Washington Gardener April 2019 by Kathy J

APRIL 2019 VOL. 14 NO. 2

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gardener

the magazine for gardening enthusiasts in the Mid-Atlantic region

Top Tips for Peony Success Earliest, Sweetest, Easiest Spring Peas

Grasscycling for a Healthy Lawn Native Pussytoes, an Almost-ideal Groundcover Bamboos for the Home Garden

Bountiful Blackeye Peas DC-MD-VA Gardening Events Calendar

DC-MD-VA Spring Garden Tours Round-up

Explore the Best Private Gardens in Our Region

Izel Plants

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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.

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Contact kathyjentz@gmail.com or call 301.588.6894 for ad rates. The ad deadline is the 10th of each month. Please submit your ad directly to: KathyJentz@gmail.com.

WASHINGTON GARDENER APRIL 2019

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RESOURCESsourc

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Washington Gardener Magazine’s staff and writers are available to speak to groups and garden clubs in the greater DC region. Call 301.588.6894 or email KathyJentz@gmail.com for available dates, rates, and topics.

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

INSIDEcontents

FEATURES and COLUMNS

Bamboo Garden’s largest project to date is the Asia Trail for the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC. They put together a massive collection of bamboo on three 53-foot trucks that were delivered and planted in the garden and now serve as scenery and panda food.

BOOKreviews 8-10 Community Food Forest, Peonies, Butterfly Gardening, History of Landscape Design EDIBLEharvest 6-7 Blackeye Peas GARDENtours 14-15 2019 Spring DMV Garden Tours GOINGnative 13 Pussytoes HORThappenings 22 Tulip Days, Daffodil Fest, Fish Pepper Lunch, Flower Shows, Environmental Film Fest NEWPLANTspotlight 11 Gaultheria procumbens ‘Peppermint Pearl’ NEIGHBORnetwork 16 Sandra Youssef Clinton, FASLA PLANTprofile 20-21 Bamboo TIPStricks 12 Peonies, Peas, Grasscycling

Male Giant Panda Tai Shan at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, DC. Photo by Fernando Revilla, Wikipedia.

Although their flowers resemble roses, peonies are entirely unrelated to them. The Latin name for their genus, Paeonia, was derived from the physician to the Greek gods whose name was Paean. Historically, their flowers were portrayed in many paintings dating back centuries ago during the Dutch Golden Age. Evidently, even the Dutch Masters couldn’t resist their gorgeous good looks.

Historic Garden Week tour photo of Shore Eyre Hall Border is by Diane Ginsberg and courtesy of the Garden Club of Virginia. A National Historic Landmark, this acclaimed ancestral property offers a rare picture of colonial plantation life. The key to Eyre Hall’s remarkable preservation lies in its descent through eight generations of the same family.

DEPARTMENTS

ADVERTISINGindex BLOGlinks EDITORletter GARDENcontest LOCALevents MONTHLYtasklist NEXTissue READERreactions RESOURCESsources

23 11 4 5 18-19 11 3 5 2

ON THE COVER Peony garden photo by Maayke de Ridder, iVerde.org.

Leesburg, VA, flower border photo by Sky Richardson for Historic Garden Week.

In our May issue:

Rose Companions Perennial Combinations and much more . . .

If your business would like to reach area gardeners, be sure to contact us by May 5 so you can be part of the next issue of our growing publication! Be sure you are subscribed! Click on the “subscribe” link at washingtongardener.com APRIL 2019

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EDITORletter

Credits Kathy Jentz Editor/Publisher & Advertising Sales Washington Gardener 826 Philadelphia Ave. Silver Spring, MD 20910 Phone: 301-588-6894 kathyjentz@gmail.com www.washingtongardener.com Call today to place your ad with us! Johnny Moseman Alexa Silverberg Intern Ruth E. Thaler-Carter Proofreader Cover price: $4.99 Back issues: $6.00 Subscription: $20.00 Our group photo gathering at Behnke Nurseries in Beltsville, MD, before departing to the Philadelphia Flower Show on March 7, 2019.

Good-bye to a Local Gardening Institution By now, word has spread to all that Behnke Nurseries in Beltsville, MD, is closing for good. For a few years now, rumors had run rampant about the family being pressured to sell out to a developer, but every year, we frequent customers breathed a sigh of relief when the nursery was still open for another spring season. Looking back in my photo files brought a flood of memories from past partnerships and events between this magazine and Behnke. They invited me to be a guest several times on their radio show when it still aired. I won’t forget the friendliness and warm welcome that Larry Hurley and John Peter Thompson gave to this on-air first-timer. Over the years, we tabled at many of their seasonal events—from the holiday open house to their annual azalea festival. The most-enjoyable occasion for me was the annual “Garden Party” that they held each June to raise money for the Friends of Brookside Gardens. Several local garden clubs had tables and it was a treat to compare and contrast our member benefits and offerings with other club leaders. I have also given talks at Behnke on various topics and on one occasion, the magazine organized a whole morning of educational sessions by our regular columnists called “Back to the Garden.” In the last few years, Behnke and the magazine have partnered to host a trip up to the Philadelphia Flower Show, leaving from and returning to their store. It was an annual sell-out and I loved seeing many returning faces each year. Behnke was also a wealth of gardening knowledge, with a staff full of plant nerds and garden geeks who could talk for hours about their favorite varieties and selections. We often called on them for a story quote or recommendation. Most of all, we will miss shopping at Behnke and running into friends there whenever we visited. Happy gardening,

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

• Washington Gardener Blog: www.washingtongardener.blogspot.com • Washington Gardener Archives: http://issuu.com/washingtongardener • Washington Gardener Discussion Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ WashingtonGardener/ • Washington Gardener Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/WDCGardener • Washington Gardener Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Washington GardenerMagazine/ • Washington Gardener Youtube: www.youtube.com/washingtongardenermagazine

• Washington Gardener Store: www.amazon.com/shop/wdcgardener

• 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 14, Number 2 ISSN 1555-8959 © 2019 Washington Gardener All rights reserved. Published quarterly. No material may be reproduced without prior written permission. This magazine is purchased by the buyer with the understanding that the information presented is from various sources from which there can be no warranty or responsibility by the publisher as to legality, completeness, or technical accuracy. All uncredited photos in this issue are © Kathy Jentz.

WASHINGTON GARDENER APRIL 2019

READERreactions

March 2019 My favorite article in the March issue of Washington Gardener was the book reviews, specifically the reviews of the air plant book, the mushroom growing book, and the book on growing/regrowing kitchen scraps. I have unsuccessfully tried to grow a few air plants at home so this book is tempting. I have dabbled in trying to grow mushrooms inside in coffee grounds from oyster mushroom stem ends and have thought about trying mushroom-growing more seriously, so this book might be worthwhile for me. I am an inveterate gardening experimenter and have grown plants from seeds from various fruits, greens from the tops of root vegetables, plants from sweet potato sprouts, and other such things, so I may look into this book in more detail. ~ Dorothy Cichra, Silver Spring MD My favorite article in the March magazine, as always, was the monthly checklist. I always find a few things that had slipped my mind or new ideas. I really love this magazine! Thanks for your excellent work. ~ Janet Benini, Washington, DC As someone who is seriously addicted to any- and everything purple, my favorite article in the March 2019 issue is “Blue Ridge Farmlet: Blooming Hill Lavender Farm.” The opening photo of the purple rooster surrounded by blooming lavender is good for a smile every time I glance at it. ~ Ruth E. Thaler-Carter, St. Louis, MO

READERcontt

Reader Contest

For our April 2019 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, Washington Gardener is giving away a copy of signed copy of Homegrown and Handpicked: A Year in a Gardening Life by Carol J. Michel ($14.999, Gardenangelist Books, https://www.maydreamsgardens.com). The sequel to the popular essay book, Potted and Pruned: Living a Gardening Life, which taught us about gardening math, distance, time, and other important fundamentals, Homegrown and Handpicked is a journey through the seasons, with just as many laugh-out-loud, hey-that’sme stories as the first book. One of our book reviewers, Erica H. Smith, read it and wrote in our January 2019 issue, “Any gardener, in fact, will feel some affinity with these well-written depictions of horticultural happenings. Michel grows everything from trees to pansies to zucchini; she buys too many plants; she’d rather mow the lawn than clean the house. I can relate!” and “This book would be a great gift for a fellow gardener, or for that person in your life who doesn’t quite understand why you are so into gardening and so peculiar about it, or for yourself, for those days when charm and whimsy would be just the right flicker of light in the darkness.” To enter to win Homegrown and Handpicked: A Year in a Gardening Life by Carol J. Michel, send an email to WashingtonGardener@rcn.com by 5:00pm on April 30 with “Homegrown and Handpicked” 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. Winners will be announced on May 1.

Y ou Can Make a Difference. . . by

Sharing Your Harvest

February 2019 I really like the article about the new blueberry plants that can be grown in containers. Since I have a small, shaded yard, this is the only way I can grow blueberries! ~ Kathy Pongor, Savage MD The whole issue is useful and entertaining, but my favorite feature is the 17 Award-winning Garden Photos, particularly the page 13 milkweed seedpod—STUNNING—and the page 17 box turtle feasting on mushrooms—subtle yet lovely colors. ~ Michelle LaLumia, Leesburg, VA

Plant an extra row in your garden and deliver the harvest to a local food bank or shelter. The need is great! With your help, PAR can continue to make a difference for America’s most vulnerable. Call our toll-free number (877.GWAA.PAR) or visit our website at www.gardenwriters.org/par for more information. APRIL 2019

WASHINGTON GARDENER

EDIBLEharvt

by Elizabeth Olson

Fresh or dried, blackeye peas provide year-round culinary delights. Photo of ‘California Blackeye No. 5’ courtesy of the W. Atlee Burpee Company.

