Washington Gardener Magazine January 2015 by Kathy J

JANUARY 2015 VOL. 9 NO. 8

WWW.WASHINGTONGARDENER.COM

WASHINGTON WAS W WASHINGTO ASHINGTO

ggardener

the magazine for gardening enthusiasts in the Mid-Atlantic region

Celery Growing Tips for the Mid-Atlantic January Garden Tasks Garden Photo Contest Rules A Visit to the Robinson Nature Center New Veronica Introduction Winter Bird-Feeding Tips

Monkshood: Pretty Poison

Seed Exchange Details and Registration Local Garden Events Listing

Wistful Winter Windowsills

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.

Order some today at: www.manuretea.com

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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 301.588.6894 or email wgardenermag@aol.com for available dates, rates, and topics.

Burtonsville, MD (301) 821-7777

RARE AND EXCEPTIONAL PLANTS FOR THE DISCRIMINATING GARDENER AND COLLECTOR

• Ponds - Waterfalls • Disappearing Fountains • “Pondless” Waterfalls www.premierpond.com

Barry Glick Sunshine Farm and Gardens HC 67 Box 539 B Renick, WV 24966, USA Email: barry@sunfarm.com

www.sunfarm.com

Specializing in Garden

Renewals & Renovations Yard By Yard Makeovers, LLC 7304 Carroll Avenue, #229 Takoma Park, MD 20912 301-270-4642 yardmakeovers@yahoo.com www.yardmakeovers.com

We can reshape and beautify neglected yards.

Green Spring Gardens

www.greenspring.org

WASHINGTON GARDENER

JANUARY 2015

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.

INSIDEcontents

FEATURES and COLUMNS

‘Redventure’ celery is robust variety. Photo courtesy of Nichols Garden Nursery (www.nicholsgardennursery.com).

NatureSphere Planetarium at the Robinson Nature Center in Columbia, MD. Photo by Daoud Salam.

Win two passes to our Washington Gardener Seed Exchanges! See page 5 for entry details. Entry deadline is 5:00pm Friday, January 23.

Monkshood (Aconitum columbianum spp. columbianum); J Schmidt; 1977. Photo courtesy of NPS.gov.

BOOKreviews 8-9 Growing Great Tomatoes, Organic Compost, Year-Round Vegetable Gardener DAYtrip 14-16 Robinson Nature Center EDIBLEharvest 20-21 Celery Growing Tips GARDENnews 9 Winter Bird-Feeding Tips PLANTprofile 18-19 Aconitum aka Monkshood PHOTOcontestentry 11 PHILLYflowershowtrip 17 SEEDexchangedetails 6-7

DEPARTMENTS

ADVERTISINGindex BLOGlinks EDITORletter GARDENcontest LOCALevents MONTHLYtasklist NEXTissue NEWPLANTspotlight RESOURCESsources

22 10 4 5 12-13 10 11 10 2

ON THE COVER

Monkshood (Aconitum columbianum spp. columbianum); J Schmidt; 1977. Photo courtesy of NPS.gov.

In Our Next Issue: FEBRUARY 2015 Allegheny Spurge Viburnum Leaf Beetle Heuchera Trials Garden Photo Contest and much more... Be sure you are subscribed to:

Click on the “subscribe” link at http://washingtongardener. blogspot.com/

JANUARY 2015

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 Cover price: $4.99 Back issues: $6.00 Subscription: $20.00 Foreign subscription: $24.00 Address corrections should be sent to the address above.

Wistful Winter Windowsills

Winter in our region can be mild or monstrous. Even if the weather outside is not so punishing, any stretch of cold, damp days can be wearying. We spend a great deal of our cold season stuck inside, gazing out our windows. A new gardening book we reviewed in the November 2014 issue, entitled Windowsill Art, got me thinking about all the crammed window ledges I see in my walks around local neighborhoods. How are people using their valuable interior windowscapes? I asked some local gardeners how they decorate their windowsills. Madeline Caliendo, a long-time Takoma, DC, resident, said, “My favorite way to decorate my windowsill is with plants, of course. We get lots of sun, so flowers especially like it there.” And Jennifer Whalen of Silver Spring, MD, said, “Right now I’m decorating my windowsill with Paperwhite (Narcissus). They are in bloom now.” In my own home, I’m blessed with some very deep window ledges (it was one of the key selling points when I was on my home search). For most of the growing season, I take my indoor plants outside, so the windowsills are relatively empty, but when it turns cool, they are invariably a battleground between plants and my two cats. I have resigned myself to furry African Violets and lop-sided Christmas Cactus, due to the cats using them as head pillows. A few of my window ledges are quite narrow and even the cats shun them. These are the ones I can use to create some artful interior scapes. I’ll take colorful bottles and line them up with Coleus cuttings. I also pile up glass Christmas balls and candles as part of my holiday décor. Finally, when winter lingers on, I start to collect interesting natural objects and place them on the ledges as “found art” compositions. These include anything from empty robin’s eggs to twisted branches to fossils collected at Calvert Cliffs. They all remind me that spring and summer are not that far away! How do you decorate your windowsills? Happy gardening!

Kathy Jentz, Editor/Publisher, Washington Gardener wgardenermag@aol.com 4

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JANUARY 2015

• 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 Retail stores wishing to sell our publication should contact Kathy Jentz at the contact information above. To order reprints, contact Wright’s Reprints at 877.652.5295, ext. 138. Volume 9, Number 8 ISSN 1555-8959 © 2015 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.

READERcontt

Reader Contest

For our January 2015 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, Washington Gardener is giving away two passes to either of the Washington Gardener Seed Exchanges (prize value $40). The 10th Annual Washington Gardener Seed Exchanges, hosted by Washington Gardener Magazine, takes place on January 31, 2015, at the Behnke Nurseries in Beltsville, MD and on February 17, 2015, at Green Spring Gardens in Fairfax, VA. You have a choice of which side of the DC Beltway you want to visit! Seed Exchange attendees trade seeds, exchange planting tips, hear expert speakers, and collect goody bags full of gardening treats. The event also includes such “green” features as the garden book and catalog swap. Everyone will leave with a bag full of seeds and gardening inspiration! To enter to win the Seed Exchange Passes, send an email to WashingtonGardener@rcn.com by 5:00pm on January 23 with “Seed Swap” in the subject line and in the body of the email. Please also include your full name and mailing address. The pass winners will be announced and notified on January 24.

Local Gardening Calendar

Each month includes a list of what to do in the garden for local DC-MD-VA and Mid-Atlantic gardeners, along with a gorgeous photo of a seasonal flower from a local public garden collection in our area. Go to http://www.cafepress.com/ washgardener to order this new calendar for gifts and to treat yourself! Be sure to note what month you want the calendar to start with. This calendar is a keeper that you can use for years!

Caption Contest

We asked our Facebook page followers to caption this photo: If this DC street tree could share its last words, what would they be? Look for more monthly caption contests at the Facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine page.

