Washington Gardener September 2018

SEPTEMBER 2018 VOL. 13 NO. 7

WWW.WASHINGTONGARDENER.COM

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gardener

tthe he magazine for gardening enthusiasts in the Mid-Atlantic region

11 Tips to Help Birds in Your Backyard Turtles in the Garden: Native Chelone Species Quick Pointers for Growing Great Garlic

Rooftop to Glass at Firefly Autumn Spider Webs Heirloom Herb Horehound How to Hold More Carbon in Your Soil Local Gardening 101

Fall-blooming

Japane Anemone

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.

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

Order some today at: www.manuretea.com

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RESOURCESsourc

Need a Garden Club Speaker?

Washington Gardener Magazine’s staff and writers are available to speak to groups and garden clubs in the greater DC region.

Call 301.588.6894 or email KathyJentz@gmail.com for available dates, rates, and topics.

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

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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.

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WASHINGTON GARDENER SEPTEMBER 2018

INSIDEcontents

FEATURES and COLUMNS

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Growing garlic is as easy as digdrop-done. This bulb has magical healing properties, from reducing cholesterol and dropping blood pressure to combating the common cold. Best of all, it is delicious and a breeze to prepare in dishes from pesto to shrimp scampi.

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Japanese Anemone will naturalize in the landscape by suckering roots to form colonies over time. Site them against a fence or wall and out of the direct afternoon sun. Good companion plantings include tall Ferns, moistureloving shrubs like Beautyberry, and Feather Reed Grass ‘Karl Foerster’.

Create a Habitat for Your Local Wildlife. Think first of the birds, butterflies, and bees that you can support in your garden habitat. Then select plants that provide the kinds of food they need, such as nectar, berries, or seeds. Plant according to your local conditions, from full sun to shady areas. Box turtle photo

by Mike Whalen.

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BOOKreviews 6-7 Victorian Flower Album; Forest Bathing; Perennials and Bulbs CHEFgardens 14-15 Firefly Rooftop Cocktail Garden EDIBLEharvest 18-19 Garlic GARDENbasics 14 Local Gardening 101 GOINGnative 22 Turtleheads (Chelone sp.)

GREENliving 20-21 Wildlife Backyard Habitats HORThappenings 12 Tomato Taste; Smithsonian Rose Tour; Potomac Ave. Party INSECTindex 13 Autumn Spider Webs NEWPLANTspotlight 11 Summer Spice™ Cordon Bleu™ Hardy Hibiscus PLANTprofile 14 Japanese Anemone TIPStricks 10 Parrot Tulips; Horehound; Holding Carbon in the Soil

DEPARTMENTS

ADVERTISINGindex BLOGlinks EDITORletter GARDENcontest LOCALevents MONTHLYtasklist NEXTissue READERreactions RESOURCESsources

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ON THE COVER

Japanese Anemone ‘Pamina’ in the Takoma Park, MD, front garden of garden designer Carolyn Mullet.

In our October issue:

Glenstone Museum and much more . . .

If your business would like to reach area gardeners, be sure to contact us by October 1 so you can be part of the next issue of our growing publication!

SEPTEMBER 2018

WASHINGTON GARDENER

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EDITORletter

Credits Kathy Jentz Editor/Publisher & Advertising Sales Washington Gardener 826 Philadelphia Ave. Silver Spring, MD 20910 Phone: 301-588-6894 kathyjentz@gmail.com www.washingtongardener.com Call today to place your ad with us!

Ashley O’Connor Intern Ruth E. Thaler-Carter Proofreader Your editor’s cage among the coleus and begonias at Ball Horticulture headquarters in Chicago, IL, during the annual garden writers’ meeting. Photo by Teresa Speight.

Nowhere Else I’d Rather Be I was recently interviewed on a New Jersey radio program and we began chatting about how great a gardening area the greater Mid-Atlantic is and why that is such a little-known fact. You hear about legendary English gardens and folks swooning about the Pacific Northwest, but aside from the occasional “New Jersey tomatoes are the best,” you hardly hear about this Mid-Atlantic growing sweet spot.

What makes it so great? It is not too hot nor too cold. We have spring-blooming bulbs and Lilacs that the South cannot grow with success and Crape Myrtles that those gardening north of us never get to last long enough to create that lovely pealing bark and sculptural trunk structure. We have a long season of growing and enough rainfall for things to thrive on their own, if necessary.

My tree-loving friend, Melanie Choukas-Bradley, put it best: “We are located in the fall zone between the Coastal Plain and Piedmont, and midway between North and South. This gives us natural botanical diversity.”

The diverse flora make for a never-ending list of plants to try out in our gardens.

Every time I pull out my editorial calender and think we may be running out of plant categories to profile, I visit a local public garden or stop by a friend’s backyard and a new selection reveals itself to me that we have somehow never covered before!

