Washington Gardener October 2017 by Kathy J

OCTOBER 2017 VOL. 12 NO. 8

WWW.WASHINGTONGARDENER.COM

WASHINGTON WAS W WASHINGTO ASHINGTO

gardener

tthe magazine for gardening enthusiasts in the Mid-Atlantic region

Wreath Goldenrod: Nothing to Sneeze At Warming up the DC Design House Which Garlic Last Longest in Storage?

Your Garden Task List 7 Bulb Planting Tips for Spring Success

The “Cool” Trick to Starting Pansies and Violas from Seed

DC-MD-VA Gardening Events Calendar

Meet Eco-Artist Devin Devine

Why You Should Still Plant

Stinky Ginkgos

��

� ��

��

o oo ooo

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.

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

Green Spring Gardens

www.greenspring.org

Your Ad Here

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

WASHINGTON GARDENER OCTOBER 2017

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.

INSIDEcontents

FEATURES and COLUMNS A Devin Devine sphere creation is made from the same material as in flagstone patios and walkways: Pennsylvania Bluestone, which was formed at the bottom of subterranean lakes around 360 million years ago during what is called the Devonian period, quarried mostly in northeastern Pennsylvania, along the Pennsylvania and New York border.

Win a beautiful Colorblends tulip bulb assortment. See contest details on page 8.

Espaliered Ginkgo (Maidenhair Tree) in the courtyard of the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum at the U.S. National Arboretum, Washington, DC. It is a marvel to see in all seasons, but especially attractive in autumn.

Beginning in 1628 as a British outpost of 50 acres, Norfolk today has the second-largest population in Virginia. Nearly a quarter of the nation’s activeduty military personnel are stationed in the region. Norfolk Botanical Garden is host to an annual festival honoring NATO, that also reflects the shoreline heritage of the community.

BEFOREafter 18-19 DC Design House Entrance BOOKreviews 12-13 Veggie Garden Remix; New Garden Ethic; Propagation Techniques; Cilantro/Coriander DAYtrip 5-7 Norfolk Botanical Garden HORThappenings 22 DC State Fair; Pawpaw Fest; Orchid Show; Honey Harvest; National Garden Festival GOINGnative 17 Wreath Goldenrod NEWPLANTspotlight 11 GNOME DOMES™ Orostachys NEIGHBORnetwork 20-21 Devin Devine PLANTprofile 14-15 Gingko Tree TIPStricks 10 Long-lasting Garlic; Bulbs for Spring Joy; Pansy Starting Tips

DEPARTMENTS

ADVERTISINGindex BLOGlinks EDITORletter GARDENcontest LOCALevents MONTHLYtasklist NEXTissue READERreactions RESOURCESsources

23 11 4 8 8-9 11 3 5 2

ON THE COVER

Ginkgo tree at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD. A columnar variety ‘Golden Colonnade’ was recently added to the new parking garden. In our November 2017 issue:

Brussels Sprout Tips Ban Corydalis incisa? and much more...

If your business would like to reach area gardeners, be sure to contact us by November 10 so you can be part of the next issue of our growing publication! Be sure you are subscribed! Click on the “subscribe” link at http://washingtongardener. blogspot.com/ OCTOBER 2017 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! Ruth E. Thaler-Carter Proofreader Maeve Dunigan, Uyen Nguyen, and Nicole Reisinger Interns Cover price: $4.99 Back issues: $6.00 Subscription: $20.00 The wedding reception of KC Kelly and Llewellyn McIntyre in Wheaton, MD.

A Joyous Occasion In this issue, I thought I’d share the flowers from my garden that I used for a friend’s wedding reception. When she mentioned a tight budget and the possibility of buying all $1 store fake flowers, I was like: “Oh, hell nah!” I offered my garden flowers as my wedding gift to her. She wanted all fall colors, from yellow to rust, so that left out my lipstick-pink Celosia, purple Salvias, and pink Zinnias. The Mums, Marigolds, and Sunflowers were my saving grace, with some Blackeyed Susans still producing as well. Luckily, a killing frost had not yet struck. I also cut some seedheads from ornamental grasses and Love Lies Bleeding (Amaranthus caudatus) from my mom’s garden for accent use. It was a fun exercise to gather and create the simple, rustic arrangements. I collected and cleaned every small glass jar I could find and bought 500 feet of twine to wrap around them for a unifying effect. The original table count was 20, but that quickly increased to 27 plus the head table as the RSVPs rolled in. Luckily, I could keep on adding and even had a few extra arrangements left over for the cake table, bar, and bathroom decor. I sent most all the flower-filled jars home with the guests and came home with a few that I later took to the Silver Spring Garden Club meeting as door prizes. The real “prize,” though, was witnessing the happy couple on their special day. Happy gardening!

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

WASHINGTON GARDENER OCTOBER 2017

Address corrections should be sent to the address above. • 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: facebook.com/ WashingtonGardenerMagazine • Washington Gardener is a womanowned business. We are proud to be members of: · Garden Writers Association · DC Web Women · Green America Magazine Leaders Network · Green America Business Network To order reprints, contact Wright’s Reprints at 877.652.5295, ext. 138. Volume 12, Number 8 ISSN 1555-8959 © 2017 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.

Norfolk Botanical Garden: Virginia’s

Renaissance Garden

By Cheval Force Opp In 1938 the city manager of Norfolk, VA, identified a spit of land surrounding Mirror Lake as the site for an azalea garden, hoping to attract tourists. Manager Thomas P. Thompson and Frederic Heutte, a young horticulturalist, funded their ambitions with a Depression-era Works Progress Administration (WPA) grant of $76,278. They hired black workers, 200 women and 20 men, at 25 cents an hour to labor from dawn to dusk. Using pickaxes, hoes, shovels, and wheelbarrows, these hardy souls expelled trees, roots, stumps, briars, vines, and underbrush from the 30 swampy acres. In less than a year, despite snakes, mosquitoes, ticks, and poison ivy through torrential rains; sauna-humid summers; and freezing, snow-crusted winters, the land was ready for 4,000 azaleas, 2,000 rhododendrons, 100 bushels of daffodils, and assorted shrubs. In 2009, an annual Heritage Celebration was initiated and the workers’ Herculean achievement was memorialized with the statue “Breaking Ground” (pictured above) installed where the original azaleas still bloom every spring. At every year’s celebration, individuals are recognized with a “groundbreakers” award.

Regal Renaissance Court

“Azalea Gardens” became a favorite community resource garnering expansions and new attractions. In the 1950s and ’60s, waterways were constructed for a covered boat ride through the garden. In 1955, Azalea Gardens was renamed the Norfolk Municipal Garden, and the International Azalea Festival began. The festival is Norfolk’s official salute to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander

Transformation Norfolk headquarters is the only such post in the United States. The Renaissance Court Garden (pictured below) serves as an elegant setting for the festival’s international and nationally recognized queens and their courts. The first Azalea Queen was Patricia Ann Priest, daughter of the treasurer of the United States. Priest went on to become a celebrity in the role of Marilyn in The Munsters and starred with Elvis Presley in Easy Come, Easy Go. President Lyndon

OCTOBER 2017 WASHINGTON GARDENER

DAYtrip Johnson crowned his youngest daughter Luci in 1965 as Queen Azalea XII. Lynda Baines Johnson served as the queen in 1961. Other presidents’ daughters who were queens included Tricia Nixon and Susan Ford. Regal ceremonies continue to be held in the Renaissance Court’s grasscarpeted, symmetrical terraces, which are framed by bulbous balustrades. An expansive reflecting pool with a spray fountain is graced by a phalanx of water-spouting lions. The garden is bound at each corner by four statues, one for each season.

Virginia’s Tropical Microclimate

Renamed Norfolk Botanical Garden in 1958, the site’s horticultural displays now cover 175 acres to include the largest collections of azaleas, camellias, roses, and rhododendrons on the East Coast. Managed by the Norfolk Botanical Garden Society as a nonprofit museum for plants, the garden’s mission is to enrich life by promoting the enjoyment of plants and the

WASHINGTON GARDENER OCTOBER 2017

environment through beautiful gardens and educational programs. Listed as a Virginia Historic Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places, visitors enjoy 53 themed gardens by tram, boat, bike, or foot. As one of the few areas in Virginia on the northern edge of USDA zone 8, many tropical and subtropical plants can be seen growing outside year-round, a startling sight for most Virginians. Tropical and subtropical plants, such as cold hardy bananas Daphniphyllum macropodum, Musa velutina and Musa ornata (both flowering bananas) and the towering Yunnan Banana (Musa yunnanensis). Australian Gum trees (Eucalyptus), and Windmill (Trachycarpus fortunei) and Saw Palmetto Palms (Serenoa repens), and many species and hybrids of cold-hardy Gingers thrive on the

bank of the boat canal, where a warm micro-climate is created by the water and protected hillside.