Winning Captions:

“I regret that I have but one leaf to give for my country.” ~ Julie Blackwell “My best Bradford pear imitation.” ~ Ria Woodson Malloy “Hey!!! Watch out!!!” ~ Michael Burke “Ouch. Yeah, this is going to hurt.” ~ Juliet Jones “OOPS!” ~ Anne Hardman “A Tree Grows in DC, with movie rights available.” ~ Eddie Chang “Whacked.” ~ Jane Perkins “Dirt! Dirt! Need more dirt!” ~ Beth Feldman “Let’s split this scene.” ~ Daniel Walth “Damn damn damn!!!” ~ On the Purple Couch “Stupid beaver, there’s no stream around here.” ~ Mike Love “I told you I needed more room!” ~ Ellen Johnston “Give me a resting place in the woods.” ~ Carol Jelich “Oh sap.” ~ Ellen L Schiver “Well, there goes my roots!!!” ~ David Mcdonald “I hope that truck stops soon” ~ Dan Boelman Fallen DC tree photo by Kathy Jentz “Nana Nana Nana, so ticket me! I am not feeding the meter!” ~ Monica Sirtori “I was NOT a pansy! (or was I?)” ~ Scouting for Bricks “George!! I thought your father took that axe away!!” ~ Sylvia Hertzler Saunders “Use me. You can’t get much dimensional lumber from a tree that size, but you can get sturdy posts.” ~ Mackenzie Morgan “It takes a lot of work, but I’ll get my toothpick before too long.” ~ Carol Heitmuller Carrier JANUARY 2015

WASHINGTON GARDENER

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

Washington Gardener magazine, the publication for DC-area gardening enthusiasts, is hosting the seventh annual Washington Seed Exchange at Behnke Nurseries and Green Spring Gardens. These seed swaps are inperson 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 31, 2015 in MD and on Saturday, February 7, 2015 in VA from 12:30–4:00PM (Foul weather that day? Call 240.603.1461, for updates about possible snow/ice delay.)

10th Annual Washington Gardener

Where

on Saturday, January 31, 2015 National Seed Swap Day! from 12:30–4:00PM

How to Register

Seed Exchange at Behnke Nurseries in Beltsville, MD AND

on Saturday, February 7, 2015 from 12:30–4:00PM

at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, VA

Registration is now open at www.washingtongardener.com.

Space is limited, so act today!

Overview

Washington Gardener Magazine subscribers get $5 off the $20 attendee fee!

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JANUARY 2015

We are holding dual 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 Behnke Nurseries, 11300 Baltimore Ave., Beltsville, MD. The other will be at Green Spring Gardens 4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria, VA. Fill out the form on the opposite page. Send the form in 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 in advance. Friends of Brookside (FOB) members, Friends of Green Springs 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 and we expect both to sell out, so be sure to register early!

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!

Washington Gardener Magazine’s 10th 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 also.

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 presort your seeds in advance into whichever 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, please contact Kathy Jentz at 301.588.6894 by January 23.

10th Annual Washington Gardener Seed Exchange Advance Registration Form

Please ﬁll out this form and mail with your check/money order by January 27, 2015 to: Washington Gardener Magazine, 826 Philadelphia Ave., Silver Spring MD 20910

Name:____________________________________________________________________________________ Street Address:____________________________________________________________________________ Email:____________________________________________________________________________________ Seed Exchange Date and Location:  Jan 31 at Behnke Nurseries  Feb 7 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 group members 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 JANUARY 2015

WASHINGTON GARDENER

BOOKreviews successful amending of your garden soil. Teresa Speight is a native Washingtonian, who resides in District Heights, MD. She owns Cottage in the Court Landscape Consulting. She can be reached at cottageinthecourt@gmail.com.

Compost: How to Make and Use Organic Compost to Transform Your Garden By Clare Foster Publisher: Mitchell Beazley List Price: $12.99 Reviewer: Teresa Speight What a great idea to focus on the art of composting, after raking leaves and wondering what in the world to do with them. Clare Foster writes about leaves and other things one can add to compost, as well as how to use compost in the garden. Addressing the “Secret Life of Soil” first, Clare explains the components of soil, the importance of humus, and the benefits of the combination of humus and soil in making things thrive and grow. Knowing what combinations work when composting, thinking outside the box (like using hair and feathers), and not worrying abut exact measurements when making compost are more important than we think. Thinking about how we want to compost and the time that it entails is very important in selecting the type of container used. From plastic, wire, wooden pallet, and cinder blocks to cool heap, hot heap, Indore method, and the CAT high-fiber method, choosing wisely is key to successful composting. While this is a short book, Clare covers much ground in what it takes to successfully create compost and how to use compost. A very easy read that provides insight on composting — the science, the method, and the tools for 8

WASHINGTON GARDENER

JANUARY 2015

The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener By Niki Jabbour Publisher: Storey Publishing, List price: $19.95 Reviewer: Erica H. Smith This handsome and informative guide has been around for several years, though I’m just reading it for the first time. I think it will find its way onto my shelf, next to other year-round gardening volumes such as Eliot Coleman’s Four-Season Harvest. Why another book on, as the cover line boasts, “How to grow your own food 365 days a year no matter where you live”? Because, unlike Coleman’s book and others, the focus here really is on “year-round,” on planning a garden that works in every month, and not primarily on making the garden produce in winter. Of course, winter is the season in which most of us have least experience growing food, and the one for which we need most instruction. Dedicated winter gardeners might end up wanting another book besides Jabbour’s, though she covers cold frames and tunnels well and her experiences living and gardening in Nova Scotia give her much authority. For both the big picture and the little details, The Year-Round Vegetable

Gardener is a good additional to your garden library. Rather than dividing the text by seasons, Jabbour starts by introducing the idea of cool, warm, and cold seasonal gardening. She describes how one season flows into the next, and outlines basic tasks that must happen along the way. She also makes sure the reader understands how to determine frost dates and day length, important aspects of year-round garden planning. The next chapter covers intensive gardening and its attendant methods, such as soil building, succession planting, and interplanting. We’re moving from spring into summer, gathering a picture of the developing garden. The chapter on winter gardening and crop protection is thorough, addressing row covers, cloches, cold frames (at length), and various sizes of tunnels. Planning and design are covered in the following chapter, with some great sample layouts and good information about site selection, crop rotation, etc. The rest of the book covers specific vegetables and herbs, with detailed growing information and “Niki’s Picks” for best varieties for a four-season harvest. The most attention is paid to planting dates and possibilities for succession planting and harvest extension, as seems proper for this sort of book. There’s less information about pests and diseases, or cooking what you pick, but the basics are here. And the pictures are lovely. This is a great book to pick up for a winter’s read in the armchair, where you can dream about going outside next winter to harvest your own kale and carrots! You Bet Your Garden Guide to Growing Great Tomatoes By Mike McGrath Publisher: Fox Chapel Publishing List Price: $14.95 Reviewer: Erica H. Smith This newly branded guide to what it says in the title is an updated edition of You Bet Your Tomatoes!, which I do not own and my library does not own, so I can’t make comparisons. If you already have a copy of the earlier book, you might want to take a look at this upgrade in a store and see if the revi-

