Washington Gardener November 2020

NOVEMBER 2020 VOL. 15 NO. 9

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the magazine for gardening enthusiasts in the Mid-Atlantic region

Look Out for Invasive Jumping Worms Creating Habitat for Northern Mockingbirds

Smokebush (Cotinus coggygria)

Woodland Native Crane Fly Orchid Meet the U.S. Botanic Garden’s Executive Director Screen Out Bulb-Stealing Squirrels What to Do in the Garden this Month Leave the Leaves A New Vision for the Tidal Basin

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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.

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Green Spring Gardens

www.greenspring.org

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

Located at 4603 Green Spring Rd., Alexandria, VA. Information: 703-642-5173.

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

www.sunfarm.com

Izel Plants

Online Marketplace for Native Plants

Ask Maryland’s Garden Experts extension.umd.edu/hgic

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FEATURES and COLUMNS

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Mockingbirds can mimic the songs of other birds and a male bird can learn 200 of them over the course of its life.

In the 19th century, Northern Mockingbirds were sold for their prized songs and almost vanished from the East Coast as people robbed nests and captured adult birds. In 1828, particularly melodious birds went for upward of $50 each in New York City.

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Win passes to the Urban Trees Summit!

See contest details on page 5.

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The fall color of a Smokebush Winecraft Black® grown in a container is almost as spectacular as the summer show it puts on with its seedheads.

Photo courtesy of Spring Meadows Nursery Inc. and Proven Winners, www. provenwinners.com.

The proposed visions for a new Tidal Basin in Washington, DC, includes this one from GGN. The public is invited to view an online exhibition to share feedback on ideas for the evolution of this important part of America’s landscape.

BIRDwatch 22 Northern Mockingbird BOOKreviews 18-20 Garden Elements, Geriatric Gardener, Ferns, Mushrooms, The Conservatory DAYtrip 6-7 Tidal Basin Proposals GOINGnative 16 Crane Fly Orchid INSECTindex 21 Invasive Jumping Worms HORThappening 8-9 DC Garden News Round-Up NEIGHBORnetwork 14-15 Saharah Moon Chapotin, Executive Director of the United States Botanic Garden NEWPLANTspotlight 11 KangaRhu™ Rhubarb PLANTprofile 17 Smokebush TIPStricks 10 What is Hay, Stopping BulbStealing Squirrels, Leave the Leaves

DEPARTMENTS

ADVERTISINGindex BLOGlinks EDITORletter GARDENcontest GARDENDCpodcasts LOCALevents MONTHLYtasklist NEXTissue READERreactions RESOURCESsources

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ON THE COVER

Smokebush or Smoketree at Tudor Place in Georgetown, Washington, DC.

In our December issue: Holiday Garden Gift Ideas Winter Interest Bird Feeder Tips and much more . . .

Be sure you are subscribed!

Click on the “subscribe” link at washingtongardener.com NOVEMBER 2020

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EDITORletter

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 Lindsay Garbacik Nicole Noechel Interns Cover price: $4.99 Back issues: $6.00 Subscription: $20.00

A gorgeous fall day at AHS River Farm in Alexandria, VA.

Big Changes Coming Along the Potomac

This issue contains some news about big changes coming to our local public gardens and landscapes. The plans to sell the current headquarters of the American Horticultural Society (AHS) came as a shock to many who view this as a huge loss, the new owner does not continue to open the grounds to the general public. This historic property is one of George Washington’s original five farms in Northern Virginia and is down the road from the Mount Vernon estate. Where is a rich benefactor to swoop in and save it?

The next set of planned big changes will be a remake of the Tidal Basin area. I personally find the visions shared in the online Ideas Lab to be stunningly beautiful and exciting. It is going to be interesting to follow this developing story in coming years and see how the public reacts to it.

Another change coming soon to the DC cityscape is the 11th Street Bridge Park, which will be built on the original pillars of the old road bridge crossing the Anacostia River. This park is touted as our local answer to New York City’s famed High Line. I have attended several presentations and public meetings throughout the project planning period. The landscape design itself is impressive, but even more interesting to me is the community-building and educational programming that are coming with it. It is heartening to see a project that is designed from the start to truly unite us.

Happy gardening,

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

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• Washington Gardener Blog: www.washingtongardener.blogspot.com • Washington Gardener Archives: http://issuu.com/washingtongardener • Washington Gardener Discussion Group: https://groups.google.com/g/ washingtongardener/ • Washington Gardener Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/WDCGardener • Washington Gardener Instagram: www.instagram.com/wdcgardener • Washington Gardener Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ WashingtonGardenerMagazine/ • Washington Gardener YouTube: www.youtube.com/ washingtongardenermagazine • Washington Gardener Store: www.amazon.com/shop/wdcgardener • Washington Gardener Podcast: https://anchor.fm/kathy-jentz/ • Washington Gardener is a womanowned business. We are proud to be members of: · GardenComm (GWA: The Association for Garden Communicators) · Green America Magazine Leaders Network · Green America Business Network Volume 15, Number 9 ISSN 1555-8959 © 2020 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.

READERcontt

Reader Contest

For our November 2020 Washington Gardener Magazine Reader Contest, Washington Gardener is giving away passes to the upcoming Urban Tree Summit (pass value $25).

Montgomery Parks; Montgomery County, MD; and Casey Trees, Washington, DC, present the 9th annual Urban Tree Summit (formerly known as the Trees Matter Symposium). Presentations will focus on the health and welfare of trees in our increasingly developed landscapes. Learn from some of the country’s leading experts about innovative efforts to plant, protect, and preserve trees in urban and suburban settings. Trees provide many benefits: They clean and cool our air, stabilize our soils, provide wildlife habitat, and beautify our urban and suburban areas. Learn new techniques and concepts about what can be done to ensure the survival of trees in our built environment. Details at www.montgomeryparks.org/events/urban-tree-summit/.

To enter to win passes to the Urban Tree Summit, send an email to WashingtonGardenerMagazine@gmail.com by 5:00pm on Wednesday, November 25, with “Urban Tree Summit” in the subject line and in the body of the email, tell us what your favorite article was in this issue and why. Include your full name and mailing address. The winner will be announced by November 27. 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.

READERreactions

October 2020 Issue I spent many hours as a child picking Japanese Beetles off my father’s roses.

I worked hard. I was paid a penny a beetle, and although it was a source of spending money, my arms and hands would be scratched up from all the thorns. The front yard had ugly traps, pulsating with live insects, and my father would have to periodically spray.

As an adult, it never seemed worth all the effort even though I love roses. After reading the article, “Yes! You Can Grow Roses,” I realized that I can do this, and possibly have an even better display than my father’s with even less effort! ~ Carol Kuhns, Alexandria, VA The article I most enjoyed was the one on the cutleaf staghorn sumac. I had never heard of this plant, but it sounds like a keeper. I have always loved the fall color of sumacs and this one seems to be beautifully colored at all times.

Thanks for letting us know about it. ~ Barbara Delaney, Bethesda, MD I liked Mastering Perfect Bulb–Perennial Combinations, because I am trying to make my garden look more interesting. ~ Maya Russell, Wokingham, Berkshire, United Kingdom I enjoyed the article about Japanesestyle companion planting and the book

by Toshio Kimima. I am planning a raised bed vegetable garden for the spring, and I believe the tips in this book will be useful. ~ April Studeny, Baltimore, MD

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.

My favorite article was “Planting Garlic at the Correct Time in Fall,” because I have always wondered why it’s best to wait till later in October to plant it, and now I know why! The plant focuses on root production, instead of focusing on the part above the soil. It was also helpful to know that garlic can benefit from wood ash. One of the toughest things I have found is finding good sources of affordable garlic. Every fall, I struggle to find good sources. I go to different farmers markets, but still haven’t found the best source. Many farmers plant their best cloves, instead of selling it.

Many websites sell out or are way too expensive. ~ Roshani Kothari, Washington, DC o NOVEMBER 2020

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DAYtrip Photos by Sam Kittner, National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Tidal Basin Ideas Lab Launched to Address Landmark’s Urgent Needs

By Nicole Noechel

Over the past 10 years, Washington’s historic Tidal Basin has experienced worsening daily flooding and crumbling infrastructure, according to the Trust for the National Mall’s Executive Vice President, Teresa Durkin. At high tide, the cherry trees in the grove stand in 3 feet of water, and the issue is projected to worsen in coming years.