I have local gardening acquaintances with zonal envy. They want what is just out of reach in the gardening zone right below theirs. If they only had two more weeks in the season and a few less frozen nights, they could grow this tropical or that flowering shrub. I am content with that vast array of choices currently at our doorstep.

I also know that plant breeders are working overtime in our region to give us hardier selections of many things that are only marginal or annual for us now. The trial plants I have received lately include things I would never have dreamed of growing locally a decade ago.

Will climate change bring on a new palette of plants for our region? Only time will tell. For now, let’s live in the moment and revel in all that we can currently grow!

Happy gardening!

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

WASHINGTON GARDENER SEPTEMBER 2018

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

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• Washington Gardener is a womanowned business. We are proud to be members of: · Garden Writers Association · Green America Magazine Leaders Network · Green America Business Network To order reprints, contact Wright’s Reprints at 877.652.5295, ext. 138.

Volume 13, Number 7 ISSN 1555-8959 © 2018 Washington Gardener All rights reserved. Published quarterly.

No material may be reproduced without prior written permission. This magazine is purchased by the buyer with the understanding that the information presented is from various sources from which there can be no warranty or responsibility by the publisher as to legality, completeness, or technical accuracy.

All uncredited photos in this issue are © Kathy Jentz.

READERcontt

Reader Contest

For our September 2018 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, we are giving away three copies of The English Country House Garden by George Plumptre from Quarto Publishing (www.quartoknows.com). The prize value is $25.00 each.

There is something special about the English country house garden: from its quiet verdant lawns to its high yew hedges, this is a style much-desired and copied around the world. The English country house is most often conceived of as a private, intimate place; a getaway from working life. A pergola, a sundial, a croquet lawn, a herbaceous border of soft planting—here is a space to wander and relax, to share secrets, and above all to enjoy afternoon tea. But even the most peaceful of gardens also take passion and hard work to create. This new book takes a fresh look at the English country house garden, starting with the owners and the stories behind the making of the gardens. Glorious photographs capture the gardens at their finest moments through the seasons, and a sparkling and erudite text presents 25 gardens—some grand, some personal, some celebrated, some never-beforephotographed—to explore why this garden style has been so very enduring and influential. From the Victorian grandeur of Tyntesfield and Cragside, to the Arts & Crafts simplicity of Rodmarton Manor and Charleston; from Scampston, in the same family since the 17th century, to new gardens by Dan Pearson and Tom Stuart-Smith; and with favorites such as Hidcote and Great Dixter alongside new discoveries, this book will be a delicious treat for garden-lovers.

Email WashingtonGardener@rcn.com by 5:00pm on September 30 with “English County Garden” in the subject line and in the body of the email. Include your full name and mailing address. Tell us which was your favorite article in this issue and why. The pass winners will be announced and notified on October 1. o

SAVE THE DATE!

Trees and the Built Environment

Learn from the country’s leading experts about innovative efforts to plant, protect, and preserve trees in urban and suburban settings.

REGISTER ONLINE

ActiveMontgomery.org $85 early bird registration opens September 14th

LOCATION

Silver Spring Civic Center 1 Veterans Place Silver Spring, MD 20910

SYMPOSIUM DATE

Wednesday, November 14, 2018 SPEAKERS

Jessica Vogt, Ph.D. Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Studies at DePaul University Dan Staley Principal at Arbor Drone, LLC Greg Levine Co-Executive Director and Chief Program Officer at Trees Atlanta Sam Droege Wildlife Biologist at the U.S. Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center Mike Galvin Director, The Consulting Group at SavATree

WWW.MONTGOMERYPARKS.ORG/TREES-MATTER-SYMPOSIUM SEPTEMBER 2018

WASHINGTON GARDENER

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BOOKreviews read; cook with local and seasonal produce; hike; and spend time with her husband, three children, and four cats.

Home Gardener’s Perennials and Bulbs

By Creative Homeowner Publisher: Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc. List Price: $9.99 Reviewer: Jamie Moore This book is a very basic guide to growing ornamental perennials and bulbs.

It would be most useful for someone who is completely new to gardening. It is well-organized and easy-to-read, and contains many beautiful photographs.

This guide starts with an overview of how to plan a garden featuring mainly perennials and bulbs, helpfully listing the blooming times of various popular perennials to ensure interest throughout the growing season. The authors also advise the gardener to strongly consider plants’ foliage as an important part of the structure of their gardens.

They go on to cover basic perennial care and planting techniques. Later, they cover the basics of designing, planting, and caring for bulbs.

The main body of the book consists of 58 one-page profiles of favorite garden perennials and bulbs, which would be perfect for someone trying to learn to identify and grow the most-common garden perennials and bulbs.

Overall, this is a well-written and organized book with very basic information that would be a great starting point for a gardening neophyte.