BOOKreviews

sions are substantial enough to warrant buying it. Maybe your old copy is falling apart from use; maybe you just love reading Mike McGrath that much. I’ve complained before about the lack of humor in gardening books, and McGrath is certainly an antidote to that — maybe too much of one at times, but I laughed quite often while reading the wisecracks and flippant exaggerations that litter these pages in between (or right on top of) the good advice. You may or may not need this book. Let me give you a quick McGrathian list of reasons why. 1) He’s an expert who doesn’t take himself seriously (“I grow great tomatoes just about every season, and I barely have opposable thumbs”) and understands that mistakes and failures are a big part of the gardening experience. On the other hand, sometimes all that nonchalance translates to “My way is the only way!” There are lots of ways to fail at growing tomatoes. Or to succeed at growing them. If you need a guru, he will be that for you. A funny guru. Which could be worth its weight in heirloom tomatoes. 2) Most of the advice here is pretty basic, which means if you’ve been growing tomatoes for a while, you’ve probably seen it all. But still, there are some real gems in here (tomato sauce recipe! the Eggshell Thing!), and even better for garden educators like me, some trenchant explanations of standard advice. (That was a pun, sorry; I found the part about digging trenches for sideways planting or holes for deep planting, and why you do each, particu-

larly useful.) And the advice is practical; it’s stuff you can do and stuff that should work. 3) He makes you feel great about perpetrating organic gardening. Of course, if you love your nonorganic fertilizers and pesticides, you will not feel so appreciated, blocking your ears to all the cries of “What will we add?” “Compost!” “When will we add it?” “Now!” 4) His possibly updated list of tomato pests does not include brown marmorated stink bugs, but then we don’t really know what to do about them anyway, and they may all be moving to Florida. 5) There’s a nice list of tomatoes you might want to grow, all in one chapter (plus scattered throughout the book). This is, obviously, a selected list (there are about a zillion varieties of tomato out there) but if you want the guidance of an experienced grower, it’s a good place to start. The tomato pages in seed catalogs can be overwhelming, in the way that either you start imagining yourself drowning in multicolored tomato sauce and give up because you can’t choose, or choose far too many for the space you have. (Which, of course, is something McGrath, like all of us, has done, and is amusing about.) 6) He laughs out loud at those useless conical three-foot tomato “cages” sold in hardware and big-box stores. HA! So, buying this book might be the best use of 15 bucks ever, or the most pointless, depending on your experience and personality — but if you have a sense of humor at all, I promise you’ll smile while reading it. Erica is a Montgomery County Master Gardener, runs the Grow It Eat It blog for the University of Maryland Extension, and grows vegetables in her own community garden plot and in the MG Demonstration Garden in Derwood, MD. She is the author of several novels; visit her web site at ericahsmith.wordpress.com.

Love Reading?

To join the Washington Gardener Volunteer Reader Panel, please send an email with your name and address to: wgardenermag@aol.com. We look forward to having you be a vital part of our local gardening publication. o

GARDENnews

Winter Bird-Feeding Tips

You may think warm weather is prime time to enjoy the rewarding hobby of bird-feeding and bird-watching. Winter, however, is the time of year when birds need you most — and when you have the greatest chance of attracting them to your backyard. Natural food and water sources become scarce, competition for limited resources is fierce, and non-migratory birds are looking for a reliable, good-quality meal. The birdfeeding experts at Cole’s Wild Bird Products offer these timely tips: • There is absolutely no research that wild birds will become lazy if you feed them. Nor will they forego migrating in favor of hanging around your backyard. Migratory birds will act on instinct and migrate when it’s time to do so, regardless of food sources. Hummingbirds, for example, will migrate, but it’s often a smart, sensible idea to leave a hummingbird feeder up for a few weeks after the majority are gone, just in case a straggler needs sustenance. • No matter how urgent their need for food, birds won’t visit your feeder if you fill it with the avian equivalent of junk food. Birdfeed that contains cheap fillers won’t attract or satisfy birds, and they will either look elsewhere for food, or — if they’re really feeling winter’s pinch — eat at your feeder but leave a mess of filler uneaten on the ground. Look for birdfeed that contains quality ingredients and is free of chemicals and other toxins that could harm birds. • Seeds are a satisfying, top choice for winter dining among birds, but they also love suet, which gives them muchneeded stores of fat. Seeds with a high fat or oil content are best for birds during winter, so look for options like black oil sunflower seed, niger seed, raw peanuts, and suet cakes. • While it’s always important to keep your birdfeeders clean, cleanliness is even more vital during winter, when more birds are likely to visit your feeders. Cleaning minimizes mold, mildew, and other unhealthy conditions that could make backyard birds sick. Winter is a great time to nurture your love of bird feeding, and you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you’re helping your feathered friends during the season when they need it most. o JANUARY 2015

WASHINGTON GARDENER

GARDENnews

Quick Links to Recent Washington Gardener Blog Posts

• Build a Grow Closet • Native Spotlight: Sedum Ternatum • Camellia ‘Yuletide’: You Can Grow That • Garden Successes and Failures of 2014 • Season’s Greetings

See more Washington Gardener blog posts at: WashingtonGardener.Blogspot.com

January Garden To-Do List

New Plant Spotlight Veronica ‘Blue Yonder’ PPAF (Blue Yonder Creeping Speedwell)

This stunning garden hybrid Speedwell blooms in mid- to late spring with a profusion of deep-blue flower spikes held above a handsome mat of deep-green foliage. Its flowers are the showiest of all the groundcover Veronica cultivars. A fantastic groundcover to plant with spring-flowering bulbs, the blue makes the bulb flowers really “pop.” Discovered at and introduced by Laporte Avenue Nursery of Ft. Collins, CO. It grows to 4-inches tall by 12-inches wide. Zones 4-8. Prefers full sun (morning sun with afternoon shade.) Takes average moisture and prefers compost-enriched garden loam. It is evergreen and rabbit-resistant. Available from High Country Gardens (www.HighCountryGardens.com). o

WASHINGTON GARDENER

JANUARY 2015

• Prune any dead or diseased wood off your small trees and shrubs. • Plant frost-tolerant trees. • Cut off the flower stalk on your amaryllis once flowers fade. Leave foliage to grow. • Keep poinsettias in a well-lit area — but out of direct sun and away from drafts. • Buy a few new house plants. • Fertilize only your winter-blooming houseplants, such as violets. • Give your house plants a quarter turn every few weeks. • Build a compost bin. • Repair your shed and repair/paint your fences. • Clean out your cold frame or build a new one. • Collect large plastic soda bottles to use as cloches. (A cloche is a clear, bellshaped cover used to protect tender plants from frost.) • Clean and refill bird feeders. • Wash and refill the birdbath or set out a shallow bowl of water in icy weather. • Check on stored summer bulbs and seeds. Discard any that have rotted. • Buy seeds and order plants from the new garden catalogs. • Prune summer bloomers such as Hydrangeas, Rose of Sharon, Crape Myrtles, and Butterfly Bushes. • Till and add organic matter to annual/vegetable beds. • Weed – especially look for fast-growing vines such as honeysuckle, autumn clematis, bittersweet, wild grape, Virginia creeper, and poison ivy. • Place a floating ball or a small plastic soda bottle filled two-thirds full with water and a tablespoon of salt in your pond to stop it from entirely icing over, especially if you have fish. If ice forms, remove the ball by pouring hot water on it. • Insulate outdoor containers by wrapping with bubble wrap or landscape fabric. • Check that newly planted trees, shrubs, and perennials have not been heaved out of the ground due to freezing and thawing cycles. • Take hardwood cuttings from willow and dogwood to propagate them. • Look for evidence of pest or fungal damage throughout your garden. • Clean out your greenhouse and wash those windows. • Set out your live potted evergreens from holiday decorating in a protected outdoor space to harden them off in advance of planting them. • If we do get more snow in the DC area, gently dislodge snow from trees and shrubs with a broom to prevent damage to branches. • Start hardy herbs, onions, cabbage, pansies, and perennials. • Clean and tidy up pots and seed trays to a get good start in February. • Use leftover holiday greens and cut-up tree branches to mulch beds and create windbreaks. • Do not step on frozen soil in flower beds or lawns. • Keep all houseplants out of drafts and away from heat vents. • Use de-icer sparingly or a nonchemical substitute such as sand, grit, fireplace ashes, or non-clumping kitty litter. • Volunteer at a local public or historic garden. • Paint a few terra cotta pots in spring-like colors. • Pot up any leftover bulbs that did not make it into the ground by now and force them for indoor blooms. o

You’ve seen those gorgeous garden photos published in magazines and newspapers. Enter this year’s competition and have a chance of getting your winning 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. Before sending us your CD-ROMs, 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

9TH ANNUAL PHOTO CONTEST check your CDs with the latest virus detection software. We will disqualify any disk that may contain a virus or a suspicious file. Label each CD and case with your full name. We strongly suggest mailing CDs in a 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, 2015. Contest entries can also 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. You can print out blank entry forms from the Washington Gardener blog, Facebook page, or at www. WashingtonGardener.com. We will verify all entry receipts 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. Photo must have been taken during the 2014 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, domestic pets, etc., in a private or public garden setting.

