Discover the Netherlands Garden Tour with Kathy Jentz

Experience the beauty of Dutch gardens and horticulture on our Discover the Netherlands Tour from April 16–25, 2024!

Join Washington Gardener Magazine editor Kathy Jentz on this once-in-alifetime garden adventure. We will visit private and public gardens, nurseries, test gardens, flower shows, and more.

Highlights include the Keukenhof Gardens, Hortus Botanicus Leiden, and the FloraHolland Flower Auction.

Accommodations are in 4-star hotels, and most meals are included.

• Space is limited to the first 20 guests who sign up.

• Pricing starts at $4,985 per person.

• For full details and registration, go to: https://tinyurl.com/HollandTourwithKJ

Five Steps for Saving Tuberous Begonias as Frost Approaches

According to Kym Pokorny of the Oregon State University Extension Service, garden centers stock a tempting variety of brightly colored tuberous begonias in spring that are hard to resist. Gardeners have a tremendous choice of flower color in shades of orange, pink, yellow, white, and bi-colored.

But these lush plants don’t grow over winter and must be protected. The tubers can be saved and planted again the next spring for another year of showy color. The tuberous begonias should not be confused with the lowgrowing wax begonias, often called annual bedding begonias, that don’t respond to winter protection.

“There are so many choices for tuberous begonias,” said Nicole Sanchez, Oregon State University Extension Service horticulturist. “They come in so many colors and there are a lot of new salmon/orange varieties on the market now. In my experience, the yellow ones are always a little less vigorous than other colors.”

Tuberous begonias should be grown in bright shade (too much sun will burn them and too little will make them leggy) and watered only when the soil dries out completely.

“We can easily love them to death,” Sanchez said. “The biggest problem with tuberous begonias is operator error in the form of overwatering. Lots of water is already stored in the tubers and stems, so be careful to check moisture in the soil at least an inch in, not just on the top. But there’s a fine line between letting them dry out well and ‘oops! it dried out too much.’ This is where I most often fail with begonias.”

Tuberous begonias don’t like potting soils that contain peat or sphagnum moss that holds lots of water, she added. All of that being said, if they are outside in hanging baskets, they will still need to be watered every day during hot weather.

Begonias are heavy feeders and will bloom larger and longer if they get regular fertilizer, Sanchez said. She recommends slow-release fertilizers for begonias, which are easier to apply and make it harder to over-fertilize. Over-fed plants often get leggy and have weak stems.

Tuberous begonias can be kept over winter for bloom next year. Photo from Flickr, denisbin.

Tuberous begonias contain both male and female flowers. The male flowers are the showier blooms. Sanchez recommends removing female flowers so all the plant’s energy goes into producing showier male flowers.

When winter looms, it’s time to prepare and store the plants. Sanchez recommends the following five steps to save your potted tuberous begonia tubers.

1. Remove plant from pot before hard frosts occur. Cut back most of the top of the plant, leaving the ball of roots and soil intact.

2. Place in a dry, cool storage area (a basement or garage) and allow the tubers to cure for several weeks.

3. After curing, shake off the soil and remove the remaining stalks and roots. Any stalk or root left has the potential to rot and spread to the tuber. Put the tubers on screen trays or pack them in dry peat, sawdust, sand, or other insulating material.

4. Store tubers in a dry, dark, cool (above freezing) area.

5. In the spring, start begonia plants by placing the tubers on damp potting soil in a warm environment. When roots and tops have started, plant them in pots in rich, well-drained potting soil. Bring outdoors when all danger of frost is past and place in a shady spot. o

Got a Garden Question?

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

2023 Tree of the Year: Allegheny Serviceberry

Representatives from the State Arboretum of Virginia at Blandy Experimental Farm have named the Allegheny serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis) as the 2023 Tree of the Year. The arboretum’s 2023 Tree of the Year was selected after deliberation by Curator T’ai Roulston and Blandy arborists. Since 2019, the State Arboretum of Virginia has designated one extraordinary species as its Tree of the Year.

The Allegheny serviceberry, found native in Virginia, was chosen for its four-season interest, according to Roulston. A small understory tree, it’s ideal for landscapes and grows to only 15–25 feet tall.

The Allegheny serviceberry is one of the first trees at the arboretum to flower each spring—the delicate masses of white, fragrant flowers appear in midApril. Small, dark-purple berry-like fruit arrives in the summer. Also commonly known as juneberries, the edible berries attract pollinators and are a food source for native bees and more than 40 species of birds.

