe, and the U.S. cultivate tree species native to other parts of the world. These so-called “sentinel gardens” are more than collections of exotic plants. They stand as the first line of defense for forests and may just uncover the next dangerous invasive pest or pathogen—that just hasn’t arrived yet.

“These trees are like a canary in a coal mine,” said Isabel Munck, plant pathologist with the Forest Service’s Northeastern Area field office. “They are out ahead of the threat and are providing us with important information about potential invasive species.”

Invasive species of insects and fungi know no boundaries or borders. They devastate individual trees and large swaths of forests. The Forest Service is partnering with research institutions in the U.S. and abroad to support and grow sentinel gardens as one way to respond to this threat.

“Europeans have been using this approach to identify potential invasive species for some time,” said Beth Lebow, invasive species program coordinator for the Forest Service’s International Programs. “When we looked around and saw that this wasn’t widely used in the U.S., we began reaching out to and engaging interested partners.”

The Forest Service now funds and supports nine gardens on three continents: Asia, Europe, and North America.

Back in China, a team of researchers from Nanjing Forestry University monitors species of trees that were handpicked by partners in the U.S. and Europe for their economic, ecological, and cultural value. North American species include well-known trees like paper

birch, eastern white pine, yellow poplar, Shumard oak, northern red oak, and red maple, all found in the eastern U.S. and along the same latitude as their native range.

“It was difficult to come to a decision on which species,” said Enrico Bonello, plant pathologist with the Ohio State University. “We decided very early on that it would be too dangerous to move plant materials from one continent to another, so we had to find trees that met our criteria and are also commercially available in the country.”

Scientists are interested in learning how local fungi and insects interact with these tree species, and whether they can be a threat. They collect data about which organisms attack, the severity of outbreaks, and the effectiveness of the tree’s natural defenses to fight them off. The scientists shared findings with colleagues in the U.S. and Europe.

Meanwhile, more than 7,000 miles from Nanjing, more than 500 trees representing six Asian and six European species grow in sentinel gardens in New Hampshire, Ohio, and Florida. Like the team in China, scientists from the Ohio State University, University of Florida, and Forest Service, with the help of other partners, monitor how pests and pathogens native to the U.S. are affecting the health of Asian and European trees.

“This is truly a collaborative program that depends on partnerships with our colleagues abroad. Our partners relay information about the trees we care about, and we in turn relay data back to them,” said Munck.

This close collaboration is paying off. Researchers are making breakthroughs in understanding threats that were previously unknown to scientists.

“Sentinel gardens are teaching us a lot. There is one variety of Asian longhorned beetle, for instance, that is normally found in citrus trees. It kept showing up on American oaks, which is something we did not expect” said Jiri Hulcr, entomologist at the University of Florida. “As the females laid eggs in the tree and the larvae were developing, they were causing these oak trees to die. That’s pretty scary, and very important for us to understand.”

Internationally, the Forest Service has

helped to establish sentinel gardens in Italy, Sweden, and China. There are plans for a garden in South Korea by 2024.

“Many people in the U.S. may see invasive species as a uniquely North American problem, but that simply isn’t the case,” said Munck. “Invasive species native to North America have already caused a lot of trouble on other continents.”

The turpentine beetle is one example of an insect native to North America that has wreaked havoc on trees in other continents.

“In the U.S., it is not a tree-killing beetle, but in Asia where it has been introduced, it has caused a lot of mortality.” said Bonello.

Through observation and discovery, scientists are building knowledge about potential invasive species. Perhaps even more important than a growing library of knowledge, though, are the relationships researchers are developing with their counterparts overseas.

“We are establishing partnerships, developing working relationships, and sharing information,” said Hulcr. “We are learning how to work together to establish these gardens and sharing expertise. This seemingly simple act of exchanging information is hugely beneficial.”

These relationships may just prove key in the future. Some invasive species are already household names: the spotted lantern fly, spongy moth, and emerald ash borer all affect forests in North America. They will certainly not be the last.

To learn how the agency is working with international partners to predict and stop the spread of invasive species, visit the Forest Service international programs webpage: https://www. fs.usda.gov/about-agency/internationalprograms/invasive-species o

Trees native to other parts of the world grow conspicuously in sentinel gardens among local plants. Photo by Jiri Hulcr, University of Florida.

New Plant Spotlight

Colocasia Royal Hawaiian® Waikiki

A 2023 AAS Ornamental Winner

All-America Selections has another first: a colocasia winner! Trialed in the non-seed container trial, this beauty wowed the judges with its sturdy, large, glossy leaves that unfurled with a bold leaf coloration featuring pink veins and creamywhite centers. ‘Waikiki’ is part of the Royal Hawaiian series and produces these striking colors earlier than other variegated-leaf colocasia. The deep-burgundy stems produce a lush, compact plant that holds up well even in wind and rain. What a way to bring a touch of the tropics to your garden, no matter where you are located!

Type: Annual Hardiness Zone: Zone 7b – 11

Light Needs: Full to partial sun

Water Needs: High Container: Yes, 14–20" size

Weather Tolerance: Drought, heat Garden Spacing: 12–15 inches

See more about this plant at: https://www.planthaven.com/plant/ colocasia-royal-hawaiian-waikiki/. o

Quick Links to Recent Washington Gardener Blog Posts

• Holiday Gifts for Gardeners

• Broccoli and Blues

• Amaryllis Plant Profile

• 2023 Garden Trends

See more Washington Gardener blog posts at WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com o

December–January Garden To-Do List

• Keep watering your poinsettias and give them plenty of light. Ensure they are away from drafts and that 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, respond to 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 damage to tree bark from rabbits and deer.

• Spray broadleaf evergreens with anti-desiccant to prevent dehydration.

• Use the branches from your Christmas tree as bedding mulch or a windbreak.

