Washington Gardener December 2016 by Kathy J

DECEMBER 2016 VOL. 11 NO. 10

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ggardener

the magazine for gardening enthusiasts in the Mid-Atlantic region

Growing Tips for Flavorful Fennel Your Monthly Garden Tasks To-do List Seasonal Tool Care Guide

Seed Exchange Registration Garden Photo Contest Entry New Bergenia Series: Not Your Grandmaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pig Squeak

Local Gardening Events Calendar

Happy Native Hepaticas

Welcoming Winter Birds

Four Seasons at Federal Twist:

A New Jersey Prairie Garden

RESOURCESsourc

o oo ooo 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 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

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Haven’s Natural Brew Tea conditions the soil so your plant’s root system can better absorb nutrients needed to build a strong, healthy root base. The manure tea can also be applied to compost piles to accelerate the composting process.

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Green Spring Gardens

www.greenspring.org

WASHINGTON GARDENER

A “must visit” for everyone in the metropolitan Washington, DC, area. It’s a year-round gold mine 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.

DECEMBER 2016

Your Ad Here

Are you trying to reach thousands of gardeners in the greater DC region/Mid-Atlantic area? Washington Gardener Magazine goes out on the 15th of every month. Contact wgardenermag@aol.com or call 301.588-6894 for ad rates (starting from $200). The ad deadline is the 10th of each month. Please submit your ad directly to: wgardenermag@aol.com.

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FEATURES and COLUMNS

Seasonal tool care is a great way to pass the winter months for local gardeners itching to get their hands dirty. Cleaning, inspecting, sorting, sharpening, oiling, painting, and repairing your tools now will save you effort and angst in the coming growing season.

o o

James Golden’s garden, Federal Twist, has been profiled in publications ranging from the New York Times to Better Homes and Gardens. For a list of further reading about the garden, contact the article’s author at gardentours@gmail. com.

Bronze fennel is a highly aromatic perennial herb. It grows happily in full sun locations with little care. Fennel foliage can be used in salads, pork, duck, fish, cabbage, cucumber, onion, herb butter, and cheese spreads. The seeds can be used in desserts, sausage, and breads. They can also be chewed as a breath freshener. Its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties also soothe sore gums.

BOOKreviews 20-21 Rock Gardening; Indestructible Houseplants; Feed the Bees; Explorer’s Notebook DAYtrip 6-8 Federal Twist EDIBLEharvest 14-15 Fennel GOINGnative 19 Hepatica INSECTindex 22 Narcissus Bulb Fly NEWPLANTspotlight 11 Bergenia Dragonfly Series PRODUCTreview 17 Seasonal Tool Care TIPStricks 10 Hyacinth Project; Winter Birds; Treating Urban Trees with Plant Growth Inhibitors

DEPARTMENTS ADVERTISINGindex BLOGlinks EDITORletter GARDENcontest LOCALevents MONTHLYtasklist NEXTissue RESOURCESsources

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ON THE COVER

Native holly (Ilex verticillata) berries on a frosty morning. Photo by James Golden at his Federal Twist garden in New Jersey.

Next month in our January ’16 issue: Best Monarda for the Mid-Atlantic Weed Watch

Philadelphia Flower Show and much more... If your business would like to reach area gardeners, be sure to contact us by January 10 so you can be part of the next issue of our growing publication. Be sure you are subscribed! DECEMBER 2016

WASHINGTON GARDENER

EDITORletter

Credits Kathy Jentz Editor/Publisher & Advertising Sales Washington Gardener 826 Philadelphia Ave. Silver Spring, MD 20910 Phone: 301-588-6894 wgardenermag@aol.com www.washingtongardener.com Call today to place your ad with us! Ruth E. Thaler-Carter Proofreader Stephen Barber Shelby Smith Interns Cover price: $4.99 Back issues: $6.00 Subscription: $20.00 Address corrections should be sent to the address above.

Your editor in her December garden. Photo by Shelby Smith.

Does Gardening Have Value? For a book club I am in, we are reading Depletion and Abundance by Sharon Astyk. There is much food for thought in this small book, though one idea stuck with me the most: that the home arts, including gardening, have no value in our current economy. Not only are the efforts of gardeners undervalued, but they are considered a drain on actual “productive” hours that could be spent earning funds. To do what with that money? To pay others to mow-and-blow, then endlessly spray to combat weeds and pests, your just-forshow lawn? Then we pay for a gym membership to get our exercise. We pay someone else to grow our food and deliver it from far away or we pass out still more money for another person to prepare our food so it is fast and easy to consume. All to get more hours to do “productive work.” Meanwhile, we become increasingly detached from nature in our climate-controlled living and work spaces. We forget these basic skills and then are slaves to the economic system because we need to pay others to do them for us. Let’s step back for a minute and think about this. Gardening can be simply a hobby or pastime, but it can be more. It can be a way to control your part of the economy. You can step out of the rat race and decide consciously how much you want to grow yourself for food, for pleasure, and for the local wildlife. You can demonstrate to others the true value of gardening by sharing that abundance with them and spreading the knowledge as well. Happy gardening! Kathy Jentz, Editor/Publisher, Washington Gardener 4

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• 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 is a womanowned business. We are proud to be members of: · Garden Writers Association · Think Local First DC · DC Web Women · Green America Magazine Leaders Network · Green America Business Network To order reprints, contact Wright’s Reprints at 877.652.5295, ext. 138. Volume 11, Number 10 ISSN 1555-8959 © 2016 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.

READERcontt

Caption Contest

We asked our Facebook page followers to caption this photo of this miniature Mount Rushmore display created entirely of plant material at the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, DC. Look for more monthly caption contests at the Facebook.com/ WashingtonGardenerMagazine page.

Reader Contest

Winning Captions: “No, Bob. I’m sure it was only the one President. And it was just his teeth that were wood.” ~ Julie Blackwell “Mt Brushmore.” ~ Madalene Stevens “Wooden teeth were bad enough.” ~ David Hobson “You can stop staring anytime now, Roosevelt!” ~ Jim Jacobs “Your corporate logo here.” ~ Mimi Alders “Can someone please help? I have an itch.” ~ Larry Effron “Presidential selfies all look rather wooden.” ~ Gail Heffners “Forget climate change, watch out for termites!” ~ Dawn Abramson

For the December 2016 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, Washington Gardener Magazine is giving away several passes to the Garden of Lights at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD. Make a new holiday tradition at the Garden of Lights! This walk-through holiday light display features 1 million dazzling, colorful lights shaped into hand-crafted, original art forms of flowers, animals, and other natural elements. Enjoy nightly musical performances and visit the conservatory to watch G-scale model trains wind through a seasonal landscape. The event will be open nightly through January 1, 2017 (open every night except December 24 & 25). Stroll from garden to garden, enjoying twinkling tree forms, fountains, sparkling snowflakes overhead, and more. The Garden of Lights celebrates its 19th season as a Baltimore/Washington, DC-area family holiday tradition. Warm up in the Visitors Center while you sip hot cocoa and listen to one of the nightly musical performances. Find out more at http://www.montgomeryparks.org/parks-and-trails/ brookside-gardens/garden-of-lights/ To enter to win a pass that admits one car-load of guests to the Garden of Lights, send an email to WashingtonGardener@rcn.com by 5pm on Wednesday, December 21, with “Lights Show” in the subject line and in the body of the email. Tell us which was your favorite post from 2016 on Washington Gardener’s blog (http://washingtongardener.blogspot. com/) and why. Please also include your full name and mailing address. The pass winners will be announced and notified on December 22. o DECEMBER 2016

WASHINGTON GARDENER

DAYtrip

Four Seasons at Federal Twist:

A New Jersey Prairie Garden by b y Cheval Force Opp

I met James Golden on a CarexTours coach in Britain on a garden tour in 2015. Dressed all in black, he sat in the seat in front of me and was cordial but mostly silent. Not that I encouraged chit-chat. I relished having two seats to myself with ample time to meditate and recuperate between garden sites. But after a few days, I tested him with a few garden comments to gauge his personality, hoping like Goldilocks to find a fellow traveler, not too forward, not too dull, someone just right to keep me company during a week of extraordinary English garden visits. I was indeed lucky. His keen eye, dry wit, and compendium of plant knowledge made for the best of garden company. At the end of the week, when the tour was over, I invited myself up to his New Jersey garden. Little did I know I had been strolling with a rising horticultural star. Returning home, I began to read his blog, “View from Federal Twist” (www.federaltwist.com). As the year progressed, I read one article after another that he published about his 10-year-old garden.

