Washington Gardener August 2019 by Kathy J

AUGUST 2019 VOL. 14 NO. 6

WWW.WASHINGTONGARDENER.COM

WASHINGTON

gardener

the magazine for gardening enthusiasts in the Mid-Atlantic region

Plant Profile: Echinacea

Behind the Scenes at Brookside’s Butterfly Exhibit The Best Time to Plant Your Shallots Meet Mark Mills, MoCo Young Farmer Why Aren’t Your Hydrangeas Blooming? DC-MD-VA Gardening Events Calendar

Newest Garden Products Reviewed

Getting to the Root of Sunchokes

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RESOURCESsourc

Need a Garden Club Speaker?

Washington Gardener Magazine’s staff and writers are available to speak to groups and garden clubs in the greater DC region. Call 240.603.1461 or email KathyJentz@gmail.com for available dates, rates, and topics.

Green Spring Gardens

www.greenspring.org

A “must visit” for everyone in the metropolitan Washington, DC, area. It’s a year-round goldmine of information and inspiration for the home gardener. It’s an outdoor classroom for children and their families to learn about plants and wildlife. It’s also a museum, a national historic site that offers glimpses into a long, rich history with colonial origins. Located at 4603 Green Spring Rd., Alexandria, VA. Information: 703-642-5173.

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

www.sunfarm.com

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WASHINGTON GARDENER AUGUST 2019

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FEATURES and COLUMNS

Despite the fact that those stems look dead, most are alive. You can test a stem’s viability by scratching it: If it shows green, it’s alive as in this photo.

Hachi, a garden cat in Silver Spring, MD, guards his domain during a recent garden club tour of Inez Austin Jackson’s garden.

Washington Gardener staff spent the summer testing some new garden tools to share the results and top picks with our readers. This collapsible watering is a good choice for gardeners with limited storage space.

BOOKreviews 14-15 Herbal Remedies, Gardentopia, Seeded and Sodded EDIBLEharvest 8-9 Sunchokes GARDENbasics 21 Hydrangea Blooming Issues GARDENpets 20 Hachi the Garden Cat HORThappenings 22 AHS Editor Anniversary, Cactus and Succulent Show, Farm Tour, Sunflowers, Tomato Party NEIGHBORnetwork 6-7 Mark Mills, Chocolate and Tomatoes Farm NEWPLANTspotlight 11 Dahlightful® Dahlias PLANTprofile 13 Echinacea PRODUCTreview 16 Three New Garden Tools SPECIALfeature 12 Brookside Butterfly Exhibit TIPStricks 10

Biosolids for Nitrogen, Plant Shallots in Fall, Pollinator Containers DEPARTMENTS ADVERTISINGindex BLOGlinks EDITORletter GARDENcontest LOCALevents MONTHLYtasklist NEXTissue READERreactions RESOURCESsources

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ON THE COVER

Roots of the Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) aka Sunchoke. Photo credit: H2ase [CC BY-SA 3.0, creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)].

In our September issue: Garden Tour Wrap-up and much more . . .

Be sure you are subscribed! Click on the “subscribe” link at washingtongardener.com AUGUST 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! Alexandra Marquez Intern Ruth E. Thaler-Carter Proofreader Cover price: $4.99 Back issues: $6.00 Subscription: $20.00

Your editor at the recent Kenilworth Waterlily and Lotus Festival.

The Nose Knows

At our recent Garden Book Club gathering, we discussed Onward and Upward in the Garden by Katherine S. White. The first third of the volume is basically White’s picks and pans of garden mail order catalogs of the mid-20th century. Thankfully, the remaining two-thirds of the book turn White’s laser-like editorial eyes to other garden-related subjects of the times, from too-strict flower arranging competitions held by garden clubs to the efforts and expense of maintaining a grass lawn. Her biggest obsession, though, is fragrance. And what an odd nose she has. Perhaps it is her decades-long smoking habit, but White bemoans the lost smells of many plants that are plenty-pungent to my nose (petunias) and she purports a love for several plant scents that I find quite offensive (mums, marigolds, etc.). Scent in the garden is a very personal thing. One gardener’s “ew” is another’s “ah.” I was delighted to attend a talk by Jim DeRamus, the gardener in charge of Brookside Gardens’ Fragrance Garden, and hear his take on great plants for a scented garden. One of his favorites is Osmanthus, which has a powerful honey-andapricot smell and is a signature scent in China. One of my favorite scented flowers is the hardy white waterlily (Nymphaea odorata) that is native to our region. Many are surprised to learn that they are fragrant, even though the Latin name should provide a major clue. Of course, plants are not fragrant for the gardener’s sake, but for the enticement of their pollinators. The fact that they are a delight to us as well is a major side benefit. Take time this summer to experience the sights and scents of your garden. Happy gardening,

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

WASHINGTON GARDENER AUGUST 2019

• 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 6 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.

READERreactions

July 2019 Issue Reaction I had an enjoyable time flipping through the Washington Gardener July issue this morning. My favorite article was “The Second Season Garden,” I’ve been trying my hand at a veggie garden for the last few years. I think I may be ready to start with a second season crop. The article touched on the exact vegetables that I was wondering about—and knowing the times to plant is great. Thank you for always having great information. ~ Mary Ries Of course, my favorite is the article about Brookside Gardens 50th Anniversary. Why? It’s my happy place, my calm place, my favorite place to connect with all things natural and beautiful. It’s in my blood. ~ Anne Hardman My favorite article in the July edition of Washington Gardener was the article about the year of Salvia nemorosa. Why? I have loved salvia since I moved to this area nearly 20 years ago. I am enchanted by the variations of vivid purple and blue flowers, the hardiness, and the name (to heal!). ~ Rina Hakimian Another great read! The impact of your interns, in their parlance, is “awesome.” Very well done indeed. ~ Joe Francis

Past Issue Reactions

READERcontt

Reader Contest For our August 2019 Washington Gardener Magazine Reader Contest, Washington Gardener is giving away a signed copy of The Lifelong Gardener (a $20 value). You can keep gardening for life; you just need to make adjustments as you age. Adaptive gardening expert Toni Gattone shares her proven methods for making your favorite hobby easier on your aging body. Inspired by Gattone’s own physical needs, The Lifelong Gardener shares simple solutions—from vertical growing to bins on wheels—that will help you work smarter, not harder. Her message of empowerment will stir you to find joy in your garden for years to come! To enter to win the signed copy, send an email to WashingtonGardenerMagazine @gmail.com by 5pm on Saturday, August 31, with “The Lifelong Gardener” in the subject line and in the body of the email. Tell us which was your favorite article in this issue and why. Please include your full name and mailing address. The winner will be announced and notified on September 1.

Y ou Can Make a Difference. . . by

Sharing Your Harvest

Hands down, the article on spiders was my favorite article in the September 2018 issue. I hate walking into their webs, but walked away from the article with a new-found tolerance and an understanding of why there are so many more webs in the fall. ~ Barbara Delaney I really enjoyed the article on “Meditation Gardens” (August 2018 issue) as place of personal respite and renewal. Inherently, these spaces are often overlooked due to their secluded and tranquil settings. The author, Rosie Kean, did a wonderful job of expressing the healing power of these gardens and capturing the unique spirit of the five gardens she visited. I can’t wait to explore them myself! ~ Nancy Khan

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. AUGUST 2019

WASHINGTON GARDENER

NEIGHBORnî&#x201A;şwork

Meet Mark Mills, Farmer, Chocolates and Tomatoes By Alexandra Marquez

find a decent tomato since inspired my gardening as a chef to grow produce I wanted to cook with, and items I could not find anywhere else. Tell us about your experience with the Montgomery County Young Farmers program. In 2013, I applied to the Montgomery County beginning farmers pilot program, and although initially I was not accepted, the classes they offered were still made available to me. Two months in, they accepted me formally into the program and began to address some of the biggest problems facing small farmers starting out: finding suitable land and resources. The knowledge and experience offered by both my farm mentor, Woody Woodruff of Red Wiggler farm, and Chuck Schuster of the University of Maryland College of Agriculture and Natural Resources extension, were invaluable in getting the farm off the ground. The Montgomery County Department of Agriculture, led by Jeremy Criss, was also instrumental in identifying and accessing resources that made it all possible. Where does your passion for farming come from? My love of farming stems from my childhood and also my time as a chef. The quality of the ingredients, and their diversity, brings a new level of importance to work we do as chefs, and directly affects wellbeing and happiness of the clients we serve.

