TOP AREA GARDENING EVENTS

Classes, Events, and Plant Shows/Sales

•October 21–22

Lilyhemmer 2023

The 28th fall daylily festival will be held in Camp Hill, near Harrisburg, PA. Speakers include Ellen Laprise, Don Wolf, Rich Howard, and Peter Donato presenting Steve Todd’s hybridizing program. Donato will also show the daylilies of the future. A buffet dinner is included in the registration fee. Activities include a huge plant raffle, silent auction, and great daylilies for auction. There is a reduced registration rate for first-time attendees, who each also get a great daylily plant. All details and registration information is at http:// ahsregion3.org/Page/LILYHEMMER_ 2023_FALL_DAYLILY_FESTIVAL.

• Friday, October 27, 6:30–8:30pm

Foodie Fridays: Food is Freedom

In the U.S., food and farming have a long history of being tied to freedom— and enslavement. For the final Foodie Fridays of 2023, speakers will discuss the power rooted in food and farming. Susan Cook will share the story of her fourth great aunt, Alethia Tanner, and how growing food was Tanner’s pathway from enslavement to freedom. Gardener and edible activist Vanessa Pierre will discuss her advocacy work and how gardening continues to empower communities. Held at Josiah Henson Museum and Park. Fee $10, includes light refreshments, drinks, and a ticket to the museum. Register at https://montgomeryparks.org/events/foodie-fridaysfood-is-freedom/.

• Friday, October 27, 9–11am

Memorial Arboretum Walking Tour

Come see the trees of Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) at the peak of their autumn splendor with guide Greg Huse, ANC forester. The vibrant reds, oranges, yellows, and russets of more than 300 species of trees are a must-see for anyone visiting in the autumn. On this tour, you will learn about the cemetery’s Memorial Arboretum, a Level III Accredited Arboretum. You’ll gain insight into ANC’s urban forestry program, extensive tree collection, and State Champion trees. The overall horticulture program, and the variety of techniques used to create some of the most breathtaking formal and informal landscapes and gardens, will also be highlighted. Details at https://www.arlingtoncemetery. mil/#/.

• Saturday, October 28 GinkgoFest 2023: A Celebration of Blandy’s Gloriously Golden Ginkgo Grove! Back for a third year, the GinkgoFest is a chance to wander among the beautiful ginkgoes, sing along to traditional Celtic music, learn about the history and growth of ginkgoes, share a festive drink and delicious food, and breathe in the autumn air. With 300 trees spanning 3.3 acres, the Ginkgo Grove at the State Arboretum of Virginia at Blandy Experimental Farm is the largest public ginkgo grove in the U.S. When it erupts in color each fall, it’s one of nature’s most vibrant displays of fall foliage in the Shenandoah Valley. This special after-hours event features delectable food and drink, Plein Air Art in the Grove, music from the talented “Blue Ridge Bard” Matthew O’Donnell, and, of course, an up-close-and-personal view of the beloved ginkgo trees. Bring your camera and wear gold. Details at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ginkgofest-2023-a-celebration-of-blandys-gloriously-golden-ginkgo-grove-tickets-73139 2523727?aff=oddtdtcreator.

• Saturday, October 28, 11am–2pm

Garlic Planting Party & Poetry Slam

Fall planting, crafts, and a youth poetry competition in Washington Youth Garden at the U.S. National Arboretum. Details at https://www. eventbrite.com/e/garlic-planting-partyin-washington-youth-garden-tickets696761200507?aff=ffn.

• Tuesday, October 31, 7pm

Lessons from an Insect Egg Hunt

Learn how plant selection can affect sustainable control of insect pests with speaker Madeline Potter. Hosted by the Maryland Native Plant Society. Learn about the many valuable lessons from this insect egg hunt and how plant selection affects sustainable control of insect pests. Her Master’s research was on biological control of the invasive brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) and included a community science project, called Project Stink-beGone, recruited 50 Maryland Master Gardeners to collect insect eggs from all around Maryland. The data collected provided new information about egg parasitic wasps that help to sustainably control pest stink bugs and other insect pests. Register for a Zoom link at www. mdflora.org/event-5304019.

• Friday, November 3, and Saturday, November 4

Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance (UCFA) Fall 2023 Workshops and Convening

The fall 2023 workshops will take place in Accokeek, MD, and include sessions on seed saving, seed stories, medicinal herbs, and more. For information and registration, visit: https://ujamaafarms. com/fall-2023-convening-1.