Bountiful Blackeye Peas

from 6 to 9 inches long and contain seven to 12 or more peas in each pod, also depending on the cultivar.

Culinary Uses

The tasty and nutritious peas have a nutty flavor and a firm texture. They are low in calories and are a source of dietary fiber, protein, and several B vitamins—being especially high in folate—as well as several minerals including manganese, phosphorous, iron, magnesium, and zinc. Culinary uses include being an ingredient in soups or prepared in a hearty side dish. Blackeye pea recipes frequently feature ham, ham hocks, bacon, or sausage. Simple recipes may have seasonings limited to salt and pepper and perhaps butter. More complex recipes may create savory flavor combinations with onions, garlic, and a flavorful green such as cabbage or collards. Below is a recipe from former First Lady Laura Bush: New Year’s Day Blackeye Peas 1 lb. fresh or frozen blackeye peas 2 T olive oil 2 onions, finely diced 4 garlic cloves, minced 1 bay leaf 6 cups vegetable stock 2 tsp fresh parsley, chopped Salt and pepper to taste Sweat onions, garlic, and bay leaf in olive oil until fragrant and tender. Add the blackeye peas and vegetable stock. Simmer until the blackeye peas are tender, probably 20–30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Finish with chopped parsley and serve warm. Serves 6.

Growing Tips Blackeye peas are familiar items in supermarkets as fresh, shelled peas in the produce section in summer and dried peas in the staples section yearround. Sometimes called blackeyes or black-eyed peas, they are distinctive for their pale coloring with a black border surrounding the hilum of each pea. This crop is an annual warm weather legume that thrives in the summer heat and humidity of the greater Mid-Atlantic growing region. It does well in kitchen gardens. 6

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The plants are started from seed. They can be bushy or viney and are easy to grow. Blackeye pea plants are generally pest-resistant, do not need to be fertilized, and are drought-tolerant once they are established. The peas are produced in relatively slender green to yellow-green pods that form quickly after the plants flower. (Depending on the cultivar, pea flower color might be white, lavender, or yellow.) The pods hang singly or in clusters of two or more pods, and grow

Blackeye peas must be planted in full sun in a site that has slightly acidic, well-drained soil of average fertility, although the plants will tolerate lessfertile soil. The seeds should be directsown outdoors after the garden soil is thoroughly warm in late spring. They will sprout in one to two weeks. After the plants are a few inches tall, mulch should be applied to open areas and the garden be kept free of weeds. Alternatively, the seeds may be started indoors in biodegradable pots filled with sterile potting mix, placed on horti-

EDIBLEharvt cultural heat mats, and situated under grow lights. Seedlings should be hardened off before being planted—still in their biodegradable pots—in the kitchen garden after they have two sets of true leaves and the garden soil is warm. Blackeye peas are a type of cowpea (also known as southern peas). The scientific name is Vigna unguiculata. Cowpeas are closely related to yardlong beans and asparagus beans, and should be included in the same crop rotation schedule. All blackeye pea plants benefit from some sort of support to ensure good air circulation, ease of harvest, and protection from tipping over in thunderstorms. Tall plants, in particular, need to be staked or trellised. If different cultivars are planted in the same garden plot, the taller ones should be grown on the north and west sides to avoid shading shorter plants from the morning sun.

Harvesting/Preserving

For fresh blackeye peas with the highest quality of flavor and texture, the young pods should be harvested as soon as they swell and the peas are plump. This usually takes 58 to 65 days for most cultivars. The peas can be removed from their pods by popping the pods open and gently scraping the peas loose. Surplus fresh blackeye peas can be preserved by freezing (after blanching) or pressure canning. To produce dried blackeye peas for later use, they need to grow to full maturity. This usually takes 80 or more days. Their pods will become dry and change color to tan, greenish-tan, or yellow-tan. Fully mature pods need to be picked: 1) Before they split open or become damaged, in order to keep the peas dry, and 2) On days without rain. These pods should be taken indoors immediately to air-dry for several days— protected from vermin and moisture. They can be cracked open by hand and the peas removed from the debris. To prevent weevil damage, dried blackeye peas should be frozen for three to four days before storing them in air-tight containers at room temperature.

Recommended Cultivars

Seeds for some blackeye pea cultivars are offered at garden centers in late winter and spring. They are also available online year-round from many seed companies, some of which are named in the descriptions of cultivars that are recommended below. Gardeners looking for the highly popular seeds may find them labeled simply as blackeye peas or listed under ‘Fast Lady’ is sometimes called a northern southern pea cowpeas or southern peas. In because it also performs well in many areas with cool any event, the labels should summer nights. Photo courtesy of Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (SouthernExposure.com). be read carefully to determine individual variety descriptions ‘Fast Lady’ matures in 58 to 63 days and spacing guidelines. for fresh peas and 83 to 88 days for Recommended cultivars are: dried peas. The bushy plants have yel• ‘California Blackeye’. This is the most low flowers that are attractive to polwidely available cultivar; special seleclinators, and they bear peapods all seations include a numeral in the cultivar son long if watered in times of drought. name. The bushy plants are very prolifThe peas are mild-flavored and smoothic. The peas dry to white or near-white textured. Dried peas need little or no and each pea has a strikingly dramatic soaking before cooking. This cultivar black eye. Available from Burpee.com, is the product of OSSI (Open Source RareSeeds.com, RHShumway.com, Seed Initiative) and is available from VermontBean.com, and VictorySeeds. VictorySeeds.com, FedcoSeeds.com, com. SouthernExposure.com, and directly • ‘Green Dixie’. The plants are from the developer, Carol Deppe of somewhat bushy vines that proFertile Valley Seeds, at CarolDeppe. duce peas with a sweet flavor and com. a lovely, very pale-green color that Another source for blackeye pea is retained when the peas dry. The cultivars is the listing service for seed pods are easy to harvest. Available collectors registered with Seed Savers from SandHillPreservation.com and Exchange at SeedSavers.org. The subSouthernExposure.com. ject heading is cowpea. • ‘Queen Anne’. Days to maturity: 60 Grow Your Own to 65 days for fresh peas and 85 to 90 Blackeye peas provide gardeners with days for dried peas. This cultivar will the ability to create delicious and also grow well in many short-season nutritious meals all year long with areas or areas with cooler summer home-grown produce. In summer, fresh nights. The plants are viney and problackeye peas can be prepared with duce large quantities of pea pods. The collards. During the rest of the year, peas dry to a soft white color. Available dried or preserved blackeye peas can from SouthernExposure.com and be prepared with cabbage, mustard SuperSeeds.com. greens, turnip greens, or kale. For a • An additional recommended cowspecial celebration, serving a blackeye pea cultivar is ‘Fast Lady’, sometimes pea dish on New Year’s Day is said to called ‘Fast Lady Northern’. It resembring good luck for the entire year. o bles blackeye peas, but the seeds are smaller and each seed has a very small grey-black eye. Like the ‘Queen Anne’ blackeye pea, ‘Fast Lady’ will also grow well in many short-season areas or areas with cooler summer nights.

Elizabeth Olson is a Maryland Certified Professional Horticulturist. She is also an avid home gardener who is fascinated by the plants that she grows. She can be contacted through Washington Gardener magazine. APRIL 2019

WASHINGTON GARDENER

BOOKreviews

Living Décor: Plants, Potting, and DIY Projects By Maria Colletti Publisher: Cool Springs Press List Price: $25.00 Reviewer: Alexa Silverberg Living Décor teaches you to think about houseplants in a unique way. Colletti shows you that ordinary house plant decor can be recycled into extraordinary art and centerpieces for a green-inspired home. Colletti spent 13 years at the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) as store manager of Shop in the Garden, where she perfected her craft. She currently teaches indoor gardening craft classes at NYBG Adult Education. Colletti has degrees in horticulture and anthropology. The first part of Living Decor is about greenery. Colletti talks about why she loves plant displays, and then details how to take care of different indoor plants properly. She says the three things you need to consider are: 1. What kind of plant is it? 2. What direction is the light or heat source? 3. Is the water able to drain freely through the soil? Coletti then goes into detail about the eight most-common houseplants. She says how to properly take care of them, explaining how much light and water they each need. Part Two of the book helps you consider which indoor planting style you prefer. Colletti explains the three most common types: botanic styling, boho styling, and industrial styling. Colletti 8

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talks about the different types of plants and objects you want to consider for each style. Part Three contains all of the DIYs to achieve your ideal indoor garden style. For an industrial look, Colletti shows a DIY for a hanging wire chandelier. To achieve the botanic look, Colletti does a DIY pumpkin centerpiece. For the boho look, Colletti shows different geometric terrariums. These are just three of the many DIYs included in the book. All of Colletti’s DIYs are explained step-by-step and include many photos to aid you. This book is great for those looking to expand their houseplant palette and incorporate more plants into their home decor. o Alexa Silverberg is a senior broadcast journalism major at the University of Maryland and is from Short Hills, NJ. She is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener this spring semester.