• Keep watering newly planted trees and shrubs as needed.

• Cover strawberry beds with straw or pine needles.

• Prune stone fruit trees such as 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 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, birches, elms, and walnuts—if needed.

• Consider using alternatives to de-icing salts, such as 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

You’ve seen those gorgeous garden photos published in magazines and newspapers. Enter this year’s competition and have a chance of getting your images published, too! Whether you take the photos in your own backyard, a nearby public garden, or while visiting friends and family in their local gardens, there are so many photographic opportunities to be found. Let’s show off the best in DC-area gardening!

This contest offers an opportunity for all photographers to present their best shots of gardens in the greater Washington, DC, area. Contest entries will be judged on technical quality, composition, originality, and artistic merit.

More than $500 in prizes will be awarded! Winning images will be published in Washington Gardener magazine, displayed during the Washington Gardener Seed Exchange, and appear in a local photo exhibit.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Each entrant is limited to a total of 10 images. Each electronic file must be identified with your last name and the entry category. For example, BeeJonesGC1.jpg or JoeSmith-SW2.jpg.

All photographs should accurately reflect the subject matter and the scene as it appeared in the viewfinder. Nothing should be added to an image and, aside from dust spots, nothing should be removed. Cropping and minor adjustments to electronic images to convert RAW files are acceptable.

If an image is selected as a finalist, a high-resolution digital file might be required before finalizing our results.

Digitally captured images should be taken at the camera’s highest resolution (3 megapixels or larger). For preliminary judging, digital files must be submitted in JPEG format sized to 1,000 pixels on the longest side at 300 dpi.

If photos are taken with a film camera, they must be scanned in and submitted in JPEG format sized to 1,000 pixels on the longest side at 300 dpi.

Contest entries can be submitted via email to DCGardenPhotos@aol. com. Use the subject line “WG Photo Contest” and include an entry form for each image in your email’s text field.

17TH ANNUAL PHOTO CONTEST

Entries can also be sent as a CDROMs. Please verify their integrity by making sure they are readable and not damaged. We reserve the right to disqualify any disk that is unreadable or defective. Please check your CDs with the latest virus-detection software. We will disqualify any disk that appears to contain a virus or a suspicious file.

Label each CD and case with your full name. We strongly suggest mailing CDs in protective cases. We are not responsible for disks damaged during shipping. No CDs will be returned, but they can be picked up after judging.

Send your entries and entry fee to: Washington Gardener Photo Contest, 826 Philadelphia Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910. Mailed entries must be received by January 21, 2023.

You can print out blank entry forms from the Washington Gardener blog (WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com) or from our Facebook page

We will verify all entries, so please ensure your email address is included on all items.

Entrants must not infringe on the rights of any other photographer, landowner, or other person. Photos involving willful harassment of wildlife or destruction of any property are unacceptable.

The entrant must have personally taken the photo. By entering, you state this is your work and it is free of copyright elsewhere.

Failure to comply with any contest guidelines will lead to disqualification.

COPYRIGHT NOTE

Your entry to this contest constitutes your agreement to allow your photographs and your name, city, state, and photo description texts to be published in upcoming issues of Washington Gardener and used for other related purposes including, but not limited to, Washington Gardener Photo Contest promotions and online, live presentations, and gallery exhibits. Entrants retain ownership and all other rights to future use of their photographs.

CATEGORIES

Each entrant is limited to a total of 10 images. You may submit a few in each

category or submit all 10 in one category.

Photos must have been taken during the 2022 calendar year in a garden located within a 150-mile radius of the Capitol Building in Washington, DC.

• Garden Views (GV): Beautiful, dramatic, or unusual perspectives of a garden landscape, including wide shots showing the setting. Subject can be a private or public garden.

• Garden Vignettes (Vig): Groupings of plants in beds or containers, unusual color or texture combinations, garden focal points, and still scenes. Subject can be photographed in a private or public garden.

• Small Wonders (SW): Tight close-up images or macro shots of single flowers, plant parts, fruits, vegetables, etc. Subject can be photographed in a private or public garden.

• Garden Creatures (GC): Images of insects, birds, frogs, pets, etc., in a private or public garden setting.

PRIZES

Prizes include gift certificates to area camera stores, gardening tools, new plant introductions, and much more! If you would like to be a prize donor or sponsor, contact us today.

WINNERS’ OBLIGATION

Photo contest winners will need to provide high-resolution versions of their images for publication and an 11x14 print suitable for framing. Winners may be asked to provide additional information for press and media coverage.

CONTEST ENTRY FEE

The entry fee is $20.00 or $15.00 for current Washington Gardener Magazine subscribers. The fee includes up to 10 total image submissions per entrant. Please send a check or money order made out to “Washington Gardener” or send a payment via www.PayPal.com to DCGardenPhotos@aol.com.

DEADLINE

Entries are due by midnight on January 21, 2023.

QUESTIONS?

Please call 301.588.6894 or email DCGardenPhotos@aol.com. o

Classes, Events, and Plant Shows/Sales

• Open every night through January 1, 2023, except December 24–25, 2022 Garden of Lights

The Garden of Lights display transforms Brookside Gardens into a magical winter wonderland. Stroll through the onehalf mile, outdoor, walk-through exhibit and enjoy the twinkling lights and glimmering one-of-a-kind displays adorning the flowerbeds and grounds throughout the 50-acre horticultural gem in Wheaton, MD. Tickets are $10 per person (age 5 and older) and only available to purchase online at Eventbrite.com.

• Friday, December 23, 10:30–11am

Bones of the Winter Garden

Explore the bones of Hillwood’s winter gardens with Jessica Bonilla, director of horticulture. Evergreen plants take center stage, deciduous woody plants become architectural, and hardscapes become more important. Winter’s cool light shapes the experience, and more subtle shades of green and brown can be sensed. The few flowers in bloom are very special, and the texture of conifer needles and tree bark seems richer in the winter sunlight. Details at https://hillwoodmuseum.org.

