A Visit to Pope Farm Nursery

By Kathy Jentz

Many of the trees, shrubs, and ornamental plants featured in the Montgomery County, MD, park system are grown at the Pope Farm Nursery in Gaithersburg, MD.

The facility on Airpark Road features greenhouses and open-air beds on its 92 acres. Pope Farm’s motto, “Qui Plantavit Curabit,” means, “One who plants, preserves.”

I recently had the opportunity to tour the unique growing operation with the Takoma Horticultural Society.

Pope Farm History

According to Brian Dahl, Pope Farm’s nursery manager, Pope Farm was originally part of a patented tract of land back in 1760 called “Cooke’s Range” that encompassed 1,100 acres of land. Shortly thereafter, John Cooke constructed the first dwelling on the site, which was/is known as the Range,” and still stands today. It is the oldest structure in the Montgomery Parks 30,000acre system (dendrology studies of the wood dated it back to that 1760 era).

In 1910, the farm at that point (194 acres, a parcel of the original land) was bought by the Pope family for $9,788.59 from Randolph-Macon College. It had been deeded to the college by one of the Cookes at some point, and then some additional land was purchased from the Griffith family and a Mr. Cattell, who had subdivided a parcel, bringing the total amount of the original Pope Farm to 220 acres.

“In 1923, the Popes decided to build a ‘new’ farmhouse, so ‘The Range’ was moved and located a short distance away and the main house was constructed, which is where our current nursery offices are housed,” said Dahl.

“As far as farming went for the Popes, different crops were tried over the years,” Dahl explained. “Tobacco was tried one year, but the soil was not apparently suitable. An orchard was planted of peach and apple trees, along with some managed beehives. Some income came from selling garden produce from the farm, as well as butchering products from chickens and turkey. Berry bushes were apparently plentiful and they picked and sold berries for jelly, jams, and wine. Of course, hay was a staple to help support animal life around the farm.”

Carpentry jobs were also a source of income for the Pope family. In 1968, the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission purchased Pope Farm and, in 1974, it officially opened as an operating nursery supplying various plant material to Montgomery Parks.

Pope Farm Production

Pope Farm’s native plant program can grow upward of 50,000 plants in production; the container section can have about 10,000 plants in production (1to 10-gallon perennials, shrubs, trees); the in-ground tree nursery has about 7,000 in tree production.

The native plant section has 180 various offerings; the in-ground tree nursery has about 220 offerings that include all genus/species combos. The container program offers about 150 different genus/species combos.

“We grow it all!,” said Dahl (pictured above). “Straight native species only are grown in our Native Plant Program sections—all of the seed source is of local ecotype. Our container-growing section grows trees that are straight native species, which are primarily used in reforestation-type projects. They also produce native, nativars, and non-native shrubs and herbaceous plants. Our in-ground tree nursery has very little straight species, but a fair amount of nativars and a bunch of non-natives.

“We also produce roughly 3,500 to 4,500 tons in our greens operation,” Dahl said. “All of the debris from Montgomery Parks comes to Pope Farm and gets converted to an end-use product that gets placed back out into the parks—mulch, compost, and wood chips. Also, we now have a sawmill where we used downed tree trunks to supply ourselves with lumber to support many needs of various projects throughout the parks.”

Visiting Pope Farm

“We are not generally open to the public. However, if someone had a real interest, they could contact me to arrange a visit,” Dahl said. He can be reached at Brian. Dahl@montgomeryparks.org.

“The only opportunity for the general public to purchase our plants is through our official spring and fall plants sales that run through our Locust Grove Nature Center in Bethesda, MD. Preorders take place before the sales at https://montgomeryparks.org.” o

Cheerful Begonias are Making a Comeback

Tuberous begonias are all hip and happening again, whether in pots on patios or balconies, or in the border. This is hardly surprising, given that their many flowers can be enjoyed for months in all manner of cheerful colors.