The Community Food Forest Handbook: How to Plan, Organize, and Nurture Edible Gathering Places By Catherine Bukowski and John Munsell Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing List Price: $24.95 Reviewer: Johnny Moseman Catherine Bukowksi and John Munsell’s The Community Food Forest Handbook not only explains all the challenges in planning and sustaining a community food forest, but also gives solutions to those problems. They focus on aspects that many may not consider

when planning food forests in urban areas. This book is the perfect tool for communities to both grow food and solve social and environmental problems, as well as provide new insights on how they can organize, initiate, and sustain them long-term. This handbook not only explains all you need to know about creating a food forest, but also how to maintain one so it can benefit a community in the long term. This guide to planning a food forest, perfect for urban planners, townships, landscape designers, community organizers, and forages who aspire to help the future, is split into five parts that create an easy-to-follow handbook that shows you everything you need to know when making a sustainable community food forest. The book also provides a deep background on the history of community food forests so readers can see what has been done in the past to better help them understand what needs to be done in the future. Along with the introduction, Part 1 focuses on what is needed to invest in and create the plan for a community food forest. This covers everything from the background to increasing food forests in our country to actually planning out what is needed when wanting to start a food forest in an urban area. Part 2 consists of the actual planning of what will have to go into creating the food forest. This deals mostly with the logistics of how to plan a garden, including costs, feasibility, location, and advising of a food forest. Along with this planning, there are also sections about what to avoid when planning a food forest so you avoid others’ pitfalls in the past. Part 3 has to do with the design of the food forest, explaining what needs to go in what zones or sectors to make the most-effective food forest for your community. This section is full of photos that help show what these zones and sectors look like. Part 4, the last of the guide, deals with how to use these gardens and food forests to uplift a whole community. A lot of work goes into these food forests, so talking about how this will help the community really sets this apart from other guides because it

BOOKreviews shows the effects of what this does to a community. The book concludes with tips that may have been missed, as well as telling you what to look for in the future of your food forest. I enjoyed this allinclusive guide on how to effectively start and maintain a food forest. o Johnny Moseman is a senior multi-platform journalism major at the University of Maryland from Columbia, MD. He is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener this spring semester.

Butterfly Gardening: The North American Butterfly Association Guide By Jane Hurwitz Publisher: Princeton University Press List Price: $29.95 Reviewer: Andrea F. Siegel It’s a no-brainer that butterflies, with their delicate beauty, and gardens that support them, with their color and texture, are a natural match. While Monarch butterflies may be the face—wings?—of the butterfly conservation movement, other butterfly populations are suffering, too, not only from pesticides, but especially because their habitats are disappearing. That’s where Butterfly Gardening: The North American Butterfly Association Guide comes in. If you weren’t already inclined to devote some gardening efforts to butterflies, the more than 200 stunning color photos of eggs, caterpillars, and butterflies— and the lovely gardens that support them—that fill advocate Jane Hurwitz’s book would nudge you in that direction.

The book is a straightforward, important how-to resource about the type of gardening that supports the entire life cycle of butterflies. It invites readers to grow attuned to the eco-relationships between plants and butterflies, especially those that certain butterflies have with specific plants—like Monarchs and the milkweeds that support the Monarch’s life cycle. Hurwitz’s friendly writing style makes a wealth of information accessible to aspiring and longtime butterfly gardeners, advising all on how to implement the ideas presented and showing them in existing landscapes. The author, editor of Butterfly Gardener magazine, helpfully organized the guide by region. Some regions are huge, with diverse climates. For example, the Eastern deciduous forest, which includes the Mid-Atlantic area (that’s us!), stretches from Maine into Florida and west into Minnesota and Texas. Each region’s section features not only discussions of successful butterfly gardens, but charts of recommended plants that include key information, such as the USDA hardiness zone, bloom season, and whether they provide caterpillar food, as well. Most of the plants featured are native, but non-natives are here, too, since they have roles in our gardens. Think of the popular catmint with its long bloom season. For those who want to cook for butterflies, Hurwitz has included the recipe for the “butterfly brew” in use by the National Butterfly Center in Texas and explains the fermented fruit concoction’s role in a butterfly garden—and how to prevent a feeder filled with it from becoming a gooey lure for every creature you don’t want dining there. Not every butterfly’s first choice at the buffet is the nectar of flowers, Hurwitz notes, and you may not have to do much to feed some butterflies: Among their dietary delights, the Mourning Cloak loves tree sap and the Question Mark dines on animal poop. Experienced and first-time gardeners will find the lists in the back of the book of interest. Both scientific and common names are in the inventory of plants named in the book and another for the butterflies. A resources list includes field guides for butterfly

watching, idea books for butterfly gardening, and more. As the author says, preserving and creating butterfly habitat alone won’t protect butterfly populations, but it is a big flutter in the right direction. o Andrea F. Siegel is a Master Gardener and writer in Maryland.

Peony: The Best Varieties for Your Garden By David C. Michener and Carol A. Adelman Publisher: Timber Press List Price: $27.95 Reviewer: Jim Dronenburg This is, overall, a selection of 200 varieties of peonies, chosen out of the several thousand varieties of peony available. It is in no way complete; but a complete book would be cumbersome at best, and only for libraries and the like to own. While your reviewer does not think that the average gardener would be well-advised to buy this book, it is one that you should go to your library and demand that they buy . The book starts out with an overview of peony history and breeding, and then goes into the kinds of peony plants (species peonies; “bush” or herbaceous; tree peonies; the “Itoh” or “intersectionals,” which are hybrids between the first two). Then it explains the kinds of peony flowers (single, Japanese, anemone, bomb, semidouble, double). This is good terminology to know, because it will help you in the peony catalogues. And—fair warning—if you read this book, the catalogs are going to be your next step. Your Book Reviews continued on page 10 APRIL 2019

WASHINGTON GARDENER

BOOKreviews Book Reviews, continued from page 9

reviewer has over an acre of land, and at least 90 peonies (not all different) one would think that was enough, but he has just compiled a wish list of 14 varieties to get this fall thanks to this book. The problem with peonies, of course, is that they are both large and semi-forever type plants. They can go half a century in the same place, which is why the book also tells you exactly what to do for your soil when you plant, and what location(s) to choose. Most of the book, of course, has to do with pictures and descriptions of the varieties chosen. The listing is alphabetical by bush, alphabetical by intersectional—alphabetical by tree types. There is a factual checklist for each variety (kind of plant, color, kind of bloom, fragrance if any, season, height, whether it needs support or not, and various—usually historical—notes). “Season” is defined as within the peony season (which can be mid-April to end of May in this region), early, midseason, late. As an aside, in various years, the dates of blooming may change, but as a rule, the sequence will not. That is, if plant A blooms before plant B, it will do so whether the spring is early or late. Similarly, the book lists companion plants for peonies, but the reader will have to establish his/her own notes of what blooms where in the sequence. Some of the introductory blurbs for each variety are more than slightly precious, but of course, the object is to make the reader fall in love with each and every one. One cannot fault the authors’ knowledge of the plants and their culture. This is not a couple of writers doing “the next subject on the to-do list.” Adelman has a peony nursery and Michener is associate curator at the University of Michigan Botanical Garden & Nichols Arboretum, overseeing the rejuvenation of the peony collection. There is a slight axe to grind with the layout—headings are in light red and captions are in light gray, very hard to read; and with the “resources” pages in the back of the book. These pages list plant sources, by province (Canada) and state (U.S.); then cut flower 10

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sources; then public gardens; then a very scant list of suggested readings. Your reviewer noted two items—Old House Gardens, in Michigan, listed as a source—their site lists only seven varieties—in “Public Gardens,” under Maryland, Belmont Manor and Historic Park, the site appears to be a wedding venue primarily, with no mention or picture of any peony. It makes your reviewer wonder about the rest. But that said, this is a good book to show you some of what is out there. Next step, the catalogs. One presumes/ hopes that each of these varieties in the book is for sale somewhere. (As a last resort, one could presumably contact one of the authors.) The University of Michigan has a large historic collection, as I recall. o Jim Dronenburg is a retired accountant and now gardens full-time in Knoxville, MD.

The text is informative and the photos charming, engaging, and just enough. On a magic carpet, the author transports me to 100 gardens, gliding around the globe and through history, from Spain’s 9th-century Alhambra to Kim Willkie’s 2004 Boughton House in Northamptonshire, England. United States gardens are liberally represented throughout, with a United States focus in Chapter 9, “Designing for Democracy,” highlighting Montgomery Place, Mount Auburn Cemetery, Springside, Central Park, Buffalo Park System, and Biltmore. I recommend this book for reference, gifting, and inspiration, but be forewarned: It will give you travel lust. o Cheval Force Opp gardens in Dunn Loring, VA, where she lives with her husband Dana and corgi Marzipan. A passionate garden tourist, she is always searching for new gardens to visit. Let her know if you have a favorite garden to share.

Love Reading? The History of Landscape Design in 100 Gardens By Linda A. Chisholm Photography by Michael D. Garber Publisher: Timber Press List Price: $50.00 Reviewer: Cheval Force Opp This hefty 535-page history book has been sitting on my dining table since last year. Several mornings a week, I dawdle through the 17 chapters, delighting in my armchair tour of gardens while taking coffee breaks. Each chapter groups gardens around a dominant style, time, and place in history, beginning with “Piety and Protection” and ending with “Reverence for the Archetype.”