• Saturday, December 31, 12–2pm New Year’s Eve Forest Bathing

Join the Friends of the National Arboretum’s nature and forest therapy guide in this two-hour program that encourages participants to slow down and take in the National Arboretum through all of the senses. Forest bathing, or shinrin yoku, is the simple practice of taking in the woods through the senses for health benefits. The benefits are immense: boosted immunity, lowered blood pressure and heart rate, improved attention and mood, and hitting the reset button on life. The Japanese have enjoyed shinrin yoku for decades as a regular public health initiative. Suggested fee of $35. Register at www.fona.org.

•Saturday, January 7, 11am–12pm Grow

Your Own Microgreens!

Check the menu of a fine restaurant or the produce section of a specialty grocery store, and you’re likely to spy microgreens: tiny, delicate greens that add color, texture, and flavor to a variety of foods as a garnish or ingredient. Big on nutrition and flavor, microgreens can be expensive to purchase. But they can also be grown cost-effectively at home, in a tiny space, and with simple supplies. All you need is a sunny windowsill or a well-lit area along with a microgreen growing kit, and you’ve got all the essentials for growing your own microgreens. This is a great crop for urban gardeners who are limited to a windowsill, balcony, or fire escape. Fee: $10 ticket includes take-home microgreen seeds and $25 ticket includes a microgreen kit of three types of greens to grow at home. Details at www.eventbrite.com/e/grow-your-ownmicrogreens-tickets-85376869515.

• Saturday, January 7, 10–11:30am

Tasting: Teas for Winter Health

A steaming cup of tea offers warmth, comfort, and health benefits throughout cold and flu season. Sample a variety of the best teas and herbal infusions to boost immunity and cure the winter blues. Learn about their medicinal properties and discover healthful new brews to enjoy year round. Take home a sample. $25 per person. Register online at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/ parktakes or call Green Spring Gardens at 703-642-5173. Code DZJ.3HHO.

• Saturday, January 21, 10am

Creative Custom Bird & Fairy Houses

Join Kathy Jentz, editor, Washington Gardener Magazine, and transform a plain wooden birdhouse into an enchanting home for your feathered friends or use it as a whimsical accent to liven up the garden. Paint, embellish, and accessorize a small dwelling into a colorful craft. (Note: This is for “big kids” those over age 18 to relax and be creative!) Fee: $40. Register at https:// activemontgomery.org.

Looking Ahead

• Saturday, January 28, and Saturday, February 4, 12:30–4pm

Washington Gardener

18th Annual Seed Exchanges

Washington Gardener Magazine is cohosting two annual seed exchanges, one at Brookside Gardens and the other at Green Spring Gardens, with lectures and a face-to-face seed swap. Bring your extra seeds to swap and leave with a bag full of seeds, make new garden friends, and get expert planting advice. Fee: $20 ($15 for verified Friends group members and Washington Gardener subscribers). See details on pages 6–7.

• Thursday, February 9, 6:30–8pm

Winter Garden Book Club Meeting

We will discuss The Earth in Her Hands: 75 Extraordinary Women Working in the World of Plants by Jennifer Jewell. You can order it new or used at our Amazon link: https://amzn.to/3Y8nxRE or at our Bookshop store: https://bookshop.org/a/79479/9781604699029 Register at https://us02web.zoom. us/meeting/register/tZUkdOuspzwtHdzK8_VkBgXSThn6rZ5IguKQ.

The Washington Gardener Magazine’s Garden Book Club meets quarterly via Zoom and is free and open to all.

Event Listing Updates

See updated event listings on the Washington Gardener discussion list. Join by emailing WashingtonGardenersubscribe@googlegroups.com.

How to Submit 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 2022 issue, for events taking place after January 15. o

Your Ad Here

Contact kathyjentz@gmail.com or call 301.588.6894 for ad rates

The ad deadline is the 10th of each month. Please submit your ad directly to: KathyJentz@gmail.com

Pathway Homes Honored at Virginia Governor’s Housing Conference for Urban Garden Program

By Brandie Bland

Pathway Homes, a nonprofit organization that provides stable housing and mental health services in Northern Virginia; Washington, DC; and central Florida, received the Best Housing Program award during the 2022 Virginia Governor’s Housing Conference for its urban garden program.

“We are delighted to be recognized by Virginia Governor’s Housing Conference (VGHA) for our community gardening program. Community gardening is a pathway to provide socialization; future employment opportunities; and education about the importance of, and connection between, good nutrition and mental health,” Pathway Homes CEO Sylisa Lambert-Woodard said.

Pathway Homes, which has been around for 42 years, launched its garden program last year as a way to help clients enjoy the outdoors, eat better, and find outlets for their mental health during a time when pandemic isolation and nationwide civil unrest exacerbated mental health issues for the population

that Pathway Homes serves.

Pathway Homes owns, leases, and manages more than 500 properties in Northern Virginia and serves thousands of individuals.

The first garden program was launched at Pathway Homes’ property in Herndon, VA, which houses and serves 12 people, and according to LambertWoodard, clients have been engaged and excited.

Pathway Homes focuses on the voice of the individual and the design of the gardens is no different. To meet clients’ physical needs, special garden beds were designed and built by Fannie Mae and Bernstein Management volunteers.

“Getting on their knees is very difficult [for many clients], so [the volunteers] constructed garden boxes that are about three feet high, wooden

boxes, Adirondack chairs, and potting benches that accommodate the ambulatory issues and flexibility issues that many of the individuals we serve have,” Lambert-Woodard said.