We caught up with Mark Mills of Chocolates and Tomatoes Farm (https://chocolatesandtomatoes. com) in late July at his farm during the Montgomery County Farm Tour. Mills is a former chef, but now spends most of his time farming in Poolesville, MD, at Chocolates and Tomatoes. He was a participant in the Montgomery County Young Farmers Program and is always looking to expand his farm and encourage other Montgomery County residents to get trained and start their own.* Tell us about your background. Are you native to the Mid-Atlantic region? 6

WASHINGTON GARDENER AUGUST 2019

I originally hail from North Carolina. I attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and pursued a degree in history and political science. How did you get interested in farming? My interest in farming stemmed from both my childhood experiences, and my 25 years as a professional chef. As a child, we always had a small garden, often unsuccessful but still educational, and my first vivid food memory is stopping at roadside produce stands on the way to the beach to get heirloom tomatoes that we would eat in BLTs all week. The subsequent inability to

How did you connect with Alan Black and begin farming at your current location in Poolesville, MD? Alan Black was also at the beginning farmer classes and seeing that they did not have a place for me initially, he offered his land as a place I could get started. His assistance, and partnership has been enduring throughout, and represents one of the greatest benefits I have garnered from the whole experience. *These responses have been edited for length and clarity.

NEIGHBORnî&#x201A;şwork What is a typical workday like for you? My typical workday begins at 5:30am and includes traveling to our two farming locations to do all things farmrelated. Given that I live in Middletown, about 45 minutes away from the farm without traffic and 90 minutes with traffic, my day ends at around 7:30pm. What are some of the best and worst things about suburban farming, and what is the value of a suburban farm like Chocolates and Tomatoes? The best part of suburban farming is the close and easy access to the customer base we serve, as well as the products and services we need to keep everything running. The biggest disadvantage are the regulations often surrounding suburban land use, the concerns of neighbors who have not embraced the concept, and possible

contamination from urban activities happening near the farm. Suburban farming not only increases much-needed green space, access to fresh fruit and vegetables for urban consumers, and environmental offsets, but also serves as an educational opportunity to show people what can be accomplished in their own backyards that will benefit their families, their communities, and the planet as a whole. What tips would you give to people looking to start farming in Montgomery County or the region? In terms of starting a new farm in Montgomery County or the DC area, the first step would be to contact any local agricultural entities, like the Montgomery County Office of Agriculture or other urban farms in DC, to get a lay of the land, the market opportunities, and the regulations that may alter plans signifi-

cantly from the initial vision. There are many challenges to farming here, and these entities can help guide a newcomer through some of the pitfalls. What would you most like our readers to know about Chocolates and Tomatoes farm? The Germantown location of Chocolates and Tomatoes farm represents a laypersonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attempt to bring environmental practices into a working urban farm setting. By using alternate power sources, like solar and geothermal; affordable greenhouse technology; and sustainable farming practices, we hope to be a model for what is possible in a smaller, more-integrated food system. o Alexandra Marquez is a rising junior journalism and anthropology major at the University of Maryland. She is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener this summer.

AUGUST 2019

WASHINGTON GARDENER

EDIBLEharvî&#x201A;˛t

by Elizabeth Olson

Sunchoke plants are perennials grown for their delicious, nutritious tubers. They grow well in the Mid-Atlantic region and are cold-hardy to USDA Zone 3. Another common name used for sunchoke is Jerusalem artichoke, but the species, Helianthus tuberosata, is not a type of artichoke, nor did it originate in the Middle East. In fact, it is a sunflower and is native to central North America. The plants are tall and vigorous, and resemble common sunflower plants. They have rhizomes that can fill a garden patch quickly in one garden season. The rhizomes produce tubers during the last half of summer each year. Although the plants are most often 8

WASHINGTON GARDENER AUGUST 2019

started by planting small tubers or parts of larger tubers, they can also be started from the small seeds produced by the pretty yellow sunchoke flowers that blossom in mid- to late-summer.

Culinary Uses

Sunchoke tubers are low in calories, and are a source of several B vitamins as well as iron, magnesium, phosphorous, and potassium. Most of the carbohydrates in the tubers are stored as inulin rather than starch. The tubers can be consumed fresh or cooked, and they can be preserved by pickling. The most-common sunchokes found in food markets have tan-colored skin and white flesh, and tend to have

Sunroot (Sunchoke or Jerusalem Artichoke) flowerheads. Photograph by Paul Fenwick, Wikimedia Commons.

Sunchokes: Pretty Flower, Ugly Tuber

rounded knobs. The flesh has a smooth texture and a sweet, nutty flavor. Gardeners can find both unnamed varieties and cultivars with different flavor profiles, shapes, and colors from suppliers listed in the Sources Section on the next page. Fresh sunchokes can be cut into thin slices for use in salads or narrow strips for use in slaws. They can be cooked in several ways, including baked or boiled whole, chopped and used as an ingredient in soups, sliced and fried, or sliced and sautĂŠed in butter. The tubers should be thoroughly scrubbed before preparing them for cooking or consumption. The skins of tubers that are cooked whole can be removed, if desired, after cooking. For recipes where the tubers are cut into smaller pieces, the tubers should first be scrubbed, then the skin peeled or cut away as much as possible before including them in a dish.

Growing Tips

The planting site has to be large enough for the plants to become wellestablished and the rhizomes to run. It should also be far enough away from other garden patches so the sunchokes do not compete with other plantings. Sunchokes will tolerate morning sun and afternoon shade, but will thrive in full sun all day. They grow best in soils of at least average fertility, very good drainage, and a pH that is slightly basic to slightly acidic. The plants need a long growing season to produce a good crop. Sunchokes can also be grown in raised beds. However, they are generally not well-suited for container gardening, due to the way that the rhizomes and tubers grow, as well as the height of the plants. Most varieties reach from 5 to 12 feet tall. Some suppliers only sell the tubers for shipment in October and the sunchoke patch has to be ready in advance. Small tubers can be planted whole. Larger tubers can be cut into chunks that have one or two eye pieces each, similar to the way a seed potato is prepared for planting. The tubers have to be planted immediately in the sunchoke patch and will overwinter in the garden. Tubers available for shipment in

EDIBLEharvt late winter to early spring have to be installed in the garden as soon as the soil can be worked. If the sunchoke patch is not yet ready or conditions outdoors are not suitable for planting soon after the tubers arrive, the tubers can be kept moist indoors for a week or so in a garden pot filled with lightly moist, loose potting mix or moist sand, and placed in a very cool dark room. Alternatively, the tubers can be heeled-in in another area of the garden if the weather is acceptable. The tubers should be transplanted as soon as possible. Sunchoke tubers and tuber chunks should be spaced 1.5 to 2 ft. apart, 4 to 5 inches deep, in rows 3 to 4 ft. apart; covered loosely with soil; gently tamped in; and watered. The area can be lightly mulched. In addition, sunchoke plants benefit from an even soil moisture level during the growing season, especially during tuber formation. A soaker hose can be used to supplement rainfall; it should be installed as soon as the sunchoke rows are marked. Established sunchoke patches tend to be dense and need little, if any, mulching.