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DECEMBER 2016

Part-time Gardener

Golden, who will be a retired marketing manager at the end of this year, had tinkered with a small 16-by-20-foot pocket garden in Brooklyn for 20 years. In 2006, he and his partner, Phillip Saperia, purchased a second home with three and a half acres off Federal Twist, a one-lane, meandering country road in rural New Jersey near the Delaware River. Red maples, American beech, and oaks populate most of the property, but behind the modest, one-story house is an acre and half of gently sloping, fan-shaped land. It was cleared and protected by a deer fence. What looks like a stream, but is actually water drainage, curves from the house’s corner across the garden. It is filled with water-loving plants. Gravel-paved paths lead to several scattered destinations; two sculptures, several sitting areas, a canal pond, a rectangular reflecting pool, several rock walls. and a brightred sculpture. In full summer, looking out the living room’s wall of windows, all that can be seen is a sea of pulsatinggigantic,

green plants jostling in the sunshine under a confetti of glittering, flying insects. Walking in the gravel path garden is like diving into the deep end of a pool of towering stalks, many over 12 feet tall. Golden is such a quiet person, I was astonished to find his garden so outrageously wild and intimidating. I asked him for an interview. Why do you call it a prairie garden? I do that less and less, but since I hate the title “ecological” garden, prairie garden seemed the next best fit. I plant what is dictated by my wet clay environment. I grow American prairie plants, which tend to be big and strong. I strive for the kind of density of a prairie, which in a square yard might have hundreds of plants—which prevent weeds. Some might say I have nothing but weeds in this garden. I have been listening to this blog, The Native Plant PodCast (www.nativeplantpodcast.com), with amazing guests. One of the hosts is a specialist in pocket prairies. I have researched prairies in the East, and there is a link on my blog to a guy in West Virginia who

DAYtrip

owned Enchanters Garden. I have met him—Peter Heus. Heus wrote a paper about prairies in Virginia (http://npj. uwpress.org/content/4/2/104.full. pdf+html). Prairies are transient in the East since they only develop in what is a temporary opening in the forest. Trees can seed into prairies, despite the dense growth. If I did not pull out tree seedlings, within 10 years, Federal Twist would re-forest. Did you have a vision of what the garden should look like when you started? The New Perennial Garden by Noel Kingsbury was my inspiration. It gave me the idea of just planting directly into the existing vegetation on the site. My previous garden was an imitation of Piet Oudolf, but Federal Twist demanded new solutions since many of the Oudolf plants couldn’t grow in my conditions. I could see the ground was wet, heavy clay soil and that deer ate everything. I did not have a vision so much as the need to plant what would grow. My only vision, so to speak, was to observe the place and have it tell me what kind of garden it needed to become. We have an unusual geology in this part of New Jersey, characterized by masses of fractured argillite bedrock just under the surface. When it rains, the water can’t percolate into the soil, so it flows in a copious flood across the land surface. It’s a little like living in the midst of a shallow creek bed. I’ve noted before that my garden resembles a river delta, where the overland flow of water follows natural channels that form subtle patterns. This phenomenon is a defining feature of this land. (An Irish neighbor has a small sign in Gaelic in front of his house. When I asked it’s meaning, he said, “Land of Soggy Feet”!)

In The New Perennial Garden, Kingsbury recommended experimenting by planting directly into the rough grass, so I mowed the area. I did not use any herbicide, because once it was cleared, things began to appear like “blue-eyed grass” and many, many carexes. I knew plants would have to be big and competitive, so my primary source to start was Paxston Hill Farm in New Hope. I planted Joe Pye Weed, Queen of the Prairie (Filipendula rubra ‘Venusta’), great coneflower (Rudbeckia maxima), Ironweed (Vernonia sp.), and several different Silphiums (cup plant). They are all competitive growers. I do have some native grasses, which I love, but they do not do as well here as miscanthus. How do you prepare for spring? The garden is left as is until late winter, late February, or late March. Nothing is cut back because it is beautiful in winter weather; hard frost, snow, freezing rain. It is like a winter wonderland. When I look out the living room windows, the morning sunlight is spectacular as it comes through the forest and

starts lighting the grasses. I try to time it so there is some snow left, but the garden has time to dry, making it “burnable.” I take my propane torch over a couple of days and burn one miscanthus at a time. I have a water hose with me, because they go up in a whoosh. It is amazing; it is so hot, I really must get back quickly. I never burn a large area. I have been planting more and more shrubs, and I cannot burn the grasses near the shrubs, the grasses burn that hot. Burning invigorates the grasses, and it kills tree seedlings. But most of the big perennials do not burn, the Miscanthus giganteus will not burn. I have a worker, Milton, who cuts plants back with an electric trimmer. I leave as much debris as possible to decompose in place, and the rest goes in a biomass disposal on the side of the property. Spring is when I begin to “edit” the garden. This year, I am focusing on pulling out Solidago canadensis, it is very vigorous and spreads by long running roots. This year, I probably pulled out 80 percent of it. I am sure I did not get all the roots. I always have multiflora rose coming up. The burning does not destroy it, so I break it off, trying to weaken it. There is Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia). I love the fragrance of it in the spring, but I pull the seedlings out. What are some of the new plants you are adding? I am trying to add some more things that give spots of color, like daylilies. I

DECEMBER 2016

WASHINGTON GARDENER

DAYtrip have quite a few that you do not notice, because they are in with much bigger grasses, but when they flower, there is a burst of color for a week or two, and then the ratty foliage disappears among the larger plants. I am planting more Aster tataricus ‘Jindai,’ which flowers purple in late October and stays green late and then the foliage turns to yellows and purples. Great fall plant, since it flowers later than anything, later than the American asters. I need big plants that can survive the competition. I dug up six large pieces, but I want more. I am working on replacing a lot of Miscanthus sinensis with Miscanthus ‘Purpurascens’ and other grasses that don’t self-seed. It has good color and does not seed like sinensis, but I would never get rid of all the sinensis because it has that beautiful vase shape. I have allowed dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum) to grow. It has attractive seed pods, but it spreads a lot. I have not started fighting it yet. I tend to like anything that can cover ground and is visually interesting. Other things like Inula racemosa ‘Sonnenspeer’ are plants that I love at this time of year; they are wet and dark and still very tall. They self-seed like crazy, and I thought that would be a very serious problem, but they grow so vigorously, and grow so tall that they lose energy over time. New plants return shorter and are less aggressive, so controlling it is becoming less of a problem. My current theory is that its life cycle over several years will not be such a problem, but I do need to keep them from spreading out of the garden. In Europe, I saw at John Schoolmeester’s garden beautiful evening primroses. One of them was apricot. It is most beautiful when the flowers are wilting. Then I realized it was in almost every garden we visited. I found the seed from an English supplier, and I am trying to decide where to plant it. I see things I hope will work and I try them out. I am constantly thinking of what might work. I do not have an ultimate goal, it is a process, and it will continue to change. I think that is how really good gardens 8

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come to be. If you look at any of Dan Pearson’s gardens, he does not do a garden unless he has a hand in who will maintain it. He will go back and fine-tune it from time to time. Piet Oudolf will not take on a new commission unless the owners will commit to some kind of system for maintenance that includes him returning to evaluate it from time to time. Garden maintenance is really another word for a relationship, attention, and care. When are the seasons for Federal Twist? Spring begins early March, then plants emerge by the end of April. I have a small horse tail (Equisetum arvense), 8-10 inches high. It comes up in mass and is quite beautiful, then the bigger plants come up through that and covers up the horsetail. I am always looking for ways to have plants compete with each other and thereby contain each other. Summer starts mid-June to midAugust. In early June, it begins to look messy because plants are growing out, but the big plants are not big enough to cover everything. I have my garden helper come in with the weed trimmer to clear out certain areas to give a neater appearance. It self-regulates, with the competitive plants keeping each other under control. Fall ranges from September to late October. Tours happen in September, which for me is an in-between time since there is no fall color yet. But I have had my biggest tours then and visitors have been positive. What I call fall depends on the weather. Early October, things are beginning to color, so by late October, it is usually better color, but one year, we had a heavy snow in October. What do you think about when you garden? For me, the garden is a spiritual aspect