These books were reviewed by volunteer members of the Washington Gardener Reader Panel. We are looking for a few additional volunteers who live in the greater Washington, DC, region to serve on our Reader Panel. Reader Panelists may also be asked to review new gardening plants, tools, and seeds. To join the Washington Gardener Volunteer Reader Panel, please send an email with your name and address to: KathyJentz@gmail.com. We look forward to having you be a vital part of our local publication and its gardening mission. o

GARDENnews

Quick Links to Washington Gardener Blog Posts • Common Good City Farm • DIY: Watering Can with Crystal Pour • April Bloom Day • Dutch Tulip Days in DC • Cherry Blossom Viewing Alternatives

New Plant Spotlight

Gaultheria procumbens ‘Peppermint Pearl’ This introduction from Concept Plants (conceptplants.com) is an enchanting groundcover with berries as white as pearls. Gaultheria procumbens ‘Peppermint Pearl’ was named after Jean-François Gaultier, an 18th-century botanist. Driven by his passion for plants, he traveled the whole world to find special plants. During bleak autumn and winter days, ‘Peppermint Pearl’ will cheer up your garden. In summer, serene and white flowers will appear. ‘Peppermint Pearl’ is an evergreen plant, winter-hardy to USDA zone 4a. It has a compact size of 6" high and 12" wide. It is a perfect plant for indoor and outdoor use. It prefers acidic soil and partial shade. Did you know Gaultheria procumbens is a multi-functional plant? Its berries have been used for ice cream, candy, tea, jam, and aromatic oils. o

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

April-May Garden To-Do List

• If you started seeds last month, thin them and start the hardening-off process. • Start some more seeds—especially try flowering annuals like impatiens, marigolds, nasturtium, and petunias. • Do not set out seedlings or tender annuals until after Mother’s Day (traditional last frost-free date for our entire area). • Water shrubs and trees deeply during any dry spells. • Prune winter damage on evergreens. • Make compost tea and use on seedlings. • Turn your compost pile. • Sharpen tools. • Prune flowering shrubs, such as forsythia, lilacs, and azaleas, when they finish blooming. • Repot and fertilize houseplants. • Set aside a few hours each weekend for attending garden shows and tours. • Weed by hand to avoid disturbing newly forming roots. • Soil preparation—add lime, compost, etc., as needed. • Walk your garden—look for early signs of fungal disease. • Divide perennials and herbs. Pot up extras to give away at plant swaps. • Fertilize new growth. • Plant and prune roses. • Transplant small trees and shrubs. • Buy or check on your stored summer bulbs (such as dahlias and caladiums). Pot them and start to water if you want to give them an early start on the season. • Build a raised bed for vegetables. Add lots of manure and compost. • Buy an indoor plant to liven up your office space. Try an Orchid or African violet. • Start/keep fertilizing your indoor plants. • Cut back and clear out the last of your perennial beds and ornamental grasses. • Mulch beds with a light hand. • Feed birds and provide nesting materials (try dryer lint), as well as houses, for the start of their family season. • Sow beans and corn directly outdoors. • Start carrots, turnips, and parsnips in well-draining beds or in deep containers. • Keep cutworms off newly planted edible seedlings by surrounding the seedlings with collars cut from a plastic bottle or cardboard tube. • Pick peas often to encourage the plants to produce more. • Ensure new seedlings do not dry out by installing a drip-irrigation system. • Start herbs from seed or cuttings. • Edge garden beds. • Remove Ivy, Pachysandra, and other vine-like groundcover from under shrubs. • Work in dry, not wet, soil to avoid compacting the earth. • Hand-pick cabbage worms from broccoli and other cabbage-family plants. • Put row covers over vulnerable crops—remove covers to allow for pollinating once they set flowers. • Thin lettuce seedlings and plant more seeds in new rows. (You can eat the seedling greens you pull.) • Plant a tree for Arbor Day or Earth Day. o APRIL 2019

WASHINGTON GARDENER

TIPStricks Peony ‘Candy Stripe’ photo by Maayke de Ridder, iVerde.org.

Top Tips for Peonies

Peonies are quite a unique perennial and one of the oldest ornamental plants in cultivation. Their spherical buds open to reveal truly sensational flowers. May and June are the months when they steal the show in any garden fortunate enough to include them. Peonies are composed of many hundreds of varieties, from the very rare to the very familiar. Their flowers, which can be single, semi-double, or fully double, run the gamut from white to orange, pink, and deep red. Some even change color as they mature or are bicolored. Almost all are delightfully fragrant. They also make fine cut flowers. Their shoots make an attractive display as they emerge in the spring, but it’s their flowers in particular that grab the attention. Some plants will produce flowers during their first year, while others will take longer. Yet, once a peony is established, you can be assured of years of enjoyment. In fact, the longer they remain in the same place, the more flowers they will produce. After June, the plants stop blooming and focus on their preparations for next year’s display. Here are some peony-growing tips from www.perennialpower.eu. • These sun worshippers need a location that receives at least six hours of sun a day. This is where they will really thrive. • Give them enough room; they don’t like competition. • Either plant them where peonies have not been located before, or be scrupulous about replacing the soil first. Peonies require well-drained soil. If the soil in the garden is very wet, add some soil to the planting location and then plant them in this raised area. • Support taller plants with a plant ring or other form of support since the buds can become top-heavy after rain. o 12

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Earliest, Sweetest, Easiest Peas to Grow

According to Barbara Melera of Harvesting History (harvesting-history.com), peas are among the oldest and mostbeloved fruits of all time. Peas, are one of the most important crops to civilization. There are two types of peas; Shelling Peas and Edible Pod Peas. Shelling Peas have a membrane inside the pod and the peas that renders the pod inedible when the membrane dries up and expels all the peas. Edible Pod Peas do not have this membrane so when they become ripe, the pod is edible. They grow better in cool weather and can be planted as soon as the ground can be worked in the spring. They like the soil to be cool or cold, but cannot tolerate cold, moist soil, so an application of bone meal for a source of potassium is recommended. Mulching the soil around the plants to keep the ground cooler is also recommended in the south. Peas should be planted 6–8 inches apart in rows, 18 inches to 2 feet apart and most varieties require trellising. The ‘Little Marvel’, a shelling pea, was introduced in 1908 as a cross between the Daisy and William Hurst peas. This variety of pea only grow 15–20 inches tall, normally require no trellising, but they are prolific producers which grow over a very long season. The 3–4-inch pods contain six to seven little peas and they are the some of the sweetest peas out there. It has continually been one of the most-popular shelling peas. The Snap Pea were known to ancient peoples but lost until they were rediscovered in the 1970s. Calvin Lamborn discovered a pea where the pod did not crack and expel the peas. He found these peas to be sweet and perfectly edible. This became the ‘Sugar Snap’ Pole Pea. This variety has spawned very sweet, edible pod peas like ‘Sugar Ann’, ‘Sugar Daddy’, and ‘Sugar Spring’. For container gardening, Pole Peas produce throughout the season and since they are not limited to weeks of production, they are better suited for small spaces so you receive the maximum yield. The best soil mix for containers is 60 percent regular backyard soil, 20 percent peat moss, and 20 percent dehydrated cow manure.

For teaching children how to garden, the best pea to use is the ‘Dwarf Grey’ Sugar Pea. These seeds are a great size for little hands and they normally germinate in 7 to 10 days. They can be the first seeds planted in the gardening season and produce a crop in early May. o

Improving Your Lawn’s Strength and Health

Grasscycling is the practice of leaving grass clippings on your yard to decompose and is one way you can help your lawn improve its strength and overall health in the fall. According to the University of California, grasscycling requires you to mow your yard at the right frequency, cut the proper height for the species of grass in your yard, and remove no more than one-third of a leaf blade every time you mow. Some people use a mulching or recycling mower for grasscycling; these mowers will cut the clippings into tiny pieces and return them to the lawn to decompose. The cut-grass blades left on the lawn will decompose quickly and return nutrients to the lawn, as well as save time for bagging and removing these clippings from your lawn. Grasscycling is only beneficial if you are removing small clippings at a time, so proper mowing and equipment are essential. Grasscycling may also slightly increase thatch buildup on your lawn, but the benefits outweigh the disadvantages in most situations. If your grass is too wet or has not been mowed regularly and is very tall, grasscycling should not be done yet, because this could lead to thatch buildup, according to www.SaveLivingLandscapes.com. o Johnny Moseman is a senior multi-platform journalism major at the University of Maryland from Columbia, MD. He is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener this spring semester.

GOINGnative

Pussytoes: Antennaria plantaginifolia By Barry Glick

For more than obvious reasons, everyone chuckles when they hear the common name for one of Mother Nature’s finest and most-natural groundcovers, Antennaria plantaginifolia. Even if those adorable little clusters of downy, soft, white flowers tinged with pink in early spring didn’t reliably appear as one of the first signs of the season, it would be a useful, commendable plant to carpet the earth in your shade garden. Along with the moniker “Pussytoes,” the diminutive plant has been referred to as “Plantain-Leaved Pussytoes,” “Plantain-Leaved Everlasting,” and “Ladies’ Tobacco.” As one of the lowest-growing members of the largest plant family on the planet, Asteraceae, Antennaria plantaginifolia performs its duties well in quite a few areas of my shade and dappledsunlight gardens. The soft, velvety grey color of its foliage breaks up what can be a sea of green plants quite effectively.