Harvesting

Because the plants are vigorous and produce many tubers, they have to be managed to prevent them from competing with other plants or becoming invasive. Best management of the sunchoke patch during the growing season includes removing the flowers before they can set seeds. Sunchoke flowers make lovely bouquets. After the flowers fade and the plants start to look tattered, they can be trimmed down to 1 to 2 feet tall when the tubers have matured in late summer to mid-autumn. The site can be mulched and the harvesting can begin. Harvesting can be done either all at one time, or one plant at a time, or tubers can be selected and harvested

“The planting site has to be large enough for the plants to become wellestablished and the rhizomes to run. It should also be far enough away from other garden patches so that the sunchokes do not compete with other plantings.” as needed. Some gardeners wait to harvest any tubers until autumn weather has produced one or more hard freezes—the cold weather causes the inulin to change to fructose and the tubers taste sweeter. The tubers will store well in the ground and can be harvested until the ground freezes. Gardeners should dig under the crown of each plant and go out to the ends of the rhizomes to find the tubers. The harvested tubers can be gently lifted and allowed to dry in a protected location long enough for clinging soil clods to dry and be brushed off; the tubers should not be scrubbed until they are about to be consumed or preserved. Each batch can be kept in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator for about a month. Refrigeration, too, causes inulin to convert to fructose. Well-grown sunchoke plants can produce one-half bushel of tubers from each 10-ft. row. After harvesting is finished for the season, there still may be a few tubers left in the ground. They will overwinter and sprout in spring, when they can be thinned.

Sources

Sunchokes are rarely offered in garden centers. They might be offered from time to time at farmer’s markets or spring sales sponsored by garden clubs. The best availability is by Internet order. Gardeners should double-check the shipping date.

• Gurney’s Seed & Nursery Company. Gurney’s offers sunchoke tubers produced from seedlings. These tubers are not cultivated varieties. See Gurneys. com. The product is listed as Jerusalem artichoke and will be shipped in October 2019 for immediate autumn planting. • Oikos Tree Crops. Oikos offers many hard-to-find cultivars including ‘Big Bertha’, ‘Clearwater’, and ‘Red Fuseau’. Also offered are tubers produced from seedlings (under the heading Diversity Sunchoke). See OikosTreeCrops.com. The products are listed in the “Sunchokes & Sunflowers” section. There are two shipping windows: October to December 2019 (the earlier the date, the better), and March to May 2020 (late March to early April would be best). • Johnny’s Selected Seeds. Johnny’s offers the early-maturing ‘Stampede’, which is certified organic. This cultivar produces tubers that can weigh 8 oz. or more. See JohnnySeeds. com. The product is listed in the “Vegetables/Jerusalem Artichokes” section and scheduled for shipping in October 2019.

Final Thoughts

Gardeners searching for an intriguing vegetable to grow next year can get a jump-start by selecting sunchokes now. The harvest will begin with cheerful yellow flowers gathered for bouquets in summer and transition to scrumptious tubers that will last through autumn. Gardeners who know how to pickle can start gathering the jars, lids, turmeric, and other spices to preserve the surplus of a bountiful harvest. o 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.

At left, sunchoke tubers can be consumed fresh or cooked. Photo of ‘Stampede’ sunchoke tubers courtesy of Johnny’s Selected Seeds, JohnnySeeds.com. At right, sunchoke flowers make lovely bouquets. Photo courtesy of Johnny’s Selected Seeds, JohnnySeeds.com.

AUGUST 2019

WASHINGTON GARDENER

TIPStricks

Biosolids compost (left) shows the presence of woody material mixed in during the composting process. Bloom biosolids product (right) shows the product’s dry, crumbly texture. Photo credit: Odiney Alvarez-Campos.

Nitrogen from Biosolids Helps Plant Growth

The new “zero waste” trend could have a friend in the form of biosolids, according to Adityarup Chakravorty at sciencesocieties.org. Biosolids are the materials produced after household waste is processed in urban wastewater systems. In the past, most of these biosolids were taken to landfills, but now, new processes can help create “exceptional quality,” or “EQ,” biosolids. EQ biosolids are high in nutrients, but low in environmental pollutants and dangerous pathogens. They can be used as fertilizer in agricultural and urban soils, which helps put something that would be tossed out to good use. Biosolids are valuable because they are rich in nitrogen, a key nutrient for plants. However, only a fraction of the nitrogen in biosolids used as fertilizer becomes available to plants. This fraction is called bioavailable nitrogen. In a new study, a group of researchers at Virginia Tech tested how much of the nitrogen in different biosolid products became bioavailable in an urban soil. They found that urban soils are often so degraded and compacted that they have low amounts of organic matter and nutrients. Human activities, like construction and heavy vehicle traffic, can sometimes be the cause of urban soil degradation. Biosolids do sometimes have the organic matter needed to help restore degraded urban soils, though. For example, the organic matter in biosolids can reduce soil compaction. That can make soils easier to till and help plants’ roots grow. Biosolids can also increase water infiltration and retention in soils, which are important for plant growth. The researchers tested five EQ biosolid products. The study showed that 10

WASHINGTON GARDENER AUGUST 2019

biosolids that are not mixed with woody materials yield more bioavailable nitrogen than biosolid products mixed with woody materials. The low organic matter and high clay content of the urban soil reduced the amount of bioavailable nitrogen from biosolids and reduced the effectiveness of laboratory methods to estimate available nitrogen. Knowing that nitrogen availability might be lower in degraded soils is key to the next steps in this research. The team is now evaluating the reliability of quick tests to estimate nitrogen availability from biosolids applied to urban soils. Future studies will evaluate the impact of biosolid applications in a greater variety of urban soils and landscapes. o

When shallots are ready to be harvested, their top growth turns mostly brown and falls over. The shallots then emerge fully from the soil, splaying themselves dramatically over the surface of the soil. When this happens, it is time to harvest. The shallot clusters are easy to harvest—a trowel and your hand to pull the top growth of the cluster are all you need. Once all the shallots have been removed from the soil, they have to be dried. Pick a place that has good air circulation and is out of direct sunlight. The place does not have to be dark. Arrange the shallots in a single layer and knock off as much soil as possible. Depending on the outside weather, it will take two to three weeks for the shallots to cure. Once the shallots have dried, you can store them, but they deteriorate very rapidly and last no more than one to two months unless you store them in the refrigerator. If stored in the refrigerator, shallots last for over a year. o

Plant Shallots in the Fall

The folks at harvesting-history.com shared their top tips for planting, growing, and harvesting shallots this year. Shallots are sold as sets, and each “set” can be a nearly mature single shallot that produces four to six mature shallots. They should be planted in the ground about 2 inches deep. With a good 2 inches of soil on top of each set, it is much less likely to be spit out of the soil during the winter’s many freezethaw cycles. Mulching with straw also helps prevent the sets from being spit out of the soil. Shallots should be planted late in the fall. What you want to achieve by planting the shallot then is having it produce enough of a root structure to anchor it firmly in the soil and keep it firmly anchored through the winter. In the spring, each shallot set will begin to form a cluster of shallots and produce a grouping of small, onion-like green leaves. Do not apply fertilizer in the spring and do not water once the shallots themselves have begun to break the surface of the soil.

