Washington Gardener July 2019 by Kathy J

JULY 2019 VOL. 14 NO. 5

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gardener

the magazine for gardening enthusiasts in the Mid-Atlantic region

Second Season in the Edible Garden

Brookside Gardens Turns 50 Ethnobotany and Native Fly Poison Identifying and Combating Sawfly Larvae Reducing Maintenance with Evergreen Groundcovers DC-MD-VA Gardening Events Calendar

Plants to Dye For

Year of the Salvia nemorosa

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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 KathyJentz@gmail.com for available dates, rates, and topics.

Green Spring Gardens

www.greenspring.org

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

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

www.sunfarm.com

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WASHINGTON GARDENER JULY 2019

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INSIDEcontents

FEATURES and COLUMNS

While sawfly larvae can quickly defoliate many plants, the adult sawfly feeds on pollen and nectar. Sawfly predators include birds, other insects, and small animals. They are also susceptible to a number of parasites.

Fly Poison (Amianthium muscitoxicum) is native to eastern North America, as far north as Pennsylvania, west roughly to the Appalachian Mountains (with an additional area in the Ozarks), and south to northern Florida and eastern Louisiana. According to Flora Caroliniana, It is noted for its pretty flowers and toxic alkaloid content. While all parts of the plant are poisonous, the bulb is particularly toxic.

A garden featuring many evergreen groundcovers is both beautiful and functional. In an unpaved garden, rainwater soaks into the soil faster than in a paved garden, so evergreen groundcovers will result in less stormwater run-off. Plants also help purify the air and to cool the garden in the summer.

BOOKreviews 14-15 Shrubs, Urban Garden Design, Art of the Japanese Garden DIYproject 9 Plants to Dye For EDIBLEharvest 8 Second Season Garden GOINGnative 16 Ethnobotany and Fly Poison HORThappenings 22 Garlic Fest, Lotus and Waterlily Fest, Garden Photo Show INSECTindex 20-21 Sawfly Larvae NEIGHBORnetwork 6 Meadowlark’s Keith Tomlinson NEWPLANTspotlight 11 Sedum ‘Atlantis’ PLANTprofile 7 Salvia nemorosa SPECIALfeature 12-13 Brookside Gardens Turns 50 TIPStricks 10 Plant Blindness, Plant Roots in Soil, Evergreen Groundcovers

DEPARTMENTS

ADVERTISINGindex BLOGlinks EDITORletter GARDENcontest LOCALevents MONTHLYtasklist NEXTissue READERreactions RESOURCESsources

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ON THE COVER

Salvia ‘Blue Bouquetta’ from Concept Plants for Year of the Salvia. Photo courtesy of the National Garden Bureau.

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

Be sure you are subscribed! Click on the “subscribe” link at washingtongardener.com

Carex morrowii ‘Variegata’ photo courtesy of iVerde.

JULY 2019

WASHINGTON GARDENER

EDITORletter

Credits Kathy Jentz Editor/Publisher & Advertising Sales Washington Gardener 826 Philadelphia Ave. Silver Spring, MD 20910 Phone: 301-588-6894 kathyjentz@gmail.com www.washingtongardener.com Call today to place your ad with us! Alexandra Marquez Intern Ruth E. Thaler-Carter Proofreader Cover price: $4.99 Back issues: $6.00 Subscription: $20.00

Your editor at Brookside Gardens’ 50th anniversary celebration.

Brookside Memories

On the occasion of Brookside Gardens’ 50th anniversary, I wanted to share some of my memories of it. For the life of me, though, I cannot recall my first time visiting there. It has been there my whole life and I know I went there on occasion as a child/teen. But it wasn’t until adulthood that I began to truly appreciate it. Brookside Gardens is “my local public garden.” Although I am constantly at other public gardens in the area, it is the closest one to my home and the one I visit most often. I know the grounds well enough to be able to direct strangers when they ask me where something in bloom is and I have hundreds of photos in my files of the gardens in every season. I have volunteered there and given many garden talks there. The Silver Spring Garden Club, of which I am currently the president, holds our meetings and our annual GardenMart fundraiser plant sale there. It is also our host for our annual Seed Exchange each January. I am grateful to the past and present members of Brookside’s staff, who always have time to help with these events and to share their plant expertise. When friends and family members comes to visit from out of town, this is the public garden I take them to first. I know they will be able to relax and enjoy a stroll through the grounds, even if they are not necessarily “plant people.” I turned 50 last year myself and a half-century is a good marking point to take stock and reflect on past successes and struggles. Brookside has much to be proud of in building a safe place for the community to gather, celebrate, and reflect in. I cannot wait to see what the next 50 years have in store! See pages 12–13 of this issue for a history of the gardens and more memories shared by readers who have come to love the gardens as much as I do. Happy gardening,

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

WASHINGTON GARDENER JULY 2019

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

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

• Washington Gardener is a womanowned business. We are proud to be members of: · GardenComm (GWA: The Association for Garden Communicators) · Green America Magazine Leaders Network · Green America Business Network Volume 14, Number 5 ISSN 1555-8959 © 2019 Washington Gardener All rights reserved. Published quarterly. No material may be reproduced without prior written permission. This magazine is purchased by the buyer with the understanding that the information presented is from various sources from which there can be no warranty or responsibility by the publisher as to legality, completeness, or technical accuracy. All uncredited photos in this issue are © Kathy Jentz.

READERreactions

June 2019 Issue I enjoyed all of the articles in the June issue. My favorite article appears in “Ask the Expert.” Just when I think I’ve learned all that I can about watering, there’s always something I’ve missed! I’m astounded about how much more I have to yet to learn about watering new trees! Even though the articles are brief, “Ask the Expert” keeps me informed and up to date, and walks me through the trial and error with close up photos. In this issue of “Ask the Expert,” once again I learned more about watering new trees. This is a “clip & save” article! ~ Maria Ibanez, Washington, DC I appreciated the beautyberry article in this issue. I didn’t realize the plant should be pruned back each spring. Good to know and I’ll do this next year. ~ Katie Rapp, Gaithersburg, MD My favorite article discussed the garden of Bunny Mellon. I have been lucky enough to visit the garden and found it inspirational. The article did a good job of conveying the garden’s beauty and the happiness/gift that the garden is being maintained after its creator’s death in faithfulness to her vision. ~ Barbara Delaney, Bethesda, MD I liked the article on beautyberries in the June issue. I’ve long been fascinated by those crazy artificial-looking purple berries and have been wondering where I could find room to plant one. ~ Eileen Schramm, Silver Spring, MD I was first drawn to the article on Bunny Mellon’s garden. As one who is always looking for another garden to photograph, I was quite anxious to learn about this new opportunity. But, oh, the disappointment, when I read “The Oak Spring Garden Foundation isn’t open to the public for visits or tours other than by invitation...” So, what else might be interesting? Again, I scanned the table of contents and immediately turned to the article on “9 Ways to Mosquito-Proof your Yard.” There, I found some solid advice on what to do and how to do it—no invitation required. Thanks for the advice on mosquitoes. ~ Howard Clark, Montgomery Village, MD

READERcontt

Reader Contest

For our July 2019 Washington Gardener Magazine Reader Contest, Washington Gardener is giving away a set of plant pots and saucers from Jimmy Potters Studio (a $55 value). Jimmy Potters Studio and Workshop (http://jimmypotters. com) is at 11215 Lee Hwy., Suite N., Fairfax, VA. It is a locally owned ceramics studio that offers weekly classes, covering beginning to advanced levels of pottery wheel-throwing classes, as well as hand-building and sculpture. The studio has high-quality, well-equipped, and expertly staffed ceramics programs. Their handcrafted earthenware pots range from earthy tones to contemporary, in a vast array of finishes. No two are exactly alike—living evidence of handmade ceramics. To enter to win the set of pots, send an email to WashingtonGardener@rcn.com by 5pm on Wednesday, July 31, with “Jimmy Plant Pots” in the subject line and in the body of the email. Tell us which was your favorite article in this issue and why. Please include your full name and mailing address. The winner will be announced and notified on August 1.