Roman Gentlemen

Statuary Vista is a 400-foot long, double-border garden that sweeps dramatically through the garden to the shore of Lake Whitehurst. Spaced within parallel 14-foot-wide flower borders are classical Carrara marble statues carved in the 1800s by Sir Moses Ezekiel. Each seven-foot figure depicts a notable artist: Antonio Canova, Thomas Crawford, Leonardo da Vinci, Albrecht Durer, Michelangelo, Bartolome Murillo, Phidias, Raphael, Rembrandt, Peter Paul Rubens, and Titian.

These 11 gentlemen carved in Rome were initially placed in second-story niches in the Corcoran Gallery in DC, but eventually wound up as decorations for a local benefactor’s pool. After their stint pool-side in the ’60s, the statues were donated to the garden, but suffered neglect over time. Today, cleaned and repaired with a clipped Holly Olive hedge behind them, the spectral white figures are surrounded by bulbs, perennials, and annuals, giving visitors a serene seasonal display.

Marble statues from Corcoran Gallery grace Statuary Vista.

DAYtrip

Crape Myrtle Haven

The Flowering Arboretum graces the center of the botanical garden with clouds of fragrant spring blooms. In 1982, a section of Crape Myrtle trees joined the original acreage for a total of 17.5 acres. The Crape Myrtle collection has approximately 250 plants in the genus Lagerstroemia representing 82 different species and cultivars, making it the only recognized collection of crape myrtles in North America. As a designated Official North American Collection by the Plant Collections Network, managed by the American Public Gardens Association, the trees are available for selection and breeding, taxonomic study evaluation, utilization, and other research purposes. Director of Living Landscapes Brian O’Neil spoke of the changes ongoing to make this Flowering Arboretum (pictured at left) a center for diversity as well as beauty. The renovation includes removing dead and invasive plants, trimming the 336 different flowering trees, and creating meadows to support wildlife. As newly planted native grasses flourish, pathways are mowed for wildflowers and bird-watching strolls among flitting pollinators, including 30 species of butterflies. The insects support a large bird population with 95 identified species, including hummingbirds, great blue herons, blue jays, cardinals, crows, owls, ducks, yellow finches, seasonal warblers, and rumors of a wild turkey.

Kids Come to Get Wet

The newest garden, the three-acre World of Wonders: A Children’s Adventure Garden, is a magnet for families and children. In the summer, the spray pool, decorated with a world

globe, and outfitted with fountains, bubblers, and jet sprays, keeps kids laughing in wet delight. All year, multiple interactive stations attract families for learning adventures. An oversized treehouse encourages climbing and learning about bugs, and a Dirt Factory is open for seed planting. Passport Gardens beckons families to explore different world biomes and learn about the people who live in those environments. Displayed at the entrance to Discovery Peak is a wide variety of edible plants that can be grown in the Tidewater. Two vertical “living walls” and espaliered fruit trees give edible examples for small-space gardens. Containers display edible plants that are sized to sit comfortably on a small balcony or back patio. The Plant Safari highlights four unique North American habitats designed for kid interaction. The Frog Bog includes wetland plants and aquatic life. A Grain Plain displays Native American food sources and a tipi. Whichway Woods is in a forest with a log cabin to explore how we use trees in our daily lives. Prickly Pear Lair bristles with plants and animals adapted to the harsh southwest desert environment.

A Community’s Heritage The Norfolk Botanic Garden began as a “pie in the sky” tourist attraction,

but as Brian O’Neil hosted me through amazingly varied gardens, I realized the community shaped this garden, not tourists. Community volunteers contribute 28,586 support hours, and 400,000 visitors enjoy 12 miles of paved trails, many participating in seasonal social events such as Walk the Dog Summers and Bike Nights. Norfolk is justifiably proud of this outstanding garden, which reflects the unique community members, many of whom still call it Azalea Gardens. For families who have enjoyed visits generation to generation, it is a garden that reflects the community’s heart. I encourage you to play tourist if you are in the area and visit this unique garden. Seasonal hours and details are online at norfolkbotanicalgarden.org. o Special thanks to director of Living Landscapes Brian O’Neil, who hosted me in a golf cart and introduced me to this beautiful, historic garden. Thanks also to Kelly Welsh, Marketing & Communications Director, who generously answered my questions and provided the photos for the article from the archives. Cheval Force Opp gardens in historical Dunn Loring, VA, with her husband Dana and corgi Marzipan. When she is not traveling to see gardens, she tries to stay ahead of the weeds and battles deer in her garden. Give her a shout if you have questions or think she can help you visit a garden. OCTOBER 2017 WASHINGTON GARDENER

TOP AREA GARDENING EVENTS DC-Area Gardening Calendar ~ Upcoming Events • Fri., October 20–Sun., October 22 Fall Maryland Home & Garden Show Fall is here! Are you looking to squeeze in a home improvement project before the snow? Prepare your home and garden for the winter elements? Get an early start on holiday shopping? The Maryland State Fairgrounds will be packed with experts to help with these and any other projects you have in mind. For details, www.mdhomeandgarden.com/fall.

Reader Contest

For our October 2017 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, we are giving away one prize package of 100 bulbs in Colorblends Tulip Blend Purdy (pictured above)—a happy-golucky blend of deep-purple, poppy-red, and golden-yellow tulips for a bright splash of color in midseason (prize value: $34). Colorblends is known for its expertise in creating reliably successful preblended tulip mixtures that combine two, three, or more varieties.. Colorblends takes tulips to a whole new level, with spring displays that literally stop traffic. Colorblends is a third-generation American wholesaler of flower bulbs with deep roots in Holland. They are part of Schipper & Company, a wholesale bulb firm founded in the Netherlands in 1912 and based in Connecticut since 1947. Colorblends.com sells direct to landscape professionals and home gardeners from coast to coast. To enter to win the package of 100 bulbs, send an email to WashingtonGardener@rcn.com by 5:00pm on October 30 with “Colorblends” in the subject line. In the body of the email, tell us what your favorite article was in this issue and why. Be sure to include your full name and mailing address. The winner will be announced and notified on November 1. o 8

WASHINGTON GARDENER OCTOBER 2017

• Friday, October 20, 5–6:30pm Trick ’r Trees Garden Stroll Put on your costumes and come to the Children’s Garden for a Halloween party at the Norfolk Botanical Garden. Learn about weird plants and creepy critters, then take a “Trick ’r Trees” stroll through the Garden as the sun sets. Details at norfolkbotanicalgarden. org • Saturday, October 21, 10am–1pm Garlic Planting Party Gear up for 6th Annual Garlic Planting Party at the Washington Youth Garden on the grounds of the U.S. National Arboretum. Come out and enjoy games, food, hot cider, and garlic planting. See www.washingtonyouthgarden.org. • Saturday, October 21, 9:15am Master Class Program: Planning Spring Get the jump on spring by exploring early-blooming spring plants that add impact when the rest of your garden lies dormant. In this extended Master Class, famed plantsman and author David Culp will boost your plant knowledge so you can take your garden from just pretty to amazing. This early-blooming and emerging group of plants is sure to keep your garden colorful and exciting well before spring officially arrives. This class is recommended for experienced gardeners and the adventurous beginner. $28/person. Green Spring Gardens, 4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria, VA. Register online atwww.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/ greenspring using code 290 402 2601. •Wednesday, October 25, 7:30pm Magnolia ashei: Understanding the Need for Conservation

The Beltsville Garden Club will meet in the multi-purpose room of the Duckworth School, 11201 Evans Trail, Beltsville, MD. Kevin Conrad will talk about the Ash Magnolia tree, an endangered species endemic to the Florida Panhandle. It is considered by most horticulturists to be a garden aristocrat. Although Ash Magnolia is found in gardens from Maine to Florida, very little is known of the genetic diversity of this species or the connection between what is in cultivation and the natural populations. Conrad is involved in a multi-faceted research project to understand the need and approach to conservation for this endangered species and will offer insight and preliminary findings as the project nears completion. Free talk. Bring something to exchange: a plant, cutting or garden tool or magazine. Refreshments will be served. See www. beltsvillegardenclub.org. • Saturday, October 28, 10am–5pm Festival: Bat Bonanza! Come as a bat, come as a plant pollinated by a bat, or simply come and learn about bats. There will be batrelated activities throughout the U.S. Botanic Garden’s Conservatory—come and learn why bats matter. Free. No preregistration required. See https://www. usbg.gov/. • Sat., October 28, 9am–12pm and Sat., November 11, 10am–12pm Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens Volunteer Clean-up Days Join the Friends of Kenilworth and the National Capital Parks-East this fall and help remove cut lotus from the ponds, clear invasive species from the forest, pick up litter, and complete other tasks around the park. Individuals and small groups welcome. SSL credit can be earned for those 14+ years old. Sign up online. Contact Tina with questions at tina@friendsofkenilworth.org or 202494-0456. • Wednesday, November 1, 1–2:30pm Getting Your Garden Ready for Winter Beginner and intermediate gardeners are often overwhelmed by the long to-do lists of garden tasks. Learn from Kathy Jentz, editor of Washington