• Wednesday, November 8, 6:30–8pm

A World of Discovery: How Science and Heart Can Make You a More Ecological Gardener

Have you ever wondered how plants and animals perceive the world around them? Unfortunately, in our urban areas, noise, light, and odor pollution can have many unintended consequences. Learn how to expand your gardening focus beyond visual appeal to create landscapes that mitigate these disruptions and offer sensory refuges for wildlife. Speaker Nancy Lawson is an author, Master Naturalist, and founder of The Humane Gardener, LLC. Note: This is an in-person event, taking place in the Brookside Gardens Auditorium. Free, registration is not required.

• Saturday, November 11, 10:30am–12:30pm

Botanical Collage and Printmaking (Onsite Art Workshop)

Highlighting natural materials from the U.S. Botanic Garden collection, this workshop will feature a mix of the art of zine-making, collaging, printmaking, and book arts. During the workshop, Doriana Diaz, multidimensional artist, archivist, and memory worker, will guide you in implementing and enhancing the practice as both an individual and a collective. Experiment with visuals that curate your ideologies around nature, radical womanhood, joy, glory, Black paradise, and more. Through discussion and art-making, you will leave confident in the methods of these genres, with various creations and concepts to continue the intentional exploration of these arts of collaging, zine-making, books, and printmaking. Held at the Conservatory Classroom of the U.S. Botanic Garden. Friends: $10. Nonmembers: $20. Pre-registration required at https://www.usbg.gov/ learn/programs-and-events.

• Sunday, November 12, 2–4pm Home-Grown Mushrooms Workshop

Growing edible mushrooms at home is intriguing and fast becoming very popular. Speaker Tom Higgs is a scientist by trade with a degree in biochemistry/ molecular biology and more than 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. His presentation will include an overview of basic mycology, a variety of mushroom-growing techniques, and a brief introduction to mushroom foraging in Maryland. The goal of the presentation is to spark an interest with the audience in the hopes that others will be inspired to have their own mushroomgrowing adventures. Light refreshments will be served. Hosted by the Garden Club at Sandy Spring Museum. Admission is free for museum members and $10 for nonmembers. Register at www. sandyspringmuseum.org.

• Saturday, November 18, 10am–2pm Brunch with Birds and Blooms: A Fundraiser to Support Brookside

This gala fundraiser brunch at Brookside Gardens Visitor Center is hosted by the Friends of Brookside Gardens with speakers Sara Hallager, curator of birds, and Brian Evans, migratory bird ecologist at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. It includes a wonderful brunch buffet with mimosas, a raffle for very desirable gift certificate(s), and great speakers from the Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. Registration closes November 7, 2023. Tickets are $125. To purchase, go to www.friendsofbrooksidegardens.org.

Looking Ahead

• November 17, 2023, through January 7, 2024

A Longwood Christmas

This holiday season, it’s a riot of retro, a bevy of bright, and nostalgic moments at every turn at Longwood Gardens. Guests will marvel at holiday trees draped in everything from shimmering tinsel to throwback baubles to childhood-favorite toys. The radiance of retro spills outdoors as more than half-a-million shimmering lights—including some super-sized surprises— adorn nearly 100 trees while carolers stroll the Gardens and outdoor firepits invite guests to gather in their warm glow. Timed Tickets are required and available now at longwoodgardens.org.

• Thursday, November 30, 6:30-8pm

Garden Book Club Meeting

We will discuss Orchid Muse: A History of Obsession in Fifteen Flowers by Erica Hannickel. You can order it new or used at our Amazon link: https://amzn.to/3Yoo42b or at our Bookshop store: https://bookshop. org/a/79479/9780393867282. In the December 2022 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine, reviewer Jim Dronenburg wrote, “... even if you never intend to have, wear, or grow an orchid, it is a fascinating read.”

The Washington Gardener Magazine’s Garden Book Club meets quarterly via Zoom and is free and open to all. Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAkc-ygrzMiH9z6ekl2ip3w n8PLuyFrG9r9.

Event Listing Updates

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

How to Submit Events

To submit an event for this listing, email washingtongardenermagazine@gmail. com with “Event” in the subject line. Our next deadline is November 5 for the November 2023 issue, for events taking place after November 15. o

The Urban Garden: 101 Ways to Grow Food and Beauty in the City is all about small-space gardening solutions!

By Kathy Jentz and Teresa Speight

Published by Cool Springs Press/Quarto Homes

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

GardenDC Podcast

The GardenDC podcast is all about gardening in the greater Washington, DC, and Mid-Atlantic area. The program is hosted by Kathy Jentz, editor of Washington Gardener Magazine, and features guest experts in local and national horticulture. The latest episodes include interviews with experts on Figs, Fall Perennials, and Moon Gardening.

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