Y ou Can Make a Difference. . . by

Sharing Your Harvest

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

WASHINGTON GARDENER

NEIGHBORnwork garden, creating a special place for visitors. What I dislike is seeing the remarkable progress of invasive plants all over the region.

Keith Tomlinson, Meadowlark’s Manager By Alexandra Marquez

What is a typical workday like for you? I’ve worked Sunday through Thursday for more than 20 years. Traditionally, Sunday is the busiest day of the week, so I think it’s incumbent upon me to be here. Depending on the weather, I might be outside a significant part of the day, interacting with customers. On a rainy day, I’m in the office focusing on managerial or curatorial tasks.

Photo courtesy of Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, NOVA Parks.

We caught up with Keith Tomlinson after our Washington Gardener Photo Show opening reception at the end of June at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, VA. Tomlinson is the manager there and enjoys introducing new plants to visitors at the gardens. He is a native plant specialist. Are you originally from the DC region? I moved from Detroit to DC in 1969 as a kid. I was immediately fascinated by the region’s geography, deep river valleys, towering forests, and angular gray cliffs. A black bear lived in the woods not far from our house in Great Falls.* What brought you to horticulture? I was an outdoor trip leader for Montgomery County Public Schools in the early 1980s. On one particular trip to Shenandoah National Park, I was absolutely amazed at the diversity of wild 6

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flowers near Old Rag Mountain. From that day forth, plants were of neverending interest to me. Where does your passion for growing native plants stem from? I was a prolific rock climber and mountaineer in my youth and, over time visiting many beautiful places in North American and Europe, I began to take notice of the regional flora. Later, my training at West Virginia University and the University of Hawaii was strongly conservation-focused. Native plants were a central topic. That was 35 years ago. I’ve now been to more than 100 botanical gardens in nearly 40 countries around the world, always looking at their native plant collections. What aspects of your current position do you like and dislike the most? It’s a pure privilege to work at a public

What are the most-common things people misunderstand about public gardens? These days, I think it’s important for all gardens to teach about the role of plant diversity for human well-being. The public might think of a garden as just a beautiful place, but it’s much more. It’s an outdoor classroom and a window on the wild when cultivating native plants for education and display. What tips would you give to anyone starting a native plant garden? Whether you have shade or sun, there’s a native plant suitable for your garden; many, in fact. The Washington, DC, region is very diverse for native species and many are available in the horticultural trade. Build a good soil profile, learn about growing conditions, and plant away. Then, visit local parks and wilderness areas to see these plants in the wild. What would you most like our readers to know about growing natives? All native plants in cultivation support our regional biodiversity. Native plants are patronized by many insects, birds, mammals, and even reptiles. When you plant natives, you’re supporting the local ecosystem and, in turn, entire ecoregions. Our area is truly diverse and a great place to grow natives. You’ll be amazed at the diversity of life that appears as your native-scape garden matures over time. o Alexandra Marquez is a rising junior journalism and anthropology major at the University of Maryland. She is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener this summer. *These responses have been edited for length and clarity.

PLANTprofile The National Garden Bureau (NGB) has crowned 2019 as the “Year of the Salvia.” Hardy salvias are some of the most-common ornamental and culinary plant species you’ll find. In fact, you may already have some Salvia officinalis growing or flowering, in your garden! Salvia officinalis is more commonly known as sage, and is a common herb used in cooking around the country. The most common hardy species are S. nemorosa and S. pratensis, and the many hybrids derived from them such as S. x sylvestris and S. x superbum. Today, we typically refer to the entire class of these hybrids as S. nemorosa (nemorosa from the Latin “of woods”) for simplicity and the reason why we commonly refer to these hardy plants and Woodland Sage. Interestingly, all plants with the common name of “sage” are salvia, but we reserve the true genus name for ornamental, rather than culinary species. English botanist George Bentham did the first extensive documentation of this genus in 1836. One fascinating characteristic of salvia flowers is that they contain a trigger mechanism that deposits pollen on the back side of visiting bees. This pollen then is transferred to female salvia flowers that share the same receptive flower parts, encouraging pollination among the same or similar species. The beautiful salvia we find in our modern gardens originates from plants found in the wooded elevations of Eurasia. All salvia are in the mint family Lamiacea and are cousins to landscape favorites such as Catmint (Nepeta sp.) and Beebalm (Monarda sp.). Indeed, many salvia species reveal their history through the minty fragrance in their leaves. There are more than 1,000 species in the genus; although, most are not hardy in northern gardens. However, there are also hundreds of other hardy/perennial salvia varieties to choose from when considering growing this plant in your garden. The most common is called ‘May Night’ and is known for its pest and disease resistance as well as its beautiful indigo-blue flowers. Other common types of hardy salvia are the dark-stemmed ‘Caradonna’ and the dark-purple ‘Ostfriesland’, which NGB considers classics among

North American gardeners. Hardy salvia like S. nemorosa are considered to be easy to care for and relatively easy to grow in our area. They can be in the same place for years without much care and upkeep, and they are preferred among pollinators like bees and hummingbirds. Because they are a member of the mint family, they are not a preferred snack for deer and rabbits, which makes them great for gardens that usually get eaten up by these woodland creatures. Plant salvia in a spot where they receive at least a half-day of direct sunlight on average, as this will encourage a pleasant amount of flowering from the plant. Salvia also prefers soils rich in organic matter, so if you are working in sandy or heavy clay soil, be sure to add some compost, peat moss, or topsoil to your garden to encourage growth and flowering. Once salvia is established in the garden and growing well, it is relatively drought-tolerant and only needs watering when other landscape shrubs, like Hydrangea, show signs of wilting. Applying a balanced fertilizer, like a 1515-15, is necessary to prevent healthy green growth on the salvia plant. Apply fertilizer twice: once when the plant first emerges from dormancy in the spring, and once again in early summer. Salvia plants can be encouraged to bloom multiple times a summer, and sometimes even a few times into the fall. To do so, watch for the time when the first flush of flowers has finished and the flower stems have turned brown. Then, cut back the plants to about one-third of their original size. Cutting the plant back encourages it to push new shoots up from the root system, and you should see a new flush of flowers in 4–6 weeks. Repeat this process multiple times a summer and you should see a new flowers a few more times throughout the season. Remove all salvia foliage after it turns brown in the fall to promote healthy new growth the following spring. o This fact sheet and illustration is provided as an educational service of the National Garden Bureau (www.ngb.org). Edited for length, style, and clarity by Alexandra Marquez, Kathy Jentz, and Ruth E. Thaler-Carter.

JULY 2019

WASHINGTON GARDENER

EDIBLEharvt

The Second Season Garden By Barbara Melera The second gardening season for MidAtlantic gardeners begins in early July. It is the time to start planting coldtolerant crops that will flourish in the cool autumn nights. Unlike planting in the spring, where each day is growing longer, planting in mid-summer and fall must take into account that each day is growing shorter. This means that it takes longer for a plant to mature. The general rule of for mid-summer/ fall planting is to add two weeks (14 days) to the time to maturity. If you are planting in containers or raised beds, you should not add 14 days to the time to maturity. Most vegetables and flowers mature more quickly when planted in containers or raised beds. You also have to be aware of frost dates. Many vegetables, like beets, broccoli, kale, Swiss chard, turnips, rutabaga, etc., improve in flavor when exposed to frosts, but many vegetables are destroyed with exposure to frost. Also, once the ground freezes, it is impossible to harvest root vegetables, so keep this in mind. Mulching heavily with straw will prevent the ground from freezing for a while and will allow you to extend your harvest for several weeks. The “second season” garden is every bit as exciting and rewarding as your spring garden. It just comes with a whole different set of challenges and rewards. You will find that weeding, bugs, and watering are all much less of an issue, but a freak early frost can destroy all of your hard work.