The negative impacts of urbanization, coupled with climate risk, rising tide levels, and the gradual sinking of the area have caused the landscape to become endangered, according to the Tidal Basin Ideas Lab website (www. tidalbasinideaslab.org). Sidewalks have become impassable, and it is estimated that only a handful of the original trees, donated by Japan in 1912, remain.

To address these problems, the Trust for the National Mall, along with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and civic partner Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill, have teamed up to create the online Tidal Basin Ideas Lab with five reconstruction plans by worldrenowned architects and design firms such as Hood Design Studio, James 6

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Corner Field Operations, and Gustafson Guthrie Nichol.

“We created this project to look at all of the issues in a creative way,” Durkin said. “It’s not a design competition and it’s not a master plan—we’re not looking for a winner here. We’re looking at how we can have creative solutions as we go forward with trying to repair the Tidal Basin, because it’s complicated—there are many layers of things to look at, like accessibility and infrastructure and hydrology.”

Some ideas that have been proposed include building a land bridge between the Jefferson Memorial and the White House, relocating trees and monuments away from flooded areas, and cultivating wetlands and new forests to absorb the water.

According to Durkin, the Trust for the National Mall and the National Trust for Historic Preservation began looking at the possibility of having an Ideas Lab initiative in 2016. Since then, they have been working to secure funding and gather ideas from different designers.

“I’m the project manager, along

with my partner, Siri Warden, from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

We’ve worked very closely to build the framework for the Ideas Lab and write the manual and reach out to engage the designers,” Durkin said. “Before we got into this COVID period, we were planning to have an exhibit at the Building Museum, but it became clear that we were going to have to find a different way to share the information with the public, so in the last three months, we created a website, and that’s where all the materials are living right now.”

The online exhibition is probably for the better, because the public will have more time to review the different plans and give feedback.

“We hope that we can get community engagement and community feedback about some of the ideas and incorporate the ones that are feasible for us to achieve in the short term, sooner rather than later,” Durkin said.

The public’s input is crucial, according to Durkin, because they are the ones who will visit the landmark for years to come.

DAYtrip “It’s a beloved landscape, and it was originally designed to be a place of recreation for the public,” she said.

“Over time, it has become a place for monuments and memorials as well, starting around the 1940s when the Jefferson Memorial was conceived. That value and purpose has been added to it over the years, and with that comes a higher visitor shift.”

The Trust for the National Mall and National Trust for Historic Preservation hope that they can adopt some of the designers’ plans in the short term, but many of the projects will span decades to come. These phased changes will

keep the area as open as possible for the public, so visitors can continue to enjoy the monuments and iconic scenery.

“I have done multiple projects on the National Mall, and most of them take at least 10 years, even if they’re very straightforward and relatively simple,” Durkin said. “This one is by far the most complex, and it’s the one where we’re really going to need public support and federal dollars, so I anticipate it will take some time.”

The most-immediate issue is the flooding of areas along the edge of the Tidal Basin, which Durkin hopes to resolve as soon as possible.

The Tidal Basin, home to the Jefferson Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, and Franklin D. Roosevelt

Memorial, as well as thousands of cherry trees that draw visitors to the area each spring, is an irreplaceable element of the National Mall.

To contribute to its necessary renovation, visit tidalbasinideaslab.org and click on the “Participate” tab to fill out surveys and share feedback directly with project leaders.

“This is a landscape that has been evolving over time, and we should continue to think of it as a place that’s going to continue to evolve,” said Durkin. “We just want everybody to spread the word and help us get to our project goals.” o Nicole Noechel is a senior multiplatform journalism major and history minor at the University of Maryland. She is interning this fall semester with Washington Gardener.

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HORThaenings A mural at the Hopkins Community Park in SE, DC, created by local artists Mark Garrett and Dietrich Williams. Courtesy of Ayanah George Photography.

DC Garden News Round-Up Here is a round-up of recent gardenrelated news releases and briefings in our region.

American Horticultural Society to Sell River Farm In September, the board of the American Horticultural Society (AHS) shared with its members the news that they were exploring the possibility of merging with the American Public Gardens Association (APGA) and selling their River Farm property.

In reaction, a Facebook group called “Stop the Sale” was formed and an online petition to “Save Historic River Farm” was started.

After public outcry and reaction to the news, AHS Board Chair Terry Hayes wrote this update to AHS members in October: “Our goal has been to look at a variety of possibilities and identify the best solution that would allow for the continuation of our national programming during very difficult financial cir8

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cumstances for AHS. The solution has had to be proactive, deliberate, and dramatic in the face of the pandemic and its effects on our revenue streams.

“We have greatly appreciated your outreach and input, which the AHS board has heard and taken to heart.

The resounding sentiment has been that we are proud of AHS’s century long legacy and greatly desire to find a solution that allows our mission—and the AHS name—to live on in the future with an increased national presence. Our mission demands that we seek opportunities [that] expand geographic accessibility and programs that resonate with diverse communities across the United States from Alaska to Florida and from Maine to Hawaii.

“With that in mind, rather than moving forward with a merger with APGA, our board has committed to maintaining AHS as an independent national nonprofit with its own board, staff, and

By Kathy Jentz

headquarters. The board is now working diligently to further develop a sustainable business model that would allow AHS to streamline expenses and continue operating as an independent national nonprofit organization for the next 100 years. The charge is to develop a model that would allow the varied programming and resources that our members across the United States know and enjoy to continue while adding new programming to keep AHS relevant and help it make a connection between people and plants. As part of this new model, we are focused on building collaborative relationships with APGA and other like-minded organizations [that] have a shared interest in building and expanding horticultural programming and other initiatives across the country. “...to move forward with this renewed vision, we are dependent on the proceeds from the sale of River Farm.

These funds would create a significant

HORThaenings endowment that has been the missing link in our financial viability. Our hope is to find a buyer—a new steward—for River Farm who will work to preserve this beautiful and historic property.”

The River Farm property was officially put on sale and you can view the listing on Realtor.com. The grounds were closed to the general public beginning on Monday, November 9, 2020, until further notice.

Dumbarton Oaks Remains Closed

As a public health precaution, the Dumbarton Oaks Museum and Garden are closed temporarily, at least through February 28, 2021. During this time, all public events will be virtual.

A statement posted online said, “We are closely monitoring developments regarding the COVID-19 outbreak and will update our website to reflect any changes to our operations and programming.”

Meadowlark’s Winter Walk of Lights Tickets Refunded/Rescheduled

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens sent out an alert about its Winter Walk of Lights: “In response to Virginia Governor’s Executive Order amended November 13, 2020, we ask that you please consider the following new information as well as our measures that are already in place. Due to these new guidelines, all previously purchased tickets for November 16–January 3, 2021, have been refunded. You must re-purchase your tickets.”

grow and distribute organic fruits, vegetables, and herbs to families throughout Southeast Washington, DC. The farms create a network of healthy, accessible choices during COVID-19—a time where the disparities in food access and affordability in the DC-area are more apparent than ever.

Destinee Johnson, a program associate with the 11th Street Bridge Park, said, “From day one, we hit the ground running and were very intentional about the community engagement with Hopkins residents. Because of that, we came to know the big hearts that are behind Hopkins’ balconies. Without the special skills of carpenters, early morning risers, intricate stories, maternal instincts, and open hearts of Hopkins residents, this project would not be possible. Not only were folks eager to get their hands in the paint and help out with the mural in any way they could, but many were eager to flaunt their knowledge about what was growing down in the farm! It takes a village, and I am grateful for each and every person [who] worked with us on this project.”

Urban Agriculture Programs at 28 Public Gardens Awarded Funds

The U.S. Botanic Garden (USBG) and American Public Gardens Association have partnered to offer support to established urban agriculture and other urban food-growing programs at public gardens affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This summer, they awarded $378,000 to 28 public gardens. The Urban Agriculture Resilience Program aims to promote resilience, grow capacity, prevent shortfalls, and gather best practices from established programs around the U.S. public gardens community.

With the assistance of these funds, participating gardens in 19 states and Washington, DC, will be able to grow and distribute produce, especially to communities with food access challenges; maintain and expand urban agriculture and other food-growing education programs; and promote wellness and nutrition by educating the public about growing and consuming fruits and vegetables. o

Local Artists + SE DC Community Collaborate to Celebrate Culture, Provide Healthy Food

11th Street Bridge Park, a project of Building Bridges Across the River, along with some of DC’s most talented artists and community residents, collaborated to create a community mural for the Hopkins Bridge Park Farm and Orchard.

The artists, Mark Garrett and Dietrich Williams, created the mural as a reflection of the farm, community, and the voices of its residents (pictured on page 8).