Attract Pollinators with Container Planters

The National Garden Bureau (ngb.org) suggests that container gardening is a great way to help pollinators and have beautiful flowers on your patio, deck, or balcony. You really don’t need a yard to help pollinators. For example, your hanging baskets will generate some buzz with the “Bee Fabulous” combination from annual Suntory Flowers pictured above including: Bidens ‘Beedance Painted Red’, Petunia ‘Surfinia Deep Red’, and Lobelia ‘Suntory Lobelia Trailing White’. o These tips were compiled by Alexandra Marquez. She is a rising junior journalism and anthropology major at the University of Maryland. She is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener this summer.

GARDENnews

Quick Links to Washington Gardener Blog Posts • Tomato Trial Results • DIY Glass Garden Totems • Pot Ghetto Survivor • Plant Profile: Sunflowers See more Washington Gardener blog posts at: WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com o

August—September Garden Task To-Do List

New Plant Spotlight

Dahlightful® Dahlias GardenGenetics® (G2) is pleased to

announce the relaunch of its Dahlightful® Dahlia brand through the GardenChoice™ group. These compact growers, with gorgeous blooms set off by deep-chocolate foliage and exceptional tolerance to most powdery mildew strains, are now widely available to independent garden centers. Unlike some Dahlias, the Dahlightful series keeps on producing lovely flowers throughout the season. “Plants continue to bloom from late spring through fall against a backdrop of colorfast dark leaves, while maintaining their compact, dense growing habit,” says Rick Grazzini, owner of G2. Beautiful in containers, Dahlightful Dahlias are equally show-stopping in the landscape. All five everblooming Dahlightful colors are adapted to growing almost everywhere in the US and Canada. They’re upright with tidy compact habits, growing 20-28" tall. Dahlightful Dahlias are available for 2019/2020 in these five colors: • Georgia Peach, with warm apricot semi-double flowers • Lively Lavender, with semi-double lavender blossoms • Crushed Crimson, with dark burgundy-crimson semi-double flowers • Sultry Scarlet, with sunset-red, semidouble blooms • Tupelo Honey, with bright-yellow, semi-double flowers In the pipeline for 2020/2021 are additional flower colors. o

• It is harvest time and also a good time to start taking stock of what worked well for you this season and what didn’t. • Buy raspberries and peaches at a local pick-your-own farm or visit a local farmer’s market. • Let the lawn go dormant for now; it will green back up in the coming rains. • Check your local garden center for end-of-summer bargains. • If your pond water gets low from prolonged drought, top it off with tap water and add a dechlorinator according to package instructions. • Wash out birdbaths weekly with diluted bleach solution. • Water thoroughly, especially if you receive no rain for more than seven days. • Turn your compost pile weekly and don’t let it dry out. • Start shopping for spring bulbs. • Divide and cut back Bearded Iris and Peonies. • Check your pond pump for debris and clean it out every few weeks. • Watch for slug damage and set out traps or Sluggo bait. • Check for mosquito breeding grounds. Dump out any water that sits stagnant for more than three days. • Weed and weed some more. • Cut back any leggy Asters or Mums. • Take garden photos and make notes in your garden journal. • Start collecting plant seeds for next year and for trading. • As the days get cooler, plant hardy Mums. • Prune evergreens to get them in shape for fall/winter. • Hand-pick or cut out any bagworm cocoons. • Harvest your herbs often and keep them trimmed back to encourage leafy growth. Dry them indoors if you can’t use them right away. • Bring Christmas Cactus and Poinsettias indoors if you took them out for the summer in preparation for holiday blooming. Fertilize them and put them where they’ll get 10 hours’ bright light per day. • Inspect for powdery mildew. If seen, prune back perennials to create needed circulation. Discard properly (i.e., not in your compost bin). • Clean your hummingbird feeders and add new sugar-water every three days. • Renew your container plantings, which may be looking a bit ragged at this point. Pinch back overgrown plants. Pull out any spent ones and pop in some substitute annuals or mums. Keep them well-watered and add a little liquid fertilizer every few weeks to keep them going through early autumn. • Switch your deer deterrent spray. • Start seeds for fall annuals such as Pansy, Calendula, and Kale. • Plant fall crops such as Chinese Cabbage, Lettuce, Radish, Mustard, Broccoli, Kohlrabi, Cauliflower, Turnips, and Beets. • Order Garlic, Onions, and Shallots for fall planting. • Attend a county fair and enter some of your garden bounty. • Preserve gourds and dry flowers for display in the fall. • Apply grub control to your lawn. • Divide Hostas and Daylilies. • Deadhead Garlic Chives before they go to seed. They make nice cut flowers. o AUGUST 2019

WASHINGTON GARDENER

SPECIALfeature

Behind the Scenes at Brookside’s Butterfly Exhibit

By Alexandra Marquez

More than 40,000 visitors are expected to visit Brookside Gardens’ annual Wings of Fancy exhibit this year, which features more than 50 species of live butterflies from all across the country and all over the world, according to Brookside Gardens conservatory manager Kathy Stevens. “Wings of Fancy continues to be consistently popular with visitors. We have visitors who come back every year, some come every month, and a few come every week,” Stevens said in an email. “The popularity of the exhibit has not declined over the years.” The exhibit, now in its 22nd year, opened in May and runs through September 22 at the gardens’ South Conservatory greenhouse. About 40,000 visitors attend the exhibit annually, but Stevens expects this year’s visitor numbers will surpass even that. Preparations for this year’s exhibit began about three weeks before opening day. Brookside works with a carpentry crew from the Montgomery County Parks Department each year to outfit the South Conservatory greenhouse with all of the proper equipment to prevent butterflies from escaping through the greenhouse frame or the roof. In addition to physically modifying the greenhouse structure, Brookside trains 12

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more than 200 volunteers in accordance with USDA regulations about how to prevent butterflies from escaping the greenhouse through the three sets of doors. They monitor each set of doors while the exhibit is open and check each visitor for butterflies before they exit the exhibit. Brookside also has a pest import permit from the USDA that allows them to receive butterfly and pupae shipments from across the country and around the globe. “The butterflies are raised on farms, protected from predators and parasites in screened structures, and are shipped as pupae. They come from breeders all over the world,” Stevens said. “We get some shipments directly from the grower, and some shipments of exotic species come from a broker.” Stevens also stressed that the health of the butterflies is monitored and managed from the moment their shipments arrive at Brookside. “We open the box and inspect all the pupae, to make sure the shipment matches the invoice and to look for any obvious signs of disease or damage to the pupae. After the chrysalises are mounted on boards and placed in the emergence cases, they are evaluated every day for signs of problems,” Stevens said. “When the butterflies

emerge, their wings are carefully observed to make sure they are fully ready to be released and have wellformed wings.” Although Brookside Gardens has a well-managed system for set-up and care of the Wings of Fancy exhibit, each year brings new successes and challenges. “Just as spring is different each year, so is Wings of Fancy,” Stevens said. “Many of the butterflies are the same species as are on display in other years, but they are different. They are living things and that’s part of the magic of this exhibit. Some species may be more abundant, and others may not do as well as they have in the past.” Overall, Stevens reports that the Wings of Fancy exhibit is running smoothly, and she’s excited to see it continue to bring joy to visitors. “People love butterflies because of their beauty,” she said. “Butterflies connect people to nature, and that’s not going to change.” o Alexandra Marquez is a rising junior journalism and anthropology major at the University of Maryland. She is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener this summer. See “Top 5 Butterfly Houses in Our Region” in the August 2015 issue for other butterfly exhibits in the region.