Lettuces for Fall

Of all the vegetables and herbs that you can plant for fall harvesting, lettuce is the easiest; the most-prolific; and the vegetable that can truly be grown anywhere there is light, soil, and water. This means you can grow lettuce in your backyard garden; on your deck or patio; and, yes, apartment dwellers with no balcony, you can even grow lettuce on your window sill. The issue is not “can you,” but “which ones.” You must be careful when you plant lettuce. If you plant it too soon, 8

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the hot weather will cause it to germinate in a matter of days (not the 2–3 weeks it sometimes takes in early spring) and in just a few weeks, it will become bitter and bolt. If you plant it too late, it will take 2–3 weeks to germinate and then shortly thereafter, the frost will kill it before it has had time to put on much growth. In Zones 6–7, start lettuce by the end of August. In Zone 8, start lettuce in late October. Remember to succession-plant by seeding every week to 10 days. Do not wait two weeks between plantings like you would in the spring. Your second and third crops will not have time to mature. Romaine is the most cold-hardy, followed by leaf lettuces, crisphead lettuces, and the least cold-hardy of all types of lettuce—butterhead lettuces. Color plays a part in cold-hardiness. The red lettuces are much more coldhardy than the green lettuces. However, the darker green the lettuce, the more cold-hardy it is.

You Can’t Beat Beets

If you are considering planting for a fall and early winter vegetable crop, and you have never done second season planting, then I would suggest that you start with beets. ‘Detroit Dark Red’, although it is not the oldest beet still in cultivation, is the grand old man of beets. This beet was developed from a very popular French variety known as ‘European Early Blood’ and in 1892, was introduced into the United States by at least three seedhouses at the same time. ‘Detroit Dark Red’ became an overnight success because of its great flavor and its resistance to mildew.

‘Detroit Dark Red’ takes about 70 days to mature in the fall. In the spring, it takes 55 days. It will get woody if left in the ground too long, but like other beets, it can be stored in slightly damp sand in a cool area for several months. For a fall crop, in Zones 6–7 beets should be planted from July 15–July 31, in Zones 8 beets should be planted from October 15–November 15.

Care for a Carrot?

The carrot is the second-most-popular vegetable in the world. Only the potato enjoys greater popularity. In the wild, carrots come in many colors including white, yellow, red, and maroon. The vegetable probably originated in the area now occupied by Iran and Afghanistan, but quickly spread to southern Europe. Carrots, like their cousins parsley, cumin, chervil, dill, caraway, coriander, fennel, anise, parsnip, and celery, were originally grown for their leaves and seeds, which were used as flavorings. With cultivation, the roots grew larger, sweeter, and less woody and eventually, the root became more popular for culinary purposes than the leaves or seeds. The first orange carrot was introduced in the Netherlands in the 1600s, but it was the French who fell in love with the idea of orange carrots. The famous French seedhouse, Vilmorin-Andrieux, dedicated massive resources during the mid-1800s to developing the sweetest orange carrots on the face of the earth. The ‘Nantes’ carrot, developed at Vilmorin-Andrieux, was named for the town of Nantes in Brittany. Its nearly cylindrical shape, blunt tip, incredible sweetness, lack of a woody core, and beautiful orange color have made this one of the most-popular carrots. In the spring, this carrot matures in 70 days, but in the fall, it will take 84 days. Seed planted at the beginning of July will produce mature carrots by the end of September. o Barbara Melera is the owner of HarvestingHistory.com. For 13 years, she was president and CEO of the D. Landreth Seed Company, the oldest seedhouse in America.

DIYproje

Plants to Dye For By Kathy Jentz

You may have noticed in your garden experiences that your hands or clothing became stained when working with plants. Who hasn’t gotten grass-stained knees at some point. or berry-purple fingers? Well, those same plant-staining properties can be turned from accident to purposeful usage with some basic dying techniques. One of the hottest new gardening trends is cultivating plants to create natural fabric dyes. It is another aspect of organic, authentic living. You grow your own food and herbs, you might raise your own sheep for fiber, creating natural plant dyes is just the next step in the DIY revolution. You may already be growing many of these plants in your ornamental garden or vegetable plots, so there would be no need to start from scratch or overhaul your whole landscape to start exploring natural plant dyes. See the box at right for a short list of common dye plants that are fairly easy to grow, along with the dye color you can create from each one. One inventive gardener I know even goes a step farther and collects his plant dye materials for his fiber artworks from invasive weeds. This is a win-win situation for our local parks. Local officials are happy to have him gather these abundant, free supplies for his projects. Some weeds you can experiment with include pokeweed, English Ivy, and barberry roots. The strength of pigment you end up with will depend on how long you soak the fabric, what the fibers are made from, and the dye concentration you create. You will also need to use a color fixative such as a salt water or vinegar bath so the dye does not wash out.

Plant Dye Colors

• Artemisia – green • Beets – red • Hibiscus flowers – maroon • Goldenrod – brown • Iris roots – gray • Lavender – pink • Marigold – yellow • Onions – orange • Oregano – black • Red cabbage - lavender

For further reading, I recommend these two new books about this topic: A Garden to Dye For by Chris McLaughlin and Natural Color by Sasha Duerr. Both contain many beautiful and inspirational plant dye projects that are sure to get you dreaming of the fashionable possibilities you can grow in the garden next season. o Kathy Jentz is the editor and founder of Washington Gardener. Photos by Susan Harris, GardenRant.com. JULY 2019

WASHINGTON GARDENER

TIPStricks

Roots help plants get the nutrients and water they need for healthy growth. They also give back to the soil. The deeper and wider they go, the more benefits they provide to soil fertility and stable carbon storage in soils. Shown, a comparison of soybean root systems—the roots on the left are more robust and will serve the plant well. Credit: SV Fisk.

Plants are Not Passive Actors in the Soil

It’s easy to believe that plant roots settle in most soil rather easily and don’t need many nutrients from outside the soil, but according to Jake Mowrer at the Soils Matter, Get the Scoop blog (https://soilsmatter.wordpress.com), that’s not all there is to it. Soil does provide nearly all the things a plant could need, including: physical anchoring to the Earth’s surface, preventing massive loss of plant life to outer space; many (but not all) nutrients required, water storage; and a habitat for beneficial organisms to interact with. However, plants aren’t supported by soil as easily as we often think. Plants don’t just sit in the ground, collecting nutrients and food, and growing, but actually put a lot of effort into getting just the basic nutrients they need to survive and thrive in the soil. To do this, they must invest some of the energy gained from sunlight in this process. The chemical makeup of many soil nutrients is not one that plants can access easily and any nutrient must be dissolved in water before the plant consuming it. Plants have evolved to learn many cool ways to absorb nutrients. Some nutrients easily make their way from soil solutions into the root, while others require much more energy to absorb. However, soil minerals interact chemi10

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cally with nutrients in ways that limit their solubility. Soil organic matter forms insoluble complexes with nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and micronutrients. Plants must therefore spend photosynthetic energy producing and releasing a complex cocktail of their own chemicals through the root system to improve the chances of dissolving nutrients. Again, roots are earning their investment by working hard to get what the plant needs. Plants also enjoy working with other tiny creatures in the soil to help them absorb nutrients. Plants grow and develop better when they interact with naturally occurring soil microorganisms that include bacteria, fungi, nematodes, arthropods, and insects. Most of these creatures feed on organic matter in the soil, so soils with low levels of organic matter don’t support very many of these positive organisms. Plants like a “dirty” environment, teeming with life. The reasons are more complex, but the result is simple. More roots grow in the soil when organic matter is present. o

Evergreen Groundcovers for Reducing Maintenance

Evergreen groundcovers create a healthy, green, and inviting garden, according to the folks at iVerde (www. perennialpower.eu). Weeds have less chance of taking over in a garden with the bare soil covered by a “green mulch.” That means: less weeding, more relaxation. Begin by clearing the weeds: Work the soil thoroughly and remove all the weeds you can see. Then plant the evergreen groundcovers. To get your plants off to a good start, add some compost or organic fertilizer to the soil. Certain ornamental grasses can also serve as evergreen groundcovers. Good examples are Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa macra) and sedges such as Carex morrowii and Carex oshimensis ‘Evergold’. These perennial garden plants provide the garden with movement; even a slight breeze will make them sway. Would you like to attract bees and butterflies to your garden? Then add other kinds of perennials that are covered with flowers, such as Catnip (Nepeta) and Cranesbill (Geranium). o