The Hopkins Bridge Park is part of a network of six local urban farms that NOVEMBER 2020

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TIPStricks

What is Hay?

Fall’s signature decoration is more than meets the eye. Whether you’re at a pumpkin patch or decorating your front porch, hay is the predominant ingredient in styling the fall season. But what is hay exactly? The Sustainable, Secure Food Blog, produced by the American Society of Agronomy and Crop Science Society of America, explained the facts.

• The “hay” you’ve sat on during hayrides is actually straw! Straw refers to the plant material that is left over after grains like wheat and barley are harvested. The stems left behind dry out and become straw. There is little to no nutrition in straw; the nutrition lies in the grain. Stalks of straw is usually considered a waste product but can be used in a variety of ways.

• Straw can be used as bedding for animals, material for making baskets or hats, and even as a fuel source for bioenergy. Straw can also be used as a mulch, insulation in a house, and, of course, fall decoration.

• Actual hay is something an animal can eat. Many farmers depend on hay to feed their cattle, sheep, or horses during long winters. Hay usually comes from nutritious plants such as ryegrass or legumes like clover or alfalfa.

• Hay is a mixture of plants. It is produced on perennial crops and lands that would not be productive for growing other things.

• Hay can become moldy or damaged if it is not stored properly. Hay can be made into rectangular-shaped bales, weighing 50–60 pounds apiece. They were originally shaped this way in the 1950s so they could be stacked in a hayloft or barn until they were needed.

• During the 1970s, new machinery caused a revolution in hay-making by making large, round balers possible. The main reason hay producers switched to these larger round bales is to save on labor costs.

• Hay is typically harvested before the plants make seed and are just growing leaves. These leaves are packed with nutrients and are easy for an animal to digest.

To read more about hay and straw, go to: sustainable-secure-food-blog. com/2018/10/07/whats-the-difference-between-hay-and-straw/. o 10

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Screen Out Bulb-Stealing Squirrels

Fall is the time to plant tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, crocuses, alliums, and the other spring-flowering bulbs. While squirrels won’t eat daffodils and rarely go for an allium or hyacinth, they find tulip and crocus bulbs downright delicious. Best of all to a squirrel, freshly planted bulbs in loose soil are easy to sniff out and dig up.

Where squirrels are a problem, tulip and crocus lovers in particular seek ways to dissuade digging paws. A physical barrier is a popular deterrent. Covering beds with cut-to-size chicken wire is often the choice for high-profile plantings.

Master Gardener Sally Ferguson favors a simpler approach. “Use adjustable window screens; the cheaper, the better,” says Ferguson, who demonstrates their use in a short video on the Colorblends YouTube Channel. Colorblends is a Connecticutbased flower bulb company that sells direct to landscape professionals and home gardeners coast-to-coast at wholesale prices with a minimum order of $60.

“Adjustable window screens keep squirrels out and let rain in. Slide them in or out to fit broader trench plantings or narrower bulb clusters between perennials,” she says. Place the screens on top of the soil after planting. Secure them with a rock so they won’t blow away. Leave them in place until the ground freezes hard, then put them away until needed again next fall.

Ferguson keeps a stash of “expando screens” that range in size from 10 inches to 25 inches deep, each with a slide expansion of 15 to 37 inches. She picked hers up at yard sales and end-of-season closeouts at hardware stores. “They cost peanuts, last forever, are always ready for use, are easy to store.” o

This Fall, Remember to Leave the Leaves

Raking up fallen leaves and sending them to a landfill in bags is the norm for most American families during the fall. However, these actions not only harm the environment and wildlife habitat; they also rob your garden of precious nutrients.

“Leaves form a natural mulch that helps suppress weeds and fertilizes the soil as it breaks down. Why spend money on mulch and fertilizer when you can make your own? Turning leaves into solid waste is, well, wasteful,” said National Wildlife Federation Naturalist David Mizejewski. “Removing leaves also eliminates vital wildlife habitat. Critters ranging from turtles and toads to songbirds, mammals, and invertebrates rely on leaf litter for food, shelter, and nesting material. Many moth and butterfly caterpillars overwinter in fallen leaves before emerging in spring. Also, sending organic matter such as leaves to the landfill causes the release of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. Best of all, the less time you spend removing leaves, the more time you’ll have to enjoy the gorgeous fall weather and the wildlife that visits your garden.”

The solution: Let leaves stay where they fall. Wherever possible, let fallen leaves break down naturally, which helps improve the soil and provides countless wildlife species with habitat. If fallen leaves will smother your lawn or planting beds, rake the leaves out to an open area, mow or shred them, then rake them back in to the garden beds as a light mulch. If you must remove leaves, compost them on site rather than throwing them away. o

GARDENnews

Quick Links to Recent Washington Gardener Blog Posts • Plant Profile: Monkey Balls • DIY: Succulent Book Planter • Lettuce is Ready for its Close-Up • Fuchsia Fun on Bloom Day See more Washington Gardener blog posts at: WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com o

November-December Garden To-do List

New Plant Spotlight KangaRhu™ Rhubarb The result of nearly 10 years of development at Gurneys, ‘KangaRhu’ Rhubarb offers outstanding quality and superior summer production. Perhaps best of all, this new variety makes it possible to grow delicious garden rhubarb in areas where warm summer nights restrict production of typical rhubarb varieties.

‘KangaRhu’ Rhubarb was developed using genetics adapted to Australia, one of the most-challenging gardening environments to be found anywhere.

The red stalks of ‘KangaRhu’ are the darkest of any rhubarb. They cook up a brilliant red, and they taste great.

The plants grow up to 36 inches tall and thrive throughout USDA zones 4-8.

‘KangaRhu’ Rhubarb bareroot plants are available at gurneys.com. o

Photos courtesy of Gurneys.com.

• Switch your deer deterrent spray if you’ve been using the same one for several months. Re-apply after heavy rains.

• Have your soil tested at least once every three years.

• Cover carrots and other root crops with straw to extend the harvest season.

• Deadhead spent mums and plant them (if they are still in pots).

• Don’t panic over leaf/needle drop on established evergreen shrubs and rhododendrons. It is normal for them to shed a third at this time of year .

• Bulb foliage already starting to surface? Don’t fret. It is also normal and will not affect next year’s blooms.

• Check for vole problems and set out traps.

• Caulk and seal your home to prevent wildlife from coming indoors.

• Protect fig trees from freezing by piling up leaves around them.

• Clean the leaves of your indoor houseplants to prevent dust and film build-up.

• Collect plant seeds for next year’s planting and for trading.

• Turn off outdoor water valve and store hoses.

• Store terra cotta pots in a shed or protected areas.

• Prune and mulch hybrid tea roses.

• Harvest the last of your vegetables and till compost into the beds.

• Plant garlic for harvest next spring.

• Force spring bulbs for indoor blooms this January by potting them up, watering thoroughly, and placing them in your vegetable crisper for about 10 weeks.

• Remove this year’s fruiting raspberry canes down to the ground.

• Clean out your ponds and compost annual plants. Move hardy plants to deeper water. Cover with netting to block falling leaves.

• 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.

• Vacuum up any ladybugs that come in the house.

• Rotate houseplants to promote even growth.

• Pot up Paperwhites and Amaryllis for holiday blooming.

• Water evergreens and new plantings to keep them hydrated this winter.

• Fertilize your lawn and re-seed if needed.

• Transplant trees and shrubs.

• Continue to divide and transplant perennials.

• Rake leaves, shred, and gather in compost piles.

• Start feeding birds to get them in the habit for this winter.

• Attend a local garden club meeting.

• Turn your compost pile weekly and don’t let it dry out. Work compost into your planting beds.

• Plant evergreens for winter interest.

• Weed.

• Take a break from holiday stress to enjoy your garden.

• Do not place live wreaths or greenery in-between your door and a glass storm door, especially if the doorway is facing south. This placement will “cook” the arrangement on a sunny day.

• Sign up all your friends and family for garden magazine subscriptions as holiday gifts. o NOVEMBER 2020

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GARDENDCpodcast

GardenDC Podcast Episode Guide

The GardenDC podcast is all about gardening in the greater Washington, DC, and Mid-Atlantic area. The program is hosted by Kathy Jentz, editor of Washington Gardener Magazine, and features guest experts in local horticulture.

Episode 1: A discussion with garden writer Marianne Willburn about the Philadelphia Flower Show, rose pruning, Edgeworthia, March gardening tasks, and more.