of life. The interaction between the garden and me and others who might come to it is pretty profound. It may have something to do with the process of creation and destruction, birth and death. Mirroring the death of the universe, the creation out of nothing. We die, and the universe continues to exist. Most of the universe is dark matter that cannot be detected. What we see in our life is a speck, like the scum floating on top of the ocean. It is all such a mystery. The garden is one of my connections to what we as humans can understand. Like today, we had a foggy morning, and the grasses seemed lit from inside; they were radiant. And there is beauty in destruction. Some of the most beautiful pictures I have are after Hurricane Sandy—90 percent of my garden had been blown away and what remained were organic grasses and leaves on the ground. It reminded me of paper making with a riot of color and texture. It was virtually destroyed, but I thought it quite beautiful. Most American gardeners would not resonate with those thoughts. How can someone visit your garden? The garden has group tours scheduled during the 2017 summer season. If someone would like to visit or perhaps join a public tour, contact me via my blog’s email, federaltwistroad@gmail. com. James Golden’s garden Federal Twist is one of the most memorable home gardens I have visited. If you can, walk it during high summer, but be prepared to be intimidated. I had the distinct impression I was an uninvited guest. The plants hardly noticed me, they were all busy holding their ground and growing as fast as possible. Their energy gives off a subliminal green hum. Dreams for the future. o Special thanks to James Golden for his time, his photos for this article, and his travel companionship. Cheval Force Opp lives with her husband Dana and corgi Marzipan in historic Dunn Loring, VA. When she is not traveling to see new gardens, she battles weeds and deer in her own garden.

You’ve seen those gorgeous garden photos published in magazines and newspapers. Enter this year’s competition and have a chance of getting your images published, too! Whether you take the photos in your own backyard, a nearby public garden, or while visiting friends and family in their local gardens, there are so many photographic opportunities to be found. Let’s show off the best in DC-area gardening! This contest offers an opportunity for all photographers to present their best shots of gardens in the greater Washington, DC, area. Contest entries will be judged on technical quality, composition, originality, and artistic merit. More than $500 in prizes will be awarded! Winning images will be published in Washington Gardener magazine, displayed during the Washington Gardener Seed Exchange, and appear in a local photo exhibit.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Each entrant is limited to a total of 10 images. Each electronic file must be identified with your last name and entry category. For example, JonesGardenCreature1.jpg or SmithSmallWonders8.jpg. All photographs should accurately reflect the subject matter and the scene as it appeared in the viewfinder. Nothing should be added to an image and, aside from dust spots, nothing should be removed. Cropping and minor adjustments to electronic images to convert RAW files are acceptable. If an image is selected as a finalist, a high-resolution digital file might be required before finalizing our results. Digitally captured images should be taken at the camera’s highest resolution (3 megapixels or larger). For preliminary judging, digital files must be submitted in JPEG format sized to 1,000 pixels on the longest side at 300 dpi. If photos are taken with a film camera, they must be scanned in and submitted in JPEG format sized to 1,000 pixels on the longest side at 300 dpi. Contest entries can be submitted via email to DCGardenPhotos@aol. com. Use the subject line “WG Photo Contest” and include an entry form for each image in your email’s text field.

11TH ANNUAL PHOTO CONTEST Entries can also be sent as a CDROMs. Please verify their integrity by making sure they are readable and not damaged. We reserve the right to disqualify any disk that is unreadable or defective. Please check your CDs with the latest virus-detection software. We will disqualify any disk that appears to contain a virus or a suspicious file. Label each CD and case with your full name. We strongly suggest mailing CDs in protective cases. We are not responsible for disks damaged during shipping. No CDs will be returned, but they can be picked up after judging. Send your entries and entry fee to: Washington Gardener Photo Contest, 826 Philadelphia Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910. Mailed entries must be received by January 21, 2017. You can print out blank entry forms from the Washington Gardener blog (WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com) or from our Facebook page. We will verify all entries so please ensure your email address is included on all items. Entrants must not infringe on the rights of any other photographer, landowner, or other person. Photos involving willful harassment of wildlife or destruction of any property are unacceptable. The entrant must have personally taken the photo. By entering, you state this is your work and it is free of copyright elsewhere. Failure to comply with any contest guidelines will lead to disqualification.

category or submit all 10 in one category. Photos must have been taken during the 2016 calendar year in a garden located within a 150-mile radius of the Capitol Building in Washington, DC. • Garden Views: Beautiful, dramatic, or unusual perspectives of a garden landscape, including wide shots showing the setting. Subject can be a private or public garden. • Garden Vignettes: Groupings of plants in beds or containers, unusual color or texture combinations, garden focal points, and still scenes. Subject can be photographed in a private or public garden. • Small Wonders: Tight close-up images or macro shots of single flowers, plant parts, fruits, vegetables, etc. Subject can be photographed in a private or public garden. • Garden Creatures: Images of insects, birds, frogs, pets, etc., in a private or public garden setting.

CONTEST ENTRY FEE

Your entry to this contest constitutes your agreement to allow your photographs and your name, city, state, and photo description texts to be published in upcoming issues of Washington Gardener and used for other related purposes including, but not limited to, Washington Gardener Photo Contest promotions and online, live presentations, and gallery exhibits. Entrants retain ownership and all other rights to future use of their photographs.

CATEGORIES

Each entrant is limited to a total of 10 images. You may submit a few in each

PRIZES

Prizes include gift certificates to area camera stores, gardening tools, new plant introductions, and much more! If you would like to be a prize donor or sponsor, contact us today.

WINNERS’ OBLIGATION

Photo contest winners will need to provide high-resolution versions of their images for publication and an 11x14 print suitable for framing. Winners may be asked to provide additional information for press and media coverage. The entry fee is $20.00 or $15.00 for current Washington Gardener Magazine subscribers. The fee includes up to 10 total image submissions per entrant. Please send a check or money order made out to “Washington Gardener” or send a payment via www.PayPal.com to DCGardenPhotos@aol.com.

DEADLINE

Entries are due by Midnight on January 21, 2017.

QUESTIONS?

Please call 301.588.6894 or email DCGardenPhotos@aol.com. o DECEMBER 2016

WASHINGTON GARDENER

TIPStricks

Compiled by Shelby Smith

Treating Urban Trees with Paclobutrazol

Recent research shows that exposure to paclobutrazol can slow top growth in trees, encourage root growth, and can make them more stress-tolerant. One study showed soil injection at the base of white and pin oaks caused fine root densities to be 60 percent or 80 percent higher, According to Erik Runkle, a professor and floriculture extension specialist in the department of horticulture at Michigan State University, there are several plant growth retardants (PGRs) that contain the active ingredient paclobutrazol, including Bonzi (Syngenta), Downsize (Greenleaf Chemical), Paczol (OHP), Piccolo, and Piccolo 10XC (Fine Americas). Today, paclobutrazol is probably the most widely used PGR in the production of floriculture crops because of its wide range of efficacy and moderate- to longlasting response. Paclobutrazol is absorbed by the roots, stems, and leaves. Therefore, it can be applied as a spray, sprench, drench, or bulb or young-plant dip. Sprays are more effective when they penetrate plant canopies, so there is contact with the stems. Plants absorb paclobutrazol within 30 minutes, so crops can be watered soon after PGR application without losing efficacy. Once absorbed, the products have a long residual effect, so they are often used on aggressive bedding plants and herbaceous perennials, as well as potted flowering plants such as poinsettia. In addition, paclobutrazol is used as a spray on some vigorous plug and liner crops, especially during periods of warm weather. Paclobutrazol can be used as a sprench or drench when a longer-lasting response is desired. Some growers have success using multiple sprench applications, applied, for example, every few weeks, where the rates are adjusted based on the size and vigor of the crop. Another approach is to drench at a high rate once the crop reaches a desirable size. The product labels contain a lot of useful information, and extension educators and product technical managers can be consulted for application recommendations. o 10

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Welcome Winter Birds

“Fluffy” Hyacinth Project

This year, forget those ready-made holiday decorations. It’s time for some doit-yourselfing to create that wonderful seasonal feeling in your home. It’s both fun to do and gives you a real sense of satisfaction to be working with your own two hands. Get out the flower bulbs, scissors, ribbons, glitter, and beads: The motto here is do-it-yourself. Getting started: What can you make yourself, and how do you do that? Be sure that your first DIY project isn’t too difficult. An easier project gives you a better chance of getting bitten by the DIY bug. Use materials that are easily available and will remain attractive for a while. Good examples are amaryllis bulbs or hyacinth bulbs, glass vases, pretty bowls, glitter, and ribbons. Cover a kitchen table with a tablecloth or plastic sheet to protect it from spills and other mess, and then get out the tools you’ll need, like scissors, glue, needle and thread, and a sewing machine. Supplies: Transparent vase, white hyacinth bulbs in pots, fluffy white wool, and coarsely textured branches. Tip: Rinse off the soil from the roots of the hyacinth bulbs under the tap. For more project ideas and information, visit iBulb (www.ibulb.org). o