Jamie Moore gardens in Frederick County, MD. In addition to gardening, she loves to 6

WASHINGTON GARDENER SEPTEMBER 2018

A Victorian Flower Album: Collected and Painted in the Summer Evenings of 1873, as a Pleasing Recreation

By Henry Terry Commentary by Hiroshi Unno Publisher: PIE International Inc. List Price: $29.95 Reviewer: Ashley O’Connor An endearing tribute to his three children, Henry Terry opens his book with a letter of gratitude to Emily, Annie, and Harry. A pictorial of a flower’s different elements follows, and it features a poem, by Robert Niooll, expressing the joys of nature.

A Victorian Flower Album makes up for minimal text in beautiful handpainted floral illustrations. For artists, the book would be a great reference for loosely realistic paintings. For a horticulturist, it’s informative to an extent. Most of the flowers are labeled with the proper name, the informal name, the months when it’s in bloom, and whether the flower is perennial or annual. However, the tiny text is faint and difficult to read at points.

The book is separated into spring and summer blossoms, both dividers showing a portrait of one of his daugh-

ters. You may be surprised by some of the flowers included; many lesserknown varieties and even some weeds, like the common dandelion, pop up.

It appears Terry loved every flower he stumbled upon. There’s a pleasantly casual tone to the book; it feels like you’re reading a personal journal.

I would enjoy the book a little more if Terry had included more of his own thoughts throughout the illustrations.

But A Victorian Flower Album is a colorful, light-hearted ode to nature.

The style is beautiful, from the oldworld font to the intricate page borders.

The obvious attention to detail makes the book more of a novelty. Just 113 pages, it’d be a wonderful gift for a flower-lover or a special keepsake for yourself.

The book ends with another poem, this one by a Mrs. Hemans, thanking God for the beauty that nature gives us. She writes, “I bless thy name that thou hast mantled the green earth with flowers linking our hearts to nature!”

I very much enjoyed this book for it’s design and spirit. I appreciate the world we live in a little more, thanks to Terry.

Ashley O’Connor is a senior multi-platform journalist at the University of Maryland.

This autumn, she is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener.

BOOKreviews Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness— The Japanese Art and Science of Shinrin-Yoku

By Dr. Qing Li Publisher: Penguin Random House LLC List Price: $20.00 Reviewer: Racquel Royer When I’m stressed or having a bad day, I’ll sit outside with the trees or on the grass and just breathe. I always knew that it made me feel so much better, but not exactly why. That’s called “yugen” in Japan, a word used for feelings that are too deep for words.

All along, I was practicing “forest bathing.” This book about forest bathing or “Shinrin-Yoku” explains the benefits of forest bathing, our human connection to trees—specifically in Japanese culture, and a look into the science behind it all.

The contents include From a Feeling to a Science, How to Practice ShinrinYoku, Bringing the Forest Indoors, and Thinking about the Future.

Author, Qing Li is an associate professor at Nippon Medical School in Tokyo and vice president of the International Society of Forest Medicine in Japan.

The introduction emphasizes our natural relationship to forests and highlights that, although Tokyo is the world’s most crowded city, Japanese culture recognizes the importance of connecting to the natural world.

Li writes that it is no surprise that shinrin-yoku developed in Japan. “The Japanese are a forest civilization. Their culture, philosophy, and religion are carved out of the forests that blanket the country—not to mention all manner of everyday things, from houses and shrines to walking sticks and spoons.”

The small-sized, 300-page book can be read in a weekend or absorbed in small doses each day. The content is spread out nicely with many beautiful pictures of Japanese forests and trees.

The first section, “From a Feeling to a Science,” explains how shinrin-yoku began in the early 1980s because “the people of Japan were in need of healing through nature.” Over the years, research conducted by the Forest Therapy Study Group began scientifically proving how forest bathing can lower stress, help you sleep, improve

cast journalism in the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, College Park. This summer, she was an editorial intern at Washington Gardener. o

Love Reading?

your mood, and boost your immune system. The book dives deeper into how microbes, oxygen, and the sensory aspects of forests make people happier.

The second section, “How to Practice Shinrin-Yoku,” gives advice on how to begin forest bathing with your five sense;, what activities you can try; and what to avoid, such as bringing your phone or camera.

The third section, ‘Bringing the Forest Indoors,” gives several suggestions for creating a “forest” inside, for those who may live in a city. Tips given provide ways to recreate the smells, sights, sounds, and feelings of traditional shinrin-yoku.

The final section, “Thinking about the Future,” emphasizes the importance of preserving our forests and the effect that it will have on future generations.

Overall, this book was a great read and the layout made it easy to take in small chunks at a time. I’ve always understood the profound power of nature, but this book gave an engaging cultural perspective on the importance of nature and scientific proof of how it can better your life. There is not too much talk about gardening, but there are many reminders of why nature is divine, and how we can be mindful of that to improve our health and the future.

These books were reviewed by volunteer members of the Washington Gardener Reader Panel. We are looking for a few additional volunteers who live in the greater Washington, DC, region to serve on our Reader Panel. Reader Panelists may also be asked to review new gardening plants, tools, and seeds.