TOP AREA GARDENING EVENTS DC-Area Gardening Calendar ~ Upcoming Events ~ October 16–November 15, 2017 Gardener, which chores are essential, and which you can safely skip as you prepare your garden for winter. Discover cost-saving tips, and tricks and how to “batten down the hatches” in case we have a bad winter. Fee $22. For more information and to register for this class, go to: https://apm.activecommunities.com/montgomerycounty/Activity_Search/getting-your-garden-readyfor-winter/33636. • Thursday, November 2, 6:30-8:00pm Garden Book Club Fall 2017 Meeting We will be discussing Ghost Image: A Sophie Medina Mystery (Sophie Medina Novels) by Ellen Crosby (fiction). This is one of the few fiction selections our club has ever chosen. Meeting at Soupergirl, located right next to the Takoma Metro stop. At this meeting, we will also decide the 2018 Garden Book Club titles, so please come with your suggestions. Please RSVP to washingtongardener@rcn.com or at facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine. • Friday, November 3, 8am–5pm 2017 Turning A New Leaf Conference This year’s conference will be held at Hilton Washington Dulles Airport in Herndon, VA. The conference consists of various presentations from industry leaders, innovators, and experts; includes an EcoMarketplace where businesses can market their products and services; and multiple networking opportunities for attendees to discuss current projects and new ideas. See: http://www.chesapeakelandscape.org/ events/2017-turning-a-new-leaf-conference/. • Saturday, November 4, 10am–9pm Aki Matsuri - Autumn Festival Celebrate Japanese plants and culture at the U.S. National Arboretum. Join the National Bonsai Foundation for stafflead tours, kimono modeling, bonsai demonstration, book signings, special vendors, etc. See details at http://www. usna.usda.gov/Education/events.html. • Tuesday, November 7,9:30–11:30am Leaf Composting Don’t like worms but love re-purposing

trash? Reuse the beauty of autumn with Horticulturist Perry-lee West at the Norfolk Botanical Garden. Come learn how to start your own compost with leaves, no matter the yard size. City slickers and farmers welcome. See details at norfolkbotanicalgarden.org

Save These Future Dates

• Saturday, November 11, 2pm Marta McDowell presents The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder Join award-winning author Marta McDowell at River Farm to explore the natural history, places, and plants that Laura Ingalls Wilder incorporated into her beloved Little House book series. There will be time for Q&A after the presentation. All ticket purchases include a copy of The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder and the opportunity to have it signed by Marta McDowell after her presentation. This event will be held in partnership with local Alexandria bookstore Hooray For Books!, which will also have other Marta McDowell and Laura Ingalls Wilder books available for purchase. Space is limited, tickets will be available on a first-come, firstserved basis. River Farm is home to the American Horticultural Society, 7931 East Boulevard Drive, Alexandria, VA. Register at ahsgardening.org.

Still More Event Listings

• Through Sunday, November 12, 10:30am and 12:30pm Hillwood Garden Tours Join a knowledgeable tour guide to learn about the history, design, plants, and flowers of the 13 acres of formal gardens. Included in suggested donation. See www.HillwoodMuseum.org. • Through Monday, November 13 Desert Mums Chrysanthemum Display While chrysanthemums do not grow in the desert, Brookside Gardens thought it would be fun to grow them in the shape of the saguaro cactus—an unusual use for this non-desert plant. This planted display is a whimsical imagining of the Sonoran desert with much more rainfall and lush plant growth than actually occurs there. Enjoy this free annual fall chrysanthemum display in the South Conservatory, open daily from 10am to 5pm. See details at montgomeryparks.org.

• Washington Gardener Magazine’s 2018 Seed Exchanges are on January 27 at Brookside Gardens and February 10 at Green Spring Gardens. Stay tuned for more details soon. See even more event listings on the Washington Gardener Yahoo discussion list. Join the list at http://groups.yahoo. com/group/WashingtonGardener/.

How to Submit Local Garden Events

To submit an event for this listing, contact kathyjentz@gmail.com — put “Event” in the subject line. Our next deadline is November 10 for the November 2017 issue, for events taking place November 16–December 15. o

Advanced Landscape Plant IPM PHC Short Course January 8–11, 2018

For registration information, contact: Short Course Assistant University of Maryland Department of Entomology 4112 Plant Sciences Building 4291 Fieldhouse Drive College Park, MD 20742 Tel: 301-405-3911 E-mail: umdentomology@umd.edu

 Your Ad Here

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

OCTOBER 2017 WASHINGTON GARDENER

TIPStricks

Garlics that Last the Longest in Storage

This is the year to plant garlic, according to Barbara Melera of Harvesting History (harvesting-history.com). This year, an extremely rare amalgamation of meteorological circumstances happened in the spring to produce the best growing conditions for garlic in many, many decades. The spring was incredibly wet and was followed by a somewhat drier and cooler early to midsummer. The garlic loved this and most varieties have produced big individual cloves. Garlic should be planted in late October-early December for zones 6–7, and in late November–December for zone 8. If planted at the correct time of year, in soil that has been properly amended, garlic is one of the easiest and most rewarding crops you can grow. ‘Silverskin’, ‘Creole’, and ‘Artichoke’ garlics are the longest-storing of all the garlic varieties. Under ideal conditions (56–58 degrees F with 45–50% humidity), these varieties may last for more than a year. Artichoke Garlic, a softneck variety, is so named because the overlapping clove configuration around the bulb resembles an artichoke. The plants are vigorous, the bulbs are large, which is because each bulb produces 12–20 cloves. The cloves are at best average size. The mild flavor makes them a favorite of individuals who enjoy eating raw garlic. With some strains, the flavor may be intensified by cold winter growing. ‘Thermadrone’ is an artichoke-type garlic variety originally from France. It is popular in the U.S., because it has a very unusual flavor that some describe as similar to Dijon mustard. The flavor is strong, but does not carry any heat with it. For an artichoke garlic, the cloves are relatively large. ‘Inchelium Red’ (or ‘Inchee’ as it is affectionately known) is, by far and away, the most popular and one of the longest-storing. ‘Inchee’ is an artichoketype garlic that comes from the Colville Indian Reservation in Inchelium, WA, very near the Canadian border. When eaten raw, ‘Inchee’ has a mild, good flavor. It is nowhere near as strong as many other garlics. o 10

WASHINGTON GARDENER OCTOBER 2017

Start Pansies from Seed

Pansies, with their large flower face and excellent cool-weather tolerance, are the perfect addition to your fall garden design. According to Diane Blazek of the National Garden Bureau (ngb.org), exciting new varieties have multitudes of large flower heads that are often winter-hardy in our region. While many retail garden centers offer pansies in handled packs, hanging baskets, or individual pots, many gardeners still start their own pansy flowers from seed. To germinate, start your pansy seeds indoors with a soilless mixture (this helps prevent disease on the seedlings). Then plant seed ⅛-inch deep with a light cover and a gentle watering. Pansies prefer darkness for germination. The median temperature should be 60–65°F and keep air temperature at 70–75°F. The media should stay damp (covering with a plastic wrap or damp newspaper will help retain humidity. A fine spray or mister can be added if the media dries. Germination occurs in 10–20 days. When shoots appear, remove covering and move the flat to a brightly lit but cool room to continue to grow. Continue to grow in cool temperatures. Separate seedlings into larger containers after two sets of leaves appear. Begin to feed with diluted plant food. For transplants or purchased finished plants, space your pansies 6 to 10 inches apart in well-drained and fertile soil. The best location is an area that receives morning sun. Adding granular or time release nutrition to the soil is encouraged, especially for trailing pansies, since this increases their vigor and number of blooms. Offer plenty of water at planting and during their adjustment period to help establish roots and minimize stress. Mulching can help retain moisture and reduce any weeds that may compete with your plants. Pansies planted in the spring enjoy the warm days and cool nights of the season. Mulching can help retain moisture and reduce any weeds. Pansies planted in the spring will enjoy the warm days and cool nights of the season. When planted for fall outdoor decorating, pansies will enjoy a colorful season of blooms and should overwinter to pop up again the following spring. o