Episode 2: A chat with Kit Gage, a Chesapeake Bay landscape professional, about the recent Green Matters Symposium, the novel The Overstory, and Doug Tallamy’s Nature’s Best Hope. The Plant Profile is the cool-season annual Sweet Alyssum.

Episode 3: A chat with Kim Roman of Square Foot Gardening 4 U (SFG4U) about Square Foot Gardening techniques, microgreens, and what cool-season edibles you can start right now. The Plant Profile in this episode is about Forsythia.

Episode 4: A talk with Doug Oster all about tomatoes—from the earliest varieties to ripen to combating blight issues—along with Doug’s best tips and tricks. Our Plant Profile in this episode is Heuchera.

Episode 5: A talk with Abra Lee of Conquer the Soil, who is a horticultural storyteller and Longwood Fellow. The Plant Profile focuses on the Pussy Willow and we add a new segment about what is growing in our community garden plot and home garden this week.

Episode 6: A chat with David Ellis, editor of The American Gardener, the magazine of the American Horticultural Society, about favorite spring-flowering trees and shrubs.

The Plant Profile is about pansies/violas and we reflect on the late, great Henry Mitchell.

Episode 7: A chat with returning guest Marianne Willburn about chickens in the garden, her fuzzy ducklings, and her new hugelkultur installation. The Plant Profile is about lilacs and we vent about leaf blowers.

Episode 8: A chat with Heather Zindash about IPM and best practices for diagnosing and treating issues in your garden. I share why gardening is not canceled and the Plant Profile is Kale.

Episode 9: An in-depth talk with Barbara Bullock about all things azalea—from planting tips to pruning to favorite selections.

She is the recently retired curator of the 12

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U.S. National Arboretum’s azalea collection. We also reminisce a bit about Behnke Nurseries, and Barbara talks about what gardening in retirement is like.

Episode 10: A chat with Peter Pepper about growing Peppers, I describe my visit to Rachel Carson’s home a few years ago, and I discuss what is blooming in my garden.

The Plant Profile is fothergilla.

Episode 11: A chat about Lotus with Kelly Billing of Water Becomes a Garden, and I answer a listener question about harvesting Asparagus. I share what is blooming in my garden and the Plant Profile is Calamintha.

Episode 12: A chat with Eva Monheim about her new book on Shrubs and Hedges.

I opine about gardening in movies and the Plant Profile is Hakone Grass.

Episode 13: A chat with Connie Hilker of Hartwood Roses about Heritage (aka Old or Heirloom) Roses. I share my love of Crocs and the Plant Profile is Hardy Waterlily.

Episode 14: A chat with Niraj Ray of Cultivate the City about unusual edibles, including Papalo, Malabar Spinach, and Megberries. I share my Confessions of a Plant Killer and the Plant Profile is Daylilies.

Episode 15: A wide-ranging conversation with plantswoman Carol Allen about Orchids, insects, hummingbirds, and more. The Plant Profile is Common Milkweed, and I share why gardening has real value.

Episode 16: A talk with Tony Sarmiento about all things Garlic. The Plant Profile is Lavender and I share my lessons in Nostress Gardening.

Episode 17: An in-depth conversation with Mike Whalen about garden photography. The Plant Profile is Hardy Geranium, and I share my “Confessions of a Plant Hoarder.”

Episode 18: A chat with Jenny Rose Carey about shade gardening. The Plant Profile is Clematis and we provide tips for “Logging Offline in the Garden.”

Episode 19: A talk with Holly Heider Chapple about floral design. The Plant Profile is Black-eyed Susans, and I share my thoughts on “Gardening by Rules.”

Episode 20: A talk with Shari Wilson about native plants. The Plant Profile is Sunflowers and I share my thoughts on “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Garden.”

Episode 21: A talk with Drew Asbury of Hillwood Estate, Museum, and Gardens about cutting gardens. The Plant Profile is Monarda and I share my Adventures in Garden Speaking..

Episode 22: A talk with Michael McConkey of Edible Landscaping about Fruit Tees. The Plant Profile is Crape Myrtles and I share “Low-Maintenance Lawn Alternatives.”

Episode 23: Returning guest Marianne Willburn chats about summer cocktails and makes a case in defense of the lawn. The Plant Profile is cucumbers and I share my love for the ‘Green Cloud’ container lotus.

Episode 24: A talk with Peggy Cornett of Monticello about their historic plant collection. The Plant Profile is Echinacea and I share tips for Guerilla Gardening.

Episode 25: A chat with Michael Judd of Ecologia Design about all things related to growing Paw Paws. The Plant Profile is on Cup Plant.

Episode 26: A talk with Craig LeHoullier, author of Epic Tomatoes, about Heirloom

Tomatoes and Straw Bale Gardening . The Plant Profile is on Cannas.

Episode 27: A talk with Jay Hutchins of Brent and Becky’s about Gardening with Bulbs. The Plant Profile is on Tiger Eyes Sumac and I share my top Tulip picks.

Episode 28: A talk with Wendy Brister of Cavano’s Perennials about Preserving: Canning, Freezing, and Drying. The Plant Profile is on Great Blue Lobelia.

Episode 29: A talk with Smithsonian Gardens’ horticulturist Sarah Dickert and entomologist Holly Walker about butterfly gardening and Monarch Waystations. The Plant Profile is on Radishes and I share my Autumn Daffodils blooming in my garden.

Episode 30: A talk with Debby Ward of Prior Unity Garden about all aspects of Seed Saving. The Plant Profile is on Figs and I share about the ‘Sheffield Pink’ Mums blooming in my garden.

Episode 31: A talk with Claire Jones of the Garden Diaries Blog about all aspects of Beekeeping. The Plant Profile is on Asters.

Episode 32: A talk with Carolyn Mullet about her Garden Tours and upcoming book on private European gardens, Adventures in Eden. The Plant Profile is on Goldenrod.

Episode 33: A talk with Saharah Moon Chapotin, Susan Pell, and Devin Dotson about the U.S. Botanic Garden’s 200th Anniversary. The Plant Profile is on Mexican Feather Grass.

Episode 34: A talk with Karl Gercens of Longwood Gardens about fabulous fall color from foliage, as well as Longwood’s legendary Chrysanthemum Festival. The Plant Profile is on Wild Ageratum and I share a bit about the Pink Muhly Grass in my garden.

Episode 35: A talk with Marie Mims Butler about her experiences gardening for wildlife at the Virginia Zoological Park in Norfolk, VA. The Plant Profile is on Tall Sedum and I share a bit about the late-blooming Roses in my garden.

Episode 36: A talk with David Mizejewski, naturalist with the National Wildlife Federation about creating backyard habitats. The Plant Profile is on Russian Sage and I look for ways to light the dark.

Episode 37: A talk with April Thompson, a food writer and director of sales and marketing for Bloom, about foraging for wild edibles. The Plant Profile is on Smokebush and I share some foliage highlights in my garden.

Listener Support Needed You can become a listener-supporter for as little as $0.99 per month! We will give you a thank you shout-out on the next episode.

See how at: https://anchor.fm/kathy-jentz/ support.

Ask a Question We welcome your questions and comments.

You can leave one at https://anchor.fm/ kathy-jentz/message Find Our Podcast You can listen online at https://anchor.fm/ kathy-jentz/ or at our blog: https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/.

We are available on Spotify, Apple, RadioPublic, Breaker, PocketCasts, Overcast, and Google Podcasts. We were recently also added to Podchaser and iHeartRADIO podcasts as well. o

TOP AREA GARDENING EVENTS DC-Area Gardening Calendar ~ Upcoming Events Listing Classes and Webinars • Thursday, November 19, 12noon Creating Woodland Gardens Learn how to create a textural, lowmaintenance garden filled with native plants and other favorites. In this class, Louis Ratchford, Merrifield Garden Center’s plant and design specialist, will walk you through a woodland garden design, sharing tips and plant recommendations that you can use to transform the shady spaces in your garden into a natural woodland look. Free.

Register at merrifieldgardencenter.com.

• Saturday, November 21, 11am–12n The Basics of Houseplant Care Join Washington Gardener’s Kathy Jentz as she talks about growing conditions indoors, plant choices, training & pruning, and types of indoor containers: dish gardens and terrariums.

Hosted by Homestead Gardens. Free via Zoom. Registration required at homesteadgardens.com.