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

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.

Visit DCGardens.com for:

Photos of 16 Local Public Gardens shown in each month of the year.

Racquel Royer is a senior studying broad-

SEPTEMBER 2018

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TOP AREA GARDENING EVENTS DC-Area Gardening Calendar ~ Events ~ September 16 to October 15, 2018 • Sunday, September 30 11th Annual DC Plant Swap Hosted by Washington Gardener Magazine and the U.S. National Arboretum What: A Plant Swap -- bring and receive free plants to expand your garden Why: free plants! Last chance to do so before the season heats up.

Time: starting at 2pm, bring your plants for sorting by category (shade perennial, groundcover, herb, etc.)—swap starts promptly at 2:30pm—do not be late (the swap goes fast and can be over in a matter of minutes!). After swapping, we will socialize, snack, and trade more info on the plants we brought—plan to conclude and be cleaned up by 3pm.

After the swap, Bradley Evans, horticulturist, will show us around the landscape around visitor center that he maintains. This collection is called the National Arboretum’s Introduction Gardens and has been described as a fascinating “mosaic of bold tropicals, curious succulents, the occasional rarity, and uncommon or new annuals and perennials.”

Place: U.S. National Arboretum’s R Street NE parking lot—if it storms, we will move inside to the headhouse.

Who: Anyone is welcome, as are any of your friends, relatives, or neighbors—it is FREE. How: Be prepared to BRIEFLY introduce yourself and describe your plant swap offerings.

Bring: ~ A name tag (home-made or from work or school—whatever works) ~ Pen and paper—you will want to take lots of notes as folks describe the plants and their growing conditions. ~ Plants to swap—Pot them up NOW— the longer they can get settled in their pots, the better their chance of success and survival. ~ No plants to share? Come anyway! ~ Do not bring any exotic invasive plants. ~ Labels—Fully label all your swap plants with as much info as you have: common and scientific name, amount of sun needed, amount of water needed, any other special care notes, and color of the blooms (if it is not currently in flower).

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WASHINGTON GARDENER SEPTEMBER 2018

• Friday, September 21, 5:30–6:30pm, and Saturday, September 22, 9:30– 10:30am UDC Green Roof Tours The College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES), of the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), invites you to tour its green roof and hear more about sustainable agriculture from Sandy Farber Bandier, UDC GreenRoof greenhouse coordinator, and learn about green roof design from David Bell of BELL Architects. Register at https:// www.eventbrite.com/e/udc-green-rooftours-tickets-47475691070.

• Saturday, September 22, 9am–3pm Fall Garden Day: Plant Sale and More Fall is a great time to plant, and Green Spring Gardens is hosting numerous local plant and garden craft vendors to satisfy your gardening needs. A silent auction, bake sale, live music, food, and kids’ activity tent add to the festivities.

Come and support one of Virginia’s most-innovative public gardens. Free admission. See www.fairfaxcounty.gov/ parks/green-spring.

• Saturday, September 22 AHS Annual Gala Held at the American Horticultural Society’s River Farm, Alexandria, VA. See www.ahsgardening.org • Sunday, September 23, 1–1:30pm DC State Fair: Flower Arranging Demo Watch Kathy Jentz do a demo flower arrangement and ask her questions about her process. You’ll learn different techniques that you can try out at home. Jentz believes there is no “wrong” in flowers. She says they will look good, no matter your arranging skill level. Location: DC State Fair—Education Tent, 425 M St. SW, WDC. On the Southwest Waterfront near the Waterfront Metro. The Education Tent is on the west side of the fairgrounds. See more at dcstatefair.org.

• Wednesday, September 26, 7:30pm Tending One’s Own Garden: Continuities in American Garden History The Beltsville Garden Club will meet at

the James Duckworth School, 11201 Evans Trail, Beltsville, MD, with a presentation by Justin Shapiro, Environmental History doctoral candidate at the University of Maryland-College Park.

The American garden has historically stood as a place of refuge. More than a provider of beauty, shade, and the occasional ripe tomato, the garden also has been seen by Americans as a powerful mental and spiritual retreat from the hectic pace of change in the outside world. In this presentation, Shapiro traces the ideological significance of the garden for Americans over the past 250 years. Bring refreshments to share, and a plant or plant-related item for the door prize table. The public is welcome and admission is free. For details, visit beltsvillegardenclub.org.

• Thursday, September 27, 6–8pm Garden to Vase: Dazzling Dahlias Learn how to make a beautifully designed floral arrangement from Meadowbrook’s resident floral expert, senor director Jenny Rose Carey. This popular workshop series allows participants to design with freshly cut flowers straight from Meadowbrook’s gardens at 1633 Washington Ln., Jenkintown, PA. This event is also BYOB. Pre-registration encouraged. Fee: $20 PHS members; $25 nonmembers. See phsonline.org.