PLANTprofile

Echinacea By Kathy Jentz

The Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) is a perennial flower native to the open wooded areas of eastern and central North America. It is a favorite plant for pollinators from bees to butterflies. It is wonderful as cut flowers for arrangements and a great low-maintenance choice for the landscape. As a result of new breeding programs, coneflowers have exploded in popularity with a diversity of flower colors, shapes, and sizes. The straight species is a rosy-purple, but new cultivars now come in a wide choice of colors ranging from bright shades of orange and yellow to soft whites and greens, and brilliant hues of pinks and purples. The new selections also have unique flower forms such as doublepetaled flowers and more dwarf, compact plants suitable for container gardens. A few selections I especially like include ‘Green Envy’, ‘Cheyenne Spirit’, ‘and ‘Pixie Meadowbrite’. Echinacea prefers full sun and well-draining soil, but can tolerate part-sun and clay soils. It will bloom from early summer through frost. Frequent deadheading (removing the spent flowers) will promote reblooming for your coneflowers. At the end of the growing season, leave some coneflowers up to go to seed. They provide food for migrating birds and a cozy home for native beneficial insects, which spend the winter inside the hollow flower stems. o Kathy Jentz is the editor and founder of Washington Gardener.

AUGUST 2019

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BOOKreviews

Herbal Remedy Handbook: Treat Everyday Ailments Naturally, From Coughs & Colds to Anxiety & Eczema By Victoria Chown and Kim Walker Publisher: Kyle Books List Price: $22.99 Order Link: https://amzn.to/2KBa69b Reviewer: Alexandra Marquez The Herbal Remedy Handbook by Victoria Chown and Kim Walker is exactly what it sounds like: a glossary of herbal recipes for all kinds of ailments—from period cramps to acne, to digestive health, to first aid. In their introduction, the authors even concede that they intended for this to be a reference book of herbal remedies. They lament the disappearance of the holistic treatment of various ailments through herbal remedies and urge readers to keep up the knowledge about these remedies, many of which were popular throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, before formal healthcare became more affordable. One benefit of using herbal remedies to treat certain conditions, Chown and Walker say, is that you can tailor the remedies to yourself and your body. Throughout the book, they include recipes that do have optional ingredients for certain conditions, so you really can include exactly what’s best for you. One of the things I liked best about the remedy recipes was that most of them included descriptions of which herbs and spices in each recipe are for internal healing or external healing, so you know exactly what each ingredient is targeting to help heal you. I also liked that the book is divided into sections based on what type of 14

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treatment you are looking for. There are 11 options: circulatory health; digestive health; immunity and infection; mood and emotions; muscles, bones, and joints; respiratory health; skin, hair, and nails; children’s health; men’s health; women’s health; and mother and baby remedies. There is also a first aid section in the beginning of the book that dips into all 11 other categories. As a newcomer to herbalism, I also appreciate the introductory sections about what each type of substance is best for certain conditions. For example, they explain that hot infusions are best for fast-acting remedies, because boiling water breaks down a plant’s cell walls faster, releasing beneficiary oils almost immediately. On the other hand, cold infusions take longer to break down plant cell walls, so they cannot be used as quickly. Overall, this book is great for anyone looking to begin using more herbal treatments rather than over-the-counter or prescription medicines. The recipes are clear and easy to follow, and their benefits are explained well. It seems like the authors put a lot of time into perfecting the recipes and concoctions, so that they are ideal for both longtime users and newcomers to herbalism. o Alexandra Marquez is a rising junior journalism and anthropology major at the University of Maryland. She is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener this summer.

Gardentopia: Design Basics for Creating Beautiful Outdoor Spaces By Jan Johnson Publisher: The Countryman Press List Price: $29.95 Order Link: https://amzn.to/2YSmR7Q Reviewer: Jim Dronenburg In the overview, this is a book of tips. Not principles-from-which-all-elsefollows, but tips. Some of the tips are principles, but only a small percentage. The rest are tricks and tweaks and are presented as such, double-page by double-page. The book is well-illustrated, and the illustrations actually show the tip that is being talked about in use—and it is beautiful use. One might add that Johnson is a designer and uses quite a lot of her own design work—as who

would not?—but there are also photos of other places, notably public gardens like Chanticleer, Wave Hill, Huntington, that illustrate a point. Kudos to Johnson for taking the best illustration as opposed to making the book totally her own billboard. The book comes in sections: Garden Design and Artful Accents; Walls, Patios, Walks, and Stairs; Theme Gardens; Color in the Garden; and Plants and Planting. The last has spotlight vignettes, for the most part, of—apparently—Johnson’s favored design plants, and is worth a glossover, although the plants are treated as a design element, as opposed to a how-to-grow. There is a tip for “Stone Benches,” which is beautifully done and in direct contradiction to the “Adirondack Chairs” tip to “make furniture moveable.” I mention this dichotomy because the “moveable” tip had a line that resonates—her quote from William White: “The possibility of choice is as important as the exercise of it. If you can move if you want to, you feel more comfortable staying put.” The full-page illustration (the larger of two), though, shows two easily moveable chairs on what appears to be a stone pad set into the lawn around the chairs, which reads to your reviewer as: “You could— move these chairs—but don’t.” A lot of the tips are the “necessary duh” kind. By that I mean, such blindingly simple things that you say “Well, duh” once someone else has said it—but you would probably never have

BOOKreviews thought of it on your own. One such tip is “The Principle of the Three Depths.” You have foreground and background, but you should have something to define a middle ground between them. Almost too simple for words—but had you thought of it? Or heard it? Another such tip is for if you decide to make a stone “dry stream” (which is, incidentally presented as a drainage feature rather than the Japanese-style suggestion of a running watercourse): Make the farther bank a bit higher, to showcase the plants you put there. Very apt, very good. Most of the tips do seem, from the pictures, to be geared to larger gardens, rather than smaller. Many of the photos are of spaces in an acreage that most local area gardeners can only dream about. Many require maintenance that the normal home gardener could not allocate to them—like geometrically falling stepped hedges down a slope or stone stairs whose treads are lawn. Think about it. Beautiful to look at, but needs staff to maintain. We pass over the Color in the Garden section. Color is personal, and the tips here did not resonate with your reviewer. They may for everyone else. Ditto the Theme Garden section. Some are classic themes, some are not to your reviewer’s taste or inclination. The section on walls, patios, walks, and stairs seems again to be geared to larger spaces. It may, in fact, be translatable to smaller areas, and there are some wonderful tips, such as “the longer a stairway is (side to side), the less imposing the slope it climbs will look.” In short, a good tips design book. Not necessarily one for you if you have a small (or even worse, a tiny) bit of ground, but worth reading for those with bigger properties and for all to browse through for those aha moments scattered hither and yon. o Jim Dronenburg is a retired accountant and now gardens full-time in Knoxville, MD. Note: These book reviews include links to Amazon for ordering them. Washington Gardener Magazine may receive a few cents from each order placed after accessing these links.

Seeded and Sodded: Thoughts from a Gardening Life By Carol J. Michel Publisher: Gardenangelist Books List Price: $14.99 Order Link: https://amzn.to/2KyziwS Reviewer: Kathy Jentz This is the third in a trilogy of books by Michel, the first two being Potted and Pruned and Homegrown and Handpicked, which were both favorably reviewed by others previously in this magazine. Full disclosure: Carol Michel and I know each other through working together on various projects with GardenComm, the association for garden communicators. This book, and the others in the series, are humorous garden essay collections adapted from her May Dreams Gardens blog, https://www. maydreamsgardens.com. The topics range from horticultural snobbery to tackling procrastination head on. Most of the essays are relatable for veteran gardeners; for beginner gardeners they are cautionary tales of what you are bound to encounter eventually in coming years. Michel often gives human voices and characteristics to plants, animals, or inanimate objects as a way to engage and add humor. My favorite such essay was “She Saw Me: A Chipmunk’s Tale,” where older chipmunks advise the new generation about ways to avoid detection or angering their garden hostess.