With winter just days away, and the Christmas Bird Count finally here, there’s no better time to protect the birds you love. Birds have the same needs—food, water, and shelter—in winter as they do any other time. Helping these winter visitors could help sustain their populations in both their wintering and summering grounds. The National Audubon Society has compiled the following list of simple ways you can help. • Bird-friendly Yards and Communities: Where birds thrive, people prosper. One of the most important things we can do to help birds and other wildlife is to make our yards bird- and wildlifefriendly. • Minimize the amount of manicured lawn in your yard. Reduce the amount of pesticides and fertilizers in your yard and plant native species. The wilder and more varied, the better it is for your avian neighbors. • Make a brush pile in the corner of the yard. Collect and set aside fallen branches and logs. This will provide shelter for birds from predators and storms, and a place to roost at night. • Rake leaves up under trees and shrubs and leave them there. The resulting mulch will make a lush environment for the insects and spiders that birds love to eat. • Create a songbird border of native trees and shrubs to create shelter from wind. Berry and fruit-producing shrubs and trees such as dogwoods, hollies, chokeberries, elderberries, and cherry are favored by many types of birds. Plant native species whenever possible and avoid invasives. • Clean out old nest boxes and feeders. It’s wise to remove old nests and seeds from shelters and feeders to prevent birds from getting sick. • Protect your windows. About a billion birds die from glass collisions each year. You can reduce this threat by making all your windows visible to birds. Glass appears clear or reflective to birds. Visual cues and markers as window decals on the outside of windows alert birds to the presence of glass. For a list of Audubon’s birdhouses and feeders visit, www.woodlink.com. Learn more at www.audubon.org and at @audubonsociety. o

GARDENnews

Quick Links to Recent Washington Gardener Blog Posts • USBG Holiday Train Display • Calendula: You Can Grow That! • Arugula Pesto Recipe • Top 10 New Books for Gardeners See more Washington Gardener blog posts at: WashingtonGardener.Blogspot.com o

December-January Garden To-Do List New Plant Spotlight Bergenia DRAGONFLY™ Series This is not your grandmother’s pig squeak. Say goodbye to floppy leaves and insipid flower colors with our DRAGONFLY™ Series of Bergenia with the world’s most compact and free-flowering plants. Top this off with wonderful, glossy, plum-purple, and evergreen winter foliage and you have a combo that is hard to beat. Bergenia ‘Pink Dragonfly’ has narrow leaves, with brilliant purple winter color, that erupt in luscious bright-pink flowers in proportion to its foliage on this petite beauty. Truly the Bergenia for people who are looking for multiple seasons of interest. Beautiful and easy. Common Name: Pig squeak Family: Saxifragaceae Genus: Bergenia Plant Type: Perennial USDA Hardiness Zone(s) 4-9 Habit: Clumping Size (HT/W/FL HT): 10"/12"/15" Bloom Times: March to April Soil: Needs good soil porosity, otherwise very tolerant pH: 5.5-6.8 Exposure: Full sun, part shade Additional Attributes: Cut flower, Deep South, deer-resistant, drought-tolerant, hummingbirds, winter color Uses: a great and easy evergreen. Can be used in mass plantings, in containers, on banks, in front of the border, or in mixed beds. It is an easy, low maintenance plant. Also, in this series is DRAGONFLY™ ‘Angel Kiss,’ which flowers in a soft, sweet, semi-double, white to light pink, in great abundance. From Terra Nova http://www.terranovanurseries.com. o

• Keep watering your poinsettias and give them plenty of light. Ensure they are away from drafts and that the pots drain freely. • Last chance to plant bulbs or, if you have waited until the ground is frozen, pot them up for forcing indoors. • Gather holiday greens. Some, like holly and boxwood, benefit from being pruned by growing thicker. • Feed birds and provide them with a fresh water source. • Check houseplants, and any plants you brought indoors for the winter, for insects. • Provide some special protection to tender or early-flowering plants like Camellias. • Stake newly planted large trees or shrubs to protect them from winter winds. • Check any tropical or summer-blooming bulbs, corms, tubers, and bare root plants in storage for rot or desiccation. • Apply scale and dormant oil treatment to evergreens. • Spread ashes from wood fires on your vegetable beds. • Keep succulents and cacti on the dry side. • Water your cut Christmas tree daily. • Gently remove layers of snow from outdoor evergreens with a broom. • Start organizing your pile of incoming garden catalogs. • Keep an eye out for bark damage from rabbits and deer. • Spray broadleaf evergreens with anti-desiccant to prevent dehydration. • Use the branches from your Christmas tree as bedding mulch or as a windbreak. • Keep watering newly planted trees and shrubs as needed. • Cover strawberry beds with straw or pine needles. • Prune stone fruit trees like cherries, plums, and peaches. • Clean, sharpen, and store your garden tools. • Reduce fertilizing of indoor plants (except Cyclamen). • Set up a humidifier for indoor plants, or at least place them in pebble trays. • Continue to rotate houseplants to promote even growth. • Attend a local garden club meeting. • Start new indoor plants from cuttings — try an easy one such as violets. • Check the plants under tall evergreens and under the eaves of the house to see that they have sufficient moisture. • Weed. Weed. Weed. • Pick a budding gardener on your gift list to give some inspirational garden books and magazines; then watch the new gardener blossom. • Store your fertilizer and seeds in rodent-proof containers. • Do any filling and grading around your yard. The soil will settle during the winter months. • Vent cold frames on sunny days. • Avoid walking in frozen planting beds. • Remove and destroy gypsy moth egg masses. • Clean your gutters. • Prune maples, dogwoods, birch, elm, and walnut — if needed. • Some alternatives to de-icing salts include sand, beet juice sugars, light gravel (grit), or non-clumping kitty litter. Using de-icing salts around driveways and sidewalks can harm your garden plants and turf. DECEMBER 2016

WASHINGTON GARDENER

Join us for: Seed Swapping Door Prizes Planting Tips Expert Speakers Goody Bags Washington Gardener Magazine presents the

12th Annual Washington Gardener

Seed Exchanges

on Saturday, January 28, 2017, from 12:30–4:00PM

National Seed Swap Day! at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD Registration is now open at

WGSeedExchange-Brookside.brownpapertickets.com

AND on Saturday, February 4, 2017, from 12:30–4:00PM at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, VA Registration is now open at WGSeedExchange-GreenSpring.brownpapertickets.com

NEW This Year: Make-it Take-It Seed Crafting Table

Space is limited, so act today! Washington Gardener Magazine subscribers get $5 off the $20 attendee fee!

WASHINGTON GARDENER

DECEMBER 2016

Overview

Washington Gardener magazine, the publication for DC-area gardening enthusiasts, is hosting the 12th annual Washington Gardener Seed Exchange at Brookside Gardens and Green Spring Gardens. These seed swaps are in-person and face-to-face. You bring your extra seeds and swap them with other gardeners. Everyone will leave with a bag full of seeds, new garden friends, and expert planting advice.

When

On Saturday, January 28, 2017, in MD and on Saturday, February 4, 2017, in VA from 12:30–4:00PM (Foul weather that day? Call 240.603.1461, for updates about possible snow/ice delay.)

Where

We are holding a duo of Seed Exchanges one week apart on opposite sides of the Washington Beltway. We urge you to attend the one closest to you. One exchange will be held at Brookside Gardens, 11800 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton, MD. The other will be at Green Spring Gardens, 4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria, VA.

How to Register

Register online at WGSeedExchangeBrookside.brownpapertickets.com for the 1/28/17 event and WGSeedExchangeGreenSpring.brownpapertickets.com for the 2/4/17 one. OR you can fill out the form on the opposite page. Send the form, along with payment, to Washington Gardener, 826 Philadelphia Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910, Attn: SE Registration. Please make checks out to “Washington Gardener.” Registration fee is $20 per person. Friends of Brookside members, Friends of Green Spring members, and current Washington Gardener subscribers receive a discount rate of $15 per person. We strongly urge you to register in advance. There is a limited enrollment of 100 participants at each location!