Plant Blindness: What It Is and How to Overcome It

Plant blindness, according to a recent BBC article (www.bbc.com), is a phenomenon where humans are less-able to see or notice the plants around them. Researchers Elisabeth Schussler and James Wandersee, a pair of botanists and biology educators, say that children are more likely to recognize animals as living creatures much earlier than plants. The human retina also often filters out non-threatening things like plants and clumps them together when surveying a landscape. Even adults, studies show, are able to notice animals much more quickly than they can identify plants. This can be because, culturally, we sometimes place more value on animals than on plants by naming them and caring for them in a similar way to other humans. We sometimes assign animals human characteristics or use them as sports team mascots. We’re also more likely to notice individual variation among animals than among plants, like the colors on a butterfly’s wing or a pet’s personality. There is also something known as “our preference for bio-behavioral similarity,” which describes our ability, as primates, to tend to notice creatures that are more similar to us. To overcome plant blindness, scientists recommend increasing the frequency and variety of plants we see. Plant exposure should begin at a young age and children should be given the opportunity to interact with plants on a daily or near-daily basis. Interacting with plants at the park or in a garden helps decrease plant blindness in children. In other parts of the world, plants can be an integral part of everyday culture or religion, through medicine, food, or spiritual imagery. People in these cultures are less plant-blind than in the U.S. This means that plant blindness is neither universal nor inevitable, and it can be overcome with greater awareness of the issue and how to solve it. o These tips were compiled by Alexandra Marquez. She is a rising junior journalism and anthropology major at the University of Maryland. She is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener this summer.

GARDENnews

Quick Links to Washington Gardener Blog Posts • Book Donations Support Horticultural Library • Cool Gardening Gift Ideas • Plant Profile: Daylily • DIY: Insect Hotel See more Washington Gardener blog posts at: WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com o

July–August Garden To-Do List

New Plant Spotlight

Sedum Atlantis™ Plantipp, and its North American division Concept Plants, is celebrating a big win for gardeners everywhere. Sedum takesimense Atlantis™ (‘Nonsital’) PP27,454 was named 2019 Chelsea Flower Show Plant of the Year, beating out 19 other shortlisted varieties. A brand-new sedum fit for a queen (bee) and other pollinators, Chelsea Plant of the Year 2019 Sedum takesimense Atlantis™ from breeder Dave Mackenzie, owner and founder of Hortech/Live Roof/Live Wall in Grand Haven, MI, is set to become a favorite for growers and gardeners. Sedum Atlantis® is a multi-colored plant with yellow variegated foliage and big bloom power with flower buds that change from pink to cherry-red, opening to bright-yellow. It’s a somewhat shadetolerant sedum that can take slightly moist conditions, but remains droughttolerant where water is an issue. The BBC and ITV highlighted the plant on air, as did The Telegraph, pointing out that it’s the first time in the 10-year competition that a variegated plant was selected to receive the top prize.

Plant Care Facts:

• Hardiness zone: 4b. • Early-season and long-flowering. • Heat-resistant, drought-resistant, humidity-resistant, and disease-free, • Uses: in a rock garden, for green roofs, as a ground cover, or in a container on a terrace or balcony. • Remains low. Grows until about 4–6" high and 18" wide. o

• The heat of summer is here. Time to start doing chores during early morning or evening. Take a break during the hottest parts of the day. • Prune Wisteria. •If your pond water gets low from prolonged drought, top it off with tap water and add a dechlorinator according to package instructions. • Cut back spent stalks on common daylilies. • Pinch back any annuals that may be growing leggy. • Divide and cut back Bearded Iris. • Check your pond pump for any debris—clean it out every few weeks. • Weed. • Cut off bottom, yellowed foliage on tomato plants. • Stake and tie up any tall-growing perennials such as phlox or delphiniums. • Wash out birdbaths weekly with diluted bleach solution. • Water thoroughly, especially if you receive no rain for more than seven days. • Take cuttings from azaleas, boxwoods, and camellias to start new plants. • Check your local garden center for mid-summer bargains. • Hand-pick Japanese Beetles or shake them off over a bucket of dishwater. Early morning is a good time to catch them, while they are still drowsy. • Re-pot the houseplants you’ve moved outdoors for the summer. • Pick blueberries at a local pick-your-own farm or visit a local farmer’s market. • Pinch back any straying strawberry runners. • Deadhead perennials for a second flush of blooms later this summer. • Thin out small trees and cut off any suckering branches growing from the bottom root balls. • Inspect your garden for powdery mildew. If seen, prune back perennials to create needed circulation. • Annuals are now hitting their peak. Keep them well-watered and add a little liquid fertilizer every few weeks to keep them going through September. • Check your plants at night with a flashlight for any night-feeding insects like slugs. • If you find slug damage, set out beer traps or Sluggo pellets. • Pinch back mums so they grow bushier and won’t flower until autumn. • Hold off on planting new trees and shrubs until the summer heat has passed. • Caulk and seal your outside walls to prevent insect entry into your home. • Harvest regularly from your vegetable garden to prevent rot and waste. • Put up a hammock or garden bench for enjoying your views. • Turn compost pile. • Check out gardening books from your local library to read on vacation. • Check for any stagnant-water mosquito breeding grounds, especially your gutters. Dump out any water that sits stagnant for more than three days. • Add Mosquito Dunks to any standing water in your yard, such as birdbaths, downspouts, plant saucers, and gutters. • Gather roses to enjoy indoors—be sure to make the cut just above a five-leaf unit. • Harvest onions when tops die back. • Sow seeds of fall crops such as broccoli, turnips, cauliflower, etc., in late July. o JULY 2019

WASHINGTON GARDENER

SPECIALfeature

Brookside Gardens Turns 50 By Kathy Jentz

A special celebration marked the golden anniversary of Brookside Gardens on the morning of Friday, July 12, 2019. The event was open to the public and featured guest speakers, light refreshments, and a chance to tour the gardens with an interactive story map. Brookside Gardens opened July 13, 1969, at 25 acres—half its current size—with a staff of 11 and an estimated 35,000 visitors in its first year. Five decades later, the award-winning public display garden in Wheaton Regional Park attracts more than 400,000 visitors per year to enjoy its intricately designed landscapes; permanent and seasonal displays; two conservatories; and engaging programs and events, including the Wings of Fancy Live Butterfly and Caterpillar exhibit and the winter Garden of Lights display. From serving as a beautiful backdrop for family photographs to hosting unexpected moments such as first steps, first kisses, and proposals, to providing a serene respite for memorial services and private moments of reflection, Brookside Gardens has become an integral part of the community.

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“Over the past 50 years, Brookside Gardens has grown alongside the Montgomery County community, and we are proud that we can serve as a place that fulfills a variety of needs for our residents,” said Stephanie Oberle, director of Brookside Gardens. “As we look forward to the next 50 years, I am excited by the possibilities of the future growth of Brookside Gardens, within our traditional services, but also in new directions like green jobs for youth, wellbeing for all, and nurturing connections to plants and to each other.” In this issue’s Editor’s Letter (see page 4), I share my own special Brookside memories, I asked Washington Gardener readers to also share their Brookside Garden memories. Janet Ishimoto said, “I’ve been volunteering as a gardener at Brookside Gardens since 2015. I’ve learned a lot about plant identification, propagation, and care from my horticulturalist supervisor. “My earliest memory of Brookside Gardens is from early 1973. Some friends from school and I were supposed to be returning to school from a

singing performance. We decided it was too nice to go back to class, so we went to Brookside Gardens. Going into the conservatory, I recognized one of the volunteers as my sixth-grade teacher. I didn’t speak to him, since I was trying to catch up with my friends. My friends and I had a very pleasant hour or so wandering through the conservatory and grounds before returning to school. I’ve visited Brookside Gardens regularly since then.” Linda L. Jones said, “My first memories of Brookside Gardens are from around 2010, when I came to a Washington Gardener Seed Exchange. It was winter, but still beautiful in its own wintry way. Lots of interesting plants and structures... I learned that there was a conservatory on the property and waited for a better weather day to come back for a visit. It was definitely worth the wait. From the entrance to the rear, there were wall-to-wall plant species of a varied and diverse tropical genre. The colors were captivating. I took lots of pictures and put them in a slideshow, which I still go to for shots for various art projects. The memories