The essays always include educational lessons, although they are often hidden or served with a spoonful of honey. In “Killing is for Weeds,” Michel enumerates the many ways in which we gardeners are guilty of ending the life of a garden plant, but assures us we never actually “killed” it. Other essays offer food for thought such as “Garden Excellence or Garden Success,” in which Michel contemplates what makes a successful garden and if that goal is even worth striving for in the end. These entries may make you pause and examine your own gardening ambitions and preconceptions. The remaining selections are of the inspirational kind, such as, “If you want to change the world, plant a garden.” The 36 short essays in this volume are quick reads. You can jump around and select just those with subjects that appeal to you or read it through from cover to cover. It is the sort of book that makes great “bathroom reading”— ahem. In this busy world full of social media distractions, that is a good thing. Leave a copy out on a covered porch for reading between outside chores and slip one into the toolsheds of all your gardening friends. o Kathy Jentz is the editor and founder of Washington Gardener.

Love Reading?

These books were reviewed by volunteer members of the Washington Gardener Reader Panel. 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 AUGUST 2019

WASHINGTON GARDENER

PRODUCTreview

A Trio of New Gardening Products By Alexandra Marquez

My Gardening Journal Centurion Collapsible Bucket and Collapsible Watering Can

Bucket List Price: $25.00 Order Link: https://amzn.to/2ZbBtdQ and Watering Can List Price: $30.00 Order Link: https://amzn.to/31GKAoC This collapsible bucket and collapsible watering can are each made to work well and store easily. The bucket is made of alternating silicone and plastic layers that fold into each other, so when collapsed, the product is 2–3 inches tall. It also has a pour spout at one spot, to make pouring water and other liquids easy. The watering can (pictured on page 3), on the other hand, stays tall, but skinny. The plastic exo-skeleton is colorful and features a handle and spout. The middle is a clear, flexible plastic that fills with water and when empty, slims down to less than the width of the exterior shape. The shower head at the top of the spout is removable, and snaps into place when on. Overall, the two are convenient products for gardeners with limited space for tools, but an unlimited love of gardening.

List Price: $12.99 Order Link: https://amzn.to/2Hcr9Mz “My Gardening Journal,” published by Quiet Fox Designs from Fox Chapel Publishing, introduces a cute and colorful system to help you keep track of the plants in your garden. The first few pages include maps that demonstrate the most-extreme minimum temperatures in your region, a checklist of garden tools you may need, a compost bin record that helps you keep track of turning days, and a guide to purchasing the best plants in your environment. There are other pages with graph paper so you can draw out your garden each season and indicate what plants are growing where and a space to keep track of problems with pests and plant diseases each year. The bulk of the journal helps you keep track of four years worth of each plant’s life, so you can check back each year and monitor how a plant’s growth compares to last year’s. This journal seems like a good tool for beginner, intermediate, and advanced gardeners hoping to keep better track of their gardens and monitor the status of their gardens and plants year to year. The journal’s design is aesthetically pleasing and colorful, and includes cute designs on each page, which is also enticing.

Note: These product reviews include links to Amazon for ordering them. Washington Gardener Magazine may receive a few cents from each order placed after accessing them. 16

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Post-It Extreme Notes

List Price: $6.99 Order Link: https://amzn.to/31IMCo5 These sticky notes are advertised as indoor/outdoor, multi-use pieces of paper that “stick in tough conditions” and “stick to a variety of surfaces including wood, steel, brick, cement, and more.” They are water-resistant and use “dura-hold” paper and adhesive. The sample that we received was in the company’s new XL size, but they come in smaller sizes as well. Their material is reminiscent of masking tape or painter’s tape, just without the adhesive covering the entire surface area of one side. They come in a variety of bright colors, which makes them easy to spot against a background of soil and plants and can be used in a variety of ways in the garden, including for making lists, labeling plants, and keeping track of seedlings. We tested writing with a ballpoint pen, a pencil, and a permanent marker on the sticky notes and the permanent marker worked best. The pen showed up well, too, but the pencil was definitely more faint. o Alexandra Marquez is a rising junior journalism and anthropology major at the University of Maryland. She is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener this summer

L I V E

B U T T E R F L Y

C A T E R P I L L A R

E X H I B I T

BROOKSIDE GARDENS SOUTH CONSERVATORY 1500 Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton, MD 20902 | $8 Adults | $5 Children

April 17 - June 30, 2019 | 10 AM To 5 PM Daily July 1 - August 31, 2019 | 10 AM To 1 PM Mon-Fri; 10 AM To 5 PM Sat-Sun September 1 - 22, 2019 | 10 AM To 5 PM Daily

Information Line: 301-962-1453 | BrooksideGardens.org AUGUST 2019

WASHINGTON GARDENER

TOP AREA GARDENING EVENTS DC-Area Gardening Calendar ~ Events ~ August 16—September 16, 2019 • Wednesday, August 21, 7:30—9pm Bioluminescent Mushrooms: Neon Signs on the Forest Floor This free talk, hosted by the Takoma Horticultural Club, is about the fantastic world of bioluminescent fungi, the phenomena called “fox fire.” Learn about the species that might be hiding, hard at work in your garden. Meet these exciting species and their role in your garden ecosystem. Held at Historic Takoma, 7328 Carroll Ave., Takoma Park, MD. Wear a recycled name tag and bring a snack/beverage to share. See details at: http://takomahort.org/ • Saturday, August 24, 9am–4:30pm and Sunday, August 25, 12n–3:30pm 33nd Annual Begonia Show and Sale Feast your eyes at this show, sponsored by the Potomac branch of the American Begonia Society. Be tempted by splashes of color and shapes for homes and greenhouses that last long after frosts have put our outdoor gardens to bed. The sale offers a wide variety of begonias, including subtropical species. Free. For more information, call Green Spring Gardens at 703-642-5173. Held at Green Spring Gardens, 4603 Green Spring Rd., Alexandria, VA. • Sunday, August 25, 10am–2pm Chesapeake Natives Plant Sales The next native plant sale of Chesapeake Natives Inc., a primarily volunteer-driven non-profit organization dedicated to promoting, protecting, and propagating plants native to the Chesapeake Bay watershed, will be at the Mt. Airy Mansion Greenhouse, inside Rosaryville State Park, 9640 Rosaryville Road Upper Marlboro, MD. More information, including dates of off-site sales and a full list of available plants, can be found by visiting www. chesapeakenatives.org or by emailing info@chesapeakenatives.org. •Sunday, September 1, 9—10:30am Pawpaw Hunting Join Cultivate the City for a fun Sunday morning trek through a selected forest less than 10 miles from Washington, DC, and search for America’s “forgotten fruit,” the elusive Pawpaw (Asimina 18