We are GREEN!!! Garden Book and Seed Catalog Exchange

Seed Exchange attendees are encouraged to bring their used or new garden books and seed catalogs to swap and share at this year’s event. We also ask you to bring your own water bottle or reusable mug and a home-made nametag. We will have a “best nametag” contest, so get crafty!

Hashtags #GardenDC and #SeedSwapDay

Washington Gardener Magazine’s 12th Annual

Seed Exchange Details

If You Have Seeds to Bring and Swap

Please package them in resealable plastic zipper or wax sandwich baggies. Put an average of 20 seeds per baggy — more for small seeds like lettuce, fewer for large seeds like acorns. Label each baggy with a white sticker (such as Avery standard 5160 address label sheets) giving all the information you have on the seeds. If known, include the plant's common and scientific names; its soil, sun, and watering needs; and, its origins — where and when you collected the seeds. If you don't know all the information, that is okay; just provide as much as you can. Yes, you can bring unused or opened commercial seed packs.

What If You Don't Have Any Seeds to Swap?

Come anyway! Even if you don’t have any seeds to trade, you are welcome to attend. We'll have plenty of extra seed contributions on hand and many attendees will be there just to learn, network, and prepare for next year's seed collecting.

Education Program

Expert speakers from the local gardening community will give short talks on seed collection and propagation tips. There will be ample time for individual Q&A throughout the program with the featured speakers, and invited experts as well.

Schedule

(Note: This schedule is subject to change.) 12:00-12:30 Registration check-in 12:30-12:40 Introductions 12:40-1:20 Gardening talk 1:20-1:55 Gardening talk 2:00-2:15 Snack break and room reset 2:15-2:30 Seed Swap preview time 2:30-3:00 Seed Swap 3:00-3:30 Photo Contest winners 3:30-4:00 Door prizes and closing talk

How Do We Swap?

As you check in, staff will collect your seeds and place them at the appropriate seed category tables. You will be assigned a random seed swap number. There will be a short period for attendees to preview all the seeds brought in and available for swapping. You will be called in by your number to pick a seed pack from each of the category tables (if desired).

After the initial seed swap is complete, attendees are free to take any of the left over seeds and to trade seeds with each other. Dividing of packets is encouraged and extra baggies with labels will be on hand for that purpose.

What Types of Seeds?

Seed swap categories will include natives, edibles, herbs, exotics, annuals, perennials, and woodies (trees/shrubs). If you can pre-sort your seeds in advance into which of these seven major categories fits best, that would help us speed up the process on the swap day.

Door Prizes! Goodie Bags!

Each attendee will receive a goodie bag at the seed swap. The bags include seeds, publications, and garden items donated by our sponsors. In addition, we have some incredible door prizes to give away especially for area gardeners. If your organization would like to contribute seeds or garden-related products for the goodie bags and door prizes, contact Kathy Jentz at 301.588.6894 by January 22.

12th Annual Washington Gardener Seed Exchange Advance Registration Form

Please ﬁll out this form and mail with your check/money order by January 24, 2017, to: Washington Gardener Magazine, 826 Philadelphia Ave., Silver Spring MD 20910

Name:____________________________________________________________________________________ Street Address:____________________________________________________________________________ Email:____________________________________________________________________________________ Seed Exchange Date and Location:  Jan. 28 at Brookside Gardens  Feb. 4 at Green Spring Gardens (We will only use your email address for Seed Exchange notices and will never share them with anyone else.) Seed Exchange Attendee Fee: $20.00 __________ Discount (if eligible*): -$5.00 __________ Optional: Washington Gardener Magazine Annual Subscription: $20.00 __________ TOTAL_____________ *The following groups are eligible to pay the discount attendee rate of $15.00; please CIRCLE if one applies to you: • Washington Gardener Magazine subscribers • Friends of Brookside Gardens • Friends of Green Spring Gardens A portion of the event proceeds will go to beneﬁt Save Our Monarchs Foundation for planting Milkweed seeds.

DECEMBER 2016

WASHINGTON GARDENER

EDIBLEharvt

Fun with Fennel by Elizabeth Olson

itself as a snack, can be included in a vegetable appetizer platter, or can be used as a palate cleanser. The fine leaves do not have much flavor. However, they are attractive and sprigs can be used to make an edible garnish. The anise flavor mellows and the texture becomes succulent when the bulb is cooked. Medium- to large-sized pieces can be sautéed or added to soups or stews, or mixed with other oven-roasted vegetables. Small to very small pieces can be added to pasta sauces or included as an ingredient in dishes such as meatloaf. Young fennel bulbs can be sliced lengthwise and grilled.

Cultivars and Availability

There are two types of fennel that deserve space in the kitchen garden. One is a bulbous, crisp yet moist vegetable and the other is a highly aromatic spice. Fennel is a member of the carrot family and is also related to dill, parsley, cumin, coriander/cilantro, anise, parsnip, and celery. Foeniculum vulgare is the scientific name most often used for both types of fennel, although bulbing fennel is sometimes listed as Foeniculum vulgare var. azoricum.

Bulbing Fennel

This vegetable has medium-green, hollow, pipe-like stems that become pale green to white, solid and fleshy, 14

WASHINGTON GARDENER

DECEMBER 2016

and tightly overlapped near the base of each plant. This creates the appearance of an enlarged, rounded bulb just above the soil line. The lush green foliage resembles that of dill. The term bulb is frequently used to distinguish the vegetable from the spice. Bulbing fennel is delicious and nutritious. It is a source of Vitamins A, C, and K as well as calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc. A fennel bulb can be consumed raw or cooked. The stems should be removed and each bulb quartered lengthwise and cored before separating the layers or cutting the quarters into pieces. The raw flavor is refreshingly sweet and anise-like. Fresh fennel is great by

Seeds for fennel cultivars are available by mail order and online from many seed companies and at various garden centers. Although the seeds for bulbing fennel cultivars are most often found in a designated niche in the vegetable section, they are sometimes placed in a general category of root crops or with spice fennel cultivars in the herb section. Gardeners need to be careful about which type of fennel (bulbous or spice) seed is in a seed pack. Well-regarded cultivars include the widely available ‘Perfection,’ which is slow to bolt; ‘Romanesco,’ ‘Trieste,’ and ‘Zefa Fino.’ There are differences, including earliness of harvest and resistance to bolting, but all cultivars have the traditional anise flavor. Bulbing fennel recently gained publicity when a new cultivar—‘Antares’—was named an All-America Selections (AAS) winner for 2017. It is the first fennel to ever win this award and should be widely available from seed companies later in 2017.

Growing and Harvesting Bulbing Fennel

Fennel seeds should be direct-sown where the plants are to grow in the kitchen garden. The plants need full sun, good air circulation, and very fertile soil that drains well; raised beds are ideal. Any thinning should be done with scissor pruning. A sharp, parrot-beaked pair of pruning shears should be used to remove any bloom stalks as soon as they form. The bulbs have best texture when the

EDIBLEharvî&#x201A;˛t soil has consistent moisture and fertility levels. A soaker hose can be used to supplement rainfall and an organic vegetable fertilizer should be used to feed the plants. The soil should be mulched lightly. To avoid disturbing the root zone of the fennel, any weeds should be scissor-pruned. Floating row covers can be used to protect the plants from flying insects. Some cultivars grow well when planted for either spring or autumn harvest, while others are most successful when planted only for autumn harvest. The full height of the plants ranges from 1Â˝ to 3 feet tall, depending on the cultivar. Gardeners should check cultivar descriptions carefully for planting season advice and mature size. Cultivars suitable for a spring harvest have to be planted after the last frost in spring and after the soil has thoroughly warmed. Seeds for bulbs intended for autumn harvest have to be planted so there is enough time for them to reach harvesting size before the first frost. Poly tunnels can be used to extend the two growing seasons. The bulbs will be ready to harvest 65 to 90 days after planting, depending on the cultivar and the desired bulb size. Small or young fennel bulbs can be very tender and sweet. Large or moremature fennel bulbs can be wonderfully crisp and refreshing, but need to be harvested before they lose texture. A fennel bulb can be harvested by being cut off cleanly at the soil line, just below the base of the bulb. It can be consumed immediately or the stems can be trimmed to one to two inches and the bulb stored in the refrigerator crisper drawer for up to two weeks.

for the winter. Many of the plants reemerge the following spring. Swallowtail butterflies use the plants as hosts for their larvae, but the plants can be protected with floating row covers. Otherwise, gardeners can sacrifice some of the foliage to the larvae. Established plants are vigorous and will out-

grow the loss of what the larvae eat. Spice fennel plants can be started from seed, but many garden centers offer them in starter packs or in small herb pots each spring. They are usually placed in the herb section and most often are not listed as being different from the vegetable.