SPECIALfeature

A Look Back: The History of Brookside Gardens

will forever be in my mind. Each time I go. which is at least twice per year, I notice something new and show-stopping. Brookside will continue to be a favorite place to visit alone or with friends because there’s something for everyone!” Taffy Turner wrote, “I don’t have many early memories of the gardens, except taking my grandkids to Garden of Lights. But as soon as I retired in 2008, I started volunteering there as a gardening assistant and a couple of years later as an adult guide. “Working with the gardeners is a wonderful way to refine your gardening skills on a very practical level, i.e., how to actually garden—how to plant correctly, how to water, how to weed, how to prune. It’s been a wonderful experience that I couldn’t have gotten anywhere else.” “Peter Day and I were married at Brookside Gardens on the afternoon of the summer solstice in 2002,” said Linda Keenan. “We held the ceremony outdoors at the gazebo. Our officiant, Peter, his two best men, and guests waited there while my sisters, flower girl, friend of honor, and I walked down from the visitors center. Evidently, we were expected to appear down a particular path, and

everyone’s heads turned in that direction. Instead, we walked down another— a stealth arrival! “By the summer solstice, our hot weather has usually arrived, and 2002 was no different. Peter is British, and our British guests suffered as the temperature climbed to 85 degrees F. But our ceremony was short, and while our outdoor wedding photos were taken, our guests were relieved to partake of appetizers inside the air-conditioned visitors center. We rejoined our guests for a joyous dinner and dancing into the evening. “Peter’s mother loves gardening, and during her spring and fall visits, we often took her to visit Brookside Gardens, where she delighted in the planted beds and the ponds. A few years ago, I managed to bring my father back to Brookside Gardens for the first time since our wedding. He valiantly climbed hills and stepped down paths with his walker. We sat under the gazebo, talking about the wedding, and our family members and friends who had passed away since then. “There aren’t many times in your life when nearly all the people you love are gathered in the same place. Brookside Gardens will always be that place for us.”

According to Montgomery Parks, in 1965, the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission approved a portion of Wheaton Regional Park for an arboretum. Landscape architect Han Hanses developed the original design using many European concepts from his training in Germany and Switzerland. When the gardens opened in 1969, they consisted of three formal gardens leading to a Wedding Gazebo, an Azalea Walk, plantings around the entrance, and the Conservatory. “When we were developing Brookside Gardens, one of the focal points was to have a conservatory, so we could have flower shows. It’s been a place of interest and beauty, but also educationally very important. It’s a great place to introduce children to the beauty of the horticultural world,” said Carl Schoening, former assistant director, Montgomery Parks. In 1971, First Lady Pat Nixon presented Brookside Gardens with a Beautification Award. Brookside Gardens was one of 15 projects selected for the national award presented on behalf of the American Association of Nurserymen. Over the years, additional periods of development occurred. In 1972, the Gude Garden and Japanese Tea House, dedicated by Congressman Gilbert Gude to honor his father Adolph Gude, was completed. Then, in 1998, a generous donation from Elizabeth Turner led to the creation of the Visitors Center, with new classrooms, auditorium, and offices, expanding the capacity for classes, events, and programming. In 2002, Brookside Gardens’ master plan was adopted, paving the way for future renovations and improvements, including the main entrance with its new boardwalk and parking garden in 2016 and the new state-of-the-art production greenhouse, supported by a generous donation from Friends of Brookside Gardens founding president Joan O’Rourke. Brookside Gardens is open yearround, sunrise to sunset, and admission is free. For details about the garden, visit. www.brooksidegardens.org. o JULY 2019

WASHINGTON GARDENER

BOOKreviews

Urban Garden Design: Transform Your Outdoor Space Into a Beautiful and Practical Escape By Kate Gould Publisher: Kyle Books List Price: $27.99 Order Link: https://amzn.to/2lNKFar Reviewer: Alexandra Marquez Urban Garden Design by Kate Gould is a complete handbook for building your dream garden in a small space. In the introduction, Gould mentions that her work in urban garden design spans more than 20 years, so she’s a definite expert. She says she compiled her book based on the most-common questions, concerns, and problems cited by her clients in that time period. Before the book’s main chapters, Gould addresses the beginning of an urban garden design process: finding your style. She suggests different methods to identifying the type of space you’d like to have and guides you to identify the aesthetic you’re going for in your garden. After that, the book is split first into sections by type of garden: basement gardens, small urban gardens, courtyards, rooftop gardens, and terraces. In each section, Gould mentions the dos and don’ts for each type of garden and the best plants and flowers to include. It’s clear she knows which plants work best for each environment, which design elements work best for each type of space, and how best to use limited space to create an outdoor oasis. The plant lists are helpful, but Gould is based in England, so not all of the plants she recommends would be the 14

WASHINGTON GARDENER JULY 2019

best to grow in our area. For example, Fatsia japonica, which Gould recommends for basement gardens, is only marginally hardy for our region. After Gould’s guide for each space, she’s included a few sections addressing specific problems one might encounter when designing an urban garden. First, she writes about dealing with existing structures in the space, like boundary walls, air-conditioning units, and existing plants. She recommends ways to spruce these up, or cover them well, depending on the structure and space. In another section, Gould shares specific tricky problems with spatial design she’s encountered before and addresses possible solutions that someone whose space has similar issues might explore. At the very end, she also mentions specific items that people often want to include in urban gardens, like grills or light fixtures, and advises on what may be the best option for the space. All in all, Gould’s book is very informative and is crammed with helpful information for planning and building a garden in a small space. The book is helpful, practical, and informed by Gould’s real experiences in constructing small-space gardens. If you’ve been planning or thinking about crafting a garden in a small space, Urban Garden Design is the guide for you. o Alexandra Marquez is a rising junior journalism and anthropology major at the University of Maryland. She is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener this summer.

Shrubs: Discover the Perfect Plant for Every Place in Your Garden By Andy McIndoe Publisher: Timber Press List Price: $32.95. Order Link: https://amzn.to/2khXGbJ Reviewer: Andrea F. Siegel There are many definitions of what a shrub is, but many of us think of it as a woody plant that is shorter than whatever we consider would make it a tree and performs reliably year after year with little encouragement. Shrubs may be deciduous or evergreen or have leaves that are spectacular or change color; they may have flowers or berries or both; they come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and looks;

are suited to a variety of landscape situations, and nearly all fall into the current “low maintenance” trend. All of that makes this new book about shrubs timely. In Shrubs, English prize-winning horticulturist Andy McIndoe begins where gardeners often don’t. He assesses growing conditions and provides frank advice about which shrubs are likely to thrive there. In contrast, many a gardener starts with the visual appeal of a particular shrub, lets that overpower the growing advice on the label, and works to change the conditions of the chosen site at home. While many shrubs aren’t included— this isn’t an encyclopedia—hundreds are, and McIndoe offers a broad palette. The author does note that while he features a certain cultivar of a shrub, a gardener may want to check out other cultivars of the same shrub and research the list of “other good shrubs” he suggests but doesn’t feature. This helps to make McIndoe’s book a good starting point for many readers. The four chapters—the how-tos of selection and planting followed by shrubs for most growing conditions, for restricted spaces, and with desirable traits—have subsections. Not only do these bring detailed order to an examination of a huge and diverse group of plants, but they get a reader thinking about such things as shrubs for container gardening and steep slopes. Throughout, McIndoe provides key information for each shrub, including dimensions and hardiness zone (for the USA and UK). He describes the shrub, its

BOOKreviews growing conditions and care, and how it’s often used. Where it is native is only sometimes mentioned, so native plant seekers may need to track down that information. That is accompanied by a photo of at least one-quarter page—most photos were taken by the author. Some are close-ups of a showy feature, and some a fuller view of the shrub. Readers using the book to help select shrubs may want to check other resources so they see more plant views and learn more. Especially helpful are photos of mixed shrubs and other landscaping. All of this makes McIndoe’s methodical book a helpful guide for gardeners at every level. o Andrea F. Siegel is a master gardener and freelance writer in Maryland.