The fall foliage of the Allegheny serviceberry, when the leaves turn an orange-red color, is outstanding as well. The tree’s attractive gray bark lends structure to the winter garden.

Native Americans would dry juneberries, similar in size and taste to blueberries, and mix them with meat to create a high-energy snack called pemmican. Recipes for juneberry pies and jams are easy to find. If you want to eat the berries, though, you’d better be fast. Birds, squirrels, and other wildlife also enjoy the fruit.

For settlers in the colder climates of North America, the blooming of the serviceberry was a sign that the ground was thawing. Graves could now be dug for loved ones who had died during the cold winter months and burial “services” could commence, hence the name.

In some areas, the serviceberry is called shadbush or shadblow. The tree got this name because it blooms around the same time that shad return to their spawning grounds in freshwater rivers and streams. Common names also include smooth shadbush, juneberry and shadberry o

New Plant Spotlight

‘Fignomenal’ Fig (Ficus carica ‘PT-DF-14’)

Lloyd Traven of Peace Tree Farm has introduced ‘Fignomenal’ Fig. Pick sweet figs from patio-sized trees. ‘Fignomenal’ yields delicious fruits year-round, both indoors and outdoors. These dwarf plants max out at around 30" tall and offer an abundance of rich-brown, medium-sized figs with reddish interiors and honeyed flavor. Small-space gardening just got sweeter.

The medium-sized, deep-brown fruit is pink-red on the inside and deliciously sweet. It fruits heavily throughout the year. It is deciduous and self-fertile.

‘Fignomenal’ prefers enriched, welldrained soil. Water deeply, regularly in first growing season to establish root system; requires less water in fall and winter, more in growing season. Container plantings need additional winter protection in colder zones (7 and below) or overwinter it indoors.

This plant is hardy in USDA Zones 7 to 9, if grown in the ground. In Zone 7, it will benefit from a winter mulch to protect the roots.

Prune it for structure in late winter. Feed it lightly with a liquid or slowrelease fertilizer in spring. o

Quick Links to Recent Washington Gardener Blog Posts

• All About Cyclamen

• Sweet Potato Blues

• Flinging with the Garden Tourist

• End of Harvest Party

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

October–November Garden To-Do List

• Cover pond with netting to keep out fallen leaves and debris.

• Harvest sweet potatoes.

• Plant garlic.

• Force the buds on Christmas Cactus by placing in a cool (55–60 degree) room for 13 hours of darkness.

• Apply deer-deterrent spray.

• Prevent the spread of disease by cleaning up all infected plants and disposing of them in your trash—not your compost pile.

• Plant cover crops in your vegetable gardens and annual beds (i.e., rye, clover, hairy vetch, winter peas).

• Set up a cold frame, then plant lettuces, radishes, and carrots from seed.

• If you have a water garden, clean out the annual plants and compost them. Cut back the hardy plants and group them in the deepest pond section.

• Leave seedheads on Black-eyed Susans, Echinacea, Goldenrod, Sunflowers, and Thistles for the birds to enjoy over the winter.

• Check for bagworms; pick off, bag, and dispose of them.

• Dig up and store potatoes in a cool, dark spot.

• Continue to divide and transplant perennials.

• Rake leaves and gather in compost piles.

• Pick pumpkins at a local pick-your-own farm or visit a local farmer’s market.

• Cut garden herbs and hang to dry in a cool, dry place indoors.

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

• Attend a local garden club meeting.

• Mulch strawberry beds for winter.

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

• Plant evergreens for winter interest.

• Weed.

• Plant spring-flowering bulbs.

• Sow wildflower seeds, such as California Poppies, for next spring.

• Collect dried flowers and grasses for an indoor vase.

• Clean, sharpen, and store your garden tools.

• Lightly fertilize indoor plants.

• Pot up Paper Whites and Amaryllis for holiday blooming.

• Check that all vines are securely tied against winter’s cold winds.

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

• Pull out spent summer annuals.

• Plant hardy mums and fall season annuals.

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

• Fertilize your lawn and re-seed if needed.

• Dig up bulbs from your Gladioli, cut off foliage, dry for a week, and then store for the winter.

• Transplant trees and shrubs.

• Gather seeds and label them carefully. Store in a dry location.

• Keep an eye out for the first frost date and insulate plants as needed. In Zone 6, it is expected between September 30 –October 30; in Zone 7, it is predicted for October 15–November 15. o