This little gem is native to just about every state east of the Mississippi River and its range extends from Maine to Florida, so you know it will be absolutely hardy in any garden. It grows best in dry to average welldrained soils and will even grow happily in a gritty rocky location. A lower pH is preferred, but not required. One of the easiest plants in the world to grow, this useful groundcover is also a larvae host for the attractive butterfly, American Painted Lady (Vanessa virginensis). Antennaria plantaginifolia spreads stoloniferously by runners, somewhat like a strawberry plant, but would never be considered aggressive or difficult to control. Good companion plants are the very early spring ephemerals like Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica), Shooting Stars (Dodecatheon meadia), or anything else that may be going summerdormant and needs a filler to stave off bare ground.

I’ve never seen it bothered by insects or any type of plant disease, and there seem to be no varmints that have ever even considered taking a bite of it, because parts of the plants are poisonous to deer and rabbits. Unlike other spring bloomers, after the flower stalk dies back, the basal leaves stick around and form a nice year-round evergreen mat. Considering the aforementioned, what more could you ask for in a native groundcover? 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.

APRIL 2019

WASHINGTON GARDENER

GARDENtours

Spring 2019 Garden Tours Listing

• Saturday, April 27–Saturday, May 4 Historic Garden Week (VA) Each spring, visitors are welcomed to more than 250 of Virginia’s most beautiful gardens, homes, and historic landmarks during “America’s Largest Open House.” This eight-day statewide event provides visitors a unique opportunity to see unforgettable gardens at the peak of Virginia’s springtime color. Various Virginia locations. See dates and details at http://www.vagardenweek.org. • Spring Saturdays from April 27 through Saturday, May 19 Maryland House & Garden Pilgrimage Generous property owners open their historic sites to the public for five weekends in April and May. Each county’s tour includes seven or eight properties. Maryland counties: Charles, Queen Anne’s, Baltimore, and Carroll County. Get more information at mhgp.org.

Historic Garden Week (VA)

• Sunday, April 28, 1–5pm Falls Church Home and Garden Tour This tour highlights locations in the “Little City” of Falls Church. Falls Church, VA. See http://www.fcedf.org/home--garden-tour-2019.html. • Sunday, May 5, 2–5pm Woodmoor Garden Walk and Plant Sale Members of the Woodmoor Garden Club dig up plants from their yards and donate them to the annual plant sale. Silver Spring, MD. Starting location: 129 Lynnmoor Drive, Silver Spring, MD. • Sunday, May 5, 1–5pm 2019 Takoma Park House and Garden Tour, “Politics and Prayer” This year’s tour explores the history of Union Chapel and the first town election as part of celebrating the Takoma Park Presbyterian Church’s 125 years as a community focus. Takoma Park, MD. Tickets can be purchased online at historictakoma.org.

Falls Church Home and Garden Tour

• Saturday, May 11, 10am–5pm 91st Annual Georgetown Garden Tour This year’s tour takes the visitor through seven beautiful and interesting hidden Georgetown gardens. Georgetown in Washington, DC. Details at www.georgetowngardenclubdc.org. • Saturday, May 11, 4–7pm, and Sunday, May 12, 1–5pm Capitol Hill Restoration Society’s 62nd Annual House & Garden Tour The Capitol Hill Restoration Society’s annual event is one of the highlights of the Capitol Hill calendar, touring the best homes and gardens of Capitol Hill. Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. See details at www.chrs.org. • Saturday May 11, 6–7pm Garden Tour and Tea Tasting at Fox Haven Farm and Learning Center Tour the garden and enjoy tea tasting with garden manager and herbalist Lacey Walker to learn about the plants that are ripe for medicine-making. Jefferson, MD. Details at eventbrite.com/e/garden-tour-and-tea-tasting-at-fox-havenmay-11th-tickets-55240718476.

Brookland House and Garden Tour 14

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• Saturday, May 18–Sunday, May 19, 1–5pm Beyond the Garden Gates Garden Tour In addition to the stunning landscapes, visitors are also treated to watching live plein air artists in many of the gardens, as well as a hospitality center where guests are invited to refresh themselves during the tour. Historic Frederick, MD. See www.celebratefrederick.com/events/garden-tour/.

GARDENtours

Spring 2019 Garden Tours Listing

• Saturday, May 11, 12n–5pm Tuckahoe Elementary Home and Garden Tour This self-guided tour begins at Tuckahoe Elementary School and continues through the Arlington community, showcasing up to 10 new and/or renovated homes and as many as three beautiful gardens. Arlington, VA. See details at tuckahoetour.org. • Saturday, May 18, 10am–4pm Sandy Spring Museum Garden Club Tour Immerse yourself in local flora, food, and fine art by touring fabulous local gardens. In the afternoon, celebrate with wine and hors d’oeuvres at a special garden. Sandy Spring, MD. Visit https://www.sandyspringmuseum.org/programs-and-events/ gardentour/ for details. • Saturday, June 1, and Sunday, June 2, 12n–5pm 20th Annual Secret Garden Tour of Annapolis This year’s tour features private gardens in the Historic District of Annapolis. The area between City Dock and Spa Creek holds architectural gems from Annapolis’ earliest days as well as Victorian-era and 20th-century homes. The gardens range from extremely small to surprisingly large, from formal to cottage-like, and from wellestablished to quite new. Historic District of Annapolis, MD. See www.hammondharwoodhouse.org.

Georgetown Garden Tour

• Sunday, June 2, 2–5pm 15th Annual SPCA Garden Tour This self-guided walking tour showcases the beautiful landscapes in Shepherd Park, Colonial Village, and North Portal Estates in NW Washington, DC. Unique gardens of all sizes and styles will be on display for everyone’s enjoyment and inspiration, plus there will be some special attractions, as well as activities for kids. Shepherd Park, Colonial Village, and North Portal Estates in Washington, DC. Visit http://www.shepherdpark.org for details. • Sunday, June 2, 12noon–5pm 19th Annual Greater Brookland House and Garden Tour Neighbors in Brookland and across the city look forward to this tour with eagerness each year because of the diversity of lovely houses and gardens in this neighborhood in Northeast Washington, DC. Brookland neighborhood in Washington, DC. See www.greaterbrooklandgardenclub. • Sunday, June 2, 10am-4pm 28th Annual Garden Tour - Horticultural Society of Maryland Habitats in Towson and North Baltimore that provide beauty and sustenance for people and wildlife. Baltimore County, MD. See www.mdhorticulture.org.

Shepherd Park Garden Tour

• Saturday, June 15, 10am–4pm Bucks County, PA, Garden Conservancy Open Day The three gardens on the tour include the famed Garden at Federal Twist. Bucks County, PA. See https://www.gardenconservancy.org/open-days/. • Saturday, June 22, 10am–4pm 19th “Secret Country Gardens” hosted by the Mountain Laurel Garden Club The tour includes four residential gardens (two on the shores of Deep Creek Lake and two in McHenry) plus activities related to an historic farm theme at Sang Run State Park including a perennial plant sale, wildflower walks, vegetable gardening, and soil-blocking demonstrations, and Q&A with Master Gardeners. Garrett County, MD. Contact Betsy Potts at bhpotts04@hotmail.com. o

Takoma Park House and Garden Tour APRIL 2019

WASHINGTON GARDENER

NEIGHBORnwork

Sandra Clinton, FASLA

By Alexa Silverberg

Sandra Youssef Clinton is an awardwinning landscape architect who has been designing and building gardens across the U.S. for over 35 years. She is a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). Gaining fellowship recognition is no small feat—it is one of the highest honors ASLA gives members and recognizes the contributions of these individuals to their profession and society at large based on their works, leadership and management, knowledge, and service. Clinton was inducted in 2005. Clinton is the founder and president of Clinton & Associates, a landscaping architecture firm based in Hyattsville, MD, that began in 1998. Clinton & Associates is known for their elaborate designs and thoughtful attention to detail. Clinton & Associates does residential and commercial work, with the goal of a more-sustainable tomorrow. The firm has won dozens of awards, 16

WASHINGTON GARDENER APRIL 2019

including four Perennial Plant Association merit awards, four Maryland Chapter ASLA honor awards, and many others. Clinton is very familiar with the MidAtlantic region—she grew up in Kensington, MD. She received her plant science and horticulture degrees from the University of Delaware, and her MLA from the University of Virginia. According to clinton-la.com, her work is strongly influenced by her lifelong relationships with Brazilian landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx and the late Conrad Hamerman. In addition, Clinton’s love of Monet, Van Gogh, and other impressionists influence her designs. Besides running her landscape architecture firm, Clinton lectures frequently at garden-related events. She talks about overall placemaking and hardscape design, and the use of plants in designed landscape. Clinton

This modern home near northwest Washington, DC, with landscape designed by Clinton & Associates was featured on the Garden Conservancy Open Days tours.

has taught and lectured at George Washington University, Catholic University, the University of Maryland, the U.S. National Arboretum, the New York Botanic Garden, the Chicago Botanic Garden, Davidson College, University of Nebraska, and the Indianapolis Museum of Art. o Alexa Silverberg is a senior broadcast journalism major at the University of Maryland and is from Short Hills, NJ. She is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener this spring semester.