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, please contact us today.

WINNERS’ OBLIGATION

Photo contest winners will need to provide a high-resolution version of their image for publication and an 11x14 print suitable for framing. Winners may be asked to provide additional information for press and media coverage.

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, online, live presentations, and gallery exhibits. Entrants retain ownership and all other rights to future use of their photographs.

CONTEST ENTRY FEE

CATEGORIES

QUESTIONS?

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

The entry fee is $15.00 or $10.00 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 due by January 21, 2015. Please call 301.588.6894 or email DCGardenPhotos@aol.com. o JANUARY 2015

WASHINGTON GARDENER

TOP AREA GARDENING EVENTS DC-Area Gardening Calendar ~ Upcoming Events ~ January 16-February 15, 2015 • Sunday, January 18, 1:30-2:30pm Lecture: Amazing Papyrus Plant Papyrus is a plant that changed the world. Come to appreciate the historical significance of papyrus and the ecological benefits it provides to our modern world. Dr. John Gaudet enlightens you about this versatile plant and demonstrates paper-making with papyrus A book signing follows the lecture. Fee: $10/person for advance registration ($12 for out-of-county registrants) or $12 at the door. Green Spring Gardens, 4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria, VA 22312. Register on-line at www. fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/greenspring using code 290 182 1901 or call Green Spring Gardens at 703.642.5173. • Monday, January 19, 10:30am-12n Sugar: History, Botany, Production, and Processing Lecture Discover the history, botany, production, and processing of sugarcane, sugar beets, and palm sugar. Come trace the movement of this major commodity over thousands of years as it goes from the jungle, fields, and forests to your kitchen table. See how the plant product is transformed and how it transformed countries along the way. Learn about the important roles played by Alexander the Great, Columbus, and Napoleon in sugar production and the special role of Norbert Rillieux (1806-1894), the black American engineer seen by many as the father of the chemical engineering profession. Held at the United States Botanic Garden. Free. Pre-registration required: Visit www.usbg.gov.

highlights green infrastructure, lowimpact development; an evaluation of economics and social impacts; federal, state, nonprofit and for-profit partnerships; and a unique partnership with the DC Housing Authority. Held again on Thursday, February 26, 9am-1pm. This workshop costs $50. Contact mfarrah@udc.edu for more information. • Saturday, January 24, 3–4pm Panel Discussion: Horticulture as a Career The Alumni Association of the Barnes Foundation invites you to a special panel discussion taking place at the Parkway campus in Merion, PA. Learn from Barnes horticulture alumni how to turn a love of plants and gardens into a rewarding career in a variety of horticulture professions. Join the conversation, ask questions, and afterwards mingle with fellow gardeners and professionals at a reception hosted by the alumni. Details at www.barnesfoundation.org.

• Wednesday, January 21 Washington Gardener Photo Contest Entry Deadline. See contest entry details on page 11.

• Tuesday, January 27, 7:30pm The Effects of Climate Change on Native Plants Climate change is our new reality. Increasing temperature and the severe weather it spawns have made widespread flooding and drought commonplace, affecting native plants in both wild and cultivated landscapes. Native plants face unique challenges under climate change, and local floras may change significantly in the coming years. Speaker: Dr. Sara Via, Departments of Biology and Entomology, University of MD. Location: Kensington Library. The meeting is open to the public. Registration is not required. Hosted by the Maryland Native Plant Society, http://mdflora.org/.

• Friday, January 23, 9am-1pm Integrating Urban Agriculture & Urban Stormwater Management Workshops With more people living in cities than in rural areas, coupled with an everdecreasing farming population, there has been a drive to increase urban food production. With the rise in urban agriculture, there is a need for urban stormwater management. This workshop

• Wednesday, January 28, 7:30pm Common Gardening Challenges Talk The Beltsville Garden Club will meet on in the multi-purpose room of the James Duckworth School, 11201 Evans Trail, Beltsville, MD. Featured will be speaker Kathy Jentz, editor and publisher of Washington Gardener Magazine, and a specialist in small-space and urban gardening. Jentz will talk about “Com-

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mon Gardening Challenges,” including poor landscape drainage, gardening on a slope, planting in clay soil, and small spaces. She takes a do-it-yourself, hands-in-the-dirt approach that emphasizes practical advice while not ignoring the fun and humor of learning from past mistakes. Refreshments will be served after the meeting. Please bring a plant or plant-related item for the door prize table. There is no fee and the public is welcome. • January 31, 12:30-4pm Washington Gardener Seed Exchange Behnke Nurseries in Beltsville, MD See details on page 6-7. • Friday, February 6, 8am-4pm The 39th Annual Today’s Horticulture Symposium Sponsored by Longwood Gardens, Mt. Cuba Center, and the Chanticleer Foundation, this day-long symposium is designed to kickoff the gardening season for the horticulture professional, landscape designer and architect, passionate gardener, and student of horticulture. This year’s symposium, located at Longwood Gardens, will feature a lively array of engaging speakers, including Gordon Hayward, nationally recognized garden writer, designer, and lecturer; and Kelly Griffin, plantsman recognized for introducing unique succulents to the commercial plant trade. Other topics will explore the botany of beer, plant breeding for the home gardener, and insights into natural land management in the 21st century. The symposium fee includes admission to Longwood Gardens, the lecture series, plant sale, refreshment breaks, and a hot buffet lunch. Space is limited and pre-registration is required. Additionally, the symposium can be viewed online through a webcast. For more information about the PGAA Symposium and to register online, go to: https:// enroll.longwoodgardens.org and click on “Symposia.” For questions, call 610.388.5454. • Saturday, February 7, 9:30-11am Planning the Vegetable Garden Successful vegetable gardens begin

TOP AREA GARDENING EVENTS DC-Area Gardening Calendar ~ Upcoming Events ~ January 16-February 15, 2015 with a sound plan. This program will focus on how to select vegetables that grow well together in both small and abundant spaces, get soil tested, and prepare your tools for the work ahead. (This is the first of a series of three programs on vegetable gardening. Others to follow in March and April.) Held at Fairlington Community Center, 3308 S. Stafford St., Arlington, VA. Advance registration is requested. Free. Register at mgnv.org. Questions? Call 703-2286414 or send an email to mgarlalex.org. • February 7, 12:30-4pm Washington Gardener Seed Exchange Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, VA See details on page 6-7. • Sunday, February 8, 10am-3pm (Preview: 10, Auction: 11 to 3) 37th Annual Orchid Auction FREE admission, open to the public; over 300 hundred blooming orchids from world-renowned growers coast to coast; food vendor; VISA/MasterCard/Discover cards and checks gladly accepted. Further information: Nancy Burns at nburnsva@gmail.com.Hosted by the National Capital Orchid Society: www.ncos.us. Held at Behnke Nursery, 11300 Baltimore Ave., Beltsville, MD. • Tuesday, February 10, 6:00-7:30pm Washington Gardener Book Club For our first 2015 selection, we will be reading Tulipomania by Mike Dash at a meeting room at the Shepherd Park “ Juanita E. Thornton” Neighborhood DC Library. The library room allows food and drink and you may bring your dinner and/or snacks to share. The book club meetings are free and open to anyone who would like to attend. Please RSVP to “WG Book Club” at WashingtonGardener@rcn.com. We will be limiting attendance to 20. •Saturday, February 14, 10am-2pm Winter Invasive Removal Event at Dumbarton Oaks Park and Saturday, March 7, 1-3pm at Rock Creek Park Winter is a great time of year to remove the harmful, invasive vines that threaten to topple the trees of Rock

Creek Park and Dumbarton Oaks Park. These volunteer events bring together stewardship-minded individuals to protect our city’s tree canopy and learn basic invasive plant identification and management skills—all while enjoying a day out in our beautiful national parks. Please register for one or both events. Meet-up information will be sent out to those registered at least one week before the event. Contact mfarrah@udc.edu for more information.