• Saturday, November 21, 9am–12n and Saturday, December 5, 9am–12n Monarch Garden Installation at DC School is Seeking Volunteers Horace Mann Elementary, a DC public school, is looking for volunteers to help install a Monarch Garden on campus this fall. Their students will use the garden study habitat for Monarch butterflies, rear them in classrooms, and then release them each fall. The listed dates have been reserved for socially distanced garden work, but you can also volunteer for independent project work on a date that is convenient. Contact the project coordinator Amy Jagodnik, ajarts3702@gmail.com, to express interest. See also www.horacemanndc. org.

• Tuesday, November 24, 7:30–8:30pm Maryland Native Plant Society: Restoring Wild Rice Marshes, Anacostia River’s Filters In the 19th century, the Anacostia River was a wide swath of tidal emergent wetlands dominated by Wild Rice (Zizania aquatica), a keystone wetland grass. Centuries of habitat destruction and neglect have deeply changed

the riparian landscape of this river in the nation’s capital. For more than two decades, the Anacostia Watershed Society has embarked on an ecosystem restoration journey to try to recover these tidal marshlands. Via Zoom webinar. Speaker: Jorge Bogantes, Natural Resources specialist, Anacostia Watershed Society. Free. Register at https:// mdflora.org/event-4044312.

• Wednesday, December 2, 2–3:30pm Growing Plants from Seed Experience the pride and joy of raising plants from seed. Northern Virginia Master Gardeners will introduce you to an enormous selection of seeds available and offer lots of tips about how to grow them successfully. Learn about resources for obtaining or collecting your own seeds, as well as how to grow plants from seeds. Location: Zoom.

Cost: Free. Registration link: https:// forms.gle/W2Y7xyoZnrggUY9k7.

• Saturday, December 5, 11:30am– 12:30pm Winter Wreath Making Online Demo Interested in bringing seasonal life and color indoors? Join Arrin Sutliff, owner of Tint Floral, online as she demonstrates how to create a naturally styled wreath using seasonal plants. Arrin will introduce different wreath types, including traditional and modern approaches.

A variety of local elements and textures will be used as she covers mount varieties, color choice, and technique. Free.

Register at www.usbg.gov/programs.

• Sunday, December 6, 2–3pm A Truly Green Holiday: A Talk on Seasonal Plants and a Bulb Forcing Demo Have you ever given or gotten a beautiful blooming poinsettia or amaryllis and then slowly watched it decline? What a New Year’s bummer! This talk will teach you how to care for classic seasonal plants. Kathy Jentz, Washington Gardener Magazine, will also cover some unique holiday plant choices that make great gifts and additions to your home decor. Finally, she’ll teach you bulbforcing basics to trick spring-blooming bulbs like tulips into flowering earlier to brighten those seemingly endless

gray days of late winter when we crave green the most. Fee: $10. Register at: https://py.pl/4oRnjFT9Xc0.

• Saturday, December 19, 11am–1pm and Tuesday, January 19, 11am–1pm Winter Sowing: Following Mother Nature’s Way to Jump Start Your Gardens Winter Sowing offers the perfect opportunity to help you increase your plant diversity and harvests by getting a head start on your spring, summer, and fall gardens. You will be able to grow more flowers and food with very little effort and minimal supplies. By using the winter sowing method, you are literally following the ways of the master of all gardeners—Mother Nature. Held via Zoom.

Presented by certified Master Gardener Linda Jones, Elements of Nature. Fee: $10. Register at www.eventbrite.com/e/ winter-sowing-following-mother-naturesway-to-jump-start-your-gardens-tickets125695433425?ref=eios.

• Sunday, January 3, 2–3pm Ground Covers: Great Alternatives to Turfgrass Groundcovers are low-growing plants that serve many purposes in the landscape, from limiting weed growth to stabilizing slopes to adding texture to your garden. They can replace turfgrass, which is often not the best choice and has many drawbacks. Find out more about these beautiful, hard-working plants and the best kinds to use for our region. Speaker: Kathy Jentz, Washington Gardener Magazine. Fee: $10. Register at: https://py.pl/4hLUS

Event Listing Updates See updated event listings on the Washington Gardener discussion list.

Join the list at https://groups.google. com/g/washingtongardener/.

How to Submit Local Garden Events To submit an event for this listing, email washingtongardenermagazine@gmail. com with “Event” in the subject line.

Our next deadline is December 5 for the December 2020 issue, for events taking place after December 15. o NOVEMBER 2020

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NEIGHBORnetwork

Saharah Moon Chapotin Executive Director of the United States Botanic Garden

By Lindsay Garbacik

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NEIGHBORnetwork Combining her lifelong appreciation of plants and gardening with 15 years of government work experience, Saharah Moon Chapotin is ready to spark joy in future plant-lovers through her role as executive director of the United States Botanic Gardens (USBG).

Chapotin has a doctorate from Harvard University in plant physiology and has researched forest ecology and canopy biology throughout Madagascar, Costa Rica, and the United States.

Before holding this post at the USBG, Chapotin worked with Iowa State University and the National Academies on issues surrounding scientific communication, national security ,and biosafety policy. She lives in Washington, DC, and is excited to continue her work of educating people about the wonders of plants.

What do you enjoy the most about being the executive director of the garden?

“So many things! I love learning from the amazing and talented employees at the garden, and I enjoy being surrounded by beautiful and diverse plants and gardens. And most of all, it is amazing to help spark the love of plants in the visitors who come to the garden.”

How has COVID-19 altered typical USBG procedures and attendance?

Have any new, positive changes come from COVID at the garden that you didn’t expect?

“The Conservatory is currently closed to the public, so that is, of course, a major change at the garden. We have instituted a number of safety protocols to keep our employees safe, and that has also changed how we work. On any given day, horticulture and operations employees are working on-site in staggered schedules, and many of us are working

off-site, so we are learning how to use technology to successfully collaborate and communicate. Our employees have done a phenomenal job of keeping the collections and facilities in great shape under very difficult circumstances.

“The most-positive change is that we brought our public programming online.

People can now attend gardening classes, cooking demonstrations, lectures, and workshops from the comfort and safety of their homes. We’ve received wonderful feedback on this new format and we plan to keep some of our programming online, even when we are able to return to in-person activities. It has been a great opportunity for us to reach more participants and make our programs more accessible.”

What can people look forward to seeing at the U.S. Botanic Garden in the coming months?

“The Terrace Gardens around the Conservatory and Bartholdi Park have remained open throughout the pandemic. We hope visitors will continue to explore and enjoy the plants and seasonal displays we are sharing in these spaces.”

“We have a great slate of online seasonal programs coming up, ranging from wreath-making to holiday cooking classes to seasonal music concerts. We hope everyone can join us for these.

You can find the schedule and register at www.USBG.gov/OnlinePrograms.” o Lindsay Garbacik is a junior journalism major, with a minor in art history, at the University of Maryland. She is interning this fall semester with Washington Gardener.

This interview has been edited for grammar and clarity.

Photos courtesy of the U.S. Botanic Garden.

How did you get interested in plants?

“I think it may have been an issue of National Geographic featuring botanist Francis Hallé deploying a canopy raft in a tropical forest that sparked my imagination as a kid and gave me the idea that I could also be a biologist. I have always loved trees, and I really enjoy heights and figuring out how things work, so getting up into trees and studying tree physiology ended up being a perfect way to combine these interests. While I was in graduate school, Professor Hallé visited a research station in Madagascar where I was working and I got to take him up a baobab tree.

That was a great experience!”

program that provides meaningful, hands-on experiences to students and youth who may never have considered a career focused on plants.

“Another area I am excited to help grow at the garden is our conservation and science work. In a new partnership with the Morton Arboretum in Illinois, we are working with the Global Conservation Consortium for Oak to study and conserve oak tree species in North America. We are initially supporting fieldwork, collection, and population monitoring of five rare oak species in Texas and maintaining living oak collections to establish a seed bank of acorns from a diversity of species.

We are starting another new partnership with NatureServe, a conservation-focused nonprofit, and several additional partners. The collaboration will assess 50 at-risk American native plants and educate the public about the importance of their conservation. We will also use the American native grape to create a model for conservation of crop wild relatives in the United States.”

What are some new initiatives you would like to start at the U.S. Botanic Garden?

“I would like to grow our internship program and provide training opportunities to the next generation of horticulturists, educators, plant scientists, and conservationists. We are building a year-round NOVEMBER 2020

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GOINGnative

Crane Fly Orchid

By Barry Glick

You may have to stretch your imagination a wee bit to embrace the common name of this interesting plant that’s native to over half the U.S. That plant being Tipularia discolor, a native orchid closely related to Aplectrum hyemale, a plant that I wrote about in the January 2018 edition of this here rag. The common name is “Crane Fly Orchid” because the flowers resemble a Crane Fly lighting on the wiry flower stem.