WASHINGTON GARDENER AUGUST 2019

triloba). They have been foraging this patch (location to be disclosed after sign-up) for the past few years. Register at eventbrite.com/e/paw-paw-hunting-tickets-62111878300. Tickets are $30–55. • Saturday, September 7, 10am–2pm Lawn Care Exposition Get personalized advice from top lawn care experts on “Seeding, Fertilizer, and Weed Control,” “Organic Lawn Care Options,” and “Lawn Alternatives.” Free, Registration required. Held at the Fair Oaks location of Merrifield Garden Center. See www.merrifieldgardencenter. com/events/. •Saturday, September 7, 2–5pm Workshop: Kusamono Kusamono are potted arrangements of wild grasses and flowers in unique pots or trays selected to suggest a season, place, or natural habitat. Instructor: Young Choe. Held at the U.S. Botanic Gardens’ Conservatory Classroom in Washington, DC. Fee: $10-20. Preregistration required, visit www.USBG. gov/Programs. • Saturday, September 7, 10am–12n Celebrate Honey Bee Day Where would we be without the honeybee? Celebrate this wondrous insect with the Northern Virginia Beekeepers Association. Meet a beekeeper, see inside a beehive, learn a bee dance, do a bee scavenger hunt, learn how bees are important to our food supply, and get tips about how you can help honeybees. Free. For more information, call Green Spring Gardens at 703-642-5173 or go to fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/greenspring/. • Saturday, September 7, 12n–4pm Pawpaw Fest Meadowside Nature Center celebrates this yummy native fruit at the Pawpaw Festival with music, crafts, games, expert advice, and a pawpaw tasting station. Pawpaw fruit and plants for purchase. $5 admission. Children ages two and under are free. No registration required. Learn more at http://ow.ly/ waUY30pggv7.

• Saturday, September 7, 1–4pm Under the Arbor: Lemon Herbs Join members of the South Jersey Unit, Herb Society of America in te National Herb Garden at the U.S. National Arboretum, as they share information about and samples of culinary treats created using lemon-flavored herbs. From cookies to beverages, lemon goes with just about anything! This is a drop-in educational program open to the public. Free. See https://www.usna.usda.gov/index. php/visit/events-calendar/. • Sunday, September, 8 10th Annual DC State Fair To be held at Gateway DC at Saint Elizabeths East, 2700 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE, Washington, DC. See https:// dcstatefair.org/. •Friday, September 13, 12n–1pm Lecture: Vertical Gardening: 10+ Ways to “Grow Up” Short on space, but want to expand your garden? Having a hard time getting plants to thrive on your balcony or rooftop? These vertical gardening ideas and tips are sure to solve your problems. Green wall technologies and green roof systems will be included. Held at the U.S. Botanic Gardens’ Conservatory Classroom. Free, but pre-registration required at www.USBG.gov/Programs. • Saturday, September 14: 8–10am/FOBG Members only 10am–4:00pm/General Public Sunday, September 15: 9am—12n Friends of Brookside Gardens Plant Sale Did you know that fall is the best time of the year to establish new plants in your garden? Don’t miss this annual plant sale at Brookside Gardens’ Visitor Center, where you’ll find a great assortment of perennials, shrubs, and trees. Friends of Brookside Gardens’ members recieve a 10% discount and new members can sign up during the sale. See: friendsofbrooksidegardens.org. • Saturday, September 14, and Sunday, September 15 Friends of Brookside Gardens Plant Sale Fundraiser

TOP AREA GARDENING EVENTS DC-Area Gardening Calendar ~ Events ~ August 16—September 16, 2019 Unusual perennials, trees, and shrubs will be for sale. The event benefits Brookside Gardens. Details at www. friendsofbrooksidegardens.org. • Saturday, September 14, 10am–3pm DelaWILD Celebrate nature in the First State (Delaware) through talks, hikes, and demonstrations at the Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library. Meet Charlie Engelman, host of “Weird But True” on National Geographic Kids, and learn more about the organizations that work to preserve and protect Delaware’s natural resources. The event is included with regular admission. For details, visit winterthur.org. • Sunday, September 15, 10am–3pm AutumnFest AutumnFest at Glencarlyn Library Community Garden will feature all things fall, including free herbal treats, recipes and sachets, and face painting. Vendors will offer native plants (Hill House Nursery), and blooming plants and pumpkins (Country Gardens). Hand-crafted containers for potting, reusable bags, and handmade jewelry will also be for sale. Master Gardeners, Tree Stewards, and Audubon at Home will be on hand to answer questions. Three educational talks are offered: at 11am, “Grow Your Own Herbal Tea;” at 12noon, “Succulents for Small Spaces;” and at 1pm, “Container Gardening Made Easy.” Glencarlyn Branch Library, 300 S. Kensington St., Arlington, VA. Free. 703-2286427 or www.mgnv.org.

Save These Future Dates • Saturday, September 21, 6–10pm AHS Annual Gala at River Farm Celebrate a “Harvest of Health & Happiness” at a cocktail reception, live music, auctions, and three-course dinner under the event tent overlooking the American Horticultural Society’s gardens. Learn more at https://www. ahsgardening.org/about-river-farm/ events-programs/. • Sunday, September 22, 2–3pm 12th Annual DC Plant Swap This free event, hosted by Washington Gardener Magazine, is open to all. Bring and receive free plants to expand your garden. Note the new location this year: U.S. National Arboretum’s M Street parking lot (former State Grove Parking lot). Full event rules and details at https://washingtongardener.blogspot. com/2019/07/12th-annual-dc-plantswap.html or at https://www.facebook. com/events/2342136279361434/.

• Wednesday, September 25, 7:30pm Made in the Shade Kathy Jentz, editor of Washington Gardener Magazine, will address shade gardening in her talk to the Beltsville Garden Club. She will cover design choices, soil amendments, and proven plant choices, as well as some inventive dry shade space substitutions. Free and open to all. For details, see http://beltsvillegardenclub.org.

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, email washingtongardenermagazine@gmail. com with “Event” in the subject line. Our next deadline is September 5 for the September 2019 issue, for events taking place after September 15. o

• Monday, September 16, 8—9:30pm Talk: A History of Maryland Through its Gardens The Silver Spring Garden Club invites you to a talk on the history and horticultural highlights of approximately 11 Maryland gardens and their homes and owners. Following the talk will be a small Plant Swap—bring a plant, get a plant. Held at Brookside Gardens Visitors Center/Education Building, 1800 Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton, MD. This event is FREE and open to the public. No RSVP required.

AUGUST 2019

WASHINGTON GARDENER

GARDENps By Kathy Jentz Inez Austin Jackson and I are both members of the Potomac Rose Society and a few other local garden clubs. Over the years, I have heard amazing things about her garden and legendary hospitality, so I eagerly anticipated attending her open garden a few weeks ago. What I had not been told about was her beautiful garden cat. This stunner came out the greet me as I took numerous photos around her garden. He was a terrific and playful tour guide. Inez described her cat in an email to me: “His name is Hachi. He is an Ocicat breed. He is extremely loving and friendly to others but an avid hunter. Keeps after the chipmunks and has rid the garden of moles, voles, and mice. When he isn’t busy hunting, he loves to ride around with me in the car on errands. “The little box on his collar keeps him as a house and garden cat,” she said. “Otherwise, he would be over the fence— hunted and eaten by the many, many foxes in the neighborhood.” o Kathy Jentz is the editor and founder of Washington Gardener.