Save These Future Dates: • Saturday, February 21, 10am-2pm OrKid Family Festival Visitors of all ages are invited to explore the world of orchids at the “Orchid Exhibit Family Festival” in the Evans Gallery at the National Museum of Natural History. This fun-filled day of free activities celebrates the exhibition, “Orchids: Interlocking Science and Beauty.” The event is collaboration between Smithsonian Gardens, the United States Botanic Garden, the National Museum of Natural History, and the North American Orchid Conservation Center. Activities include constructing a botanical bookmark, a flower corsage, and an orchid terrarium. Visitors can even pot an orchid to take home! Orchid experts from the Smithsonian and U. S. Botanic Garden will be available to answer questions and tell visitors about unique plants from their collections that will be on display. Free. Details at http://www.gardens.si.edu/ whats-happening/orchid-exhibition.html. • Friday, February 27, 8:30am-4:00pm Green Matters Symposium Theme: Protecting our Pollinators. This year’s Green Matters will be held at the Silver Spring Civic Center. See http://www.montgomeryparks.org/ brookside/green_matters_symposium. shtm. • The 8th annual Rooting DC forum is February 28, 2015. The central meeting ground for individuals and nonprofits looking to grow a healthier food system in the nation’s capital. Registration is now open at www.RootingDC.org.

• Saturday, February 28 Perennially Inspired, PPA MidAtlantic Regional Symposium Co-sponsored by the Perennial Plant Association and the Horticultural Society of Maryland, Inc. Held at the Conference Center at Sheppard Pratt, 6501 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD. For details, email ppa@perennialplant.org or gp to www.perennialplant.org. Philadelphia Flower Show Trips 2015 with Washington Gardener Magazine • March 4, 2015, depart from downtown Silver Spring, MD • March 5, 2015, depart from Behnke Nurseries in Beltsville, MD See details on page 17. • Local Gardening Talk Series with Kathy Jentz on Capitol Hill Mondays, March 9-April 13, 2015 (except Monday, March 23), from 6:308:00pm. Cost: $50 per class or $235 for entire series. Register at http://hillcenterdc.org. • Thursday, April 2nd, 2-3:30pm OR Saturday, April 4, 10-11:30am Container Gardening Basics and Beyond Instructor: Kathy Jentz, editor/publisher, Washington Gardener Magazine. Kathy will cover the basics of growing successful container plantings, from ornamental to edible containers as well as the different styles and fashions in container gardening. Fee: $22 FOBG: $20; registration required. Held at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD.

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, please contact: Wgardenermag@aol. com and put “Event” in the email subject head. Our next deadline is February 10 for the February 15 issue, featuring events taking place from February 16March 15, 2015. o JANUARY 2015

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DAYtrip

Cabin Fever Cure in Columbia, Maryland

by Cheval Force Opp You know those mornings, dark when you wake, grey morning light, with old snow making outdoor walks sloppy. Robinson Nature Center is a natural tonic for creeping cabin fever. This Maryland nature center mixes education and entertainment with indoor and outdoor activities, all focused on the water, land, creatures, and stars in our region. The 18.3-acre property was home to James and Anne Robinson, who for five decades enjoyed its beauty and solitude, while surrounding lands became crowded and noisy. Anne was determined to save their treed haven from over-development and commercialization. She formed a foundation and joined with the Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks to protect the land. The James and Anne Robinson Nature Center is a $17.6 million educational gateway facility to the adjacent Middle Patuxent Environmental Area. A 1,030-acre tract is traversed by the Middle Patuxent River — one of the largest undeveloped tracts in Howard County. 14

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A Gateway to Nature

The three-story wood and stone Nature Center sits on a sloped site, which gives the illusion of a cabin in the woods. The building’s green features include solar panels, sustainably harvested wood beams, and a geothermal heating and cooling system. Wood siding from a barn on the Robinsons’ property was salvaged and used in the interior. In a past visit in a warmer season, the entry walk was in a sea of native plants blooming with wild abandon, attended by a symphony of insects. But on a recent frigid day visit, I bundled up to meet with program manager, Meagan Leatherbury to explore the center in winter. The bright entry, with windows on three sides, felt like a tree house. I paused to enjoy the panorama of bare tree trunks, dark against snowy hills. From this tree top view of surrounding woods, I could identify many of the trees labeled in the arboretum and bordering the trails meandering over the hills. The woods around the nature

center include a variety of natives: Tulip Poplar, Sassafras, Swamp White Oak, White Oak, American Hornbeam, American Holly, American Beech, Flowering Dogwood, Common Persimmon, Black Oak, Black Walnut, Virginia Pine, Loblolly Pine, and Red Maple. Robinson Nature Center has approximately one mile of trails, portions of which are paved, but the majority of the trails take walkers over rugged, wooded terrain. Along these trails, you can enjoy the excitement of a stream crossing, views of the Middle Patuxent River, access to the old mill race, and ruins of the Simpsonville Mill. The center’s web site has a trail map link available for download.

Bringing the Inside Out and the Outside In

The main exhibit, entitled “Life of the Forest,” displays a tree-sized structure inside the building, adorned with oversized “graphic leaves” showing the animals and plants that can be found in our region, especially our backyards. Meagan and I walked around the

Robinson Nature Center at night. Photo by Seth Hoffman.

James and Anne Robinson Nature Center

DAYtrip “tree” on a circular ramp that led us down from the entry level to the floor below. Descending the ramp, I paused to interact with numerous learning stations about the trees and, at the bottom of the ramp, entered a realistic-looking forest floor. Local creatures are depicted at child height, allowing a close look at those animals we usually only see out of the corners of our eyes. I especially enjoyed the beaver house and stream, complete with swimming beaver. A 50-seat “NatureSphere,” shares the bottom floor of the center. This digital planetarium has a 26-foot semispherical dome and is one of the few planetariums in the region with public programs. The upcoming workshop to build a telescope (March 7th) is only one of many programs developed for the public and also available for parents and children in homeschool programs.

— the volunteers and their dedication, professionalism, and experience. With a volunteer base of almost 300, every aspect of the center benefits from their multi-talented backgrounds, which include NASA; master’s degrees in Education, PhDs in Genetics, Botany, Astrophysics, Entomology; careers in the US Department of Agriculture, and instructors from colleges and universities. The kids’ room on the first floor gives visitors a wide range of hands-on activities that the kid in me totally enjoyed. The featured diva of this room is the starfish Chocolate Chip (Protoreaster nodosus). During learning sessions, children are allowed to touch Chocolate Chip, sea urchins, and other denizens

of the child-height saltwater tank. (Chocolate Chip was in quarantine the day I visited. It seems that some members of the tank had gone missing and the starfish was found guilty of enjoying an unauthorized late-night snack.)