There seems to be almost as many dissimilarities as there are similarities between the two plants. Both Tipularia 16

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discolor and Aplectrum hyemale have the same bloom cycles, producing a single leaf in the fall. That leaf persists all winter, no matter how brutal the weather, and then senesces (a fancy word for a dead leaf) in the spring. Tipularia are a bit shyer about flowering than the Aplectrum and both species are in monotypic genera, meaning that they are the only species in their respec-

tive genera. (Oh! the temptation to say genuses!) Tipularia favors much-richer soil with lots of decaying tree matter, while Aplectrum seems to pop up just about anywhere and in larger numbers.

Both plants produce a new tuber each year while the old one eventually withers away. There’s plenty of time to pull the previous year’s tuber off and replant them before they shrivel, and that’s the easiest way to propagate these plants. The dust-like seeds, although produced in huge quantity, have very particular needs to germinate and if germinated, take years to mature.

Tipularia requires very particular moths to capture and transfer the pollen. They are Autographa precationis, Ctenoplusia oxygramma, Cucullia convexipennis, Protoboarmia porcelaria, and Pseudaletia unipuncta. These little critters have to be tempted to go deep into the flower to get to the pollen and eventually carry it out of the flower on their eyes onto the next flower they visit.

Fascinating!

As far as Tipularia’s name goes, it seems that Linnaeus borrowed that from the insect world and this is one of those rare instances where the common name and the scientific name are allied. The genus that the Crane Fly belongs to just happens to be Tipula!

The specific epithet, discolor, refers to the spotting on the leaf, which I find very attractive. If you take a peek on the underside of the leaf, you’ll discover that it’s a lovely deep-purple color.

Keep your eyes peeled on your winter woodland hikes and perhaps you’ll be fortunate enough to stumble onto a colony of these little treasures. 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.

PLANTprofile

Smokebush

Cotinus coggygria

By Kathy Jentz

Smokebush (Cotinus coggygria) is a shrub with many ornamental qualities. It has beautiful foliage, and the airy seed-heads look like puffs of smoke surrounding the bush.

Smokebush is also known as Rhus cotinus, the European smoketree, and Venetian sumach. It is a member of the cashew family. There is an American native version as well (C. obovatus).

It needs full sun to put on a real “smoke show,” but it can tolerate shade conditions. It is a tough plant and needs little care. It is hardy from Zones 5 to 8. It can reach up to 6 feet high and wide.

Use caution when mowing or working around a Smokebush, because the bark is thin and easily damaged by weed-whackers or other garden equipment. It is deer- and rabbit-resistant.

Popular cultivars include ‘Winecraft Gold’ (pictured in background), with bright-golden foliage, and ‘Winecraft Black’ (pictured at top, right), which has dramatic dark foliage and a dwarf habit. Look in garden centers starting in 2021 for a new introduction called ‘The Velvet Fog’ (pictured at bottom, right) from the Proven Winners brand. It has bright-pink plumes with blue-green foliage.

Smokebush makes a good accent plant in the landscape or can be grown in a grouping to form a hedge. It is deciduous and drops its leaves in late fall.

It can be trained and pruned to grow as a tree or a shrub. To prune a Smoketree, wait until late winter or early spring and remove entire branches selectively to attain the shape you like. o Kathy Jentz is the editor and founder of Washington Gardener.

Photos courtesy of Spring Meadows Nursery Inc. and Proven Winners, www.provenwinners.com.

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BOOKreviews

The Beginner’s Guide to Mushrooms: Everything You Need to Know, from Foraging to Cultivating Author: Britt A. Bunyard and Tavis Publisher: Quarry Books List price: $24.99 Order link: https://amzn.to/38LxPQw Reviewer: Andrea F. Siegel Many of us see wild mushrooms as funky uninvited growths that are not exactly plants emerging in our lawns, on decomposing tree stumps, or on mulch we spread to control weeds. We typically don’t think of wild mushrooms as desirable or pretty, or consider their key roles in our environment.

Foraging for mushrooms has grown in popularity (in woodlands, not in the lawn). The number of mushroom guides has proliferated with it. That’s a good thing for cross-referencing and learning about the mushroom world, because we need to figure out if an enticing mushroom is safe to eat or will sicken or kill us.

A new book in the field, The Beginner’s Guide to Mushrooms, is replete with recipes, but also gives us ideas beyond our plates, such as whether a mushroom is best appreciated as nature’s artistry or is useful for a dye.

The authors, Britt A. Bunyard and Tavis Lynch, are recognized experts in their ‘shroom fields, and remind us that there are thousands of species of wild mushrooms, although obviously most are not in their beginner’s guide.

There are a lot of Latin names in here, and a tremendous amount of specifics. Although that may be daunting, its importance can’t be downplayed. If you‘re not 100 percent sure of a mushroom’s identification, you shouldn’t eat it, the authors remind us.

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This guide opens with mushroom anatomy—not complicated and very necessary to know before going further.

Fortunately, the bulk of this book is a photographic guide with explanations of what we should look for to help us with the identification. The photos are excellent and finely detailed. The authors give us views that show not only vivid colors, but also details to lead us toward identification, such as the shape of the stalk or gills.

The discussions that go with them are crucial reading, jammed with information that helps with identification, and telling us if the mushrooms are edible. For example, the Leccinum scabrum is edible—although not all its cousins are; it is commonly called a brown birch bolete because it is found exclusively around birch trees, so now we also want to identify birches. The lobster mushroom—really “two species of fungi in one,” the authors say—has no relationship to lobsters, but its orange color resembles that of a boiled lobster; the host fungi are generally inedible, and the Hypomyces lactifluorum that infects them changes that, the authors write.

Chapters about cultivation and culinary uses enhance the guide, making it overall an interesting introduction to the mushroom world. o Andrea Siegel is a Master Gardener in Maryland.

The Garden: Elements and Styles Author: Toby Musgrave Publisher: Phaidon Press List price: $69.95 Order link: https://amzn.to/2ICxggX Reviewer: Jim Dronenburg This book is, most ‘scruciatingly, a coffee table book, 13 inches by 11, and an inch thick—not counting covers.

It takes a list of 209 garden design terms and explains them, in perhaps half a page of text each, but then with at least a half page (and as often as not, a page and a half) of illustrations.

The photos are lush, lush, lush, and while tending in the overall to examples in Great Britain, also reflect the U.S. and to a lesser extent, countries like Holland, Thailand, India, and Malaysia.

What this book is not, is a gardening book. No how-tos, no plant profiles. But plants in the photos are often listed, so if you see the plant of your dreams, you can search for it online or in books.

The terms that are defined sometimes seem simple, sometimes complex. Something like a “ha-ha” for instance, which is a ditch dug in a pasture and the side nearest the prospective onlooker walled vertically to a distance that livestock cannot jump, seems simple enough, yes? But the book gives the history of it, and shows how the ha-ha is the landscape equivalent of an infinity edge pool; invisible to the viewer, it gives the illusion of the lawn (or whatever treatment) stretching into fields of bucolic livestock grazing in the distance, while the bucolics in question cannot ornament your lawn or eat your flowers. The revolution in landscape design it started is discussed.

The picture given is, obviously, from the “livestock” side. And this is one of the simpler terms.

Where terms used are in other than English (for the most part, French or Italian), translation is given, and if the meaning of the term has changed with time, that is given, too. Terms are often given a specific meaning that your reviewer was unaware of; for instance, a “glasshouse” is usually for commercial more than home hobbyist production, as in a manor house having a range of glasshouses to provide fruit or vegetables out of season. A “greenhouse” is generally for the home hobbyist. A “vista” is a directed view into the distance, while a “prospect” is a panoramic view. You certainly learn things!

You also eat your heart out about xeric gardens in the Southwest or coastal gardens in California, semitropical gardens in Cornwall, and really tropic gardens in Southeast Asia, filled with things that we could only have if we

BOOKreviews had a greenhouse the size of the U.S. Botanic Garden conservatory by the Capitol. But again, the idea is not that you have that specific plant or plants, but that you can borrow the idea and use whatever plant equivalent we have here that could do the job.

The book doesn’t have everything; but no book has everything. What it does have is fine detail of every term it does cover. The pictures are quite arresting, quite suggestive in many instances of what could be done in one’s own garden. Some things require an amount of land only found on estates, or an income to maintain said estates (complete with gardening staff).

Others are quite small and easily reproducible.