The Art of the Japanese Garden: History/Culture/Design By David and Michiko Young Publisher: Tuttle Publishing List Price: $24.99 Order Link: https://amzn.to/2kfaQpW Reviewer: Jim Dronenburg This book is not a textbook. It is not a guidebook. It’s both, neither, a cross between the two. The format tends heavily toward descriptions of actual gardens, but the book does start off with an overview, and then a section about the development of the Japanese garden from prehistory onward. The prehistory is admittedly brief, but giving some of the underlying puzzle pieces that Westerners do not have, and need, to appreciate the Japanese garden. Chief among these is that gravel expanses in the Japanese tradition started as a designation that “this space is holy/set apart from the common.” And in many cases, this is still exactly what it means. Another underlying concept is the presence, and flow, of water. A large Japanese garden is built around water—a stream, a pond, a waterfall (if one is so lucky). A basin of water. Where water is not and cannot be, it is suggested by a “stream” of stones. Waterfalls are suggested by stones. This suggestion is a great part of the whole, and quite a lot of the “meaning” of a Japanese garden is an island in a lake, a group of stones, an artificial

hill (yes, the Japanese do this too) that suggests scenes elsewhere in Japan or in China. A line from a poem. A miniature scene suggests large landscapes. Yet another concept is—I’m going to say this badly—the concept of natural, unostentatious, quiet beauty. Repurposed things like foundation stones becoming stepping stones, and a roof tile or some-such lying on the ground. Moss on a stone. Natural materials, and natural weathering of surfaces. This does not mean that Japanese gardeners don’t like a massive cloud of cherry blossoms or a blaze of Japanese maples en masse; they do. But in their time, in their place. The book goes on to mention the styles of Japanese gardens, from the Heian period (8th to nearly the 13th century AD) through the later periods to the present. Japanese gardens had fashions, too. Later periods saw a larger palette of species used, as they were introduced to Japan. Over this past nearly 200 years, the gates to the West opened; just as the West had first a trickle, then a flood, of new plants from Japan, so the flow of new plants came into Japan as well. Including large stretches of lawn in the more-modern, large gardens. Then the book mentions things found in Japanese gardens—stepping stones, fences, gates, lanterns, bridges, walls, and stones—and their meanings. This fills 47 pages. The rest of the book is about individual great gardens of Japan—grouped by their overall style through the centuries: graveled court-

yard gardens, Heian style Shinden and Buddhist gardens, Zen temple gardens, samurai warrior gardens, tea gardens, Edo period, and “more recent” gardens. The book is chock-full of wonderful photos—and drawings, to point out more sharply what a photo might not— of the why of the garden, the why of the placement of stones, and the why of a path or bridge. The only thing that this book lacks is a glossary of Japanese terms, which would be helpful. As it is, one is expected to read the front section first, because only then one will know what is being discussed if the book is opened at random. This is a glorious picture book; but it is also full of information and concepts that the authors want the reading public to learn. Read and learn. What a concept. Do get, and read, this book. Some aspects of the art of Japanese garden will not translate easily to our climate, but many of the concepts will. o Jim Dronenburg is a retired accountant and now gardens full-time in Knoxville, MD. Note: These book reviews include links to Amazon for ordering them. Washington Gardener may receive a few cents from each order placed through the link.

Love Reading?

These books were reviewed by volunteer members of the Washington Gardener Reader Panel. To join the Washington Gardener Volunteer Reader Panel, please send an email with your name and address to: KathyJentz@gmail.com. We look forward to having you be a vital part of our local publication and its gardening mission. o JULY 2019

WASHINGTON GARDENER

GOINGnative

An Indian Love Story

By Barry Glick They were the dog days of August on the reservation, and the young women had just sent her children off to practice bow-hunting with the elders of the tribe. Consequently, she was looking forward to an intimate afternoon with the chief’s son, who was the father of her two little ones. They entered the teepee with passion on their minds, when a distracting buzzing sound shattered the mood. It was those damn, pesky, annoying teepee flies again! Now, the other day, whilst foraging for Indian Turnips (Arisaema triphyllum), one of the men had noticed that they’d accidentally dug up another bulb-like plant that no one in the tribe had ever seen before. He keenly observed a swarm of dead flies on one of the bulbs that had been crushed. Innovator that he was, he took some of the basswood honey that they’d retrieved from a hollow “Bee Tree” blown down by a recent thunderstorm and mixed it with the liquid from the crushed bulb. In that moment, the first fly strip was born. Folks, I wasn’t there, so I can’t say for sure if this is what really went down, but in my mind, that’s how I like to imagine it happening. In any event, the plant is Amianthium muscitoxicum, a member of the Lily family (pictured), and the common name is Fly Poison. This is just one of the many native plants that the early inhabitants of our country used for sustenance and medicine before Walmart. I mentioned Arisaema triphyllum, which most of us know and love as “Jack in the Pulpit.” I referred to it by another moniker, even older than Jack in the Pulpit, Indian Turnip. The latter common name speaks to the 16

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edible nature of the tubers that this plant grows from. Arisaema triphyllum just happens to be in the same family as Philodendron, Tapioca, and Dieffenbachia. By the way, the common name for Dieffenbachia, a common houseplant, is Dumb Cane, because if you were to bite into the plant, its oxalic acid crystals would cause a painful swelling of the tongue and mouth, rendering you unable to speak. Those same oxalic acid crystals are prevalent in the bulbs of the Jack in the Pulpit. So, how did the name Indian Turnip, a term that would lead us to believe that there is an edible component to the plant, come to be? Well, besides eating the leaves of the plant, and the seeds, the earliest Americans discovered that roasting the bulbs destroyed the oxalic acid, making the “turnips” very edible. I was always told that they soaked the bulbs in a cloth bag in a creek for several days, which leached out the oxalic acid. I haven’t been able to substantiate that method for this plant, but I have authenticated it for “Acorn Flour.” Soaking a bag of acorn pulp in the creek was the method used to make a crude baking flour from crushed oak acorns to rid the pulp of acrid tannic acid. Another East Coast native plant used by Native Americans is Wintergreen or Teaberry (Gaultheria procumbens). I’m sure you’ve encountered this low-growing plant with its dark-green, glossy foliage and bright-red berries. Native

Americans brewed a tea from the leaves to relieve headache, fever, sore throats, and the like. Little did they know that one of the constituents of the plant is salicylic acid, a metabolite of what is known in our modern times as aspirin. And speaking of ground-hugging plants with glossy foliage and red berries, you’ve probably also stepped over/ on Partridge Berry (Mitchella repens), a plant with two very small, very white flowers in the axils (the place where the leaf meets the stem—remember that term; we’re gonna have a quiz later). Well, it just so happens that those flowers are extremely fragrant. Just so happens that in their final weeks of pregnancy, Native American women drank a tea from the leaves to ease childbirth. During nursing, they made a lotion from the leaves to relieve breast soreness. Did you know that Jewel Weed is an efficient remedy for Poison Ivy and other skin irritations? This plant is actually in the genus Impatiens and is closely related to the New Guinea Impatiens that so many of us buy as annuals for spring and summer color. Turns out that the Chippewa ate the seeds—they’re supposed to taste like Butternuts. I’m not sure how they caught them because the other common name for Impatiens capensis, the orange of the two species, and Impatiens pallida, the yellow, is Touch Me Not, a term that refers to its explosive seed dispersal mechanism. If you find this type of information as fascinating and as exciting as I do, perhaps you’re an amateur ethnobotanist and didn’t know it. Ethnobotany is the scientific study of the traditional knowledge and customs of a people concerning plants and their medical, religious, and other uses. o Barry Glick, a transplanted Philadelphian, has been residing in Greenbrier County, WV, since 1972. His mountaintop garden and nursery is a mecca for gardeners from virtually every country in the world. He writes and lectures extensively about native plants and Hellebores, his two main specialties, and welcomes visitors with advance notice. He can be reached at barry@sunfarm.com, www.sunfarm.com, or 304.497.2208.