• Saturday, September 29, 9am–12n Plants & Design: Shade Garden Intensive Talks We love the relief shade offers from the hot sun, but lament how challenging it is have a shade garden. What can a gardener do with shade? Step into the light and learn from area garden professionals Kathy Jentz and Karen Rexrode as we take on the topic of shade gardens. Topics: Made in the (Dry) Shade and Great Plant Combinations for Shade Gardens. Held at Green Spring Gardens. Fee: $39/person. Register online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/ parktakes using code 290 482 3401 or call 703-642-5173.

• Friday, September 28, 12–1pm Conquering Cool Season Edibles Talk

TOP AREA GARDENING EVENTS DC-Area Gardening Calendar ~ Events ~ September 16 to October 15, 2018 Kathy Jentz, editor/publisher of Washington Gardener Magazine, will speak about the many edible plants that grow best in cooler weather. Try your hand at growing them and enjoy the “fruits”—or veggies—of your labor during the winter months. We’ll cover techniques for lengthening the growing season and what edible plants do best in our MidAtlantic climate. Held at the U.S. Botanic Garden’s Conservatory Classroom.

Free: pre-registration required. Visit www.learn.usbg.gov or usbg.gov.

• Saturday and Sunday, September 29 & 30, 10am–2pm Fall Gardening Festival Discover how fall gardening sets the stage for a vibrant and ecologically healthy garden at Mt. Cuba Center’s two-day fest. Get insider information from gardening experts, purchase native plants, and enjoy fall-themed activities the whole family will love.

Food trucks will be onsite, and each family receives a free native plant while supplies last. Free with admission. See mtcubacenter.org.

• Saturday, September 29, 10am–4pm Annual Autumn Apple Festival Bring your family and enjoy hands-on children’s activities, apple tasting, cider pressing, and demonstrations of historic orchard tools. Celebrate the “American Fruit” by making cider in a historic barn, tasting heirloom apples, and viewing varieties of rare fruit provided by the Virginia Tech Alson H. Smith Jr. Agricultural Research and Extension Center.

Held at the Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum. Fee: adults $5; children $3.

See: www.heritagefarmmuseum.org, • Friday, October 5, 9am–3:30pm 2018 Arlington/Alexandria Urban Agriculture Symposium A day of fun, food, and learning on topics ranging from urban agriculture policy and innovation to vertical gardening, indoor and rooftop farming, soil health, agriculture business development, private and public community garden management, food waste recycling, season extension, edible landscaping, and building horticulture literacy. Held

at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 4000 Lorcom Lane, Arlington, VA. Registration is $30 plus $2 credit card fee. Go to www.mgnv.org/2018/09/02/2018arlington-alexandria-urban-agriculturesymposium/.

• Saturday, October 6, through Monday, October 8 71st National Capital Orchid Society Annual Show On Columbus Day weekend, the National Capital Orchid Society will present its 71st annual Orchid Show at the Behnke Nurseries Company—free to the general public. Plan to visit, see thousands of unique orchid plants in bloom, enjoy educational talks, visit the “Orchid Doctor” to ask questions, visit 10 top-quality vendors for plants and supplies, and much more. Fall is one of the best blooming seasons for orchids in DC, so come prepared for a wonderful selection of orchids to see and buy.

See ncos.us.

Save These Future Dates • Thursday, November 1, 6:30-8pm Fall Garden Book Club Meeting We will discuss: “America’s Romance with the English Garden” by Thomas J. Mickey. Also at this meeting we will discuss 2019 garden book club choices, so bring your suggestions. We will meet at Soupergirl, right next to the Takoma Metro stop. RSVP to washingtongardener (at) rcn.com or on this event page at https://www.facebook. com/events/546449572444286/. The Washington Gardener Magazine’s Garden Book Club is free and open to all.

• Saturday, November 10, 6–9pm Friend of Brookside Gardens Annual Silent Auction Held at Brookside’s Visitors Center. A wonderful evening with light food and live music all to benefit the gardens.

Visit www.friendsofbrooksidegardens. org/auction for details and to register.

• Sunday, October 7, 10am–5pm Takoma Horticultural Club Annual Bulb Sale Fundraiser at the Takoma Park Street Festival Plan ahead! View this year’s bulb selection at https://yogichi.wixsite.com/ thcbulbsale/blank-q17v5. Rain or shine.

Cash or checks only, the club cannot accept credit cards. Don’t forget your reusable tote bags to carry your bulbs home! Festival directions and details are at: http://www.mainstreettakoma. org/featured-events/takoma-park-festival/ and learn more about the club at: http://takomahort.org/.

• Wednesday, November 14, 8am–3pm 7th Annual Trees Matter Symposium Montgomery Parks and Casey Trees present the 7th Annual Trees Matter Symposium at the Silver Spring Civic Building, Silver Spring, MD. Learn from respected industry professionals about recent and innovative trends in urban and suburban landscaping, as you connect with industry colleagues. Continuing education credits and exhibitor opportunities for this event are available. For more information and to register, go to MontgomeryParks.org.