APRIL 2019

WASHINGTON GARDENER

TOP AREA GARDENING EVENTS DC-Area Gardening Calendar ~ Events ~ April 16–May 16, 2019 • Saturday, April 20, 8am–12pm Beltsville Garden Club Plant Sale The Beltsville Garden Club will hold its annual plant sale in the parking lot of High Point High School, 3601 Powder Mill Rd., Beltsville, MD. The sale will be held rain or shine. Come early for the best selection of quality plants at reasonable prices from members. A variety of annuals, vegetables, herbs, houseplants, shrubs, perennials, and trees will be available. To learn more about the Beltsville Garden Club, visit www.beltsvillegardenclub.org. • Tuesday, April 23, 7–10pm Earth Week screening of Hometown Habitat Stories of Bringing Nature Home: Save Pollinators. Save Water. Save the Earth The City of Takoma Park Neighborhood Services Team is sponsoring the event at the Takoma Park City Hall, 7500 Maple Avenue, Takoma Park, MD. Meet film director Catherine Zimmerman, who will introduce the film and lead a discussion about sustainable landcare practices after the screening. Panel: Avalon Bristow, National Wildlife Federation; Beth Ginter, Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council. Free and open to the public. • Friday, April 26, to Monday, April 29 City Nature Challenge 2019 City Nature Challenge is a friendly competition among 100+ cities worldwide to see who can involve the most people as they photograph wild plants (which includes weeds), animals, and other life forms in the four-day period. Anyone can participate; all you need is a smart phone or a regular camera and internet access to iNaturalist. Details online at citynaturechallengedc.org. • Saturday, April 27, 9am–2pm Northern Alexandria Native Plant Sale 10 vendors from three states (VA, MD, and PA) in the parking lot of the Church of St. Clement at 1701 N. Quaker Lane, Alexandria, VA. See details at www. NorthernAlexandriaNativePlantSale.org. • Saturday, April 27, 10am–6pm, and Sunday, April 28, 10am–5pm 18

WASHINGTON GARDENER APRIL 2019

Leesburg Flower & Garden Festival More than 150 vendors will be on display, featuring landscape designs, gardening supplies, outdoor living items, plants, flowers, herbs, and so much more. Held in the beautiful historic downtown of Leesburg, VA. Free parking for event guests is available in the Town of Leesburg parking garage or the Loudoun County parking garage. There is a $3.00 suggested donation for this event. See flowerandgarden.org. • Saturday, April 27, 10am–2pm Compost Awareness Day Event Volunteers from the VA Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners will present 30-minute workshops starting at 10:30am on container gardening; small space (townhouse) gardening; tree planting, mulching; maintenance; building soils; and rain barrel construction and operation demonstrations will be provided by Prince William County Environmental Services. In addition to the workshops, guests will receive a free compost sample and door prizes will be given out throughout the event. Compost bins and plants will be on sale and food will be available for purchase from a local 4-H Club. The Prince William County Solid Waste Division will hold the event at the Sean T. Connaughton Community Plaza, 1 County Complex Court, Woodbridge, VA. Learn more at www.pwcgov.org/trashandrecycling, • Saturday, April 27, 12n–4pm MD Grow It Eat It Spring Open House A fun event about growing anything edible! Meet with Master Gardener consultants, attend classes, demonstrations, tables of information, and visit our plant sale. Held at the Agricultural History Farm Park, 18400 Muncaster Road, Derwood, MD. See giei2019. eventbrite.com. • Saturday April 27, 9am–6pm, and Sunday, April 28, 8am–3pm Franciscan Monetary Garden Guild Plant Sale Plants will include herbs and vegetables; roses, annuals, and perennials; shrubs and fruit trees; camellias and azaleas; and monastery-grown plants.

Plus food and craft vendors, garden tours, and more. See: http://fmgg.org/. • Saturday, April 27, 9am–12pm, Friends of the National Arboretum members only; Saturday, April 27, 12n– 4pm, open to the public; Sunday, April 28, 9am–4pm, open to the public FONA Garden Fair & Plant Sale The annual sale features new, rare, and hard-to-find plants; garden supply vendors; books; children’s activities; refreshments; entertainment; and more. Bring your garden questions to National Arboretum staff members for expert advice. Free admission. Note that the sale has moved to a new location on the U.S. National Arboretum grounds. See fona.org/gardenfair, including lists of the plants available. • Sunday, April 28, 11am–4pm Montgomery County GreenFest Tons of fun activities for the whole family, from kids’ tree-climbing to music and exhibitors, including a garden tool repair cafe and a talk at 3pm by Kathy Jentz on “Growing A Bountiful Vegetable Garden.” Held at Brookside Gardens, Wheaton, MD. Free. Open to the public. See montgomerycountygreenfest.org. • Thursday, May 2, 8am–5pm White House Gardens Symposium The symposium will include presentations and panel discussions on the history of the White House Gardens, the legacies of Beatrix Jones Farrand and Rachel “Bunny” Lambert Mellon, and the present-day White House Gardens. The White House Historical Association and Oak Spring Garden Foundation are hosting the event at the Historic Decatur House, 748 Jackson Place, Washington, DC. For more information and to register, go to whha.org. • Friday, May 3 & Saturday, May 4 80th Annual Flower Mart Buy plants, ride the carousel, peruse the used book tent, and tour the grounds. All proceeds from this event benefit the gardens and grounds of the National Cathedral. Presented by the All Hallows Guild. See details at https:// allhallowsguild.org.

TOP AREA GARDENING EVENTS DC-Area Gardening Calendar ~ Events ~ April 16–May 16, 2019 • Sunday, May 5, 10am–12n Spring Planting Day at Takoma Park Farmers Market Join Kathy Jentz, editor of Washington Gardener Magazine, for a fun, free flower seed planting activity for kids and adults. Stop by for advice on growing a pollinator garden. Look for the booth with the butterflies at Laurel Avenue in downtown Takoma Park, MD. See more at http://takomaparkmarket.com/. • Thursday, May 9, 7am–1pm Bethesda Community Garden Club Plant Sale Large selection of perennials, native plants, herbs, annuals, and shrubs grown in members’ gardens. Gardeners and anyone who loves plants won’t want to miss the Bethesda Community Garden Club’s annual plant sale. Find wonderful buys on a large selection of locally grown plants. Plentiful metered parking is available in the lot behind the market. Held rain or shine at the Bethesda Farm Women’s Market, 7155 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, MD. For more information, go to www.bethesdacommunitygardenclub.org. The Bethesda Community Garden Club is celebrating 96 years of community service. • Friday, May 10, 9am–6pm and Saturday, May 11, 8am–3pm Baltimore African Violet Club 64th Annual Show and Sale Club members will be available to answer questions about growing and caring for African violets and their gesneriad cousins. Sales table will be filled with beautiful African violets, other unusual plants, leaves, cuttings, self-watering pots, soil, perlite, and much more. Joppatown Flea Market 1000 Joppa Farm Road, Joppa, MD. For details, email Shirley Huffman at bshuffman2@aol.com. • Friday, May 13, 9–11am Spring 2019 Arlington National Cemetery Arboretum and Horticulture Tours. Memorial Arboretum Spring Rain Garden Tour Meet at the Welcome Center Information Desk. Join Arlington’s Horticulturist and Environmental Specialist for a look

at the cemetery’s rain gardens and other practices the cemetery has in place to help manage storm water. Discover how rain gardens function, what plants succeed, and lessons learned. Explore some of the native plants, sustainability practices, and designs at the cemetery. Attendees should bring water and be prepared to walk in heat, on hilly and uneven terrain. • Saturday, May 11, 9am–1pm Silver Spring Garden Club’s GardenMart 78th Annual Plant Sale From native groundcovers to heirloom tomatoes to perennials for dry shade, the club sale has a great selection: on the West Terrace of the Visitor Center at Brookside Gardens 1800 Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton, MD. Held rain or shine. Cash or check only. Garden Raffle: $1 tickets (6 for $5 or 12 for $10); you do NOT have to be present to win; many great prizes from local store gift certificates to dish gardens to signed garden books. The National Capital Dahlia Society will sell dahlia tubers and give dahliagrowing advice. Come early for best selection. • May 13–19 National Public Gardens Week See www.publicgardens.org. • Thursday, May 16, 10:30am–12n Horticultural Backstage Pass: The U.S. Botanic Garden Production Facility Go behind-the-scenes on this guided horticultural highlights tour of the U.S. Botanic Garden Production Facility. Featuring almost 2 acres of greenhouses, this facility is the largest support facility for a public garden in the U.S. Explore unique and unusual plants from the USBG collection and witness gardeners and horticulturists in action. Please note: This is a working greenhouse facility. Some rooms may not be available for viewing due to horticultural need. Please wear comfortable shoes, bring water, and dress in layers, because greenhouse bays may become quite warm. Directions to the facility can be found with the online listing. Tour will meet at the entrance to the Production

Facility. Free: Pre-registration required, visit www.USBG.gov/Learn.