Plant Flower Bulbs Now for the Joy of Spring Later It’s still fall. Nature is still putting on its grand finale before going to sleep for the winter. Can you already picture which colors you want to see once winter melts away? The folks at iBulb (www.bulb.com) suggest several combinations to try. For a leisurely introduction to spring, choose white-flowering flower bulbs. Good examples would be white-flowering tulips (Tulipa), hyacinths (Hyacinthus), and starflowers (Ipheion), as well as white-flowering checkered fritillaries (Fritillaria meleagris), grape hyacinths (Muscari), and wood anemones (Anemone nemorosa). A combination of blues would also look serene, but refreshing. What about Glory-of-the-Snow (Chionodoxa), striped squills (Puschkinia scilloides), and Siberian squills (Scilla siberica)? Could you use some bright, vivid colors when winter turns to spring? If so, choose sparkling yellow: daffodils (Narcissus), tulips (Tulipa), Crown Imperial (Fritillaria imperialis), and the earlyflowering Winter Aconite (Eranthis). Still undecided? Then go for a cheery mix—also a good idea if you want a natural-looking garden. Mix and match. Plant flower bulbs with a range of flowering periods. This way, you can enjoy flowering spring bulbs in your garden month after month. Plant these bulbs in some pots and containers, too. In early spring, you can place this in a spot easily visible from inside your home. Try planting flower bulbs in a pretty shape, such as a heart or smiley face. To create sharply defined lines, use short varieties like crocuses. You could also plant them in the shape of a number, letter, or even a whole name. o Tips column compiled by Maeve Dunigan. She is a senior multiplatform journalism major at the University of Maryland, College Park. In the past, she has worked in science journalism and as an intern for the University of Maryland’s Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, and studied media abroad at The Hague University of Applied Sciences in The Netherlands. This autumn, she is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener Magazine.

GARDENnews

Quick Links to Washington Gardener Blog Posts • Be Radishing • Asters Video • DIY: Flower Garland • Japanese Anemone Plant Profile See more Washington Gardener blog posts at: WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com o

New Plant Spotlight

GNOME DOMES™ Orostachys Plant breeder Chris Hansen has been collecting and breeding these fun-looking plants for the past 5-6 years. The botanical name of the GNOME DOMES™ is Orostachys and they are closely related to Sempervivum and Sedum. The unusual name of GNOME DOMES™ is due to their cone-shaped flower stems, which remind Chris (and others) of Gnome hats, emerge in late summer, and remain showy through November. In early spring, they emerge from their winter dormancy and look very similar to Hens & Chicks (Sempervivum). In mid-summer, the centers begin to swell and expand upward, creating these cone-shaped flower stems. Hundreds of tiny white flowers appear in late September through fall. Then, similarly to Sempervivum, baby rosettes also begin appearing at the base of the plant and are what survive the winter. Available spring 2018 at local garden centers and by mail order. o

October–November Garden To-Do List

• Cover pond with netting to keep out fallen leaves and debris. • Harvest sweet potatoes. • Plant garlic. • Force the buds on Christmas Cactus by placing in a cool (55–60 degree) room for 13 hours of darkness. • Apply deer deterrent spray. • Prevent the spread of disease by cleaning up all infected plants and disposing of them in your trash — not your compost pile. • Plant cover crops in your vegetable gardens and annual beds (i.e., rye, clover, hairy vetch, winter peas). • Set up a cold frame, then plant lettuces, radishes, and carrots from seed. • If you have a water garden, clean out the annual plants and compost them. Cut back the hardy plants and group them into the deepest pond section. • Leave seedheads on Black-eyed Susans, Echinacea, Goldenrod, Sunflowers, and Thistles for the birds to enjoy over the winter. • Check for bagworms; pick off, bag, and dispose of them. • Dig up and store potatoes in a cool, dark spot. • Continue to divide and transplant perennials. • Rake leaves and gather in compost piles. • Pick pumpkins at a local pick-your-own farm or visit a local farmer’s market. • Cut garden herbs and hang to dry in a cool, dry place indoors. • Start feeding birds to get them in the habit for this winter. • Attend a local garden club meeting. • Mulch strawberry beds for winter. • Turn your compost pile weekly and don’t let it dry out. Work compost into your planting beds. • Plant evergreens for winter interest. • Weed. • Plant spring-flowering bulbs. • Sow wildflower seeds, such as California Poppies, for next spring. • Collect dried flowers and grasses for an indoor vase. • Clean, sharpen, and store your garden tools. • Lightly fertilize indoor plants. • Pot up Paper Whites and Amaryllis for holiday blooming. • Check that all vines are securely tied against winter’s cold winds. • Collect plant seeds for next year’s planting and for trading. • Pull out spent summer annuals. • Plant hardy mums and fall season annuals. • Water evergreens and new plantings to keep them hydrated this winter. • Fertilize your lawn and re-seed if needed. • Dig up bulbs from your Gladioli, cut off foliage, dry for a week, and then store for the winter. • Transplant trees and shrubs. • Gather seeds and label them carefully. Store in dry location. • Keep an eye out for the first frost date and insulate plants as needed. In Zone 6, it is expected between September 30–October 30; in Zone 7, it is predicted between October 15–November 15. o OCTOBER 2017 WASHINGTON GARDENER

BOOKreviews Niki Jabbour’s Veggie Garden Remix By Niki Jabbour Publisher: Storey Publishing List Price: $19.95 Reviewer: Erica H. Smith Every once in a while, a gardening book comes along that isn’t merely another nice resource I’ll point out to others, but that feels like it was written just for me. Veggie Garden Remix is one of these. It’s all about the weird and fascinating food plants I like to try in my garden— and unlike so many of the articles and lectures that have claimed they’d introduce me to something new, actually describes quite a few I haven’t grown! It’s also my favorite type of gardening book in that it tells a story about a personal journey, in this case Niki Jabbour’s decision to make her garden into an international wonderland. Her journey began after her Lebanese mother-in-law pointed out that the snake gourds intended for Halloween decoration were in fact edible and known to her as cucuzzi. The garden grew from there, and so did Jabbour’s appetite for new crops, and eventually this book. You can tell she’s grown everything she writes about here, because the descriptions and advice are so detailed and full of personal experience, as well as offering a practical guide to getting underway. The structure of the book is a series of “Like x? Try y” examples. Like tomatoes? Try smaller relatives such as ground cherries or tomatillos, or try some lesser-known tomato varieties such as ‘Snow White’ or ‘Japanese Black Trifele.’ And so forth. Don’t look for every single relative or variety of any particular crop here; the point is to get you started on your own growing adventure. There’s plenty here to begin with, however, including plants like komatsuna, sea kale, quinoa, luffa, dandelion, edamame, Egyptian walking onions, Hamburg parsley, and my favorite, the tiny cucumber relatives called cucamelons. (They’re also called Mexican sour gherkins or—my preference—mouse melons. One of the young visitors to our Master Gardener demo garden said they should be called “cute-cumbers” and I second that!) And if you 12

WASHINGTON GARDENER OCTOBER 2017

want to stick with the tried-and-true crops (although I don’t know why you would), you can take a look at varieties like ‘Corbaci’ peppers, cousa summer squash, ‘Dragon’s Tongue’ bush beans, or ‘Atomic Red’ carrots. These aren’t just colorful or oddly shaped novelties; each has its own beneficial characteristics, and many may grow more easily or taste more delicious than the types you’re already familiar with. It’s important to remember, when making decisions for your vegetable garden, that there’s nothing especially American (or, in Jabbour’s case, Canadian) about what we call “traditional crops.” Cabbage, broccoli, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, melons, lettuce, etc.: just about all the vegetables we grow originated away from the North American continent, and certainly away from the East Coast. There is nothing more “exotic” about yardlong beans, Malabar spinach, Kabocha squash, or orach than about the crops grown in long-time European-American or African-American communities, which we’ve slipped into thinking of as “normal.” Botanically, they’re all equally immigrants. I love that Jabbour gets this and writes with equal fondness of all the vegetables coming out of her garden and appearing in the pages of this lovely book. This book is a great addition to the gardening library of adventurous and timid gardeners alike; it tells the story of how trying something new isn’t scary, even if it does make a good Halloween decoration. Even those more experienced in growing the unusual may find surprises here—I’ll be browsing again when it’s time to make choices for next year’s garden. Erica H. Smith is a Montgomery County Master Gardener whose volunteer activities include the MG Demonstration Garden, the Grow It Eat It program, and speaking engagements on food-growing topics..