• Sunday, October. 14, 1–3pm Open House at the Sunny and Quarry Shade Gardens Fall is a great time to see the demonstration gardens in Bon Air Park at 850 N. Lexington St., Arlington, VA. Extension Master Gardeners will show children leaf-rubbing, give tours, answer questions, give away seeds, and raffle off a few plants. No matter your growing conditions, this is the place to get ideas for your garden. Free. Questions?

Telephone 703-228-6414 or email mgarlalex@gmail.com.

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

Still More Event Listings

How to Submit Local Garden Events

To submit an event for this listing, contact kathyjentz@gmail.com with “Event” in the subject line.

Our next deadline is October 1 for the October 2018 issue, for events taking place October 16–November 15. o SEPTEMBER 2018

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TIPStricks

Growing Horehound

Tulipa ´Estella Rijnveld’ photo courtesy of iBulb.

Mad about Parrot Tulips

In the 17th century, the parrot tulip was the subject of many paintings. People were absolutely mad about these flowers in 1665; everyone wanted them.

And why shouldn’t they? After all, a parrot tulip is a magnificent living work of art. Even after their peak stage of flowering, they still make a fascinating sight as they fall apart gracefully. The imposing flowers can reach a diameter of 5 inches and feature contrasting black stamens.

Although available in many solid colors, the multicolored varieties that probably attract most attention. A little bit of green in each flower makes them even more unique. It’s no wonder they were named after such a brightly colored bird.

Parrot tulips are actually a peculiar gift from Mother Nature. The bizarre flower shapes aren’t the result of human breeding efforts, but spontaneous mutations of an ordinary tulip.

These prima donnas take their time to appear on stage; parrot tulips flower between late April and early May. But the wait is well worth it; plant these jewels of the garden from September through December. Once the elegant stems reach about 20 inches, they’ll begin blooming. Just be sure to give them a spot in full sun or partial shade.

The warmth of the sun helps the buds open slowly to reveal petals in a dazzling intermingling of colors.

More information about tulips and other flower bulbs is available at www. bulb.com. o 10

WASHINGTON GARDENER SEPTEMBER 2018

How Can I Help My Soil Hold More Carbon?

Using best practices can reduce greenhouse gases and help the environment.

The Soil Science Society of America (www.soils.org) explains how gardens can store more carbon in soil.

“Our goals are to improve plant growth (use of carbon dioxide) and reduce the breakdown of plant residues (release of carbon dioxide),” says Jim Friedericks of AgSource Laboratories.

Friedericks offers tips to increase carbon storage in soil: • Allow grass in your yard to grow a bit longer before mowing. This encourages more root growth below ground.

• Longer grass leaves also mean a more-grassy leaf area, and more carbon dioxide is captured from the air.

• Plant perennials! Plants that live longer accumulate biomass, which is made of carbon (the woody stems or trunks, and their extensive roots).

• Cover your soil with plants or mulch.

Bare soil is prone to erosion, and does not foster the best plant growth. Mulch conserves moisture and supplies nutrients to the soil.

• Minimize or eliminate tilling to keep carbon dioxide in the soil and slow the decomposition of organic matter.

• Soil organisms often release more CO2 when too much fertilizer is added to the soil, so be sure to test whether your soil really needs more nutrients before adding fertilizer.

Friedericks writes, “Small steps that encourage plants to grow and slowly add the plant residue back to the soil will convert carbon dioxide into more stable forms of carbon. There are things that you can do that make a difference!” o

According to www.harvesting-history. com, horehound has been credited with curing a number of ailments for thousands of years. Most of these claims are unfounded, but horehound is an effective cough suppressant and a soothing agent for sore throats. Horehound cough syrups have been used since the 1600s.

The horehound plant contains substantial amounts of tannin, mucilage, Vitamin C, and marrubin. Marrubin doesn’t exist in the living plant, but is created when the plant undergoes stress during the extraction process.

A combination of these chemicals appears to suppress coughs, soothe sore throats, and act as a laxative.

Native to Southern Europe, Central and Western Asia, and North Africa, horehound, named after the Egyptian god of sky and light, Horus, has been cultivated for centuries. Brought to the U.S. in the 1700s, horehound became very popular with the Shakers.

For gardening purposes, buy the seeds now and plant as soon as the ground can be worked in the spring.

Rows should be 18 inches apart. When seedlings are 2 inches high, thin them, leaving 18 inches between plants. Harvest throughout the season by cutting stems off the plants, never more than one-third of the stem at a time.

Horehound is mostly grown for its flowers, but note that the plants don’t flower until their second season.