Save These Future Dates • Saturday, May 18, 8:30–10:30am Forest Bathing Amongst the Bonsai with Melanie Choukas-Bradley The National Bonsai Foundation unveils a spring mindfulness series—a meditative season of renewal amongst bonsai trees, with yoga, forest bathing, meditation, and tai chi. Tickets: $35. More info: https://www.bonsai-nbf.org/ events-1/forestapril. • Saturday, May 18, 9am–3pm Spring Garden Day at Green Spring THE BIG PLANT SALE More than 40 local garden vendors descend on Green Spring Gardens with beautiful and unusual plants to fill your spring gardening needs. Growers and Master Gardeners are on hand to help with plant selections and advice. FROGS members receive 10% off plants in the Garden Gate Plant Shop. Free admission. Green Spring Gardens, 4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria, VA. See www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/ greenspring. • Sunday June 30, 2–3:30pm Garden Photo Show Reception Come view the 17 winners of the DC Garden Photo Contest Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, VA. • Sunday, July 14 Garlic Fest Day at TP Farmers Market Hosted by Main Street Takoma and Takoma Horticultural Club—starring Tony “Mr. Garlic” Sarmiento.

Still More Event Listings

See even more event listings on the Washington Gardener Yahoo discussion list. Join the list at http://groups.yahoo. com/group/WashingtonGardener/.

How to Submit Local Garden Events

To submit an event for this listing, contact kathyjentz@gmail.com with “Event” in the subject line. Our next deadline is May 5 for the May 2019 issue, for events taking place after May 16, 2019. o APRIL 2019

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PLANTprofile

Bamboo Bamboo is a grass, and as such, grows much the same way your lawn grasses grow, just on a much larger scale. (Think of the runners as the warm-season spreading grasses and the clumpers as the cool-season tufted grasses.) Basically, the bamboo increases its height and diameter by putting up new, larger canes each growing season until it hits its maximum height for the area it’s planted in. The new shoots grow to their full height in about two to three months. The shooting period for most species is April through June.

Clumping versus Running

“Clumping” and “running” aren’t descriptions of general habit; they’re layman’s translations of specific rhizome structures, Pachymorphic and Leptomorphic (there is a third rhizome form, Amphimorph, that does both randomly, but it’s rare, and the few bamboos that have that rhizome structure aren’t hardy and often aren’t attractive to use in the landscape anyway). The whole “oh, it was clumping for so many years, but then it took off” story isn’t a case of a clumper that changed its mind (they physically can’t do that); it’s a case of a runner in a really bad growing situation that finally got fed up and left. But within the running and clumping groups, there are slow clumpers and fast clumpers, and slow runners and fast runners. No true groundcover in the trade right now is a clumping bamboo, by scientific definition (that is, they are all leptomorphic). That being said, in general, due to their diminutive height, the groundcovers tend to fall on the slower end of the running spectrum. On the extreme slow end is Pleioblastus akebono, which 20

WASHINGTON GARDENER APRIL 2019

starts out with pure-white leaves in the spring that gradually fade to green as the year progresses. Since it doesn’t have much in the way of chlorophyll for the first few months, its growth is severely curtailed, to the point that there are actual clumpers that spread faster (on average P. akebono manages a few inches a year spread at most). On the faster end are some of the taller groundcovers, like Sasa palmata ‘Nebulosa’, which can spread around 4' a year as long as the soil is nice and loose. (For reference, faster timbertypes like P. vivax and P. edulis can spread 7' a year, and in extreme cases, 10' a year if they are happy enough.) Within the clumping community, there are those that have a very tight habit at the base, one of the most-impressive examples being Borinda angustissima, which can get 18' high and 16’ wide, yet only have a base diameter of 3–4’. On the extreme opposite end of the spectrum you have what is known as a “tillering rhizome” structure, common in the Yushania genus, such as Y. brevipaniculata. This type of clumping rhizome puts up multiple waves of shoots in a year, instead of just one or two, and they have elongated rhizome necks, which means they can spread 3–5' a year, if soil conditions are good.

Maintenance and Timing

Now, tillering rhizome types aside, both the groundcovers (even the faster ones) and the clumpers are easy to manage in size (in fact, even the fast-growing timber-types are, too) as long as the maintenance is done correctly. Timing is the most important part, and that’s what you should stress to anyone when you’re explaining bamboo care. This is because most species do their spread-

ing in one big push, not multiple waves, so if you can catch them at the start of the push and cut the new rhizomes, they don’t go anywhere and they won’t go anywhere for another year. Obviously, with fast growers like some of the bigger running types, a second sweep isn’t a bad idea, but it’s that first sweep that is critical. The key is, for temperate bamboos anyway, that clumpers are doing that push in early spring, and runners in summer/fall. People always want to do their rhizome-pruning the opposite of that and that’s where the problems start. We have seen a very aggressive runner (P. aureosulcata ‘Spectabilis’) confined quite nicely to one small part of a small urban backyard with properly placed perimeter barriers and good yearly rhizome-pruning. We’ve also seen clumpers like Fargesia robusta get way oversized and a bit out of control because nobody ever did any maintenance on them. These things can happen. If you aren’t inclined to do much maintenance, we recommend you stick to the shorter and slower groundcovers, like P. akebono, P. fortunei, P. distichus, and S. hayatae; and some of the slower-spreading clumpers, like B. angustissima, F. ‘Rufa’, and the F. ‘Jiuzhaigou’ varieties.

Barrier Strategies

Generally, we recommend against fully enclosing a bamboo in a barrier for several reasons. One is that barriers can trap too much water around the roots when it rains, and most bamboos are very sensitive to that (especially clumping bamboos). Another reason is a barrier blocks a lot of nutrient flow, and generally can make for an unhealthier plant overall due to the restrictions on growth (unless the area enclosed is large). The third reason we discourage it is because it tends to encourage neglect. Often, people wrap bamboo up in a barrier and do no further maintenance, which results in the bamboo either choking itself out and dying, or finding a way to secretly escape the barrier and sneak off while unsupervised. Something most people don’t keep in mind is that a barrier is a redirect, not a stop. If a rhizome hits a barrier, it

PLANTprofile

Good Bamboo Choices for the Home Garden • P. bambusoides ‘Richard Haubrich’ is perhaps the most unusual of all the variegated bamboos, with white leaves that can turn orange. This form of “Giant Timber Bamboo” is also one of the slowest growing. Above, clumping bamboo rhizome & shoots. Below, running rhizome & shoots.

just turns and goes in a different direction, which means it can still get up to mischief. Compare this to rhizome-pruning, where the rhizome is physically severed from the plant, thus stopping its growth (remember, any part of a bamboo that is cut off will never grow back). Even if a bamboo is fully enclosed in a barrier (and there are some circumstances that warrant doing that), it is still a good idea to have a sand-filled trench on the inside of the barrier and check it for rhizomes at least once a year to keep the bamboo from getting root-bound and potentially causing problems. Where a barrier is more appropriate is in using it to redirect rhizomes away from an area that’s difficult to access or the rhizomes can’t be allowed to even get close to—if a bamboo is planted close enough to a fence, for instance, that it would be hard to get behind it, or if the bamboo is going next to an inground water feature or sand-set paver patio. In that case, it’s important to use the correct thickness. For smaller bamboos, in the 1–20' range, 60mL is fine, but if it’s a tight spot or the bamboo is bigger than that, 80mL is better. o Photo and text courtesy of Bamboo Garden (www.bamboogarden.com). Article idea and submission by Philip McClain, a landscape designer in Washington, DC.

• P. vivax and P. nigra ‘Henon’ are both powerful (running) timber bamboos and so must be respected; however, they are the best choice for a gardener who either has a 3–4 story apartment complex looming over their backyard, or wants to make a dramatic bamboo grove, but doesn’t want to surrender the whole yard to it. Both of these bamboos will reach 30ft+, even in small spaces (a 6'x6' area is sufficient, as long as proper planting and maintePhyllostachys bambusoides ‘Richard Haubrich’ nance is done). P. vivax will get fatter photo by Noah Bell, Bamboo Garden. canes and has varieties with dramatic cane colors (black-spotted, gold, and striped), but the wood is weaker, so heavy snow and ice can snap the tops of the canes (not that it slows the bamboo down at all). P. nigra ‘Henon’ will generally have thinner canes, but stronger wood. • P. atrovaginata and P. heteroclada are members of the Water Bamboo group of Phyllostachys, and so can tolerate seasonally mucky soils, unlike most other bamboos. They are good for windbreaks and make dense, narrow screens. • S. veitchii is an interesting groundcover; the leaves start out a glossy dark green, but the first frosts of winter put a margin around every one. It glows in the winter and is lush and tropical-looking in the summer. By the end of winter, the leaves can sometimes appear a bit tattered, but since it is a groundcover, it can simply be cut down in preparation for the new growth. Its cousin, S. palmata, has much bigger leaves and can get quite a bit taller if not cut back yearly. S. hayatae looks like a dwarf version of S. veitchii, getting the margin but having smaller leaves and a shorter overall height. • S. masamuneana ‘Albostriata’ gets bright, tri-colored variegation (yellow, light green, and dark green) on the spring foliage; however, the summer leaves are mostly green, so the bamboo has to be cut to the ground twice a year to maintain its brighter colors. • P. arcana ‘Leuteosulcata’ and the various varieties of P. aureosulcata (which include gold and striped forms) have zigzag canes and a dense growing habit. They are fast runners, but still good for screening. P. aureosulcata and its varieties, in particular, are very cold-hardy and resilient. • F. ‘Scabrida’ is a clumping bamboo that is a cousin of F. ‘Rufa’. It is taller, getting to 14–15’, and has an overall more-graceful appearance. The new canes are purple and blue, and the culm sheathes are red-orange; very old canes age to a silvery color. It has a variegated form, ‘Silver Dragon’, that has more pinkred culm sheathes and variegated spring foliage; the variegation mostly fades by summer. See photos of many of these bamboo varieties at www.bamboogarden.com. o APRIL 2019

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HORThaenings under 30 venues in and around the nation’s capital. Films came from more than 25 countries, and represented how directors capture our environment in film, having embodied a thriving, dynamic international community.

and Dana O’Sullivan. The events included book signings, special activities, children’s crafts, and BBQ food trucks.