A New Garden Ethic: Cultivating Defiant Compassion for an Uncertain Future By Benjamin Vogt Publisher: New Society Publishers List Price: $18.99 Reviewer: Uyen Nguyen

A New Garden Ethic is very timely. As the threat of climate change looms and more agricultural spaces pop up in urban areas, author Benjamin Vogt asks humans to, in short, be humane. He asks us to reconsider the way we garden; more specifically, to see the value in gardens beyond their physical beauty. Not only do gardens serve as sanctuaries for its owners, but did you ever think about all the organisms that live and thrive in your garden? We should not view the small animals that inhabit our gardens as pests. If you see “fat yellow, black, and white-striped caterpillars” chewing on and destroying your “ten-dollar plant,” you’d probably want to grab pesticide and spray it on those pests. But you should also keep in mind that those same “pests” will grow into beautiful Monarch butterflies, which signifies you have a healthy garden. Vogt is a native plant garden design columnist at Houzz.com and owner of Monarch Gardens in Nebraska. His works and photographs have been published in more than 60 publications and he speaks about sustainable design and wildlife landscapes all over the United States. Vogt uses amazing analogies in A New Garden Ethic. Why is a wild marsh that filters water, reduces flooding, and serves as home to many reptiles any different from the gardens in our own backyards? They’re not. We have forgotten about the wildlife that inhabit our gardens as we started to focus on landscape, but there has to be a balance, especially since Vogt predicts “70 or 80 percent of us will soon live in or near cities.” His first-person accounts of his gardening makes this book very personal. Vogt suggests that we use native plants in our gardens to support wildlife. While new hybrids of plants might be aesthetically pleasing, local wildlife cannot adapt to them. The very last chapter of this book discusses the idea that taking care of the environment should not be something political, but social justice for endangered species. In just 163 pages, Vogt is able to fit in so much passion—supported by extensive research—about reconnecting with nature through ethical gardening. His vivid prose makes the narra-

BOOKreviews tive very easy to follow and keeps you invested in his persuasive argument. Anyone who gardens, either at home or professionally, should give A New Garden Ethic a read. This is a cathartic piece of literature that goes beyond telling people how to garden; rather, it provides a fresh take on the importance and ecological benefit in gardening ethically and sustainably. As a nongardener, this book makes me want to start my very own garden so that I can contribute to the environment. Uyen Nguyen is a senior multiplatform journalism major at the University of Maryland. This autumn, she is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener Magazine.

Propagation Techniques By Mitchell Beazley Publisher: Royal Horticulture Society List Price: $19.99 Reviewer: Nicole Reisinger The Royal Horticulture Society (RHS) handbook, Propagation Techniques, provides a comprehensive guide to the easy, inexpensive, and fulfilling practice of propagating your own plants. From seed-sowing to taking cuttings and seemingly everything in between, this book provides the knowledge and know-how necessary to cultivate your own new plants from old plants. Regardless of whether you are a beginner propagator or veteran breeder, this handbook offers valuable advice on how to perform over 20 different propagating techniques to make sure your roots are on the route to success. Step-by-step, the RHS shows you how to propagate a plethora of different cuttings using various methods. Complete with detailed diagrams and insightful tips, Propagation Techniques also has information on proper tools, technique, procedures, and good maintenance. The table of contents is broken down by each technique so you can easily pinpoint what is relevant for your own propagation efforts. As a novice propagator, I’ve experimented with my household succulents and African violets with minimal success. After reading this handbook, I decided to give it another go by using the steps on how to propagate offsets.

One of my favorite features is the Propagation Directory in the back. It gives a concise overview of the preferred propagation method used for each plant type, such as annuals, biennials, perennials, and woody plants. Despite being a British publication, all the contents are applicable to local gardeners because the majority of the propagation process takes place indoors. Cilantro & Coriander, Herb of the Year™ 2017 By various authors Publisher: International Herb Association List Price: $15.95 Reviewer: Nicole Reisinger Every year since 1995, the International Herb Association has chosen a herb to highlight, and 2017 happens to be the year of cilantro and coriander. Cilantro & Coriander commemorates this twofor-one plant with 45 instructional and witty articles, complete with stunning illustrations and photos from a variety of talented artists. This informational guide offers a plethora of cilantro- and coriander-related recipes. From rubs to booze to bread, cilantro and coriander can find a home in just about any recipe. If there was ever an herb to be baffled by, it would be Coriandrum sativum. Who knew this two-in-one plant could cause so much confusion. Skye Suter’s essay, “In Confusion—Cilantro or Coriander,” explains that in the U.S., coriander refers to the seed of the plant while cilantro indicates the leaf. To add a little more confusion to the mix, Suter reveals that the word cilantro comes from the Spanish word for coriander. The British are more straightforward in their approach, calling the seed coriander seed and the leaf and stalk coriander or coriander leaf. Cilantro is a pretty polarizing food: You either love it or you hate it. Those who hate the herb usually claim it tastes like soap. That’s because they are the rare few who share an olfactory-receptor gene, called OR6A2. This gene enables them to smell aldehyde chemicals that are found in both cilantro and soap, giving a the herb an

unpleasant taste. In Carol Little’s essay, “The Nutritional and Medicinal Benefits of Cilantro and Coriander,” she highlights the herb’s digestive, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties. Coriander is known to help promote healthy liver function, work as a diuretic, and stimulate the endocrine glands. These benefits were used even before Biblical times. In traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurvedic traditions, this nifty herb was made into a strong tea or simply added to a meal to harness its potential. Cilantro and coriander’s benefits can extend beyond cookery in the kitchen to spice up life in the bedroom. According to the essay “The Lore and Allure of Coriandum sativum” by Gert Coleman, consuming coriander is known to help boost libido and be an effective aphrodisiacal aid. “If lovemaking is thwarted by tension in the home,” writes Coleman, “folklore suggests tying a bunch of fresh coriander leaves with a red ribbon to hang in the kitchen to restore harmony and balance.” One essay I found particularly fascinating was Davy Dabney’s “The Rest of the Story: Other Uses for Coriander.” Dabney explains how the Egyptians would feed coriander, garlic, and mint to the slaves who worked on the pyramids to give them energy. She noted that when used to flavor wine, coriander was even referred to as “the herb of happiness.” Dabney mentions that Cleopatra herself used coriander for fragrance and in cosmetics. Just like the ancient Egyptians, modern humans still find many uses for coriander. This multi-purpose herb can be used in carpet fresheners, muscle massage oils, rheumatic joint poultices, and homestyle potpourris. From botany and poems to history and horticulture, Cilantro & Coriander, Herb of the Year™ is chock-full of fascinating factoids and scrumptious recipes that are sure to celebrate Coriandrum sativum to its fullest! o Nicole Reisinger is a senior multiplatform journalism major at the University of Maryland Philip Merrill School of Journalism. This autumn, she is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener Magazine. OCTOBER 2017 WASHINGTON GARDENER

Ginkgo biloba:

Tree of Longevity and Living Fossil By Judith Mensh

This is a tree with abundant cultural significance, as well as botanical interest—a source of endless inspiration to individuals, artists, and religions, even countries, through the ages. Its fall color, described as golden, is traditionally celebrated as a festival in appreciation of its beauty. A street lined with Ginkgo trees in full fall color is glorious. Once a novelty, found only on the estates of a wealthy landowner in the 20th century, the Ginkgo became an urban street tree, cloned for mass production. This is when it crossed the boundaries of selective usage and became a blanket solution, at times overused. Ginkgo trees are easy to identify with their unique fan-shaped leaves. They share the distinction of their common name, Maidenhair Tree, with the fern Adiantum sps., whose leaf segments are similarly fan-shaped. A deciduous gymnosperm, its outward structure—a straight trunk with radiating branches—makes it similar to a conifer. Inside, the Gingko tree is closer to the cycads, due essentially to one shared attribute, unusual for plants: motile sperm.

Ginkgo History

Thriving across the hemispheres during 14

WASHINGTON GARDENER OCTOBER 2017

the Jurassic period, probably in our own backyards, according to the local fossil records, the species then disappeared in the Americas, to be found again only in remote southwest China. It was planted and tended next to temples and monasteries. The only member of its genus to survive prehistoric times. Once the secret was out, the Ginkgo began its extensive travels, first to Japan and Korea, then to Britain (introduced in 1754), Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. It is now heavily planted along the American East Coast. The original synergy between the Gingko and the dinosaurs consisted of the leaves providing biomass, and the fruit, with its attractively (to dinosaurs) strong odor, providing nutrition. Consumption of the fruit, which is actually a large seed, guaranteed its propagation throughout the landscape, leading to new trees and more fruit. With no replacement for the dinosaurs’ seed scattering, the Ginkgo stayed close to home. Early Chinese and Tibetan monks began taking care of them, and here we are today. In our time and area, the gray squirrel is the front-line distributor of Ginkgo seeds, even though they aren’t the squirrel’s top food choice. Even so, it

shows no invasive behavior; no Ginkgo forests have appeared, so far. In fact, Ginkgo biloba is on the Red List of Endangered Species (http://www.iucnredlist.org/), because of the lack of natural Ginkgo forests. Ginkgo is a famed survivor. One example: Ginko were the few living beings left standing within the epicenter of Hiroshima atomic blast, and were able to regrow and continue on. Its medicinal uses are ancient, yet still being used and explored, with ample literature on its every aspect. Leaves for the extract often used in western herbalism are grown at Ginkgo plantations, one of which is in South Carolina. We also know that the Ginkgo has sap that works like a fire retardant.