Y ou Can Make a Difference. . . by

Sharing Your Harvest

Growing Fennel for Spice

The fennel plants used for spice are well-adapted to the climate of the greater Mid-Atlantic growing region. Their ideal cultural conditions are similar to those of the vegetable, but they are more drought-, heat-, and cold-tolerant once established. The plants develop multiple tough, thin stems that grow quickly from an upright, fairly flat base during the growing season. The plants often reach 3 to 5 feet in height and can become very bushy. They are normally left in place when they die down

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 Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most vulnerable. Call our toll-free number (877.GWAA.PAR) or visit our website at www.gardenwriters.org/par for more information. DECEMBER 2016

WASHINGTON GARDENER

EDIBLEharvt plants to sprout in various places in the garden. Each flower stalk should be cut back to its base after the umbels are harvested. More flower stalks may form, some early enough to have a second harvest. Harvested umbels should be air-dried for several days and then the seeds can be removed from them by hand. It is essential to store the seeds in an airtight container. They will keep very well for months and can be used as needed to add a distinctive anise flavor to many foods, ranging from Italian sausage to seasoned soups. The richness of a tomato sauce enhanced with fennel seeds has a surprisingly cooling effect on a hot summer day. Fully mature seeds can also be used to start new plants in preferred garden areas during the next growing season. Although the primary culinary use for this fennel is spice, it does have other culinary uses. The foliage is aromatic when rubbed and is sometimes included in fish dishes. Microgreens are becoming increasingly popular and this type of fennel is now being promoted as a microgreen—young plants are harvested at the seedling stage. Johnny’s Selected Seeds at Johnnyseeds.com is one source for fennel microgreen seeds.

Fun with Fennel This swallowtail butterfly larva quickly grew to a large size on a diet of bronze fennel leaves. The vigorous plant continued to produce lots of foliage and flowers.

The plants have either medium-green or bronze-tinted foliage. In starter plants, the green fennel can be confused with dill; the leaves should be gently rubbed, and smelled before buying the plant. The bronze form is especially attractive and adds a nice color note to the kitchen garden in hot weather. Bronze is the color most often found in garden centers. The two forms are often simply labeled green or bronze fennel. Seeds for a few named cultivars are available, including ‘Smokey Bronze,’ which can be purchased from ReneesGarden. com. Seeds for wild green fennel can be purchased from Seeds from Italy at GrowItalian.com. In contrast to its vegetable counterpart, all of the bloom stalks that 16

WASHINGTON GARDENER

DECEMBER 2016

form on a spice fennel plant should be allowed to grow and blossom. The yellow flowers are in umbels and attract a number of different types of pollinators. A particularly beneficial fennel pollinator is the braconid wasp. The female provides natural pest management for tomato plants by laying her eggs on tomato and tobacco hornworms and parasitizing them. Many aromatic seeds will ripen on each umbel. Some gardener cooks prefer to harvest the seeds when there is still some green coloration. Others wait until all of the seeds ripen to a brown color and the flower stalks start to dry. The seeds should be harvested at the desired stage—usually by cutting off the entire umbel—to prevent the seeds from dispersing and causing new fennel

Gardener cooks should try to make room for both bulbing fennel and spice fennel in the kitchen garden. The products are delicious and it is great fun to develop new recipes or adapt old ones to include either fennel. If there is currently only room for one type of fennel in the garden, spice fennel is the one to choose. It is easy to grow and to prepare the seeds for storage. After the umbels are harvested and air-dried, they can be placed in a large paper grocery bag and the gardener can gently rub the seeds off while watching television. This is an especially good use of time during long football games. 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.

PRODUCTreview

Seasonal Tool Care by Louise Clarke

A great time to tend to your garden tools is during the fallow season, when the lawn mower has been winterized and seed catalogs sprout in the mailbox. A few minutes of inspection and maintenance can ensure your helpers will be ready for action when spring conditions beckon you back outside. I recently spoke with Chris Sabbarese, digital marketing and communications manager for Corona Tools, about ways we can care for and store garden tools over winter. You clean your tools after each use, don’t you? Ideally, dirt and debris should be removed from tools after each use, so now is a good time to double-check pruners, loppers, forks, shovels, and the like. Soaking can help soften caked-on bullet-proof clay soil. Use a wire brush to whisk off any hardened, dried-on dirt and debris. Chris advised against using steel wool, since the metal fibers can introduce burrs, potential areas for rusting. If rust has developed on your tools, fine-grit sandpaper can remove a light coating. For

more advanced cases, blade replacement is the better option. Once cleaned, check moving parts of pruners and loppers. Are all parts there? Are they worn? Do any nuts or screws need tightening? Now is a good time to replace tired springs or missing hardware. Having spare parts on hand can save down time in the garden. My trusty garden companion Felco pruners get an annual tension spring replacement, as well as a twice-yearly blade sharpening. Because I have an extra blade, I can switch out the dull one and sharpen it on a rainy day. Sharpening pruner or lopper blades, as well as those of shovels and spades, makes their use easier and more efficient; your pruning cuts will be cleaner, and plants tissues will heal faster. You can use a file, coarse abrasive stone, belt sander, or handheld grinder. (Safety glasses are a must!) The easiest way is to use a common mill file. First make four to five passes on the beveled cutting side of the blade, in one direc-

tion only, following the original angle. Remember, the file is designed to cut on the push stroke. Then make a pass on the opposite, flat side to remove any burrs. This only works for smooth-edged blades. Don’t attempt to sharpen serrated edge saw blades—you’ll ruin them. A bench vise is useful for holding long-handled tools while sharpening them. If your shovel blade is so worn that you can’t determine the original angle, aim for 45°. After sharpening, a light coating of machine or vegetable oil will help retard moisture and rust. For your wooden-handled tools, examine them for cracks or splinters. Replace fractured handles. Sanding checked areas removes potential splinters. Follow sanding with a light coating of linseed or vegetable oil to seal pores and prevent drying. Doing this once a year will prolong handle life, and indoor storage will prevent weathering and help keep the wood in good shape. If you store your tools in an unheated garage or shed, help them cope with wide temperature swings by wrapping them with clean cotton towels. Chris explained that towels will absorb condensation, which can occur with wide day-to-night temperature swings, and thwart potential rust. Once they’re in the shed, hang tools on racks or use a tool caddy to prevent hoe-downs and mash-ups. This keeps them out of contact with potentially damp surfaces and prevents wear on those newly honed edges. You can easily drill a handle hole for hanging, if your tool doesn’t already have one. Time spent now in tending and mending your garden tools will ensure you are ready to hit the ground come spring. It won’t be that long before the lawnmower roars backs to life and you’re ready to plants those seeds. o Louise Clarke is a degreed horticulturist employed by the Morris Arboretum in Philadelphia, PA, where she tends more than 1,200 woody plants and two green roofs, as well as leading workshops, writing, and lecturing on horticultural topics. As a zonedenial gardener, after hours, she tends Halcyon, her lush home garden, a mixture of tender tropicals, bulbs, perennials, unusual annuals, and vines. She rarely has time to admire the garden while seated in her tiki hut, made from repurposed materials. DECEMBER 2016

WASHINGTON GARDENER

TOP AREA GARDENING EVENTS DC-Area Gardening Calendar ~ Local Events ~ December 16, 2016–January 15, 2017 • Through January 8, 2017 Season’s Greetings at Hillwood Hillwood’s current exhibitions are the inspiration for this year’s Christmas trees and festive décor. Each tree in the mansion evokes the botanical bounty seen in Four Seasons and the tree in the visitor center is inspired by the geometric patterns and bold colors found in Deco Japan. Admission is included in suggested donation. See details at www.HillwoodMuseum.org. Hillwood, 155 Linnean Avenue NW, WDC 20008. • Thursday, January 12, 12n—12:45pm Cooking Demonstration: Snow Under Snow Too often unheralded, the sometimes gnarly tubers of winter-hardy root crops peel back to reveal snowy flesh and cook up for unmatched sweetness and flavor. Intriguing and tasty, celery root, parsley root, and parsnips are legitimate candidates for the comfort food category. Join the Cook Sisters to learn more about how to select and savor these lesser gems. (Note: program is repeated at 12:50pm.) FREE: No preregistration required. Held at the US Botanic Garden. See www.usbg.gov.