Potomac Floral Show

Dutch Tulip Days

Members of the media were invited to tour the residence of Netherlands Ambassador Henne Schuwer, who displayed 15,000 tulips in bloom for Tulip Days, a slate of events highlighting the Dutch horticulture sector and its ties to the United States. All flowers on display were grown in the Netherlands or cultivated in the U.S. These arrangements presented examples of Dutch innovation in floral production and sustainability. Scott Kratz, director of the 11th Street Bridge Park in Southeast DC, was also on hand to discuss how the planned project incorporates Dutch sustainability concepts.

Philadelphia Flower Show

Washington Gardener magazine took two sold-out trips to the Philadelphia Flower Show, which had the theme of “Flower Power” this year. The trips took place on March 6 and 7 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The show “paid tribute to the enormous impact of flowers on our lives,” according to Sam Lemheney, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society chief of Shows & Events.

DC Environmental Film Festival 2019

The 27th annual Environmental Film Festival took place in Washington, DC, this year from March 14–24. More than 160 films capture compelling sights, sounds, and stories of our planet at a break point. These films debuted in just 22

WASHINGTON GARDENER APRIL 2019

The 2019 Potomac Floral Show and Design Competition took place on March 17 at Potomac Floral Wholesale in Silver Spring, MD. Award-winning floral artist Joyce Mason-Monheim gave a presentation on “Design Trends & The Future Floral Impact” that talked about her experience and lessons learned in her 40 years as a designer and educator. This event also included a Meet & Greet between vendors and growers, as well as a design contest where winners for the best floral designs were awarded.

Brookside Gardens Daffodil Display and Talk

Brookside Gardens celebrated its 50th anniversary with “Undaunted Daffodils” on March 31. The owner of Brent and Becky’s Bulbs, Brent Heath, gave a lecture that took you from early spring to early summer by exploring the many different daffodil varieties. Following this lecture was a tour of the new 50,000+ daffodils planted in celebration of the public garden’s first 50 years.

Community Forklift 10th Annual Garden Party Fish Pepper Potluck

Slow Food DC and Common Good City Farm hosted a Slow Food Lunch and Learn session featuring the heirloom ‘Fish’ peppers on March 30 at the Common Good City Farm on V Street in NW Washington, DC. Slow Food DC’s Chef Mark Haskell talked about the local agricultural history of the pepper as well as making some of his own fish stew for visitors to try. Hot sauces made with different fish peppers from Soilful City were also sampled.

Homestead Spring Kickoff

Homestead Gardens’ 2019 Spring Kickoff Weekend was held April 5–7 at both stores. in Davidsonville and Severna Park, MD, to showcase what they have to offer in the upcoming spring and summer. Guest speakers included Tony Dove, Mike McGrath, Kathy Jentz,

Community Forklift hosted their 10th Annual Garden Party in Hyattsville, MD, on April 6. Local experts, teachers, and vendors brought their knowledge to inform visitors of what they have to offer. Free workshops, from the benefits of beekeeping to sustainable home landscapes to home composting, filled the day, with live music from local musicians. Local vendors were also in attendance and helped show everyone just how much this area has to offer in terms of gardening and sustainable living. o This issue’s “HortHappenings” were compiled by Johnny Moseman, He is a senior multiplatform journalism major at the University of Maryland from Columbia, MD, and an editorial intern at Washington Gardener this spring semester. See photos from events listed here, as well as many more photo albums of recent local garden events attended by our staff, at the Washington Gardener Facebook Page: facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine. Click on the PHOTOS tab.

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

MAY/JUNE 2007 • Roses: Easy Care Tips • Native Roses & Heirloom Roses • Edible Flowers • How to Plant a Bare-root Rose

MAY/JUNE 2005 • Stunning Plant Combinations • Turning Clay into Rich Soil • Wild Garlic • Strawberries

JULY/AUGUST 2007 • Groundcovers: Alternatives to Turfgrass • How to Pinch, Prune, & Dead-head • William Paca House & Gardens • Hardy Geraniums

JULY/AUGUST 2005 • Water Gardens • Poison Ivy • Disguising a Sloping Yard • Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2007 • Succulents: Hardy to our Region • Drought-Tolerant Natives • Southern Vegetables • Seed Saving Savvy Tips

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005 • Container Gardens • Clematis Vines • Sponge Gardening/Rain Gardens • 5 Insect Enemies of Gardeners

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2007 • Gardening with Children • Indoor Bulb-Forcing Basics • National Museum of the American Indian • Versatile Viburnums

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2005 • Backyard Bird Habitats • Hellebores • Building a Coldframe • Bulb Planting Basics

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008 • Dealing with Deer • Our Favorite Garden Tools • Delightful Daffodils

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006 • Garden Decor Principles • Primroses • Tasty Heirloom Veggies • U.S. Botanic Garden MARCH/APRIL 2006 • Top 10 Small Trees and Large Shrubs • Azaleas • Figs, Berries, & Persimmons • Basic Pruning Principles MAY/JUNE 2006 • Using Native Plants in Your Landscape • Crabgrass • Peppers • Secret Sources for Free Plants JULY/AUGUST 2006 • Hydrangeas • Theme Gardens • Agave • Find Garden Space by Growing Up SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2006 • Shade Gardening • Hosta Care Guide • Fig-growing Tips and Recipes NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2006 • Horticultural Careers • Juniper Care Guide • Winter Squash Growing Tips and Recipes • Layer/Lasagna Gardening

SUMMER 2009 • Grow Grapes in the Mid-Atlantic • Passionflowers • Mulching Basics • Growing Hops

MARCH/APRIL 2008 • Patio, Balcony, Rooftop Container Gardens • Our Favorite Garden Tools • Coral Bells (Heucheras)

U MAY/JUNE 2008 DO SOL • Growing Great Tomatoes UT! O • Glamorous Gladiolus LD ! SO • Seed-Starting OUT Basics D L •SFlavorful Fruiting Natives O

JULY/AUGUST 2008 • Landscaping with Ornamental Grasses • Edible Grasses to Graze On • Slug and Snail Control • Sage Advice: Sun-Loving Salvias SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008 • Autumn Edibles — What to Plant Now • Beguiling Barrenworts (Epimediums) • Best Time to Plant Spring-blooming Bulbs • 14 Dry Shade Plants Too Good to Overlook NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008 • Outdoor Lighting Essentials • How to Prune Fruiting Trees, Shrubs, Vines • 5 Top Tips for Overwintering Tender Bulbs • Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2009 • Compost Happens: Nature’s Free Fertilizer • Managing Stormwater with a Rain Garden • Visiting Virginia’s State Arboretum • Grow Winter Hazel for Winter Color

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2007 • Indoor Gardening • Daphne Care Guide • Asparagus Growing Tips and Recipes • Houseplant Propagation

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MARCH/APRIL 2007 • Stormwater Management • Dogwood Selection & Care Guide • Early Spring Vegetable Growing Tips • Franciscan Monastery Bulb Gardens

MAY/JUNE 2009 • Top Easy Summer Annuals for DC Heat • Salad Table Project • Grow and Enjoy Eggplant • How to Chuck a Woodchuck

FALL 2009 • Apples • How to Save Tomato Seeds • Persimmons WINTER 2009 • Battling Garden Thugs • How to Start Seeds Indoors • Red Twig Dogwoods • Unusual Edibles to Grow in Our Region SPRING 2010 • Community Gardens • Building a Raised Bed • Dwarf Iris • Broccoli SUMMER 2010 • Fragrance Gardens • Watering Without Waste • Lavender • Potatoes FALL 2010 • Vines and Climbers • Battling Stink Bugs • Russian Sage • Garlic WINTER 2010 • Paths and Walkways • Edgeworthia • Kohlrabi SPRING 2011 • Cutting-Edge Gardens • Final Frost Dates and When to Plant • Bleeding Hearts • Onions SUMMER 2011 • Ornamental Edibles • Urban Foraging • Amsonia/Arkansas Blue Star • Growing Corn in the Mid-Atlantic FALL 2011 • Herb Gardens • Toad Lilies • Sweet Potatoes • Cool Weather Cover Crops WINTER 2011/EARLY SPRING 2012 • Green Roofs and Walls • Heaths and Heathers • Radishes SPRING 2012 • Pollinator Gardens • Brunnera: Perennial of the Year • Growing Yacon SUMMER 2012 • Tropical Gardens • Captivating Canna • Icebox Watermelons SPRING 2013 • Great Garden Soil • All About Asters • Squash Vine Borer SUMMER/FALL 2013 • Miniature/Faerie Gardens • Beguiling Abelias • Growing Great Carrots WINTER/EARLY SPRING 2014 • Ferns for the Mid-Atlantic • Chanticleer Gardens • Beet Growing Basics

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