As an added incentive, for those of us who have the money to hire designers, the photos all have caption sections telling us what and where each garden is, and often the designer’s name, as well as, where appropriate, a list of the major plants shown.

Somehow the text of these 209 entries gives a nutshell overview of the trends in garden design.

This book is pricey. If you have the price, pay it. It is also worth getting a coffee table to put it on. o Jim Dronenburg is a retired accountant and now gardens full-time in Knoxville, MD.

The Complete Book of Ferns: Indoors Outdoors - Growing - Crafting - History & Lore Author: Mobee Weinstein Publisher: Cool Springs Press List Price: $30.00 Order link: https://amzn.to/3nEAgsr Reviewer: Nicole Noechel Whether you are interested in growing ferns or just want to learn more about one of the Earth’s longest-surviving plant species, look no further than The Complete Book of Ferns.

This gorgeous book is by Mobee Weinstein, foreman of gardeners for outdoor gardens at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx.

Weinstein has a degree in plant studies and teaches about different horticultural topics at the State University of New York and other organizations, which explains why there is so much useful information packed into the book’s 244 pages.

Chapter One explains everything one would need to know about the plant’s history and many uses. Weinstein details the evolution of ferns from

single-celled organisms to the plants we see today, as well as why they have been so successful. She also lays out the history of humans and ferns, including the plant’s role in myths and legends. The chapter ends with a section about potential uses for ferns—for instance, aquatic ferns in the Azolla genus can produce fertilizer, while the fronds of ferns in the Asplenium genus are eaten as vegetables by different Asian cultures.

Chapter Two, “The Botany of Ferns,” goes over the scientific aspects of the plant—what they are, how species differ from one another, how they propagate, and their different botanical names and what those mean. The author begins by explaining what vascular plants, megaphylls, and spores are and lays out the different parts of the plant with a helpful diagram and photos. She then describes the diversity of ferns in their forms, climates, and lifestyles.

There is a section about propagation, with a diagram of the complete fern life cycle and step-by-step guides for how to grow ferns through spores and asexual propagation. Finally, the section about botanical names is helpful if you need a reminder about how to classify specific fern species.

Chapters Three and Four outline how to grow indoor and outdoor ferns, respectively. Weinstein shares growing cultures for each, specifying light, temperature, growing medium, watering, humidity, and fertilizing. There are also troubleshooting guides in case you run into any problems. Each section ends with a series of fern profiles that describe the different plants and explain their specific growing culture and propagation.

Chapter Three also includes a guide to different potting mixes and their benefits, as well as recipes for creating your own mixes. The chapter also has information about specialized potting techniques that aid in watering and a step-by-step guide for the best way to pot ferns.

Chapter Four has a section about outdoor fern care by season, so you know how to treat your ferns as the weather changes. There is also a section detailing how to replant a transplanted fern or division, which is likely to need extra nurturing.

Chapter Five, my favorite section, includes a plethora of do-it-yourself craft projects to spice up your fern displays. These include materials and step-by-step instructions, ensuring

you won’t get lost. Whether you want to make a terrarium, vertical garden, tabletop garden, or wood fern mount, this chapter has you covered. There are also three projects to turn ferns into art, teaching you how to make fern prints, pressings, and cyanotypes.

While there is much to learn throughout this book, make sure you take the time to look through the range of beautiful pictures as well. Almost every page has at least one large, colorful fern photo, which helps the reader to see the variety of beauty that ferns offer.

The Complete Book of Ferns is a great guide for anything you may need to know about the plant. Pick up a copy for yourself or send one to a gardener friend for the perfect present. o Nicole Noechel is a senior multiplatform journalism major and history minor at the University of Maryland. She is interning this fall semester with Washington Gardener.

The Conservatory: Gardens Under Glass Author: Alan Stein and Nancy Virts Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press List price: $60.00 Order link: https://amzn.to/3nv8fDc Reviewer: Lindsay Garbacik Husband-and-wife duo Alan Stein and Nancy Virts knock it out of the park with this beautifully designed history of conservatory spaces, The Conservatory: Gardens Under Glass.

The book focuses on conservatories from around the globe and provides the history and context behind these glass gems.

Stein graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in architecture, and the pair currently reside in Maryland. While Stein and Virts have been romantic partners for more than NOVEMBER 2020

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BOOKreviews

20 years, they have been business partners for just as long. They started Tanglewood Conservatories in 1993, with the mission to design and construct the finest classical and modern glass conservatories. Their designs have been featured in Architectural Digest and other such publications.

They certainly have much to teach about conservatories.

The book is divided into six chapters, categorizing and sorting conservatories from around the world. The first chapter, “Humble Beginning,” starts with the days of the Egyptians and goes through societies like Rome and France. This chapter takes a broader approach to conservatories for a general look at gardens and plant spaces during these times.

The next chapter, “Orangeries for Aristocrats,” spotlights the lavish conservatories created for the royal and wealthy. The following chapters adhere to this pattern and organize the eras of conservatory construction and design up to the modern day. Some pages in the chapter read like a textbook, with reference images and footnotes, while other pages are full-page, highquality images of the gardens. The images are striking, and the detail shots of the cornices and archways of these historic conservatories certainly contribute to that beauty.

I enjoy this book, and not just because it was written by a fellow Terp.

While it is certainly very dense and thick at 251 pages, it has something for everyone—especially its histories and images. It definitely has inspired me to want to travel to these beautiful, 20

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historic conservatories. As an art history minor, reading about the history and planning that went into some of these buildings was fascinating.

Granted, I do not see myself reading the full book cover-to-cover, but I do appreciate the profiles of the buildings and the ease with which audiences can read about one topic without having to sort through the whole book. While you shouldn’t necessarily buy a book based on appearances, this is certainly a book I would buy for its look. The large pages and oversized cover, along with the bright colors of the conservatories and plants, make this book so satisfying to look at and page through.

The book is very well organized and provides valuable, in-depth research into the history of these conservatories.

This is the perfect gift for the architect, gardener, historian, or photographer in your life. o Lindsay Garbacik is a junior journalism major, with a minor in art history, at the University of Maryland. She is interning this fall semester with Washington Gardener.

The Geriatric Gardener: Adaptive Gardening Advise for Seniors Author: Duane Pancoast Publisher: The Pancoast Concern, Ltd. List Price: $14.95 Order Link: thepancoastconcern.com/ the_geriatric_gardener Reviewer: Beth Py-Lieberman Fall doesn’t ever arrive without the heavy lifting that every gardener knows so well. The transplanting, soil amending, leaf-raking, and cleaning up and putting away of pots and other tools and implements all are chores that used to feel so invigorating when they were finally accomplished and now feel ominous and backbreaking. Welcome, aging gardeners, to your pending dotage.

Not so, says the octogenarian Duane Pancoast, a veteran gardener and landscaper (among myriad other talents), who has just released a compendium of sage advice entitled The Geriatric Gardener: Adaptive Gardening Advice for Seniors. “You can keep the aging process from redefining you and taking away the pleasures of life,” he writes.

“It’s all a matter of adapting your attitude to consider your physical limitations and adapting new methods and techniques to your new lifestyle.”

Pancoast should know. He is 81 and

despite the limitations of recovering from a stroke, he keeps a hand in at the marketing communications business he started in 1985, he keeps up with his blog “The Geriatric Gardener,” and he continues to maintain his home and garden in upstate New York’s Finger Lakes region.

There is no secret to his strategies for all his keeping up. Pancoast delivers the straight-up truth—you can’t continue to do what you did when you were young. Those of us, aching to be forever young, should walk carefully and forthrightly into this new realm of “the senior scene,” and pick up a copy of Pancoast’s tip-filled guidebook.

Many of his tips are obvious, and we’ve heard them before (and ignored them), but from Pancoast, they come with a smart reminder that if you don’t adapt, you will suffer the consequences, and might not be able to garden at all. Stop working so hard, he warns.

Hire help, he advises. Go inside when it gets too hot. Wear a hat and sunglasses; use sunscreen; hydrate. He also advises that those of us who are rising to his distinctive age have the opportunity to get ready now. It’s time to reconsider the size of our gardens (less is more), the hardscape (flat, straight, and wide navigable pathways), lighting (more is better), tools (ergonomical for ease and comfort), hoses (consider soakers), and raised beds (protect the knees).

But sage wisdom comes of Pancoast’s experiences: “Forewarned is forearmed. I’m the messenger who is forewarning you.”

Adaptive gardening means that we have concessions to make, ones that frankly sound better and better to the world-weary.