Tuberous begonias come in all shapes and sizes. Many new varieties have been developed specifically for the garden. From June until the first night frost, they show off their blooms non-stop in red, orange, pink, apricot, yellow, and white. In other words, you will enjoy lots of color for a whopping five months! Their foliage is interesting, too, with rounded as well as tapered shapes.

Tuberous begonias are divided into bedding and cascading species or pendulas. The bedding group consists of three categories: double-flowered, small-flowered, and single-flowered. Cascading begonias come in largeflowered and small-flowered varieties, with the blooms elegantly cascading down. They really come into their own in taller pots and hanging baskets.

You can buy begonias in spring as a dry, flat tuber. It is difficult to imagine that such a large plant will grow out of this small tuber.

Plant them outside after the risk of frost has passed since the tubers are not hardy (barring a few exceptions). You can also start planting the tubers indoors as early as March and put them in a warm, light place. This is called forcing bulbs. Once the risk of frost has passed, you can move them outside.

Most begonias prefer partial shade.

Keep a planting distance of 10 to 12 inches between tubers and make sure that the convex side faces down when planting. Sometimes you can already see small shoots on the hollow top. If in doubt, you can plant the tuber on its side.

Apply a thin layer (half an inch) of soil. If you are planting in pots, choose spacious pots with plenty of drainage holes in the bottom. Water the pot well after planting the tuber.

Begonias have shallow roots, so make sure that the top layer does not dry out. The plant will absorb a lot of water, especially when it is in full bloom.

Faded flowers will “self-shed”—in other words, fall off the stem of their own accord.

Position several tuberous begonias together to create a lovely corner in your garden or on your balcony.

Remove the tubers from the soil around the time of the first frost in fall. If you keep them in a cool and dark place over the winter, you will be able to replant them next year.

You can find more information about begonias at www.flowerbulbs.com. o

Multifunctional Patch Offers Early Detection of Plant Diseases

According to Matt Shipman at NC State News, researchers from North Carolina State University have developed an electronic patch that can be applied to the leaves of plants to monitor crops for different pathogens—such as viral and fungal infections—and stresses such as drought or salinity. In testing, the researchers found the patch was able to detect a viral infection in tomatoes more than a week before growers would be able to detect any visible symptoms of disease.

“This is important because the earlier growers can identify plant diseases or fungal infections, the better able they will be to limit the spread of the disease and preserve their crop,” said Qingshan Wei, corresponding author of a paper about the work and an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at NC State.

“In addition, the more quickly growers can identify abiotic stresses, such as irrigation water contaminated by saltwater intrusion, the better able they will be to address relevant challenges and improve crop yield.”

The technology builds on a previous prototype patch, which detected plant disease by monitoring volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by plants.

Plants emit different combinations of VOCs under different circumstances. By targeting VOCs that are relevant to specific diseases or stress, the sensors can alert users to specific problems.

“The new patches incorporate additional sensors, allowing them to monitor temperature, environmental humidity, and the amount of moisture being ‘exhaled’ by the plants via their leaves,” said Yong Zhu, co-corresponding author of the paper and Andrew A. Adams Distinguished Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at NC State.

The patches themselves are small— only 30 millimeters long and consist of a flexible material containing sensors and silver nanowire-based electrodes. The patches are placed on the undersides of leaves, which have a higher density of stomata the pores that allow the plant to “breathe” by exchanging gases with the environment—than the surface.

The researchers tested the new patches on tomato plants in greenhouses, and experimented with patches that incorporated different combinations of sensors. The tomato plants were infected with three pathogens: tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV); early blight, which is a fungal infection; and late blight, which is called an oomycete. The plants were also exposed to a variety of abiotic stresses, such as overwatering, drought conditions, lack of light, and high salt concentrations in the water.

“Our results for detecting all of these challenges were promising across the board,” Wei said. “For example, we found that by using a combination of three sensors on a patch, we were able to detect TSWV four days after the plants were first infected. This is a significant advantage, since tomatoes don’t normally begin to show any physical symptoms of TSWV for 10–14 days.”

The researchers say they are two steps away from having a patch that growers can use. First, they have to make the patches wireless a relatively simple challenge. Second, they have to test the patches in the field to ensure they work under real-world conditions.