Local community volunteers helped residents learn how to garden and led hands-on experiences showing how to plant seeds and harvest their bounty.

The green therapy offered by the gardening program is popular with residents at the Herndon location. LambertWoodard said residents at other proper-

ties have asked for their own programs.

The urban garden program has expanded to other properties and currently serves 43 individuals.

For one Pathway Homes resident who ended up being hospitalized, the desire to get back to tending his garden fueled his recovery and shortened his hospital stay.

James Settle (above), who became a resident in 2008 after struggling with homelessness, says his gardening experience has spiced up his life in fulfilling ways.

“I put rosemary and basil from the garden on pork and chicken dishes. I like to cook and there is nothing better than fresh spices. Gardening has been a positive experience for me since it is something that can keep my mind occupied and it feels like an accomplishment,” Settle said.

And like many gardeners, Settle has learned some piquant lessons along the way, including the harvest-time consequences of forgetting which variety— sweet or spicy—of peppers you planted.

“I will eventually eat the vegetables, except for the peppers, which are very hot. The garden inspired me to make a delicious Hungarian Mushroom soup. I used the peppers for the soup, but they were way too hot!”

Along with expanding the urban gardening program to all of their properties,

Lambert-Woodard said that Pathway Homes plans to help residents sell the items they grow in their garden at local farmer’s markets.

A majority of those served by Pathway Homes live below the poverty line. Healthy eating is expensive and disadvantaged populations tend to not eat healthy because they cannot afford it. A community garden is another way to level that playing field. Growing produce themselves provides access to nutritious foods that they may not be able to afford on a fixed income as low as $774 per month. Pathway’s clients have incomes that fall below 300% of Federal Poverty Level, with most below 200%.

“I feel good that I don’t have to worry about keeping a roof over my head. I have a little bit of money saved in the bank. I don’t have to worry about getting rained on. I have all of my basic needs met. I am able to play my guitar and garden. I’m in a good place now,” Settle said.

Pathway Homes is always looking for volunteers. For more information, contact Kayla Daley at kdaley@pathwayhomes.org. o

Brandie Bland is a senior multi-platform journalism major in the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, College Park. She is an intern this fall with Washington Gardener.

The Urban Garden: 101 Ways to Grow Food and Beauty in the City IS OUT NOW!

By Kathy Jentz and Teresa Speight

Published by Cool Springs Press/Quarto Homes

Order it today at: https://amzn.to/3yiLPKU

GardenDC Podcast

The GardenDC podcast is all about gardening in the greater Washington, DC, and Mid-Atlantic area. The program is hosted by Kathy Jentz, editor of Washington Gardener Magazine, and features guest experts in local and national horticulture. The latest episodes include interviews with experts on Raised Beds, Cover Crops, and Ornamental Grasses.

You can listen online at https:// washingtongardener.blogspot.com/ or on Spotify, Apple, etc o

Paperbush

By Kathy Jentz

Paperbush (Edgeworthia chrysantha) has flowers that are fragrant and showy in the late winter landscape. The blooms resemble upside-down parasols and are long-lasting, often hanging in for six to eight weeks in the garden.

The paperbush’s flaky, reddish-brown bark was used to make paper and is quite attractive. It is a plant of the woodland edge, often found growing along the banks of streams in its native habitats in China and the Himalayas. It prefers to be planted in dappled shade and well-drained soil. This shrub is not troubled by pests or diseases, and is longlived under favorable conditions.

It is hardy to zones 7–10, although gardeners in zone 6 could attempt it if they can offer the paperbush a well-sheltered area.

Edgeworthia offers multi-season appeal. When fully leafed out, the shrub has a tropical appearance. In the fall, its leaves turn bright yellow before being shed.

Most cultivated forms of paperbush are yellowflowering—a commonly available cultivar is ‘Gold Rush’—there are also reddish-orange-flowered varieties such for ‘Red Dragon’ and ‘Akebono’. o

Kathy Jentz is the editor and founder of Washington Gardener

DESIGNING WITH PURPOSE

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2023 | 9:30 AM–4 PM

Speakers will share their design strategies to achieve a range of sustainability goals in the landscape, from gardens resilient to climate change to those that have reduced carbon footprints. Explore innovative design and maintenance practices that bring visual order to naturalistic gardens that make them make them more palatable to neighbors and HOAs. Though these landscape goals may seem unrelated, they can all be achieved by selecting the right building materials, understanding plant communities, and leveraging creative plant combinations. Join us to learn how!

SEMINAR TOPICS

� Quest for Climate Resiliency: Adaptive Strategies for Sustainable Plant Design

Laura Hansplant, landscape architect and co-owner at Studio Sustena

� Soak it up: Carbon Sequestering Sites

Pamela Conrad, landscape architect, founder of Climate Positive Design, and current Loeb Fellow, Harvard Graduate School of Design

� On This Land: Connecting Minority Communities to the Natural World Veronica Tyson-Strait, landscape designer, educator, artist, and Horticulture Manager at Randall’s Island Park Alliance

� Unlawning Suburbia: Lessons in the Design and Management of Nature-Inspired Landscapes

Benjamin Vogt, Author & Owner, Monarch Gardens

GreenScapes will be offered as a series of live online lectures using Zoom with audience Q&A incorporated into the program. Each session will be recorded and a link to watch the symposium will be emailed to all participants. Registration includes access to watch recordings of each session after the event.

BrooksideGreen.org 301-962-1470

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

EARLY BIRD FEE: STANDARD FEE: $45/person until Jan 13, 2023 $55/person after Jan 14, 2023

Register using this link ActiveMontgomery.org (Course PBG0057) or call 301-962-1470.