Advanced Landscape Plant IPM PHC Short Course January 3–6, 2017 For more information please visit: landscapeipmphc.weebly.com For registration information, contact:

Kiley Gilbert University of Maryland Department of Entomology 4291 Fieldhouse Dr. College Park, MD 20742 Tel: 301-405-3911 Email: kgilber4@umd.edu 

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DECEMBER 2016

• January 11-13 The Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show MANTS is currently celebrating its 47th year of success. MANTS will hold its 2017 show at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, MD. MANTS is where the industry comes to buy, shop, meet, see, and be seen every January. See MANTS.com to register. • January 14 to May 14 Smithsonian/USBG Orchid Exhibit The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden will hold the Smithsonian’s annual Orchid Exhibit, a collaborative effort between Smithsonian Gardens, the United States Botanic Garden, and Smithsonian Exhibits. Its first time playing host for the exhibition, the Hirshhorn’s designers are hard at work creating an artistic showcase that lets visitors enjoy a truly immersive experience and encounter their own personal moments. • Through January 5, 2017 Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count There is a specific methodology to the CBC, and all participants must make arrangements to participate in advance with the circle compiler within an established circle, but anyone can participate. See http://www.audubon.org/. • Sunday, January 15, 1:30–2:30pm New Horizons for Natives Join landscape architect and author Thomas Rainer as he explores current trends in leading-edge planting design and gives his thoughts about how native plant advocacy must adapt to meet the needs of an urbanizing planet. See the work of leading designers who have adapted a naturalistic style and learn strategies for beautiful and resilient gardens. Held at Green Spring Gardens and part of the Harry Allen Winter lecture series. Register at http://www. fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/greenspring/ winter-lecture-series.htm.

Save These Future Dates: • Washington Gardener Photo Contest Entry Deadline is January 21, 2016. See details on page 9.

• Washington Gardener Magazine’s 2017 Seed Exchanges are on January 28 at Brookside Gardens and February 4 at Green Spring Gardens. Start saving and labeling your seeds now! See pages 12–13 of this issue for full details. • Saturday, February 18, 9am–4pm Rooting DC Rooting DC is a FREE, all-day gardening forum that aims to provide education about urban food production and consumption to cultivate health and preserve the environment. The program includes dozens of interactive workshops, cooking and food preservation demonstrations, and panel discussions focusing on youth gardening, nutrition, sustainable growing techniques, and healthy food access. Held at Wilson High School. See http://rootingdc.org/. • February 24 Green Matters Symposium This event will focus on plant solutions in an era of climate change with keynotes by Dan Hinkley of Heronswood and Ken Druse, author and designer. Additional experts from the Chicago Botanic Garden, Longwood Gardens, Mt. Cuba Center, and the National Arboretum will also present on the latest trends in plant hybridizing and trials. Keep in mind that the early-bird registration fee ends on January 20, 2017. For more information, visit: www.brooksidegreen.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/. Events are also posted on the Twitter feed (@wdcgardener) and Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ WashingtonGardenerMagazine.

How to Submit Local Garden Events

To submit an event for this listing, contact: Wgardenermag@aol.com—put “Event” in the subject line. Our next deadline is January 10 for the December issue, for events from January 16–February 15. o

GOINGnative

Happy Hepaticas

by Barry Glick

In the unlikely event that you’re unfamiliar with the genus Hepatica, I’ll tell you that Hepaticas are one of the most reliable, durable, desirable, and perennial of the early spring native wildflowers. They’re exceptionally long-flowering, long-lived, and very easy to grow. The genus Hepatica is a member of the Ranunculaceae family, the same family as Actaea, Cimicifuga, Helleborus, and Thalictrum, et al. Culture is super-easy—in nature, they grow in woodland conditions, typically in rich but well-drained soil. In captivity, they thrive happily in the shade garden and love a bit of dappled sunlight, but don’t mind being in deep (deciduous) shade at all. The foliage is persistent and attractive all the growing season long. Their height is about 3–6" tall and a mature clump can be up to 12" in diameter with more than 50 flowers.

Hepaticas are among the first flowers to bloom in the late winter or early spring. Butterflies, moths, bees, flies, and beetles are known pollinators. They’re native to almost every state east of the Mississippi and their hardiness and heat tolerance is most likely zones 4–10. Division and seed are my preferred methods of propagation. There are two native species of Hepatica. They are Hepatica acutiloba, now known as Hepatica nobilis var. acuta, and Hepatica americana, also known as Hepatica nobilis var. obtusa. The major difference is the shape of the leaves. Hepatica acutiloba tends to have pure-white flowers, while Hepatica americana flowers are usually a light violet to pale blue, but also sometimes white. By the way, the genus name, Hepatica, comes from the ancient Latin word, Hepaticus, which means liver,

since the shape of the leaves resemble the human liver. In fact, in these parts, the locals refer to Hepatica as “Liverleaf.” I wish I could tell you that Hepatica’s were 100% deer-proof, but those darn “rats on stilts” do occasionally nip the flowers back. They’re so worth growing that, just to be safe, I would recommend one of the very effective deer sprays out on the market these days. 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. Barry 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.

DECEMBER 2016

WASHINGTON GARDENER

BOOKreviews

Rock Gardening: Reimagining a Classic Style By Joseph Tychonievich Published by Timber Press List Price: $34.95 Reviewer: Shelby Smith Rock Gardening: Reimagining a Classic Style is your introduction and stepby-step guide to gardening in rocky terrains. The content of the book is divided into three main sections: gardens, techniques, and plants. The technique section covers everything from the different types of terrain, to soil and details about each climate. The paragraphs are very short and to the point, which helps with people who don’t like to read long, wordy text. This book is easy to look through to find specific facts/plants. There are also many photos that show examples of rock gardens and close-up shots of specific plants, such as primulas and cacti. In the back of the book, a reference and index page helps explain any terminology and reference information. Also, there is a metric conversions page for inches to centimeters, feet to meters, and temperatures for quick reference. I would recommend this book to amateur gardeners and anyone who wants to try a different style of gardening. Shelby Smith is a senior double major in multi-platform journalism and film studies at the University of Maryland College Park. She was sports copy editor for Unwind Magazine and has two years of writing experience with The Campus Current newspaper at Anne Arundel Community College. 20

WASHINGTON GARDENER

DECEMBER 2016

The Indestructible Houseplant: 200 Beautiful Plants that Everyone Can Grow By Tovah Martin Published by Timber Press List Price: $22.95 Reviewer: Stephen Barber The Indestructible Houseplant is an indispensable resource for those with in interest in gardening, but who lack the time or the green thumb for morechallenging plants. This book provides a wealth of knowledge on dozens of hardy houseplants that can stand up to abuse and neglect. If your goal is to spice up your home with some houseplants to greet you after working a 14-hour day, then this book is for you. The introduction provides solid background information on author Tovah Martin’s gardening journey with houseplants. It also provides a section that provides invaluable information on basic gardening techniques for the in-house environment that can ensure that the reader can grow these hardy plants with ease. This introduction also examines creative ways to present and display one’s houseplants that will help even the most esthetically challenged house gardener create a beautiful in home garden. The real meat of the book is the plant descriptions. Each of these sections comes with a detailed description of the plant and its care. These sections also include high-quality photographs of the plants and a quick reference guide that informs the gardeners of light exposure, water requirements, and fertilizing techniques. At the end of the book, a section entitled “The Details” takes a good deal of the basic overview information from the introduction and goes much further in depth. This covers container types, floral arrangements, humidity, light, and temperature. There is also a helpful caution about keeping your indestructible houseplants away from your children and pets due to the poisonous nature of some of the plants described in this book. Overall, this book is a must-have for any gardener who wants to spice up a home or office with a floral friend. I would recommend this book to people who spend a great deal of time inside

their homes or offices. A plant can brighten up any room and, with this book, anyone can try their hand at indoor horticulture. Stephen Barber is from Keedysville, MD. He moved to Washington, DC, to become an urban farmer. He is a senior at the University of Maryland, majoring in broadcast journalist.