The paper, “Abaxial leaf surfacemounted multimodal wearable sensor for continuous plant physiology monitoring,” is available in the open-access journal Science Advances o

New Plant Spotlight

New Tulip Named in Honor of First Lady Jill Biden

During Dutch Tulip Days (April 2023), the newest tulip was formally named in honor of First Lady Jill Biden and accepted into the official tulip registry of the Royal General Bulb Growers Association of the Netherlands. This ceremony highlighted the diversity and strength of bilateral ties between the Netherlands and the United States.

According to Caroline Berenschot Feitel, senior agricultural advisor, agriculture, nature, and food quality Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Washington, DC, Tulipa ‘Jill Biden’ will be available for sale in the U.S. and all over the world. “The next few years, specific growers in the Netherlands will be working on multiplying this particular bulb,” Berenschot Feitel said

“This tulip has a unique color: orange with a slight color of red. It is a fringed tulip, which is becoming more and more popular among consumers. However, the availability of this type of tulip is less in comparison with more regular tulip cultivars: Fringe tulips only cover about 2% of the total acreage of tulip bulb production in the Netherlands. It is an end-product of many years of hybridizing and has proved to be a strong tulip that is highly resistant to plant pests and diseases.” o

Quick Links to Recent Washington Gardener Blog Posts

• Peas Popping in the Community Garden

• Bletilla Plant Profile

• Intern Update in the Garden Plot

• Sourcing Native Plants

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

May–June Garden To-Do List

• If you started seeds last month, thin them and start the hardening-off process.

• Cut back spent Tulip and Daffodil blooms, but not the foliage!

• Divide and replant crowded Daffodils.

• Feed your roses and new plantings sparingly with slow-release fertilizer

• Provide supports for fast-growing perennials such as delphiniums, peonies, and lilies.

• Tie up clematis and other fast-growing climbing vines.

• Hose off aphids, white flies, or spider mites on your roses or other perennials.

• Deadhead spent blooms on your annuals and perennials to encourage re-flowering.

• Water your newly planted shrubs, trees, and perennials.

• Weed regularly.

• Go on a local house and garden tour to see what plants are thriving in other area home gardens.

• Pinch back mums, salvias, and other late-season bloomers to encourage bushy, not leggy, growth.

• Check pots and containers daily for water needs.

• Plant dahlias, gladioli, caladiums, and cannas.

• Direct-sow annual flower seeds.

• Thin vegetable seeds sown directly in the garden.

• Move your houseplants outdoors for a summer vacation.

• Put slug traps around your vulnerable edibles and hostas.

• Prune back forsythia, spirea, and other early-spring blooming shrubs.

• Check for black spot on your roses—remove and discard any affected leaves in the trash, never back into your garden or in your compost—and apply a fungicide with Neem oil every two weeks during the growing season.

• Cut some flowers to enjoy inside—make a small arrangement for every room.

• Sow squash and melon seeds.

• Plant seedlings or direct-sow sweet potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants.

• Fertilize azaleas and rhododendrons, if needed.

• Divide crowded perennials and share them.

• Turn your compost pile.

• Start a water garden or renew an existing one for the season.

• Mark and photograph your bulb plantings now, while they are still visible.

• Keep a sharp eye out for fungal diseases and pests.

• Replace cool-season annuals with heat-loving ones.

• Be vigilant for mosquito breeding spots—any standing water, from a bottle-cap to blocked gutters—and clean them out immediately. Ask your surrounding neighbors to do the same. Put Mosquito Dunks in any areas that accumulate water.

• Plant tomatoes and peppers. To start them off right, put in cages/stakes at same time as you plant them, so you do not disturb their roots later.

Place a collar (cardboard tube or hollowed cat-food can) around the tender plants to prevent cutworms. Put crushed eggshells in the planting hole of tomatoes for extra calcium and mix lime into the soil surrounding the plant to prevent blossom-end rot. Fertilize with kelp extract or fish emulsion.

• Hand-pick cabbage worms from cabbage and broccoli. o