How to Become a Gardener: Find Empowerment in Creating Your Own Food Security

Author: Ashlie Thomas

Publisher: Cool Springs Press List Price: $26.99

Order Links: https://amzn.to/3hrxnh8 and https://bookshop.org/ a/79479/9780760374245

Reviewer: Brandie Bland

How To Become A Gardener by Ashlie Thomas is a must-have “Holy Grail” book for anyone considering the hobby of gardening, and for well-seasoned gardeners, it’s an excellent refresher to keep in your arsenal. This book is a thorough and soft introduction that shows you how to become a gardener without the clichés of simply answering how to garden.

Gardening is an intimate relationship with nature, fostered by a challenging success-failure process that comes with many tribulations, which Thomas gently guides the reader through in step-by-step guides. These guides cover gardening nuances in a way that allows the reader to connect with the material, themselves, and the dirt they will tend to.

In a time when food deserts are on a rise, Thomas presents gardening as a way to reclaim ownership over the food you eat and as a means to secure your own food security.

“The challenges associated with food security are undeniably complicated and multilayered, but growing up I was told that sometimes the best way to eat away at big problems is through taking small, gradual bites,” Thomas said.

If you’re worried about space for a

garden or grappling with what a garden looks like, no worries, Thomas covers these issues through a variety of gardening methods and spaces, from container and vertical gardening to hydroponic and greenhouse gardens. How to Become a Gardener is a beautiful encapsulation of Thomas’s love and appreciation for gardening that has everything you need to grow your own food and become the gardener you want to be. o

Brandie Bland is a senior multi-platform journalism major in the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, College Park. She is an intern this fall with Washington Gardener.

Teaming with Bacteria: The Organic Gardener’s Guide to Endophytic Bacteria and the Rhizophagy Cycle

Author: Jeff Lowenfels

Publisher: Timber Press

List Price: $25.00

Order Links: https://amzn.to/3uUXWyf and https://bookshop.org/ a/79479/9781643261393

Reviewer: Jaime Breeden

Jeff Lowenfels’s Teaming with Bacteria: The Organic Gardener’s Guide to Endophytic Bacteria and the Rhizophagy Cycle is an intense read despite the author’s best efforts to make this complex material digestible. I will admit, my knowledge of cellular biology and any topic related to it is more limited than my knowledge of gardening, and I have not read the previous books Lowenfels wrote. While the examples and explanations are sufficient for someone who has knowledge of either plants or cells, tackling this subject matter has been an uphill battle.

Lowenfels is not willing to let the class dunce fail the class. Whether you’re an experienced botanist or cytologist, the opening chapters act as guides to the half of the equation you might not understand. That’s not to say the early chapters are skippable for the experts among you. There’s an interesting synergy that goes on in the explanation of the two halves of Lowenfels’s research, showing how neither side of the scale can work without the other; how the smallest microbe helps to feed the largest plants and how the

microbes can’t enter the soil without being transported on seeds—a wonderful harmony.

Then comes what all that discussion is for: explaining advancements in the field that demonstrate the rhizophagy cycle. According to Lowenfels, this is essentially the microbes in the soil surrounding a plant’s roots, eating their way into the plant, and then being consumed by the plant: a back and forth in the soil food web. He likens it to a plant being a farmer who tends to a flock of bacteria, managing them for the sake of a healthy and hearty existence. This cycle of consumption, excretion, replenishment, and re-consumption is essentially what maintains the health of the plant.

So what? Is a gardener supposed to break out a microscope to determine whether their soil is going to bring bountiful, beneficial bacteria? The short answer is that scientists and fertilizer manufacturers are already working on this. This bacterial research is leading to new ways to replenish much-needed nutrients in planting beds. Lowenfels even offers tips about what to look for when trying to perfectly balance your garden’s particular micro-biome, including breakdowns for numerous example elements.

Lowenfels goes on to offer ideas for the future of this industry, outlining the potential challenges left for the science to face but also outlining the immense potential benefits of working toward this microbial future for the planet as a whole.

To wrap this up, this book is an extremely interesting read. There’s a lot for the adept to think about, and the ease with which Lowenfels writes about the subject makes the read enjoyable even if you have to have a web browser or dictionary open to look up terminology. A book like this may be a bit daunting for the beginner or even the average gardener. A lot of the ideas, while researched and studied, are essentially only useful for the home gardener to think about without many immediate, mechanical advantages. But for the subset of growers who’ve been following Lowenfels’s work, understand the world he’s writing about, and are wondering what the next big break in horticulture will be, this is an utter treat. I just wish I could have enjoyed it as much as those folks will. o

Jaime Breeden is a fourth-year journalism student at the University of Maryland, College Park and an intern this fall session with Washington Gardener.

Propagate: How to Regrow Your Houseplants

Authors: Paul Anderton and Robin Daly

Publisher: Hardie Grant Books

List Price: $19.99

Order Links: https://amzn.to/3FVIYyl and https://bookshop.org/ a/79479/9781784884925

Reviewer: Liz McGuinness

Propagate is intended for readers who would like to expand their houseplant collections or to provide houseplants as gifts to friends and family.

The book begins with a short description of the principles of propagation. The focus here is on asexual reproduction of plants, although there are examples of reproducing plants from seeds and ferns from spores. The principles section introduces the equipment needed and emphasizes the importance of healthy practices to avoid plant diseases.

Under each category, several individual plants are presented and for each of these, the authors describe what you will need and then provide step-by-step instructions for how to propagate the plant. The plants selected for the book provide examples of a range of propagation techniques.

For example, in the easy category, they present examples of runner propagation (spider plant), mid-stem cutting (Monstera), pad cutting (Bunny-ear cactus), propagation from side shoots (tomato plant), etc. The medium category present the leaf or petiole cutting (African violet) technique. In the difficult category, the air-layering technique is shown (Fiddle-leaf fig). Each plant section also provides information on how to care for your plant once you have propagated it.