Care and Growing Tips

Along with a relatively slow growth rate (taking 30 years or more to mature), it occupies a wide range of climate zones (3-9). It provides shade, canopy, and dazzling autumn leaf display. The whole tree turns a uniform golden yellow in October. Then, one cold night, all the leaves fall down, and the gold is spread out in a wide circle around the bare tree, its unique silhouette now on view. Prune it while dormant, if ever. Wear

PLANTprofile gloves when handling Ginkgo parts, (leaves, seeds, cones). It is allergenic and causes skin reactions. Ginkgo happiness is a well-watered, well-drained, deep soil in a sunny location. Disturbed areas seem to suit it. Having come this far (200 million years), with survival its first priority, of course, the Ginkgo is known for its ability to thrive oblivious to pollution, tight space, and other insults of urban street life. For this reason, it has been used extensively over the last 50 years in the public landscape. Negative feedback from the public caused the female trees to be replaced with male clones. In a country not educated in the use of Ginkgo, where the fruit goes to waste and the pungent odor prevails, this fruit-bearing tree is considered to be a messy, smelly inconvenience. Ginkgo pollination occurs between April and September, with the seeds ripening, and falling, through autumn. Like locating native persimmons in the fall or blackberries in the summer, urban foragers who collect and process wild bounty, locate the female trees and return at the right moment to harvest them. The nuts (technically gametophytes) are tasty, but contain Ginkgotoxin, and are poisonous if eaten in quantity. (Adults should limit themselves to five seeds a day.) Ginkgo nuts can be found in various forms at local Asian supermarkets. They are served for special occasions and in certain traditional dishes, including the Chinese morning bowl of congee. The male tree’s catkins produce pollen that is highly allergenic. So, smell or sneeze? Which to choose or learn to live with? One solution is a “seedlless” male clone with no catkin production. Surprise! In the absence of female trees, mature male Ginkgo trees have been known to change sexes and produce the female structures needed to procreate.

Best Cultivars

The species has been cultivated to produce alternatives to its natural shape, and size. Dr. Michael Dirr, in his Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, lists more than two dozen cultivars, out of which maybe six are available on the market. ‘Princeton Sentry’ is found commonly, a

seedless male that is a narrow, upright tree. ‘Presidential Gold’ is a great favorite of Dr. Dirr; one of his own selections. The dwarf varieties are novel. The most commonly found locally is the G. biloba ‘Marieken’, with a mature height of just 3 feet! This adorable shrub hails from a famed family nursery, Duncan and Davies of New Zealand. Other favored dwarf cultivars sometimes seen are ‘Troll’ and ‘Munchkin’. If you have a sunny spot that needs a low shrub to occupy it, this is the sort of plant chosen for its uniqueness and fall beauty. We see few Ginkgo trees planted on residential lawns. Driving through Falls Church, VA, I spied only one. Look for (male) Ginkgo trees planted around our newer Metro stations and at public gardens like the U.S. National Arboretum. A good specimen tree, if you have the space and the place, is easy to find, purchase, and plant. If you have a chance to be in on a decision to choose a tree to plant in your neighborhood, consider Gingko: It is beautiful, pestfree, long-lived, and tough. New York City and Seoul, Korea, are the two cities most planted with Ginkgo. It is the national tree of China, where Ginkgo well over 1,000 years old are official national treasures. Be aware that it does not fulfill the requirements of being a useful pollinator (its pollen is wind-borne). These are the plantings that add another dimension to our gardens. They don’t fit into our everyday categories: They add diversity, history, tradition, and specialness to the garden.

Companion Plants

Compared, say, to a local Oak, Maple, or Serviceberry tree, the Ginkgo is a bit of a loner when it comes to an integrated relationship with its environment in our area. As a non-native for the last 7 million years or so, it is a poor host to our local critters. Our native caterpillars, bugs, and birds have not evolved associations with the Gingko and show little interest in it. Because the leaves and roots have been found to be allelopathic (releasing chemicals to discourage competition from nearby plants), it is not neighbor-friendly. Ginkgo works well as a container plant, especially the dwarf varieties,

with protection in the winter, consistent watering, and fertilizing throughout the growing season. Its longevity has made it a favorite for Bonsai. Most of us will have to enjoy Ginkgo trees in public spaces rather than in our own gardens. There are several outstanding, aged, and historic Ginkgo to know about—the Pratt Ginkgo, planted at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA, in 1860, and the Bartram Ginkgo, planted in Philadelphia, PA, circa 1785, to name two examples.

Further Sources

The Ginkgo Pages (https://kwanten. home.xs4all.nl/) web site is a rich resource for all things Ginkgo. If you have something to contribute, you are invited to share it with the site author. Ginkgo: The Tree that Time Forgot (2013) from Yale University Press, by botanist Peter Crane, is an up-to-date compendium of facts and stories. It is available in print and on Kindle. Planting a (male) Ginkgo tree in the District of Columbia is included in the Casey Tree Foundation’s Tree Rebate Program (https://caseytrees.org/). Without the exchange of genetic matter, we are solving a problem for humans but limiting the future health of the plant. Planting male clones en masse is a practice being called into question in the interest of biodiversity. Mass-producing trees through cloning interferes with the natural evolution of a species when genes are mixed and new combinations formed. Low genetic variability can be a debilitating factor for the future of a plant. Today, some arborists encourage the planting of both male and female Ginkgo and include maintenance of the resulting seed fall as a given. In balance, we are lucky to be home to an area rich in thriving Ginkgo trees, spread over a wide area. Will the living fossil that began in a Jurassic forest end up in a parking lot? If trees had mottos, the Ginkgo’s would be: Adaptability, Resilience, Endurance. o Judith Mensh is a local horticultural consultant. She is available to walk your yard with you and identify plants and possibilities. She can be reached via email at JudithMenshNurtureNature@gmail.com.

OCTOBER 2017 WASHINGTON GARDENER

2017 Trees Matter Symposium Wed, Nov. 1 | 7:30 am – 4 pm Silver Spring Civic Building Silver Spring, MD The sixth annual Trees Matter Symposium focuses on the health and welfare of trees in our increasingly developed landscapes. Learn from some of the country’s leading experts about innovative efforts to plant, protect and preserve trees in urban and suburban settings. � Early bird pricing ($85) available until September 30th. � Regular price for admission is $95.

Dr. Richard Olsen

Director of the United States National Arboretum ��“Tree Selection In A Changing And Challenging Urban Environment”

Dr. Jason Grabosky

Professor of Urban Forestry at Rutgers University ��Part I: “Developing An Urban Context To Service Life Expectations For Canopy Management Planning” ��Part II: “Trees, Soils and Pavement...Oh My!”

Dr. Susannah Lerman

Research Ecologist in the Urban Forests, Human Health, and Environmental Quality unit of the US Forest Service �� Forest For Wildlife”

Dr. Andrew Koeser

Assistant Professor of Environmental Horticulture and Landscape Management at the University of Florida ��“Tree Risk Assessment - Separating Perception From Reality.

MontgomeryParks.org/Trees-Matter-Symposium � Register at ActiveMontgomery.org for course #42469 � 16OrWASHINGTON call 301-495-2580 GARDENER OCTOBER 2017

GOINGnative

Wreath Goldenrod Nothing to Sneeze At By Barry Glick

Solidago caesia happens to be one of my very favorite autumn-blooming perennials. The bright, Primrose-yellow brilliance of its unusual zig-zag, axillary, long-lasting flower heads along a purplish stem never fail to garner praise from garden visitors. One of the most commonly asked questions, after I answer the “Wow! What is that?” question is, “Doesn’t it make you sneeze?” Poor, poor Goldenrod, taking the heat for Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) just because it coincidentally shares the same window of time in flowering. Goldenrod pollen does not cause an allergic reaction! Solidago caesia is native to 32 states in the continental USA—from Maine to Texas—and three Canadian provinces. That said, I would think it to be hardy just about anywhere. Although its native habitat is shade, it can handle part-sun. Moisture requirements are not high and I’ve grown it successfully in average to dryish soil. Plant height is 18–36" if erect, but it so often assumes a graceful arching habit. This well-behaved plant is a member

of the Aster Family, and unlike most of the other species in this genus, it forms a small clump and doesn’t run all over the garden. Solidago caesia is commonly known as Wreath Goldenrod or Blue-stemmed Goldenrod. According to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, it has similar “sibling” Goldenrods, notably: Wand-like Goldenrod (S. stricta), found in sandy sites from New Jersey southward, and Zigzag Goldenrod (S. flexicaulis); has a zigzag stem and broad ovate leaves, and Downy Goldenrod (S. puberula), found in dry sites along the East Coast, has a very leafy stem covered with fine, spreading hairs. The large populations of deer that roam the mountains and valleys around me have never even raised an eyebrow

at this plant. It is drought-tolerant and a good source of nectar for native pollinators. Yes, this is a “Goldenrod”—not a weedy Goldenrod, but an extremely desirable one, and I highly recommend it for just about any garden. Be it a native, natural, wild or formal garden, there’s a place for Solidago caesia. 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. OCTOBER 2017 WASHINGTON GARDENER