Looking to a Future Green Generation

The James and Anne Robinson Foundation is active in supporting community environmental leadership. For the sixth consecutive year, the foundation bestowed its Student Environmental Leadership Award. This year, the foundation presented the awards to graduating seniors from eight Howard County public high schools. The award recognizes outstanding work on behalf

Leave Green Footprints

Just installed in the center’s gift store is a prototype of the telescope participants will make in the March 7 workshop. I insisted Meagan model it for me in front of the Chesapeake Bay exhibit that welcomes visitors. This entry exhibit entertains visitors with an overview of how people affect the Chesapeake Bay, especially in our rivers. Maryland’s Middle Patuxent River runs its entire course in Howard County, from its headwaters at a spring in the northern part of the county to its merger with the Little Patuxent River in the southern section. Along its 23.9mile course, the Middle Patuxent River graces private land, farms, housing developments, and the city of Columbia, all on its way to the historic town of Savage. Meagan was a new graduate in Environmental Education and Interpretation at the University of Wisconsin in 2011 when the center first opened its doors. She has enjoyed being one of the creators of the wide range of programs offered year-round. She and all the staff feel strongly about their mission to educate visitors on the impact humans have on the environment, what we do right, and what we might do better. Meagan is quick to offer what has impressed her the most at the center

Wasp nest sculpture photo by Cheval Force Opp. JANUARY 2015

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DAYtrip of the natural environment by some of Howard County’s youngest community leaders. In the planning stages is a unique outdoor Nature Place designed to encourage kids to play in ways not possible with the plastic equipment at standard playgrounds. My visit ended with a walk around the Chapel Oak sculpture that dominates the walk up to the center. The sculpture is composed of more than 1,500 individual pieces of wood. It is 10 feet tall and weighs approximately 5,000 pounds. It reminds me of a paper wasp nest. Foon Sham, a sculpture professor at the University of Maryland College Park, created the piece to memorialize a large White Oak tree, a landmark on the university’s campus, called the Chapel Oak. The 80-plusyear-old tree fell in 2012 after being struck by lightning and then suffering severe fungi and insect damage. Walking inside, enjoying the rough-hewed walls, it does seem Robinson is the perfect spot for this “transformed” tree to rest, since Robinson Nature Center hopes to transform our understanding of the environment. Everyone should add this Nature Center to their winter expeditions list. It is a creative, fun way for any age to understand our part of the world a little bit better.

Plan Your Visit

The Robinson Nature Center is located at 6692 Cedar Lane, Columbia, MD 21044. Regular admission is $5 for adults; $3 for children 3 to 17; free for children under 3. (Admission is complimentary for all on Wednesdays.)

For more information, visit www.howardcountymd.gov/robinsonnaturecenter.htm or call 410.313.0400. The hours are 9:00AM-5:00PM on Wednesday-Saturday and 12NOON5:00PM on Sunday. Upcoming winter 2015 special events include a Frozen Fest on Sunday, January 25 from1-4PM. All ages. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Rescue your family from “cabin fever” by coming out to make your own ice cream, create tracks in the snow, and take a guided winter hike on outdoor trails. Get cozy in live animal presentations and under the planetarium dome while watching a feature movie. Explore winter science through experiments and make a fun winter craft to take home. See www.howardcountymd.gov/ RNCFrozenFest.htm for a description and schedule of activities.

On Saturday, February 14, is a Valentine’s Day Truffle-Making and WineTasting from 2-4PM. Ages 21 years and up. Bring your friend, your sweetheart, or your awesome self out to enjoy this unique, eco-friendly Valentine’s Day experience in which you will hand-roll chocolate truffles and enjoy tasting wines from a local vineyard while learning about the sustainable practices used to create their tasty varietals. The fee is $20 per person or $35 per couple. Each participant takes home 10 truffles. On Sunday, February 22, from 1-4PM is Bay Day. All ages. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Celebrate the Chesapeake Bay through food, presentations, and fun activities. Learn about Howard County’s role in protecting the bay and discover the fascinating creatures — from oysters to horseshoe crabs — that we help protect through our efforts to protect Howard County waterways. Free with Robinson annual pass or daily admission. For a full schedule of presentations/activities and for more about the event, see www.howardcountymd.gov/RNCBayDay. htm. Scope out the Night Sky takes place Saturday, March 7, from 6:30-9:30PM. Ages 8 years and up. The Maryland Science Center and Robinson jointly present this exciting family-focused astronomy event. Enjoy a planetarium presentation, build your very own GalileoScope (a functional telescope for night sky viewing; $50 value), hold a meteorite, and view the stars through telescopes (weather permitting). The cost is $24 per family (up to five members). Each family receives a telescope, tripod, and star map. This program is supported through a grant from the Howard County Arts Council. o Special thanks to Meagan Leatherbury for taking time from her busy day to introduce me to this diverse use nature center. With volunteers and staff like these, we have cause to hope for our environment in the future. Cheval Force Opp lives and gardens in historic Dunn Loring, VA, with her husband Dana and corgi Marzipan. When she is not pulling weeds, she is visiting gardens and writing or speaking about gardens.

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9th Annual Washington Gardener Philadelphia Flower Show Tour Organized by Washington Gardener Magazine Wednesday, March 4, 2015, 10:00AM-10:00PM Leaving and returning from downtown Silver Spring, MD

The Philadelphia Flower Show is the oldest and largest indoor flower show in the world. The theme for 2015 is “Lights, Camera, BLOOM! Celebrate the Movies.” Experience the combination of cinema and horticulture as the 186th PHS Philadelphia Flower Show celebrates everyone from Disney to Marilyn Monroe. Join us for a visit to magnificent floral and garden exhibits, special programming, and new attractions like the interactive Butterfly Experience. This is not your grandmother’s Flower Show … but she’s going to love it! The Flower Show attracts non-gardeners as well as die-hard green-thumbed people of all ages. Foodies of all tastes will love the Garden to Table Studio. Participate in the Lectures and Demonstrations series, Gardener’s Studio, and the “Make & Take” workshops. First-time and returning riders will enjoy the welcoming, custom details of our coach service. Schedule for the day: • 10:00AM Coach leaves downtown Silver Spring with lunch, games, and DVD viewing en route • 12:45-7:15PM Explore Philadelphia Flower Show ~ dinner on your own • 7:30PM Coach departs Philadelphia Convention Center with snacks, games, and DVD showing onboard • 10:00PM Coach arrives at downtown Silver Spring This tour package includes: 1. Charter Passenger Coach — reserved seating, storage under the bus 2. Choice of Gourmet Box Lunch on the way up to the show 3. Snacks for the return trip 4. Listing of nearby restaurants for dinner on your own at the show 5. Information package on the show to assist in prioritizing your day 6. Two Garden DVD showings 7. Admission to the show & driver tip 8. Convenient drop-off and pick-up at downtown Silver Spring, MD 9. Lively show and garden discussions led by Washington Gardener’s Kathy Jentz



To register, please use the form below. (One form per person.) Name _______________________________________________________________ Address______________________________________________________________ Phone number________________________________________________________ Email________________________________________________________________ Name of seatmate_____________________________________________________ We will try to seat groups together, but cannot guarantee group seating. Name of group _______________________________________________________

Registration deadline: March 1, 2015

Full refund if canceled by February 7. $40 refunded until February 28. No refunds after March 3.