The book is well laid out with instructive illustrations, as well as photos of each plant. The writing is clear and easy to understand. As an outdoor gardener and someone who does not know very much about houseplants, I found the book very encouraging. It demystifies the process of generating new plants. The only other ingredients needed are time and sufficient space for storing your propagants as they do their thing. o

Liz McGuinness works at the Center for Financial Inclusion. She lives and gardens in Washington, DC.

Orchid Muse: A History of Obsession in Fifteen Flowers

Author: Erica Hannickel

Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company List Price: $35.00

Order Links: https://amzn.to/3HGBiBh and https://bookshop.org/ a/79479/9780393867282

Reviewer: Jim Dronenburg

In Greek mythology, the Muses were goddesses who provided divine inspiration for artistic endeavor. This book’s title stems from the fact that, in the 13 essays/chapters that make it up, orchids have provided inspiration to some very famous (and some you probably never heard of) people. Strung together, into four sections (Orchid Love, Lust and Sex; the Science of an Obsession; the Business of Beauty; and Orchid Culture), they tell a fairly coherent history of our infatuation with orchids.

Some things you would expect: the orchid collectors at home and the people they sent out to “collect” for them. The nurseries that sent out entire teams, denuded great stretches of forest, and sent home shipments that could weigh, literally, tons, only to have just a few plants survive the journey, and even those die within a year or so, until people came to know what they wanted.

You would expect the great—the Dowager Empress of China, Cixi; Napoleon III’s Empress Eugenie; Queen Victoria—to grace these pages. And they do. But the detail of their loves for orchids is astounding.

I have reviewed an advance, uncorrected proof: in this proof, the many illustrations are black-and-white, with detail not clearly shown. They were nevertheless enjoyable, and will expect the color, final illustrations will be stunning.

The third section talks about nurseries of the 19th century and the period’s writers, focusing on Jane Loudon, and how the press popularized orchids even more.

At about this point, it becomes clear that the essays are actually connected in presenting a historical record of our growing knowledge of orchids, beginning with the fact that they actually require different conditions by genus and species. The fourth section goes on to detail advances in orchid culture, beginning with growing seeds on agar and meristem tissue culture, which has made orchids (in the broad sense) a household item for everyone, as opposed to just the fabulously wealthy. And there are famous people here,

too—the African American historian John Hope Franklin, for one, and—did you know that Raymond Burr (Perry Mason, Ironside) was an orchid collector and in fact co-owned an orchid nursery?

After the text of the book, there are appendices. The first is a glossary (with illustrations) of orchid terms, including the parts of an orchid. The second is “Top 15 Tips for Growing Orchids,” the first and best of these being “go to local growers and orchid societies for advice, rather than glib words online.”

The third, Acknowledgments, is a detailed listing of the author’s sources quoted in the text; here a (number) in the text doesn’t refer you to a footnote, but to this listing. With the “Select Bibliographies by Chapter” section that follows, this is a detailed guide for anyone wanting to find out more on any point. I have already ordered one other book after reading this book.

The last couple of pages are illustration credits, although all illustrations appeared fully credited in the captions with each image.

This is not a gardening book, except peripherally; it is a garden history book. And even if you never intend to have, wear, or grow an orchid, it is a fascinating read. Whatever the suggested price turns out to be, you should get and read this one. o

The Complete Book of Ground Covers: 4000 Plants that Reduce Maintenance, Control Erosion, and Beautify the Landscape

Author: Gary Lewis

Publisher: Timber Press List Price: $50.00

Order Links: https://amzn.to/3uUcv57 and https://bookshop.org/ a/79479/9781604694604

Reviewer: Jim Dronenburg

I am in awe of this book. It’s almost coffee-table size with quite a few (usually small, but good) photos, but the text predominates. Very little wasted space here!

And what a text. The first 69 pages (of 453) go into definitions and design points—what a ground cover is, what you can use it for (weed prevention, holding soil from erosion, or just good looks), things that you can do to make it either supporting cast or star in its own right. There are the par-for-thecourse listings of ground covers for specific uses, although these particular listings are quite long and worthwhile.

From there on until the end, the book is an alphabetical listing (by Latin names) of ground covers. Here it has to be said that size does matter for inclusion into the book. Even large things like the eight-foot-tall Helianthus salicifolius, which would seem to be more an “architectural” plant, are included, if they can indeed spread and cover ground. Like Who-ville, the tall and the small. As long as it spreads one way or another and gives good cover, it’s fair game. There are quite a few places where you have to sit back and re-think some of your categorizations…

It also is a good thing to mention that this is trying to be a book for all places. Things that demand exacting conditions are included—there are places where those conditions are the norm; things that are well-behaved in the author’s home base (British Columbia) and not necessarily so here. The book mentions Ampelopsis, “not grown with vertical support,” which is the sort of thing that Mid-Atlantic gardeners would shy away from (read, “run screaming”). So are other vines that are wellbehaved here, grown as ground trailers. This, in itself, is somewhat of an eyeopener as one normally thinks, “It’s a

vine, send it vertical.” There are quite a few possibilities for using particular vines, all worth reading.

The book covers the ho-hum through the uncommon to the rare, but one of the many shining points is that it lists cultivars of various ground covers (for example, heuchera, dianthus, coreopsis, ajuga)—where known by their species lineage and where applicable, the group of cultivars they belong to. A printed book will, of course, stay the same while new cultivars get added to the garden palette, but this is the best researched and presented listing I have seen. Within the scope of “things that cover ground,” it tries to be another Dirr’s Manual of Hardy Plants, and it actually succeeds. Entries include USDA hardiness zones, native ranges (where applicable), descriptions of the plant, usually culture and care, how it spreads, bloom time… The cultivar sub-listings tend more to distinguishing one cultivar from another, rather than the full cultural listing for the straight species. It is a monstrous amount of information—very welcome and new to me, new ideas, new plants, new cultivars—even though I worked in a nursery setting for years.