BEFOREafter

Bringing Warmth to a Blank Slate By Nicole Reisinger

The 10th Annual DC Design House is a nonprofit that raises money for the Children’s National Health System, based in Washington, DC, that has been serving the nation’s children since 1870. Located at 9004 Congressional Court in Potomac, MD, this four-story, 27,256square-foot house is on the market for a mere $10.28 million. Complete with nine bedrooms, nine full bathrooms, four half-baths, a ballroom, a cinema, a two-story library with two offices, and multiple kitchens, all on two acres accompanied by a pool house, the house gave this year’s designers plenty to work with. Lauren Fisher of Clinton & Associates in Hyattsville, MD, designed the outside entry area with a clean, modern style accented by rich textures and colors. She was inspired by floral design in addition to textiles, fashion, art, and the natural world. Fisher wanted to find pieces that complemented the 18

WASHINGTON GARDENER OCTOBER 2017

traditional, formal, chateau-style of the home while staying true to her design aesthetic. Anything altered in the landscape or house must be returned to its predesign condition, so when selecting the front entry area of the Design House, Fisher decided to proceed by creating a landscape of free-standing elements. “Our initial reaction to the front of the building is that monumental stairs felt like they belonged to a school or hotel, not the entryway into a home,” Fisher said. “The house also feels very detached from the surrounding landscape, and we wanted to connect the two.” Her goal was to provide elements that created a human scale to define the space. She accomplished this with the repetition of her interpretation of Orangerie boxes; the large boxes with small trees, such as ‘Forest Pansy’ Redbud, that “create rhythm and structure

while paying homage to the French character of the home.” “We in-filled the spaces created by the Orangerie boxes with a collection of scale-appropriate planters in a simple color palette of warm cast stone and rich sapphire,” Fisher said. She filled the planters with an amethyst and amber jewel-toned palette of plants. Some of her favorites are ‘Frosted Violet’ Heuchera, ‘Silk Tassels’ Carex, and ‘Brilliance’ Autumn Fern. The seasonal container installations depend on the availability of growers, which changes weekly, according to Fisher. “I’ve gotten very used to developing plant palettes on the fly,” she said. “I develop a color story and then comb the lists to find the plants to fit within those parameters. “The trickle of water from fountains flanking the terraces and seating vignettes of woven Bronze furniture make users of the space as feel as if

BEFOREafter

BEFORE they are entering the home of an avid gardener, reinforcing our vision to create a garden on the stairs.” Beginning in 2008, the Washington, DC, Design House created an annual design show house event in the DC metro area for the area’s top designers to display their talents in a “flowing design home” to raise funds for the Children’s National Health System. “There is obviously an amazing amount of press and foot traffic that we get from such a prestigious event,” Fisher said, “but the real takeaway for me is knowing that, even if in a small way, we are contributing to a noble cause. If in some way, we’ve helped fund groundbreaking research or helped children receive better treatment in state-of-theart facilities, then that really makes all of this worthwhile.” The DC Design House is open to the public every Saturday to Sunday from 12noon to 5pm and Tuesday to Friday from 10am to 3pm until Sunday, October 29. Tickets cost $35 and sales are donated to Children’s National. o

AFTER

Nicole Reisinger is a senior multiplatform journalism major and history minor in the University of Maryland Philip Merrill School of Journalism. She grew up maintaining gardens with her family and has experience working with a premier floral designer in Annapolis, MD. This autumn, she is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener Magazine. OCTOBER 2017 WASHINGTON GARDENER

NEIGHBORnwork

Meet Eco-artist Devin Devine By Nicole Reisinger

From flagstone walkways to natural stone benches, eco-artist Devin Devine’s masonry marries nature’s beauty and technical architecture with his artistic nuance. After starting his business, Devine Escapes (www.devineescapes.com), in 2007, Devine set off on a mission to create intricate landscapes with an ecological conscience. Based in Effort, PA, Devine operates with 19 years of experience in masonry and hardscaping. The Friends of Brookside Gardens recently commissioned Devine to install a dry-stone sculpture to commemorate 20 years of supporting Brookside Gardens. In the Fragrance Garden near the maple terrace, Devine’s stacked stone sphere exudes an enduring presence. Devine spent a total of four weeks working on this project: One week of preparation and another three of assembling the sculpture on site. While he admitted big projects in landscaping and construction are more profitable, Devine’s passion lies with creating artistic pieces that inspire. We caught up with him putting the 20

WASHINGTON GARDENER OCTOBER 2017

finishing touches on the stone sphere at Brookside and asked him a few questions about his work.

lenge myself, come up with an idea that seems impossible at first, then figure out how to make it work.

Tell us about your background and how you got into creating dry-stone stone structures?

What is a typical workday like?

For years, I worked in landscaping and construction, doing artistic and creative endeavors during my time off. In 2007, I started my own business doing natural stone landscaping. At the time, I expected to have more time off than when I had been working for someone else, and I would then be able to dedicate more time to writing, drawing, and making music. But as soon as I had more freedom to do what I wanted with stone, I began to find myself expressing my creativity with the stone. It just happened, organically: Stone became my medium. What inspires the design of your sculptures? The movements of clouds, schools of fish, wind-tossed leaves. I like to chal-

Expect the unexpected! Some days, I’m designing stone work, doing consultations, or writing how-to articles about stone work, for my website. Other days, I’m leading a crew in the construction of a large hardscape, with walls, walkways, patio, and a full outdoor living environment. Other times, I’m working on sculpture or building other fun stuff. I do jobs in my local area, in Pennsylvania, but then I’ll travel a bit, too. A lot of times, people who maybe live outside of my area will be unable to find a local contractor who knows how to do traditional masonry or natural stone hardscaping. Sometimes it’s better for such homeowners to have me travel to them. Even if they’re paying for consultations before the work starts, and even if they have to pay extra for my accommodations, that still is often worth it to them if they value quality.

NEIGHBORnwork If a job is interesting to me, financially or artistically, I’ll travel. If I’m out of state for a month on a job, my workday will look a bit differently than if the job is right down the road from where I live, in the Poconos. How do you select your materials to work with? Natural materials are selected for beauty and utility. I’ll choose what type of material I want for a particular job—a particular type of stone I want to use. Or wood, since I enjoy building arbors and pergolas, cat trees, and things like that, out of logs and branches. So I’ll go out into nature, or to a stone quarry, I’ll go to wherever that particular type of material is found, and I’ll select the stuff I want to use. So I’ll decide to use bluestone, then I’ll go and find bluestone that I like, that is of appropriate thickness, that is in good shape, without faults or flaws that will affect its longevity, and that has the color I’m looking for, or some other aesthetic trait. What mistakes and triumphs have you encountered in your landscaping work? I repair and replace a good bit of poorly done stone work, as well as doing consultations, teaching other people how to repair or replace such work. Don’t lay flagstone on sand. Use stone dust. Never use polymeric sand in conjunction with flagstone. If building a dry-stone wall, build a proper, doubleskinned wall, with little or no vertical seams and plenty of through-stones that unite the two wall faces. The list goes on! Never repair a dry-stone wall with mortar. Never use mortar to grout in-between dry-laid flagstones; only use mortar if the stones are set on a concrete foundation.

Stay away from modern faux materials, gimmicks, and short-cuts. What are some of the most interesting projects you have worked on? Nothing has a greater fascination, or wider appeal and interest, than the stacked stone spheres. Everyone wants to know more about them, everyone has something to say about them. Currently, my benches and tables are very interesting to me. The way that the stones are notched to fit together— there’s a lot of possibilities there and I’ll be exploring this interlocking, mortise and tenon-type stone work more in the next year or two. What are you planning to do next? I have notebooks full of designs for stone vases, spheres, and similar structures, including a spiral herb garden concept that I hope to manifest soon, and an idea for a wedding chapel that I’ve been wanting to build for some years now; just looking for the right venue and the right client. The job that I was supposed to be building for the next couple months has gotten delayed, possibly until next year, so I’m open. Either I’ll be building some smaller, portable sculptures at my workshop, and/or some new client will come along and I’ll end up designing something for them.