This is an occasional column in Washington Gardener Magazine featuring photos of pets in gardens. Submit your photos to KathyJentz@gmail.com and use the subject line “Pets in Gardens.” Tell us a bit about the animal and your garden as well! 20

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GARDENbasics Lorraine Ballato knows that growing hydrangeas can be tough, but the results of a successful planting are beautiful! As an avid lover of these gorgeous flowers, she shares these tips and ideas of what may have gone wrong with your flowers to ensure that everyone can share in the joy of some beautiful blooming hydrangeas. 1. Properly siting your hydrangea: Bigleaf hydrangeas need a half-day of sun, ideally in the morning. Don’t fret if all you can provide is afternoon sun; you can still get flowers. You just have to keep an eye on the moisture level in the soil so there is enough for them to rehydrate when needed. The more important part of their siting is to protect them from winter conditions as best you can. To do this, consider planting them in the protection of winter-persistent barriers like evergreens (conifers, rhododendrons, azaleas) or plants that hold their brownedout leaves like beeches, parrotias, and oaks. Other barriers could be a fence, a neighbor’s house, a shed, or even an Adirondack chair or other lawn furniture turned sideways to block the prevailing cold winds and icy precipitation. 2. Ensure your plants are strong and healthy enough to produce flowers: Producing flowers takes a lot of energy from the plant, so you have to make sure they are well fed. You do that by fertilizing your hydrangeas, ideally in the spring until about August 1. Rose fertilizer or a granular shrub fertilizer have the right mix of nutrients to do the job. 3. Check to see that your hydrangea isn’t getting nitrogen from an adjacent fertilized lawn: Too much nitrogen can be a problem, especially if the plant is downhill of that lawn or if a rotary spreader is used to fertilize. If that’s the case, that “casual” nitrogen your hydrangea is getting is encouraging it to make leaves and not flowers. See if you can either move the plant or somehow prevent that fertilizer from reaching the roots. 4. Re-evaluate your watering habits: It’s a normal reaction to water your plant when you see it drooping from being in the sun, but hydrangeas rehydrate quickly when the sun is off of them and perk back up within a few

Six Tips that Solve the Mystery of “Why Aren’t My Hydrangeas Blooming?”

hours. Hold off on watering until the sun is off the plant to see if it snaps back. You might have to wait until the next morning. If it is still drooping, then, go ahead and give it a drink. Keep in mind that excess water in the roots can rob your plant of necessary oxygen and rot it, eventually killing it. More importantly, too much water will cause your plant to make leaves and not flowers, or even kill it. Oops—and you thought you were saving it! 5. Prune your hydrangeas at the right time: The most-common reason your plant may not flower is if it was pruned at the wrong time. Bigleaf hydrangeas start to develop their flower buds for next year from the beginning of August onward. Those buds take several weeks to form and then stay on the stems until the following season. Any time you prune that plant between August and when you see the buds, you run the risk of cutting off “sleeping” flowers. Take heart, however: You can save your season and get blooming hydrangeas from seemingly barren plants. The way you do this is to grow bigleaf hydrangeas that rebloom more than once, since rebloomers have been bred to produce flowers in the current season. Those flowers come from either

a newly grown stem or sleeping buds from last year that made it through the ups and downs of the prior six months. Reblooming stems that deliver flowers along their length look like the ones pictured above. Hydrangea varieties that rebloom in the current season include Summer Crush® Hydrangea, new from Bailey Nurseries. 6. Remember that weather conditions affect blooming hydrangeas: If cold and/or fluctuating temperatures are your enemy, grow hydrangeas that bloom only on new wood. They are foolproof because the flowers only come from stems grown in the current year. All woodland/smooth varieties and panicle hydrangeas fall into this category. They still need the right fertility, cultural conditions, and pruning smarts applied to them. ‘Annabelle’ and ‘Limelight’ are two such examples. o Lorraine Ballato adapted this article for the National Garden Bureau (ngb.org) from her book, Success with Hydrangeas: A Gardener’s Guide. Edited by Alexandra Marquez, a rising junior journalism and anthropology major at the University of Maryland. She is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener this summer. AUGUST 2019

WASHINGTON GARDENER

HORThaenings buffet-style dinner with tomato dishes, like a tomato and cilantro salad, homemade pizza, slow-roasted pasta sauce, tomato risotto, fresh tomato soup, and more. The event also featured farm tours led by summer interns and a tomato bean bag toss for kids. More than 60 people attended the event. Most attendees were people who live in the neighborhood around the urban farm, CSA recipients from the farm, or volunteers who help out on Common Good City Farm through their City Farmers volunteer program. o

Garden Communicator’s 25 Years with American Horticultural Society

David Ellis, director of communications at the American Horticultural Society (AHS) and editor of its bimonthly member magazine, The American Gardener, marks his 25th anniversary there this summer. Ellis recalls the days when the AHS had neither a website nor a social media presence. People seeking horticultural information contacted AHS’s Gardeners Information Service hotline or its network of Master Gardeners. Over the years, the AHS transitioned “from chiefly book publishing to the information age,” says Ellis. On a personal note, Ellis tends to both his own garden in Silver Spring, MD, and one established by his uncle. While he grows all type of vegetables, he’s particularly keen on trying to grow some heirloom tomatoes his uncle developed. He also enjoys foraging for wild fruit. Congratulations to this seasoned garden communicator. Learn more about AHS at www.AHSgardening.org. o

Tomato Party

On July 25, Common Good City Farm in Washington, DC, hosted a Tomato Party. The event was put on by the farm manager, volunteers, and summer interns who have been working at Common Good City Farm growing peaches, herbs, tomatoes, and so much more. The event featured tastes of three different varieties of heirloom tomatoes, as well as a 22

WASHINGTON GARDENER AUGUST 2019

Mont. County Farm Tour

On July 27 and July 28, the Montgomery County Office of Agriculture hosted their 30th Annual Farm Tour throughout the county, with 19 farms throughout the county opening their doors to the public to show off their summer harvests and let families explore their grounds. Five farms, including Butler’s Orchard and Homestead Farm, featured “pick your own” fruits and vegetables for people to collect and purchase. Eight farms, including Camp Olympia and Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary, had their animals on display or available to pet, which families from around the county enjoyed. At Chocolates and Tomatoes Farm in Poolesville, MD, property owner Alan Black offered farm tours while farmer Mark Mills and his team were accompanied with live music as they served fresh food off the grill to visitors. (See our profile of Mark Mills on page 6–7.) o

McKee-Beshers Sunflowers

The sunflowers planted annually at Mckee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area in Potomac, MD, went into bloom on July 8 this year. The flowers are planted each year at the end of April or beginning of May and bloom in mid-July. Once again this year, the sunflowers attracted loads of professional and amateur photographers, visitors, and picnickers who were able to enjoy the sunflowers in bloom. Mckee-Beshers announced that the sunflowers were officially out of bloom on July 22. The purpose of the flowers is to attract a certain species of dove that likes to feast on the flowers when they are a few weeks out of bloom. In the fall, the wildlife management area lets visitors hunt these birds, so planting sunflowers helps attract them in large numbers. For more information about the sunflowers, check out the “Plant Profile” video about sunflowers online, which features footage from McKeeBeshers. o

Cactus and Succulent Show

The National Capital Cactus and Succulent Society of Washington, DC, held its annual plant display and plant sale on Saturday, August 3, at Brookside Gardens. This year, the event was shortened to one day. The society estimates that 500 attendees came through the event, which brought in $4,000 in total (gross) sales. Six new members joined the group that day. o This issue’s “HortHappenings” were compiled by Alexandra Marquez. She is a rising junior journalism and anthropology major at the University of Maryland. She is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener this summer. See more photos from events listed here at the Washington Gardener Facebook Page.

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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

MARCH/APRIL 2009 ! OUT Tips D • 40+ Free and Low-cost Local Garden SOL ! T • Spring Edibles Planting Guide OU LDfor a Fresh Start • Testing YourSO Soil ! Selection and Care UTTree • Redbud O LD Viewing Spots for Virginia Bluebells • SOBest

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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WASHINGTON GARDENER AUGUST 2019