L I V E

B U T T E R F L Y

C A T E R P I L L A R

E X H I B I T

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

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

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

WASHINGTON GARDENER

TOP AREA GARDENING EVENTS DC-Area Gardening Calendar ~ Events ~ July 16–August 16, 2019 • Saturday, July 20, 10:30am–12n Composting Basics Turn yard clippings, kitchen waste, and excess paper into black gold for your garden! Extension Master Gardeners will show you how to start composting at home, what to put into a compost pile, how to easily maintain it so the materials break down properly, and how to apply it in your own garden and lawn. Held at the Beatley Library Reading Garden, 5005 Duke St., Alexandria , VA. Free. See mgnv.org/public-educationevents. • Sunday, July 21, 11am–12n Hydroponics and Vertical Farming This basic Hydroponics class will discuss various hydroponic systems and which could be a good fit for your garden. Topics like growing media, synthetic nutrients/fertilizers, growing environment, properties of water, and testing equipment will be covered. They will also discuss various methods of vertical farming that can be implemented indoors or outdoors. A brief lecture will be followed by a Q&A session and tour of the garden for examples of many systems, and help with designing your own. Held at Cultivate the City, 910 Bladensburg Rd. NE, Washington DC. Fee: $20. Tickets at www.eventbrite. com/e/hydroponics-andvertical-farming-tickets-64628248832. • Tuesday, July 23, 6–8pm Herbal First Aid Free herbalism workshop series taught by Holly Poole-Kavana of Little Red Bird Botanicals at Common Good City Farm, 300 V St. NW, Washington, DC. RSVP: https://2019herbalismcgcf.eventbrite. com. • Wednesday, July 24, 6:30–8pm Garden Book Club, Summer 2019 We will discuss Onward and Upward in the Garden by Katherine S. White. You can order it at https://amzn. to/2Wr7D4x. Meeting held at Soupergirl, right next to the Takoma Metro stop. RSVP at facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine, The Washington Gardener Magazine’s Garden Book Club is free and open to all. 18

WASHINGTON GARDENER JULY 2019

• Thursday, July 25, 6–8pm Tomato Party Sample different varieties of tomatoes, try tomato dishes, and join for a salsa demo at Common Good City Farm, 300 V St. NW, Washington, DC. RSVP to 2019tomatoparty.eventbrite.com. • Friday, July 26, 10:30–11:30am Guided Garden Tours at Tudor Place Take a guided tour of the property’s 5½-acre landscape. Hear stories of the people who designed, created, and cared for the garden for more than 200 years. Explore seasonal flora and urban wildlife in this quiet retreat in bustling Georgetown. This outdoor tour will take place rain or shine. Dress for the weather. The gardens are open for self-guided tours during regular museum hours, Tuesday through Sunday, admission $3. See details at tudorplace.org. • Saturday, July 27, 11am–12n How to Make a Plant Love You Join Summer Rayne at Homestead Gardens for a plant “Show & Tell” discussion of how to read the leaves, stems, and roots of plants and intuit their care indoors. Guests will engage in a plant-related activity and see some interesting plants up close. This event also features a brief reading/talk, Q&A, and signing of Summer Rayne’s book. Fee: $30. Held at Homestead Gardens in Davidsonville, MD. See https://homesteadgardens.com for details. • Sunday, July 28, 10am–2pm Chesapeake Natives Plant Sales Monthly native plant sales held at the Chesapeake Natives’ Mt. Airy Mansion Greenhouse in Rosaryville State Park, 9640 Rosaryville Rd., Upper Marlboro, MD. More information, including dates of offsite sales and a full list of the available plants, can be found by visiting the website www. chesapeakenatives.org or by emailing info@chesapeakenatives.org. • Saturday, July 27, and Sunday, July 28 Montgomery County Annual Farm Tour and Harvest Sale Tour 19 farms in Montgomery County,

MD. Free. See details at https://www. montgomerycountymd.gov/AgServices/ agfarmtour.html. • Tuesday, July 30, 11am Gardener’s Focus: The Cutting Garden Marjorie Merriweather Post loved displaying fresh-cut flowers throughout her home. This tradition continues today; the cutting garden produces nearly 1,000 stems a week during the height of summer. From sunflowers and zinnias to eucalyptus and lisianthus, a weekly harvest supplies a bounty of flowers that are used in arrangements throughout the property. Tour the garden in all its glory and learn a few tips and secrets from a Hillwood gardener along the way. Tickets are distributed at the visitor center upon opening each day. This 20-minute tour is limited to 10 participants and meets in the visitor center conservatory. See details at https://www.hillwoodmuseum.org. • Tuesday, July 30. 7:30pm Dark Secrets on the Forest Floor A talk about the parasitic and hemiparasitic plants of Maryland by Margaret Chatham. The program is free and open to the public. Registration is not required. Hosted by the Maryland Native Plant Society at the Kensington Park Library, Kensington, MD. For a listing of all events: http://mdflora.org/ events.html. •Thursday, August 1, 10-11:30am Fun with Tropicals The American Horticultural Society is pleased to present a brand-new series of floral education classes at its River Farm headquarters in Alexandria, VA. Join Betty Ann Galway, CFD, AIFD, as she shows you step-by-step how to create your very own floral design to take home. Each week, discover new designs, techniques, and tricks of the trade. Participants are asked to bring floral clippers. All supplies are included in the class price; gathered, recycled, and repurposed materials will be used when possible. AHS members class price: $75; “not yet AHS members” class price: $85. Limited to 18 participants. See www.ahsgardening.org.

TOP AREA GARDENING EVENTS DC-Area Gardening Calendar ~ Events ~ July 16–August 16, 2019 • Saturday, August 3, 1:30–3pm Floral Design Workshop, Summer Edition Create a beautiful summer flower arrangement with the help of certified floral designer Betty Ann Galway. Learn how to properly care for and handle flowers along with creative design ideas. The cost is $39/person for the program and $30/person for the supply fee. Register online at https://www. fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/parktakes/ using code 0D2.61CA or call Green Spring Gardens at 703-642-5173. Held at Green Spring Gardens, 4603 Green Spring Rd., Alexandria, VA. • Saturday, August 3, 10am–2pm Water Gardens and Vertical Gardening Visit the Montgomery County Master Gardeners’ booth at Silver Spring Farmers Market to get your questions answered about water gardening and vertical gardening. See details at http:// www.extension.umd.edu/mg/locations/ montgomery-county-master-gardeners.

can Begonia Society. Be tempted by splashes of color and shapes for homes and greenhouses that last long after frosts have put our outdoor gardens to bed. The sale offers a wide variety of begonias, including subtropical species. Free. For more information, call Green Spring Gardens at 703-642-5173. Held at Green Spring Gardens, 4603 Green Spring Rd., Alexandria, VA. • Sunday, September, 8 10th Annual DC State Fair To be held at Gateway DC at Saint Elizabeths East at 2700 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE, Washington, DC. See https://dcstatefair.org/. • Saturday, September 14, and Sunday, September 15 Friends of Brookside Gardens Plant Sale Unusual perennials, trees, and shrubs will be for sale. The event benefits Brookside Gardens. See details at www. friendsofbrooksidegardens.org.

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

Still More Event Listings

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

How to Submit Local Garden Events

To submit an event for this listing, email washingtongardenermagazine@gmail. com with “Event” in the subject line. Our next deadline is August 5 for the August 2019 issue, for events taking place after August 15, 2019. o

• Thursday, August 8, 12n–12:45pm Cooking Demonstration: Harvest Cornucopia Inspired by the Bartholdi Park Kitchen Garden, this demonstration by Adrienne and Danielle Cook will feature the summer’s best at the peak of harvest season. Held at the U.S. Botanic Garden’s Conservatory Garden Court. Free; no pre-registration required. See usbg.gov. • Saturday, August 10, 5–7pm Lily Ponds Live! Jazz Concert Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens sponsors free summer concerts, offering the opportunity to experience the gardens while enjoying unique local music. Held at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, 1550 Anacostia Ave. NE, Washington, DC. See https://kenaqgardens. org/event/jazz-night-2/.

Save These Future Dates • Saturday, August 24, 9am-4:30pm Sunday, August 25, 12n-3:30pm 33nd Annual Begonia Show and Sale Feast your eyes at this show, sponsored by the Potomac branch of the AmeriJULY 2019

WASHINGTON GARDENER

INSECTindex

Sawfly Larvae

Not a Caterpillar, Slug, or Worm!