Why not just be happy with what we’ve created in our youth and find the shade to just sit for a while? Why not just ponder the beauty of a stray plant.

Why not hire a young gardener to do the heavy lifting? Why not invite the grandkids over and teach them to plant the annuals? Why not? o Beth Py-Lieberman is Smithsonian magazine’s museums editor. She gardens at home with visiting deer in Silver Spring, MD, and is the volunteer liaison for the Fenton Street Community Garden.

Note: These book reviews include links to Amazon.com for ordering them.

INSECTindex

By Carol Allen As the heat of summer starts to abate, I get back out in the garden to weed and plant with a vengeance. I’m a bare-handed gardener and rarely wear gloves, so you can only imagine my response to a palmful of rapidly wriggling creatures. Eek! I had encountered a mass of jumping worms! I still shudder to remember.

There are many common names for these: crazy snake worms, Alabama jumping worms, and Jersey wigglers are just some. Those names are for the species of Amynthas spp. that have invaded North America from Asia.

Locally, there are few native earthworms and lots of invasive earthworms (see the InsectIndex column, “Where Have All the Native Earthworms Gone?” in the August 2016 issue of Washington Gardener), but this new introduction seems to be particularly destructive.

Growing up, we were taught that earthworms were good for the soil. They break down organic matter like leaves, stems, and dead roots. They help to incorporate the broken-down material into the soil layers. Many companies even sell earthworms to help with composting. But with the jumping worms, we have too much of a “good” thing.

They are usually found in groups, not singly, and inhabit the upper, organicrich layers of the soil profile. They are not found in the deeper, mineral layers.

They rapidly break down the organic material, leaving behind a “coffee grounds-like” appearance to the top of the soil. In one study of Northeastern forests, they were found to have the capacity to drastically alter forest ecosystems. They rapidly break down leaf litter on forest floors, potentially leading to altered nutrient cycling and change in soil structure. This rapid break-down bypasses the system of decomposing bacterial, fungal, and arthropod communities that have evolved with our native plants. Most heavily affected are the fine-rooted spring ephemerals and other fine-rooted plants found in our woodlands.

This is one more stress on our native plant and animal communities. Studies have show that tree seedlings do not establish well in soil that has jumping worms. The lack of fine-rooted understory plants also limits nesting sites for ground-dwelling birds.

How do you know you have them?

They are found in groups, and they wiggle like crazy and will often drop their tails, lizard-like, in an attempt to escape. They can be from 3–5" long or longer. Their color tends to be more brownish or grayish than the more-common European earthworm. The clitellum (the band around the body of an earthworm) is milky-white to gray and is smooth, not raised above the body.

A. agrestis, Easton PA. Njh5880, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.

Invasive Jumping Worms

(The European earthworm’s clitellum is pinkish and does not wrap all the way around the worm’s body.)

What do you do about them? At this point, prevention is key, although the worms can be captured and killed by solarization (plastic bag in the sun) or placing them in alcohol. Some studies seem to indicate that well-managed compost piles where the internal temperature gets above 100°F will kill them. To treat the entire pile requires making multiple turns of the pile and allowing the temperature to reach above 100°F after each turn. Five such turns with the appropriate temperature are usually sufficient for other pathogens.

How do they spread? Their life cycle is a bit unusual in that the adults die off in the winter, but the next generation overwinters as a “cocoon” full of eggs.

The eggs hatch out in the spring. They can reproduce asexually and within 60 days, the young have reached maturity.

There can be two generations per year.

The pin-head-sized egg-cocoons are easily moved in mulch, potted plants, or stuck to the bottom of shoes.

How can you prevent their spread?

Don’t dump fishing or compost worms.

Inspect piles of mulch or soil stockpiles before moving. Purchased bait worms which are usually European nightcrawlers (Lumbricus terrestris) may be contaminated with jumping worms. Worms purchased for composting, red wigglers (Eisenis fetida) can also be contaminated with jumping worms. Don’t accept soil or mulch from unknown sources.

Plan on composting soils or mulches (internal temperatures above 100°F with at least five turns) before spreading. Where feasible, bare-root (remove the soil) new plants before planting.

Clean tools of soil if they are used at different locations. Diligently inspect plants from plant exchanges. o Carol Allen describes herself as a committable plant-a-holic. She has more than 25 years’ experience in the horticulture industry, with a special interest in plant pests and diseases; is a Licensed Pesticide Applicator in the state of Maryland; and is an ISACertified Arborist. She can be contacted at carolallen@erols.com.

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BIRDwatch

Northern Mockingbird

By Cecily Nabors

Did you ever hear the wail of a police siren coming from the top of a tree? If so, you were probably in the domain of a Northern Mockingbird. These professional mimics don’t imitate only bird songs; they can copy any sound they hear. A member of the mimic thrush family, this species is aptly named Mimus polyglottos.

We are fortunate to have Northern Mockingbirds with us all year. Males and females dress alike, their slender bodies feathered in gray, with white wing patches and outer tail feathers. When you’re on an autumn walk and a gray-and-white arrow streaks across your path, a mockingbird is announcing that you are in its bailiwick.

Mockers’ rich voices resound from tree tops or power lines as they claim their territories, singly or as pairs. Songs of titmouse, phoebe, chickadee, robin, blue jay: The mocker knows them all, not to mention cat calls and car alarms. These flying copycats repeat each phrase multiple times, with some stylish singers using more than 200 songs or sounds.

Males do most of the singing in spring and summer, as they seek mates, then establish nesting areas. They belt out their songs with irrepressible energy, often making short springs into the air as they sing from a high and visible vantage point.

During June and July, a male will often 22

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sing much of the night, exhausting both himself and us as we’re trying to sleep.

We can catch up in August, when mockers go silent while they’re molting. Their song picks up again in autumn, as both males and females declare their winter feeding territories. In winter, mockers go mostly quiet, although they may make an explosive “Chewk!” call (like a loud sneeze) to warn off intruders.

In summer, mockingbirds primarily eat caterpillars, various insects, and spiders, often stalking across lawns and gardens in the hunt for tasty morsels.

They sometimes stand and raise one or both wings, flashing those white wing patches. It could be a quirky exercise routine, or maybe they are spooking insects into movement—and capture.

In fall and winter, mockers hunt for fruit and berries. How vigorously will a mockingbird defend a food source? One winter day, a flock of starlings invaded our leafless pear trees to sample the ornamental fruit. Our resident mockingbird took offense at this violation of its premises. Moving at ramming speed,

the mocker dashed at one starling after another, driving them out one by one.

Branches bounced as the gray dynamo moved systematically to evict invaders from first one tree, then the other. When both trees were empty, the mockingbird took a victory lap and then flew off to patrol its boundaries.

This intense territorial drive is even more obvious when mockingbirds defend a nest. The male builds several starternests, laying down twiggy foundations in dense shrubs or vines well above the ground. When the female approves one of his proposed sites, the pair finish building and then line the nest with leaves, stems, moss, and hair. She does all the incubation. He brings her food, and both parents feed the nestlings.

Both are aggressive in defense, ranting at and dive-bombing any perceived enemy of the nest. If you’re looking for the nest, you can sometimes narrow down the shrub or tree by how disturbed the parents act as you approach it. But don’t get too close!

The joy of listening to mockingbirds segue through their musical repertoire and the pleasure of watching their brisk, bossy behavior make them welcome visitors to our gardens.

To thrill a mockingbird, provide water all year long, mow some open areas, don’t spray a lot of pesticides, and plant fruiting trees or bushes. What are magnets for mockers? They favor dogwood, mulberry, hawthorn, native holly, blackberries, and juniper berries, supplementing those with forays to our suet feeders.

The Northern Mockingbird’s conservation status is “species of least concern,” but their numbers have declined in recent years. Let’s do what we can to support this most-energetic songster. o Cecily Nabors is a retired software manager who has been watching and counting birds for much of her life. She publishes the GoodNatured Observations blog at cecilynabors. com.

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

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Jentz Prints

Antique Botanical Prints for the decorator, collector, connoisseur, and art lover.

Jentz Prints can be purchased on most Saturdays at the Eastern Market, and most Sundays at the Georgetown Flea Market.

Antique prints are affordable — most in the $10-$30 range — and they are the perfect gift idea for that plant lover in your life. And don’t forget to buy a few for yourself!

For more information, to make a private appointment, or to get a detailed show schedule, please contact Jentz Prints by email at UllrichJ@aol.com. You can also find Jentz Prints on eBay.com under the seller ID: printyman.

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