I also do consultation work. People will come to me with their DIY hardscape projects, looking for help and advice. It generally takes me about an hour to walk someone through the process of how to build a dry-laid flagstone patio, for example. For this, I charge $80 an hour. This work is rewarding—who doesn’t love to talk about their trade? Who doesn’t love telling other people how their trade “should be done”? That’s basically what I do. And they love it. Approximately 100 percent of the people whom I do phone consultations with tell me that they are very happy they found me, that they now feel confident about what they need to do to manifest their flagstone patio, walkway, or other hardscape/masonry project. Often they mail me photos, a month or three later, proudly showing off their work to me. Like I said, it is rewarding. I’m beginning to work with wire and steel, glass, and ceramic as well. Soon, I’ll be unveiling some hybrid sculptures that incorporate other forms, like wire sculpture, into my stone work. o Nicole Reisinger is a senior multiplatform journalism major and history minor at the University of Maryland Philip Merrill School of Journalism. She grew up maintaining gardens with her family and has worked with a premier floral designer in Annapolis, MD. This autumn, she is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener.

What advice would you give to beginners or amateurs in designing their own structures and landscapes? Look to traditional building methods, tools, and materials. Time-tested, real stuff. Revive “dying arts.” Learn traditional artisan crafts, study, practice, and take your craft seriously.

OCTOBER 2017 WASHINGTON GARDENER

HORThaenings

Brookside’s Children’s Day Honey Harvest

Brookside Gardens, Brookside Nature Center, and the Maryland State Beekeepers Association joined in this year’s Children’s Day festivities to host the Honey Harvest on September 17. Attendees had the chance to talk to beekeepers such as president of the Montgomery County Beekeepers Association Leon Vandenburg. “This event’s been going for about three years and each year, it seems to be getting bigger and better, and to me, it’s a big educational outreach for our club,” he said. “I enjoy talking to people about bees. If you’re a real beekeeper, you can’t shut up about bees.” Participants also saw beehives, watched how honey gets harvested, and bought honey and other bee products, such as lip balm and lotion from local vendors. All while partaking in activities and crafts for the whole family. “It’s great to see all these people here and all these children, they’re so wideeyed and they’re having a great time and it’s just a fun event to be at and I hope [Brookside] continues to do it for many years,” Vandenburg said.

DC State Fair 2017

The eighth annual DC State Fair on September 24 at the Waterfront Station in Southwest DC was a day-long festivity aimed at celebrating the agricultural, artistic, and athletic talents in the DC area. There were 20 food and drink contests, including best pie and best wine. Seven of the 10 live contests were showcased on the main stage, where kids competed in a So You Think You Can Dance dance-off, double-dutch, and many other activities. There were also live performances from seven DCbased artists. The third annual Pet Parade also took place at the fair. It included 13 contests, such as Best Pet and Owner Costume, Longest Sit-Stay, and Best Stupid Pet Trick. On the education stage, Washington Gardener’s own Kathy Jentz opened the festival with a flower arrangement demonstration. After four other shows in between, Genna Beth Davidson of Wit’s End Puppets ended with a shadow puppet demonstration. 22

WASHINGTON GARDENER OCTOBER 2017

National Cathedral Fall Garden Day

All Hallows Guild’s Garden Day was held on September 24 at the Washington National Cathedral in the Bishop’s Garden and Lawn. In celebration of All Hallows Guild’s 101st birthday, it was BYOB—bring your own (picnic) blanket. Attendees of all ages could play lawn games, partake in a scavenger hunt, and eat food from Rocklands Barbeque and A&B Ice Cream as they listened to live music in the All Hallows Amphitheater and purchased goodies from the Herb Cottage Gift Shop. There was also a separate coloring and craft table for the kids with free All Hallows Guild carousel coloring books. Also in attendance were garden docents and artists.

U.S. Botanic Garden’s National Garden Festival

The U.S. Botanic Garden (USBG) held a festival on September 23 to celebrate its 11-year-old National Garden. There were plant activities in the pollinator butterfly garden, where native pollinator plants were given to eventgoers to pot up and take home. Participants also had the chance to learn about carnivorous plants, how to make natural dyes, and how chocolate and red buds are similar. Huge crowds gathered at the cooking demonstration, where eventgoers saw how to cook seasonally and tried samples. For entertainment, “we’ve got a gourd band, which I love, they’re really great fun—all their instruments are made out of gourds,” said Ray Mims, USBG’s Conservation and Sustainability Horticulturist. With this event, USBG aimed to teach locals the importance of native plants and “have people engage in activities that help them understand the plant world,” Mims said.

The National Capital Orchid Society’s Fall Show Long Creek Pawpaw Fest

The second annual Long Creek Pawpaw Fest took place in Long Creek Homestead of Frederick, MD, on September 23 in celebration of pawpaws, a fruit native to America but unknown to many—described as an “exotic native.” Participants saw jam being made, ate wood-fired pizza and were also encouraged to try more than eight varieties of the pawpaw fruit itself and pawpaw ice cream. “They are so natural here, we are in the heart of pawpaw country. They’re almost ephemeral as a fruit,” said Michael Judd, the principal designer and founder of Ecologia. Judd and other event hosts held orchard tours throughout the festival at the 25-acre permaculture site. “I was looking for where culture and ecology come together, and stimulating, growing that, and sharing the abundance of where we live.” Judd said. “People get to see a different way to live, an ecological way to live with the surroundings and the history of the land.”

The National Capital Orchid Society (NCOS) held its 70th annual orchid show at Behnke Nurseries in Beltsville, MD, from October 7–9. NCOS came up with the idea to hold its very first orchid show after the end of the second World War, [it was] an awful time, no matter where you were,” said NCOS Chair Jerry Rice. Flowers, especially orchids, have a healing effect. The very first orchid show was held in DC, in a bank building near the White House. “The line of people to see it went out of the bank building and snaked around the corner,” Rice said. This year’s show was also open to the public. Thousands of unique orchid plants—from Phalaenopsis to Paphiopedilum—were in bloom and on display in the showroom. Carol Allen, the ‘Orchid Doctor,’ was there to answer any questions visitors had about orchids. o This issue’s “HortHappenings” were compiled by Uyen Nguyen. She is a senior multiplatform journalism major at the University of Maryland. This autumn, she is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener Magazine.

ADVERTISINGindex

Your Ad Here

BACK ISSUE SALE!

YOU CAN REQUEST A SINGLE COPY OF PRINT BACK ISSUES FOR $6 EACH OR ANY 6 BACK ISSUES FOR $24, OR ALL 40+ PRINT BACK ISSUES FOR JUST $100. PRICE INCLUDES POSTAGE AND HANDLING. PLEASE SPECIFY THE ISSUE DATE(S). ORDER MUST BE PREPAID BY CHECK OR MONEY ORDER. SEND ORDERS TO: WASHINGTON GARDENER, 826 PHILADELPHIA AVE., SILVER SPRING, MD 20910

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

MARCH/APRIL 2008 • Patio, Balcony, Rooftop Container Gardens • Our Favorite Garden Tools • Coral Bells (Heucheras) MAY/JUNE 2008 — ALMOST SOLD OUT! • Growing Great Tomatoes • Glamorous Gladiolus • Seed-Starting Basics • Flavorful Fruiting Natives 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

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

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

Want Your Club Profiled? Got a Washington, DC-area garden group, plant society, or neighborhood club that you think should be profiled here? Send the full details to KathyJentz@gmail.com or call 301.588.6894.

Got a Garden Question?

Got a gardening question you need answered? Send your questions to KathyJentz@gmail.com and use the subject line “Q&A.” Please also include your first name, last initial, and what city and state you are writing from. Then look for your answered questions in upcoming issues.

Advertising Index A big THANK YOU to all of our Washington Gardener advertisers. Please tell them you saw their ad in Washington Gardener! Behnke Nurseries Earth Essence Designs Green Spring Gardens IPM Short Course Jentz Antique Prints Labyrinth Journeys MD HGIC MG Handbook Sunshine Farm & Gardens Trees Matter Conference Washington Gardener Back Issues Washington Gardener Speaker Bureau White’s Nursery

To advertise with us, please contact KathyJentz@gmail.com

2 2 2 9 24 2 2 2 16 23 2 2

or call 301.588.6894 today.

Next deadline: November 10

OCTOBER 2017 WASHINGTON GARDENER

Jentz Prints

Antique Botanical Prints for the decorator, collector, connoisseur, and art lover. Jentz Prints can be purchased on most Saturdays at the Eastern Market, and most Sundays at the Georgetown Flea Market.

Antique prints are affordable — most in the $10-$30 range — and they are the perfect gift idea for that plant lover in your life. And don’t forget to buy a few for yourself! For more information, to make a private appointment, or to get a detailed show schedule, please contact Jentz Prints by email at UllrichJ@aol.com. You can also find Jentz Prints on eBay.com under the seller ID: printyman. 24

WASHINGTON GARDENER OCTOBER 2017