During the first year, the leaves can be harvested and dried to make tea and infusions. Or try horehound candy for an easy treat. To make the candy, brew a strong horehound tea and add sugar. Bring the liquid to a boil until it thickens. Pour the liquid into a pan lined with parchment and let it harden at room temperature. Break the candy into pieces and store in a glass or plastic container. o Tips column compiled by Ashley O’Connor, a senior multi-platform journalist at the University of Maryland. This autumn, she is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener.

GARDENnews

Quick Links to Washington Gardener Blog Posts Photo courtesy of J. Berry Nursery.

New Plant Spotlight

Summer Spice™ Cordon Bleu™ Common Name: Hardy Hibiscus Genus species: Hibiscus x moscheutos ‘4389’ Patent Info: PPAF This unique, dusky blue-gray flower is a breakthrough in hibiscus breeding.

In person, it sometimes appears more gray-blue and other times more lavender, depending on the lighting and time of day.

‘Cordon Bleu’ Hardy Hibiscus has a compact size and colorful flowers. It dies back to the ground and comes up again every spring. Flowers from summer until frost. It is easy to maintain and attracts pollinators (butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees).

Plant Requirements:

Sun: Full to Part Sun; 6+ hours direct sun daily Water: 2-3 times weekly Hardiness Zone: Perennial in Zones 5-9: Annual for Zones 4 & below Bloom Time: Early Summer ‘til Frost Mature Size: 3' tall x 3' wide Prune: Old/dry stems to the ground in spring Soil Type: Acidic, well-drained with mulch around the plant base.

Fertilize: With a slow-release, granular even ratio (10-10-10) formula in early Spring.

The ‘Summer Spice’ line of Hardy Hibiscus are bred and introduced by Texas A&M AgriLife Research and J. Berry Nursery and available at local independent garden centers next spring.

Other colors in this line include the purple Plum Flambé™, a creamy-white Crème de la Crème™, a hot pink Crepe Suzette™, and a peachy Amaretto™. o

• Container Fun on Bloom Day • Living Tribute to 9-11 Victims • Meet the New Intern • DIY: Mosquito Trap Water Garden See more Washington Gardener blog posts at: WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com o

September-October Garden To-Do List

• Keep an eye out for the first frost date. In Zone 6, it is expected between September 30 and October 30. In Zone 7, it is predicted for between October 15 and November 15.

• Divide and transplant perennials — in particular, peonies and iris.

• Pick apples at a local pick-your-own farm or visit a local farmer’s market.

• Pot up rosemary and chives for over-wintering indoors.

• Take cuttings from coleus and begonias to propagate and over-winter indoors.

• Look out for any Poison Ivy vines, which will turn crimson in the fall and be easy to distinguish from other vines.

• Check your local garden center for end-of-summer bargains.

• Put netting over your pond to prevent the accumulation of leaves and debris.

• Start feeding birds to get them in the habit for this winter.

• Attend a local garden club meeting or plant exchange.

• Pick mature tomatoes and peppers to ripen on your window sills.

• Turn your compost pile weekly and don’t let it dry out. Work compost into your planting beds.

• Remove rotting fruits from fruit trees and compost them.

• Plant evergreens for winter interest.

• Plant garlic bulbs.

• Collect plant seeds for next year’s planting and for trading at the annual Washington Gardener Magazine Seed Exchanges.

• Plant hardy mums and fall season annuals.

• Fertilize your lawn and re-seed if needed.

• Dig up bulbs from your Gladiolus, Canna, Caladiums, and other tender bulbs; cut off foliage; let dry for a week; and store for the winter.

• Transplant trees and shrubs.

• Harvest your herbs often and keep them trimmed back to encourage leafy growth.

• Bring in houseplants if you took them outdoors for the summer.

• If your conifers start shedding their needles or your spring bulb foliage starts peeking out of the ground, don’t worry. This is normal for our autumn cycle.

• Leave hummingbird feeders out until October 15.

• Start bulb plantings of early-spring bloomers at the end of the month.

• Watch your pumpkins/squash. Harvest them when their rinds are dull and hard.

• Divide ornamental grasses.

• Cut herbs and flowers for drying indoors.

• Plant strawberries in a site with good drainage for harvest next spring.

• Look out for slug eggs grouped under sticks and stones—they are the size of BBs and pale in color.

• Plant cover crops in vegetable gardens and annual beds (for example, rye, clover, hairy vetch, and winter peas).

• Begin conditioning the Christmas Poinsettias and Christmas cacti to get them ready for the upcoming holiday season.

• Bring Amaryllis indoors before a hard freeze. Repot every other year at this time.

Store in a cool, dark place and do not water until flower buds or leaves emerge.

• Your summer annuals will be reviving, now with cooler temps and some rain. Cut back any ragged growth and give them some fertilizer. They should put on a good show until the first hard frost. o SEPTEMBER 2018

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11

HORThaenings Chevy Chase, and Wheaton. From farther away in Maryland, folks came from Rockville, Reisterstown, College Park, Columbia, Davidsonville, and Greenbelt.