Questions? Kathy Jentz Wgardenermag@aol.com www.WashingtonGardener.com

Brought to you by:

Check/money order #_______ ~ Please make payable to “Washington Gardener” Send this registration form along with your payment to: Washington Gardener, 826 Philadelphia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910

If you’ve never been to the Philadelphia Flower Show, this is your opportunity to escape from the last of winter’s cold winds and experience a garden paradise. Walk through floral wonderlands, take notes at one of the many workshops, enjoy new plants on display, and shop the vendors’ tempting array of goodies. JANUARY 2015 WASHINGTON GARDENER

Code 3/4 Silver Spring

Fee: $100.00 each $95.00 each for Washington Gardener Magazine subscribers

PLANTprofile for replanting. It is tuberous-rooted. Planting it in a spot where it can stay and slowly increase is best, as it is not always moved successfully.

Saint or Sinner? Ancient Aconitum

Warning: Danger Ahead

by Judith Mensh

Unless you are a bumblebee, hawkmoth, or a hummingbird taking advantage of the nectar, do not even touch this plant. Aconitine is absorbed by the skin and physical contact can be as deadly as ingestion. To illustrate the point with an up-todate reminder of this message to be vigilant, to protect yourself, and that your life is at risk is the recent report regarding Nathan Greenaway, age 33, an estate gardener in Hampshire, England. It’s been determined that exposure to A. napellus while working caused his death due to major organ failure within a week of exposure. Its deer-resistance is categorized as “rarely damaged” for obvious reasons. It’s critter-resistant to a fault, causing the demise of the occasional naïve rabbit. Although generally Aconitum are considered pest-free, aphids, fungal issues, and crown rot have been reported.

Aconite History

Monkshood (Aconitum sp.) is an excellent choice for classic cottage gardens, blue gardens, and bumblebee gardens. Plant Monkshood, or, as I prefer to call it, Devil’s Helmet, for its distinctive, unique flowers, designed for enticing its pollinators to enter and drink deeply, all the while being dusted with pollen. Its frilly leaves and the glory of the blueness of its flowers add to its appeal. Devil’s Helmet seems more descriptive because Monkshood gives a false impression of the benign. It’s a plant with a challenge. It’s not for the faint of heart or the casual gardener, and must be carefully and responsibly sited. Before it became an ornamental garden perennial, early 18

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humans applied it to pointed tips of weapons used in warfare, and to hunt whales, bears, and tigers. It contains deadly alkaloids, including Aconitine, which act as both a neurotoxin and a cardiotoxin. Dark-green, lobed palmate leaves spiral upwards towards tall, intense blue/purple (caused by the anthocyanin Violdelphinis) spikes of flowers: When Monkshood blooms, it is captivating, stunning, and unique. Widely planted in Britain for generations, this member of the Ranunculaceae family is admired both for flowers and foliage, used as a cut flower and a dried flower. Although not native, it’s noninvasive. Allow it to self-seed, or dig up offsets

An ancient plant, Aconite was wellknown to the Greeks, the Romans, and later on to medieval physicians. Found in monastery gardens, it enjoyed thousands of years of use in traditional Chinese medicine, and is known to the Inuit. Knowledge of its properties and use has been part of the human consciousness forever, connecting us backwards in time, serving as a chain of plant lore throughout the millennia. This is not a plant you are going to find on most gardening lists, unless you are looking at medieval plant lists of the baneful herbs. Plant lists for witch’s gardens or poison gardens will include A. napellus, undoubtedly. A list of heirloom plants or blue flowers will often not include Aconitum. Its danger trumps its beauty. You may find it in a medicinal herb garden, but never in a culinary one. In Roman times, its attributes were well known for use when murder reared its ugly head. By the 16th century, it was labeled as one of the baneful

PLANTprofile herbs, meaning evil, harmful, or pernicious, and associated with witchcraft. As a poison, it’s been used to kill prey, predators, wives, werewolves, husbands, old people, and criminals — all handily dispatched with Aconite. It is in the same category as Datura and Digitalis, yet we continue to plant it ornamentally. Not all things beautiful are benign.

Best Growth Conditions

The best growing environment for Aconite is probably not found here in our region, but that does not discourage those who seek to grow a wide range of flowers. It likes moist, but well drained soil. It is a slow-starter, usually requiring a year of residence before flowering, and will not attempt to take over the world, thankfully. In our summer heat, we have to protect it with shade and water it in dry times. It works well as a tall, back-of-the-border design element, some types growing to five feet. Cut it back after the first flowering for a second, smaller display later in the season. Not a flower to plant in a small garden unless it’s locked, and labeled with a skull and crossbones. It grows well in containers as long as it’s kept watered. Coming from cool, high places, it will not tolerate dry soil in direct sun. Do not plant this anywhere near your herb garden, vegetable patch, or children. Growing it in a container allows the gardener to place it out of harm’s way. Aconitum likes high-organic matter in its soil. Staking is sometimes required when it is in bloom.

Cultivars for Our Area

Still interested? The issue here is heat tolerance. Heat and humidity. We have the heat, but the Aconites don’t have the tolerance. Aconitum napellus, the European species; A. carmichaelii, (Fu-Tzu or Fuzi in Chinese, Bushi in Japanese), the Chinese species, and Aconitum × cammarum, an A.napellus hybrid, are the three most commonly planted in our area. Asian aconite (Aconitum carmichaelii) is appreciated for its flowering in late summer into the fall, providing a blue note as the weather cools. Yes, there is native Aconite, but don’t

look for it locally. It too prefers a cool clime. The Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center of Austin, TX, provides a Native Plants Database web site, which identifies four native species: Northern, aka Western Blue Monkshood (A. columbianum); Southern or Eastern Blue Monkshood (A. uncinatum); Larkspur Leaf Monkshood (A. delphiniifolium); and Northern or New York Monkshood (A. noveboracense). The two most likely to be found in cultivation are A. columbianum, for those who live in the Pacific Northwest, and A. uncinatum for East Coast gardeners. They both do best with cool nights and low daytime temperatures, similar to Delphinium, a close cousin. A. uncinatum is not readily available but can be obtained with some research. However, according to one Green Spring Park horticulturist, attempts to grow the native Aconitum in northern Virginia were eventually given up, done in by our heat and humidity. Plant Delights nurseryman Tony Avent decries the heat-intolerance of Aconitum, especially the Asian form, A. carmichaelii. His solution is a hybrid named ‘Autumn Indigo’ (A. carmichaelii) available through the Plant Delights web site. Mt. Cuba, a botanic garden in Delaware devoted to our native flora, has A. uncinatum, the twining variety, on view, growing in its woodland area.

Companion Plants

From the middle to the back of a shady border, Aconitum fits well in the context of a native garden with Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides), Turtlehead (Chelone glabra), Winterberry (Ilex verticilata), and Inkberry (Ilex glabra). Companion plants will depend on the goal of your garden. If blue is your theme, then under-plant with Scilla and add some Virginia Bluebells, Brunnera, the blue flowering native Lobelia (Lobelia syphilitica), Baptisia australis, and blue-leaved Hostas. If your space has room, reinforce the blue with Hydrangea. An intense orange such as a Geum and one of the light-colored, orange-tinted Heuchera can provide a striking counterpoint for the color scheme. A member of the late-season garden, Azure Monkshood (A. carmichaelii) and

‘Arendsii,’ an A. carmichaelii hybrid, provide height, and bloom from late summer through fall. Aconitum napellus blooms as summer begins. Other A. napellus cultivars you may find include ‘Barkers Variety’ (tall) and ‘Cloudy’ (compact). Devil’s Helmet makes an excellent companion for Hostas and Ferns, and an interesting neighbor for Foxglove. Both Japanese Anemones and Sedums, such as Autumn Joy, are winning combinations with a collection of late-blooming monkshood.