By Carol Allen

When is a caterpillar not a caterpillar? When it is a sawfly larva, that’s when! Caterpillar is the common name to describe the juvenile form of moths and butterflies (family Lepidoptera). Sawfly larvae are different because they are the juvenile stage of a group of insects (suborder Symphyta, order Hymenoptera) more closely related to ants, bees, and wasps. They are called sawflies as the female’s ovipositor is, in appearance, saw-like. The better to rasp into plant tissue when they lay their eggs. Adult sawflies usually are very shortlived, often only seven to nine days. Some species mimic wasps in their coloration, but lack the “wasp-waist.” Their abdomen and thorax have a broad attachment. Like moths and butterflies, sawflies have a complete metamorphosis from egg to larvae, pupa, and adult. The sawfly juvenile forms can be difficult to distinguish from caterpillars, since they have similar feeding habits and closely resemble each other: long, soft-bodied, with many short legs. If you look closely, caterpillars (moth and 20

WASHINGTON GARDENER JULY 2019

butterfly larvae) have three sets of true legs in the front. Those legs end in a point or points, called a crochet (aids in gripping). In the middle, caterpillars will have four pairs of stubby pro legs and sawfly larvae will have five or more. Both will bring up the rear with a pair of prolegs. The difference boils down to whether or not there are crochets and how many prolegs they have. Let’s take a look at some common sawflies you may have seen in your garden. The sawflies encountered most often are Rose Slugs or Roseslug Sawfly (Endelomyia aethiops). The adults mate in early spring and the females lay eggs in the new rose leaves (generally, April to May). The larvae soon hatch out and begin feeding. When young, this pest feeds on the underside of the rose leaf, chewing off the lower epidermis in what is called a “windowpane” type of feeding damage. The larvae look like very small green slugs and range in size from about ¼" long to ½" when older. The more-mature larvae will chew right

through the leaf, leaving small holes. Start turning over rose leaves early and squash the small larvae. If you wait until later in the season, the roses can be almost defoliated. If you have a sizable stand of roses, you can spray with horticultural oil or spinosad, making sure to cover the undersides of the leaves thoroughly. Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) will not control this pest. Fortunately, there is only one generation in our area. The adults overwinter in the soil under the roses. The first time I ever saw the Dogwood Sawfly (Macremphytus tarsatus), I was astounded. I was visiting Chanticleer Garden outside Philadelphia, PA. The parking area was bounded by native, shrubby dogwoods. While waiting for friends, I strolled the edges of the parking area and found a cluster of white, velvety larvae. There must have been about 25 in the cluster and each was about ¾" long. If I had still been around to observe them progress, I would have seen them change colors several times during their development. They have a similar life cycle as the Rose Slug,

INSECTindex with the females laying their eggs in the leaf, but the difference is that the female can lay 100 eggs at a time and the larvae are gregarious (tending to live in a community, rather than solo). Sawfly larvae have tremendous eating power and can defoliate dogwood species rapidly. The good news is that this is a native pest and the dogwoods will recover. A native parasitoid helps control them. Start looking on the underside of the leaves in May and pick off the young larvae. Horticultural oil and spinosad can be used as a spray, but the larvae are found on the underside of the leaves. The spray will not be effective with only top-of-the-leaf coverage. There is only one generation per year. Right now, I am seeing a lot of reports of Redheaded Pine Sawfly (Neodiprion lecontei) defoliating mugo pines. These sawfly larvae are also gregarious. You will see them feeding on the tender tips of many different species of pines in our area. Redheaded Pine Sawfly are, as the name suggests, brilliantly red-headed. Their bodies are yellowish-white with six rows of black spots. There are two generations per year. The first generation hatches in Mayâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;June and the second can hatch as late as October. If you have dwarf conifers in your landscape, start looking at the pines for egg scars in late April and remove those needles showing a row of brown dots. Continue scouting for the very young larvae through the spring and into summer. Hand-pick and destroy! This sawfly will defoliate and can kill pines. For control in larger trees where you have seen damage in previous years, you can consider spraying with horticultural oil, spinosad, or conventional pesticides. Check the labels to make sure sawfly larvae are listed. And since there is justice in this world, there is a Poison Ivy Sawfly (Arge humeralis)! o Carol Allen describes herself as a committable plant-a-holic. She has more than 25 yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 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 an ISACertified Arborist. She can be contacted at carolallen@erols.com. JULY 2019

WASHINGTON GARDENER

HORThaenings

Takoma Park Garlic Fest

On July 14, the weekly Farmers Market in Takoma Park hosted a garlic festival featuring a garlic-growing information booth by the Takoma Horticulture Club and free tastes of garlic-y recipes from home cooking enthusiast Sara Hayden. The festival lasted through the fourhour market and hundreds of people were able to try the home-cooked dishes and pick up information about how to grow their own garlic at home. Lots of Takoma residents, like Karen Lips, turned up to the farmers market and weren’t expecting to see a garlic festival, but they enjoyed the tasty samples. “I didn’t realize there was a garlic festival today, but (samples) these were superyummy,” Lips said. Others were more drawn to the gardening tips featured at the festival than the free tastings. David Gabay grows his own garlic at his home in Florida, and found some tips he hopes will help him with his gardening endeavors in the future. “She showed me when to cut off the flower; before it grows too big, so that was cool to learn,” he said of one Takoma Horticulture Club expert. By 1:30pm, the festival ran out of some recipe samples for visitors to try, but it is an annual event at the Takoma Park Farmers Market, so be sure to look out for more tips and tasty treats next summer. o

Garden Photo Show Opening Reception

On June 30, Washington Gardener Magazine hosted our annual Garden Photo Show Opening Reception at the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens Visitor Center in Vienna, VA. Attendees included some of the photo contest winners and their friends and families. Visitors helped themselves to light refreshments and viewed the newly hung photos, all of 22

WASHINGTON GARDENER JULY 2019

which were winners in the 13th annual Washington Gardener Photo Contest. Later in the reception, each of the winners present was asked to point out their photos and explain where they were taken and how the photographer found their subject. Georgette Grossman, grand prize winner of the contest, attended the show and was happy to see her winning photos on display. “Flowers have always been a favorite subject of mine, and I thought this flower was ‘over the top’ beautiful. It was nice to discover that Washington Gardener shared my opinion,” she said.

Photographer Mar Acevedo placed third in the Small Wonders category. “It felt good [to place] again,” he said. “I just do this on the side, so I’m really happy to always put something in and get selected for something.” He said that each year, he photographs with the intention of seeing his photo on the cover of the magazine, an honor awarded to the grand prize winner each year. “Every time I take a picture now, I’m like, ‘Where can ‘Washington Gardener Magazine’ go?’ as far as the title page,” he said. Next year’s contest will be announced this December and the current photo show at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens will be up through July 30. o

Kenilworth Lotus and Waterlily Festival

On July 13 and 14, Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens hosted their annual Lotus and Waterlily Festival at the national park along the Anacostia River in Washington, DC. The event featured the gardens’ expansive collection of blooming lotuses and waterlilies. The festival also had two full days of performances on two stages, including cultural dance presentations, a free yoga ses-

sion, and a water gardening workshop. Thousands of people attended from the Washington metro area and far beyond. Eugenio Da Silva, from Maryland, attended the festival on Saturday for the first time and was pleased with the festival and the plants on display. “I like everything,” he said. “It’s just a beautiful space and I’m glad that it’s kept and that we can enjoy it.” His companion, Deborah Davidson, enjoys visiting the gardens and was happy to come to the festival for a second time. “So many people have shown up and that’s really nice,” she said. Jason Haserodt and Nathan Kleekamp, from Arlington, VA, attended the festival this year with their families for the first time and appreciated all of the activities they found for their kids. “We’ve learned about swamp cypress trees, we’ve seen seed pods; it’s been good,” Kleekamp said. “The National Park Service has done a really good job. [The children] had a long conversation with the ranger … [and] they got to feel animal pelts and all that kind of stuff.” Although the festival ended on July 14, lotuses and waterlilies will bloom through the rest of the summer. The park is open seven days a week from 9am to 5pm. o This issue’s “HortHappenings” were written by Alexandra Marquez. She is a rising junior journalism and anthropology major at the University of Maryland. She is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener this summer. See photos from events listed here at the Washington Gardener Facebook Page: facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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WASHINGTON GARDENER JULY 2019