In the very back is a page of resources online, two pages of bibliography, and an index.

I have read this material page by page. I gave up after two full pages of notes of plants new to me to try to source…and I have to return this copy to the editor. I am going to buy this book for myself. You should, too. o

Jim Dronenburg is a retired accountant and now gardens full-time in Knoxville, MD.

Simply Ferntastic

In my humble opinion, one of the most overlooked group of plants in the forests and woodlands is ferns. And in the Washington, DC, area, more than 50 different native species of ferns are thriving. I can’t claim to be an expert in fern identification and that’s not because they’re difficult; it’s just that I haven’t had the time to study them to the depths that I’d like to.

Certainly the most ubiquitous fern we encounter on our woodland walks and hikes is Polystichum acrostichoides, or the “Christmas Fern.” Why do folks call this evergreen fern the “Christmas Fern”? There are two reasons and they both involve the individual pinnae or leaf blades on the frond. If you hold them horizontally, they resemble Santa Claus standing up on the back of his sled. If you hold them vertically, they resemble a Christmas stocking. C’mon, kids! A little imagination goes a long way here.

My favorite genus in the native fern world is Osmunda. This genus is named for Osmunder, the Saxon equivalent of the god Thor. There are three species of Osmunda in the genus.

Osmunda claytoniana or the “Interrupted Fern” (pictured above) is quite fascinating. The sterile fronds (meaning the ones that are not sporebearing) grow for a while, then pause to produce spore-bearing fertile pinnae, and then resume growing in the sterile mode again. Osmunda claytoniana is found in a wide variety of habitats throughout the region.

monly referred to as the “Hay Scented Fern” and with good reason: If you crush the frond, it gives off a fragrance of newly mowed grass. It can be found in large colonies in the full sun of open meadows and in shady woods.

Lygodium palmatum or the “Climbing Fern” is another curiosity among ferns. It grows in acidic wood soil. It is native to our region, but is considered threatened in many states. Its winding fronds can get to be over 3 feet long.

By Barry Glick

Osmunda regalis or the “Royal Fern” can be easily identified because it produces its fertile spores at the tip of its fronds. It is found in moist and swampy locations throughout the state. Osmunda regalis reproduces quite quickly via rhizome (underground stems) and by spore....but more about fern sex later.

Osmunda cinnamomea, known as the “Cinnamon Fern,” produces its spores on separate leaf blades arising from the center of the plant. They’re a wooly cinnamon-brown color and resemble cinnamon sticks.

Botrychium species are known as “Grape Ferns” because their spore clusters resemble bunches of grapes. They can be found in well-drained soil in the woods and in partially shaded meadows. These ferns are more difficult to transplant than most other ferns due to their dependency on soil fungi that help feed them.

Another curiosity in the fern world is Camptosorus rhizophyllus, also known as the “Walking Fern.” This distinctive little fern has 4–12" long, leathery leaves that taper to a point. It reproduces itself not only by spores, but also by forming new plantlets at the tip of its fronds that root themselves as the tip comes into contact with the soil. As each new plant becomes established, the process continues and after a few years, the newest baby is quite a ways from its mamma.

Dennstaedtia punctilobula is com-

The reproductive life cycle of ferns is quite intriguing. Spores are found in various locations on the different species, usually on the undersides of the fronds. When the time is right and these spores are mature, they’re released. They land in the soil and under favorable conditions, i.e., moisture, light, and temperature, develop into a prothallus, or small, leaf-like structure smaller than a dime. It’s on this structure that microscopic sexual organs are formed and fertilization takes place. Soon afterward, a root develops and shortly thereafter, a recognizable plant.

This process can be reproduced in the kitchen and you may just end up with thousands of new fern babies. Even if you don’t want to reproduce ferns, it’s fun to take a frond and lay it on a white sheet of paper in a warm location. In 24 hours, the sori (the scientific name for the capsules that enclose the spores) will open and release the spores onto the paper in a beautiful outline of the frond.

Ferns fill a void in the garden. They can add an attractive texture and create a dramatic statement as a single specimen or as a colony in the wild or natural shade garden. They require little attention other than an occasional feeding and cleanup of previous growing season’s fronds, depending on how tidy you keep your garden. o

Barry Glick, a transplanted Philadelphian, has been residing in Greenbrier County, WV, since 1972. His mountaintop garden and nursery is a mecca for gardeners from virtually every country in the world. He writes and lectures extensively about native plants and Hellebores, his two main specialties, and welcomes visitors with advance notice. He can be reached at barry@sunfarm.com, www.sunfarm.com, or 304.497.2208.

Ask the Expert

By Miri Talabac

Camellia Cuttings

Q: I’d like to propagate a family member’s camellia as a memento, but don’t know when cuttings should be taken or the best way to root them. What do you suggest?

A: If you have the luxury of time, prepare in advance to have ample softwood (young growth that’s still supplestemmed) by giving mature plants a light trim during the growing season. If the plant is already producing ample new growth on its own, this won’t be necessary. Mid- to late summer is suggested as the ideal time to take cuttings so the stems have semi-hardened by that time.

The late Dr. William Ackerman, plant scientist and camellia breeder, noted in his book Beyond the Camellia Belt: Breeding, Propagating, and Growing Cold-Hardy Camellias that the base of the cutting should be “beginning to harden and turn woody,” which occurs around mid-July and runs into early autumn in our area. I have read that the October-November timeframe is sometimes cooperative for taking cuttings, although in that case, expect that rooting won’t commence until spring.