Further Sources

Aconitum species and hybrids are available at our local garden centers. They will arrive in the spring and then again when in bloom, in the fall. Azure Monkshood (Aconitum carmichaelii ‘Arendsii’) is the most likely to be found. Don’t expect to find any Aconitum among the big-box store perennials. A web search will reveal several sites to purchase plants, containerized or bare-root tubers, and seeds. The classic species are A. napellus and A. carmichaelii. Keep an eye out for the A. cammarum hybrids, including ‘Blue Lagoon,’ ‘Bressingham Spire,’ and ‘Stainless Steel.’ For some of the more unusual colors — yellow, white, pink, and bicolor — there are mail-order nurseries that send bare-root plants and container ones. Aconitum cammarum ‘Bi-color,’ a stunning A. napellus hybrid, with white flowers tinged with blue, has gained the British Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. One final note of warning: Its tuberous roots are not to be mistaken for horseradish, please. Nor its leaves confused with any sort of salad green, wild or cultivated. Wear gloves when handling this dangerous, but beautiful, plant! o Judith Mensh is a local horticultural consultant. She is available to walk your yard with you and identify the plants and the possibilities. She can be reached at JudithMensh NurtureNature@gmail.com.

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EDIBLEharvt chopped and added to fresh salads, pesto, spreads, and cooked dishes. Individual stalks of celery can be harvested as needed from the outer rim of a bunch, or the entire bunch can be harvested at one time by pushing soil away from the base and then carefully cutting off the bunch at the base. Be sure to water celery well the day before harvesting an entire bunch. Celery that is not processed or consumed soon after harvesting can be stored in the refrigerator crisper drawer.

Stalking Celery by Elizabeth Olson

Celery Cultivation Cutting Celery ‘Afina.’ Photo courtesy of Burpee.

The time-honored flavor base of many soup and stew recipes is the combination of carrot, onion, and celery. Carrot and onion crops are easy to grow in the greater Washington, DC region. The third crop, celery, is challenging. Celery is known for its solid, crunchy stalks. Well-grown celery is composed of a high amount of water and its flesh has a crisp texture. The flavor is refreshing; it is slightly sweet with just a hint of bitterness that complements the sweetness. The scientific name for celery is Apium graveolens var. dulce. It is a biennial grown as an annual. The species belongs to the Apiaceae family, which includes carrot, parsnip, fennel, coriander/cilantro, parsley, and dill; it should be in the same crop rotation schedule. All celery cultivars have green leaves. Some cultivars have red stalks on the outside of the bunch and inner stalks that lighten to a pale, pinkish yellow. Other cultivars have green stalks on 20

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JANUARY 2015

the outside — apple-green to medium green, depending on the cultivar — and inner stalks that lighten to a pale green or pale yellow. Celery requires a long, moderate growing season. Some cultivars take up to 110 days to mature. Celery also needs a rich, consistently moist soil that drains well. This vegetable is not drought-tolerant or well-adapted for growing in hot weather. Gardeners who want to grow celery in the greater Washington, DC region need to employ careful timing, growing techniques, and cultivar selection.

Culinary Uses

Celery can be eaten fresh; juiced; or steamed, baked, braised, sautéed, stirfried; or added to recipes with mixed vegetables. It can be preserved by pickling, pressure canning, dehydrating, and freezing. The red cultivars have a stronger flavor and are especially tasty in soups or stews. The leaves, too, are edible and delicious. They can be

Several modern cultivars have been developed that better tolerate a somewhat wider range of growing conditions, and some mature in 85 to 90 days. However, celery often performs best as an early-autumn crop, and established plants can withstand a light frost when covered with a floating row cover. Site the celery patch where it has full sun in the morning. A site that has afternoon filtered light or shade will be fine, or a shade cloth can be installed in very hot weather. The soil should have large amounts of compost incorporated. Heavily mulch the area around the plants, keep the area free of weeds, and consider using a drip irrigation system to maintain a consistent moisture level in the soil. The plants are heavy feeders and must be fertilized regularly. Use a slow-release organic vegetable fertilizer. Space seedlings six to eight inches apart, cover them with a floating row cover, and be vigilant in watching for slugs. Growing celery in a container is even more of a challenge. Select a large container that has drainage holes. However, the adequacy of the soil moisture level needs to be ensured — difficult to do in a container — and the celery will need to be fertilized regularly. Mulch the top of the potting medium to keep the surface cool and to prevent crusting. Protect the container from reflected heat and afternoon sun on hot days. Celery that becomes stressed by heat or lack of water or nutrients becomes pithy, stringy, and develops an off flavor.

Starting Celery Seeds

Germination is best when the seeds are surface sown or barely covered with a

EDIBLEharvt sterile potting medium, kept warm and moist (set the starter pots on a horticultural heat mat), and placed in bright light. It can take two to three weeks for the seeds to begin sprouting. Seedlings can be carefully hardened off when they are about two to three inches tall.

Spring/Early Summer Crop

To harden off the seedlings, place them in a sheltered location outside on warm days (above 55 degrees F) and keep them indoors at night. Hardened-off seedlings can be planted in the garden when the nights are reliably warm (above 55 degrees F.) — that is usually in mid- to late May. The timetable for planting seeds for spring is starting them indoors eight to 12 weeks ahead of the last frost date.

Autumn Crop

The timetable for starting celery seeds for an autumn harvest is affected by the maturity date of the cultivar. Plan to harvest the plants before the first hard frost (usually the end of October) or plan to provide adequate protection for an extended season. The seeds can be started indoors, and the seedlings need to be hardened off in a sheltered location outdoors for several days before being transplanted to the celery patch.

Availability

Seeds and seedlings for green cultivars are frequently available in spring at a number of local garden centers. Most seed companies offer seeds for named celery cultivars via mail order or Internet order. Well-regarded green cultivars include the open-pollinated ‘Tendercrisp,’ ‘Utah Tall,’ ‘Utah 52-70 R Improved,’ and ‘Golden Self-blanching,’ as well as the F1 hybrid ‘Tango’ (which is not genetically engineered). ‘Tango’ and ‘Golden Self-blanching’ mature in 85 to 90 days. Red cultivars include ‘Redventure,’ ‘Giant Red Re-selection,’ and ‘Brydon’s Prize Red.’ All are open-pollinated. If you only have room for one red cultivar, choose ‘Redventure’; it matures in 85 to 90 days.

Cutting Celery and Chinese Celery

Alternatives for regular celery in cooked dishes are cutting celery (A. graveolens var. secalinum) and Chinese cel-

Celery ‘Utah 52-70 R Improved.’ Photo courtesy of Burpee.

ery (variously noted as A. graveolens var. secalinum and A. graveolens var. dulce). They mature quickly and reliably produce a quality crop for an extended period of time in spring or late summer to mid-autumn in our region.

The plants are grown for their leaves as well as their crisp, slender, hollow stems. They can also be grown as microgreens. Both cutting and Chinese celery have a pronounced celery flavor, and their leaves and stems can be harvested as needed. Chopped or sliced leaves and stems are most often added to cooked dishes, but they can be used fresh, according to taste. The most widely available cutting celery cultivars are the flat-leaf ‘Afina’ and the curly-leaf ‘Par-Cel.’ Starter plants are often found in the herb section of garden centers. Chinese celery cultivars include ‘Kintsai Dark Green,’ ‘White Queen,’ ‘Light Green,’ and ‘Golden Leaf.’ Seeds for cutting and Chinese celery are available from various seed companies and should be started in the same manner as regular celery. o Elizabeth Olson is a Maryland Certified Professional Horticulturist. She is also an avid home gardener who is fascinated by the stories behind the plants that she grows. She can be contacted through Washington Gardener magazine.

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