Explorer’s Botanical Notebook: In the Footsteps of Theaphrastus, Marco Polo, Linnaeus, Flinders, Darwin, Speke, and Hooker By Florence Thinard Published by Timber Press List Price: $39.95 Reviewer: Jim Dronenburg This is an odd book. A coffee table book, but strangely enough, it has a lot of information in it. It fills a gap between book genres—books that explorers write on plants, and books about the explorers themselves. Specifically, it gives two- to three-page sketches of 78 plant explorers; where they came from, where they went, what they did, what we have (and do not have) from them after all their labors. One exciting aspect is that the book is a joint project of Kew, in England, and the University of Montpellier in France; this predisposes the book toward French explorers (Pere David, P. Armand, Candolle) more than the usual Englishspeakers-writing-about-English-speakers-only, which is a hidden “bias” in the literature most readily available to us. There is an introduction about plant exploration overall, noting conditions

BOOKreviews back. (Some sources, admittedly, are in French, but we can always hope for transations.) My only complaint is the size of the book; at 8.75" x 14", it is a hard one to place on the shelf. But don’t let that stop you! This book is a very good read, and well worth getting. Jim Dronenburg is an accountant by day, and an Irish harper/singer by night, to support his expanding garden in Knoxville, MD.

explorers faced. It is a good introduction and sets the stage nicely, but the meat of the book is, of course, the people who went out looking for botanical treasure. Each section for an individual explorer (or team; some sections treat pairs of people who went in tandem) has a representation (real or purported) of the individual, a map showing the routes and directions of his/her travel, some quotes, and the story of their work, on the left-hand page. On the right-hand page is a photographed herbarium specimen of something they collected, more often than not, a specimen collected by the explorer him/herself. Some people actually were/are plant explorers; others did it as a sideline to their activities as naval officers, missionaries, jewelers, etc. The stories are hardly detailed, but fascinating. Nor is this a musty, dusty book; it is chronological and some of the people portrayed are still living. Granted, you won’t have all your questions answered about Person A, B, or C; but the book points out places to go, by mentioning an author’s works, or by simply letting you know the person existed, and what they were dealing with. Remember, once you know a person exists, researching him/her becomes quite easy. It becomes easier still because there is an incredible bibliography in the

100 Plants to Feed the Bees By The Xerces Society Published by Storey Publishing List Price: $16.95 Reviewer: Erica H. Smith I have a T-shirt with a big bee drawn on the front, and on the back it says, “Bee the Change You Wish to See in the World.” Well, here’s a simple way to do that: Plant flowers that bees like to visit, and help save the pollinators that are so necessary to our food supply. The Xerces Society promotes the conservation of invertebrates, and in particular, that of insects that pollinate plants. This book provides practical information about attracting those insects (focusing on bees), and a detailed list of plants you can put in your garden to accomplish this goal. The book’s introduction covers the science of how plants and pollinators come together, dealing briefly with plant and insect anatomy and how flowers attract bees, the risks and rewards to the bee of flower foraging, and a review of how to select pollinator plants for your garden and keep habitats safe and valuable for insects. After that, it’s on to the list of plants. The bulk of the selections are native to North America, and range maps are provided indicating to which part of the continent. Native wildflowers are covered first, then native trees and shrubs, followed by shorter lists of introduced trees and shrubs, introduced herbs and ornamentals, and native and nonnative bee pasture plants (some not suited for tidy gardens). Nonnative plants can be valuable nectar and pollen sources for bees, and offer other benefits as well, but native plant communities should be emphasized in creating pollinator habitat because of their adaptation and the other benefits they provide for local ecosystems.

Each entry includes a description of the plant and its benefits, information about growing conditions and size, photos, icons depicting the pollinators it supports (honey bee, native bee, hummingbird, butterfly, moth), the uses of the plant within its environment, recommended species (if a genus is described) or cultivars (if available), some detail on specific pollinator visitors, and the range map. These entries are easy to read and informative enough to help with decisions. You’ll generally need to do a little more searching to zero in on species and cultivars best for your garden, because that information is not provided in great detail. Also, some entries don’t tell whether a plant is annual or perennial, or state that a genus has plants in both categories without specifying which ones are which. There is also no information on plant hardiness zones, and the range maps cover all species or cultivars at once. But describing 100 plants (or more, in terms of species and cultivars) in fewer than 240 pages has some tradeoffs. This is an attractive, useful, and forward-thinking book for those who like to make a difference to the environment through planting flowering plants—which also provide benefits for us! Erica H. Smith is a Montgomery County Master Gardener and runs the Grow It Eat It blog for the University of Maryland Extension. She is also the author of several novels; visit her web site at ericahsmith. wordpress.com. DECEMBER 2016

WASHINGTON GARDENER

INSECTindex

Narcissus Bulb Fly by Carol Allen

I must absolutely adore daffodils. I probably have a thousand. No, seriously! I plant daffodils every year. I am drawn like steel to a magnet when the nurseries display new bulbs in the fall. I lurk on Facebook sites that sell daffodils, and I buy….I buy! Well, I only bought 20 new varieties this year. What I love about daffodils, other than their perennial nature, is their resistance to molestation by squirrels, chipmunks, and deer. There is only one dread pest of daffodils and that is the narcissus bulb fly, Merodon equestris. The narcissus bulb fly grub also will eat through lilies, snowdrops, amaryllis, hyacinths, tulips, scilla, and iris. A European native, this pest was brought into North America around 1915 with the start of the bulb industry. It can be found worldwide wherever its foods are planted. Stands of daffodils that are infested with narcissus bulb fly will show weak, grass-like foliage and do not flower. As an adult, like others of its family (Syrphidae), the fly contributes to pollination, but only of its favorite host plants—daffodils and their relatives. Although it looks like a bumblebee, it is a true fly and has only one pair of wings. Bumblebees have two pair. About ½" long, it has the heavy body 22

WASHINGTON GARDENER

DECEMBER 2016

of a bumblebee and sports bands of hairs in black, orange, and yellow. Its flight pattern differs from that of a bee because it flies very fast and then hovers. This similarity to a bee is an evolutionary defense mechanism and protects the fly from getting eaten by birds and other predators. Narcissus bulb flies overwinter as mature larvae within their hollowedout host bulbs. With the beginning of warmer weather, the larvae move from the bulb to near the soil surface and pupate for about 30 days. The adults emerge at the same time as prime bulb bloom—from late April through June. After mating, the female will lay a single egg in a soil crack at the base of the host plant. Females can lay up to 100 eggs during their lifetimes—which averages about 2½ weeks. The eggs hatch in 8–10 days and the larva makes its way to the center of the bulb, starting at the basal plate at the bottom. It will spend the early summer eating the center of the bulb and growing from 3/64" in length when newly hatched to about ¾" long at maturity. The wounding caused by the narcissus bulb fly often results in rotting of the bulb by opportunistic pathogenic fungi. Prevention is the best course of action when protecting your daffodil

holdings. Do not buy or plant soft bulbs. If you find soft or damaged bulbs that look like they have been eaten out in the center, during transplanting in the early summer, destroy the grubs found within and dispose of the bulbs; do not compost. The traditional pesticides used for controlling narcissus bulb fly have been taken off of the market due to their toxicity. No recent research has been done on its control with current pesticides. If you find evidence of an infestation, you can spray the soil area and the leaves at the base of the foliage with a pyrethroid insecticide (e.g., permethrin, bifenthrin, deltamethrin, cyfluthrin, cyhalothrin) at egg hatch. Egg hatch will be roughly mid-May through June. Pyrethroids do not move through the soil to reach larvae already in the bulb so timing will be critical and drenching ineffective. The spray would attempt to kill emerging larvae. One possible organic control would be drenching with the predatory nematode, Steinernema feltiae, also at the time of egg hatch. In any case, destroy any damaged bulbs. There is hope for a bio-control in the future. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst are working to locate the salivary gland hypertrophy virus, which disables the fly’s reproductive system. The virus has not been seen since 1957 in France, but it may have been found again last year. Scientists hope to sequence the virus genome so a targeted strain of the virus can be used to the treat bulbs before they even come to the marketplace. o Carol Allen describes herself as a committable plant-a-holic. She has more than 25 years experience in the horticulture industry, with a special interest in plant pests and diseases, is a Licensed Pesticide Applicator in the state of Maryland, and is a certified ISA arborist. She can be contacted at carolallen@erols.com. Please use pesticides safely! Read and heed all label directions! Photo credit: Greater Bulb-Fly (Merodon equestris) by Martin Cooper from Ipswich, UK, [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons. org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

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