Ackerman suggests an ideal cutting length of five nodes. (Nodes are the point on the stem where leaves attach.) A blend of coarse sand and peat moss or peat moss with perlite is a good rooting medium, and cuttings must be kept humid (but with enough air circulation to discourage fungi) so they don’t dehydrate.

Rooting hormone can help speed rooting, and some formulations contain a fungicide to discourage stem rot. Products come with different concentrations of hormone; the later in the season cuttings are taken, the stronger the concentration will have to be. Keep cuttings out of direct sunlight. If they are being rooted indoors, try using bottom heat from a seedling heat mat or another mild source of warmth—this will also encourage rooting. Even with all of this, it can take 6–8 weeks or longer for cuttings to root, depending on the time of year and maturity of the wood taken.

Propagation by grafting, air-layering, and seed collection and germination are also covered in Ackerman’s book, but taking cuttings is the most widely used method. The American Camellia Society also provides some tips on its Rooting Camellias page (americancamellias. com/education-and-camellia-care/ propagation/rooting-camellias).

that you’re worried a pet or child may eat when out in the yard, but otherwise you can ignore them and they’ll disintegrate and go away soon enough. Several wild animals enjoy eating mushrooms, including box turtles and turkeys.

Many fungal sources of mushrooms in the yard are either saprophytes or mycorrhizae. Saprophytes feed on organic matter that is already dead or degrading, like fallen leaves, dead plant roots (which are natural for healthy plants to have), dead insects or other animals, and other detritus. They are important recyclers that convert nutrients back into forms that live plants and other beneficial soil microbes can absorb. Mycorrhizae form intimate and essential partnerships with plant roots, enhancing their ability to absorb moisture and nutrients and aiding in plant growth. The majority of terrestrial plant species rely on them and they are beneficial for plant well-being.

Mystery Mushrooms

Q: I’ve seen mushrooms in the yard this year that I don’t recall seeing before. I do have trees in the area, but they appear to be fine. Should I be worried or remove the mushrooms?

A: Fortunately, the appearance of mushrooms isn’t necessarily a harbinger of doom. While some plant pathogens can produce prominent mushrooms, many other beneficial or harmless fungi do as well. Mushrooms are reproductive structures for fungi, not unlike flowers/ fruit for plants. This means that removal of the mushroom is akin to picking a bloom or ripe fruit on a perennial or tree: It may slightly stifle the ability to spread, but won’t remove or harm the main organism itself. As long as the fungus body remains alive and active, mushroom production can resume any time the environmental conditions are conducive to their growth.

You can certainly remove mushrooms

Here’s an interesting tidbit to illustrate that disparity in harmful versus harmless fungi: One of our office reference books is Macrofungi Associated with Oaks of Eastern North America. It provides an overview of a wide range of mushroom-producing fungi that can be found growing alongside oaks, although not always exclusively. Of the 216 species profiled, more than half at 125 species are mycorrhizal, 70 are decomposers (saprophytes), and only 21 are pathogens. That’s a lot of good-tohave-around fungi that we don’t need to worry about.

If it’s any consolation (perhaps not), mushrooms arising from active pathogens causing plant damage or dieback won’t be treatable once the mushrooms become evident, so even in that situation there’s no direct action you need to take. Trees with mushroom growth around their base can be evaluated by a certified arborist who can help determine if tree instability due to wood decay has become a concern. o

Miri Talabac is a Certified Professional Horticulturist who has worked as a horticulture consultant for the University of Maryland Extension Home and Garden Information Center since 2019. To ask a gardening or pest question, go to http://extension.umd. edu/hgic and scroll to “connect with us.” Digital photos can be attached.

Indigo Milk Cap mushroom.

Camellia sasanqua x hiemalis ‘Sparkling Burgundy’

MARCH/APRIL

SUMMER 2009

MAY/JUNE 2007

• Roses: Easy Care Tips

• Native Roses & Heirloom Roses

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• How to Plant a Bare-root Rose

MAY/JUNE

JULY/AUGUST 2007

• Groundcovers: Alternatives to Turfgrass

• How to Pinch, Prune, & Dead-head

• William Paca House & Gardens

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2007

• Succulents: Hardy to our Region

• Drought-Tolerant Natives

• Southern Vegetables

• Seed Saving Savvy Tips

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2007

• Gardening with Children

• Indoor Bulb-Forcing Basics

• National Museum of the American Indian

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• Grow Grapes in the Mid- Atlantic

• Passionflowers

• Mulching Basics • Growing Hops

FALL 2009

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WINTER 2009

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SPRING 2010

• Community Gardens

• Building a Raised Bed • Dwar f Iris • Broccoli

SUMMER 2010

• Fragrance Gardens

• Watering Without Waste • Lavender • Potatoes

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• Landscaping with Ornamental Grasses

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008

• Autumn Edibles — What to Plant Now

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• Best Time to Plant Spring-blooming Bulbs

• 14 Dry Shade Plants Too Good to Overlook

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008

• Outdoor Lighting Essentials

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• Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2009

• Compost Happens: Nature’s Free Fertilizer

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• Visiting Virginia’s State Arboretum

• Grow Winter Hazel for Winter Color

MARCH/APRIL 2009

• 40+

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MAY/JUNE 2009

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SUMMER 2011 • Ornamental Edibles

• Urban Foraging

• Amsonia/Arkansas Blue Star

• Growing Corn in the Mid-Atlantic

FALL 2011

• Herb Gardens

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WINTER 2011/EARLY SPRING 2012

• Green Roofs and Walls

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SPRING 2012

• Pollinator Gardens

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SUMMER 2012

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WINTER/EARLY SPRING 2014 • Ferns for the Mid-Atlantic • Chanticleer Gardens

• Beet Growing Basics

Audubon Naturalist Society 2

GardenDC Podcast 15

GreenScapes Symposium 17

Green Spring Gardens 2