From out of the area, we even had a few votes from Pennsylvania and Massachusetts!

Thank you to all who came and participated. Thanks to the farmers for growing great tomatoes and to FreshFarm Markets staff for hosting us.

insecticide-free rose garden, she hopes to inspire gardeners to give roses a chance again.

Potomac Avenue Community Garden Party Tomato Taste 2018

About 200 people come to the 11th Annual Washington Gardener Magazine Tomato Taste, held at the FreshFarm Silver Spring Market in late August.

Here are the results of the tasting ballots submitted: 1. ‘Super Sweet 100’ from The Farm at Our House 2. ‘Red Grape’ from Spiral Path Farm 3. ‘Sun Sugar’ from Mock’s Greenhouse 4. ‘Evergreen’ from Chicano Sol Damsel from Crooked Fence Farm 5. ‘Red Boar’ from Crooked Fence Farm 6. ‘Midnight Snack’ from Mock’s Greenhouse 7. ‘Kakao’ from Crooked Fence Farm 8. ‘Jaune Flamme’ from Three Springs Fruit Farm 9. ‘Rutger’ from The Farm at Our House Only a few votes separated our top two winners. Last year, ‘Black Cherry’, ‘Cherokee Purple’, and ‘Red Grape’ were the crowd favorites.

In addition to enjoying the tasting, many people stopped by to create colorful tomato art and to pick up the free tomato seeds, growing tips, and recipes that we gave out.

Kendall Wienecke of Washington, DC, (pictured above) won the prize drawing of a gift bag full of gardening tools, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, natural insect repellent, and market money!

Most of the attendees were local, although many came quite a distance.

About half live in Silver Spring. Another third live close by in Washington, DC, or the neighboring towns of Takoma Park, 12

WASHINGTON GARDENER SEPTEMBER 2018

Smithsonian Garden Tour with Rose Society

The Potomac Rose Society hosted a tour of the newly renovated Katherine Dulin Folger Rose Garden. Smithsonian horticulturist Shelley Gaskins led the tour and answered attendees’ questions about irrigation, insecticides, and more.

Despite a rainy Sunday, the event still managed to draw a crowd. Along with the gardening expertise, complimentary rosewater-infused tea and rose-shaped apple pies could have had something to do with the turnout.

Gaskins was eager to offer advice and kept the tour light-hearted with some flower puns. “I’m ‘Poseidon’ myself with this rose,” she exclaimed when presenting the ‘Poseidon’ rose.

The tour guide also expressed her mission to change people’s minds about roses. Roses are thought of as a difficult flower that requires too much chemicals. By planting even more EarthFirst® roses and spreading the news about the Smithsonian’s

The Potomac Avenue Garden held a party on Tuesday, September 4. DC resident and Potomac garden member Rosina Memolo and her mother Marci Hilt set up the party with fresh tea and snacks.

Three years ago, Dila Construction turned the barren space in Southeast DC that was once a corner store into a place for connection and community, said Memolo. Today, the space has 24 plots, and includes “every level of experience amongst the gardeners.”

The garden struggles a little with mildew and bug problems, but that doesn’t stop participants from growing some beautiful vegetables, including a rampant Delicata squash.

To integrate the surrounding community and the garden even more, Memolo invites neighborhood kids in to play games, like a “find the vegetable” scavenger hunt.

The intimate gathering also included a furry friend named Ducky among its guests. o This issue’s “HortHappenings” were compiled by Ashley O’Connor, a senior multiplatform journalist at the University of Maryland. This autumn, she is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener.

See photos from events listed here, as well as many more photo albums of recent local garden events attended by our staff, at the Washington Gardener Facebook Page: facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine.

Recent albums include pictorials from the recent succulent growing and botanical drawing classes. Click on the PHOTOS tab, then select from the ALBUMS listed.

Black and Yellow Garden Spider in the Smithsonian’s Pollinator Garden. Photo by James Gagliardi, Smithsonian Gardens.

Autumn Spider Webs

Here in the Mid-Atlantic, we cannot brag about cool, late summer nights easing us into fall. Autumn is not heralded by falling leaves (the Tulip Poplars start that in July!). But I know that fall is just around the corner when I walk—Pft! Pah! (Bats hands wildly about head.)

Yuck!—into a spider web. Why do they do that!?

To catch bugs, that’s why. A group of spiders known as Orb Weavers mature into adults in the late summer and the females spin enormous circular webs to catch and eat insects. Nocturnal Orb Weavers specialize in harvesting nightflying insects, creating a new web every evening and taking it down in the morning and eating it! Orb weavers that feed during the day are often more brightly colored and also make new webs every day. The web is where many of the different species will mate. They lay their last silken nest of eggs nearby and die with the first hard frost.

The eggs overwinter tucked away in leaves or other plant debris. The egg sacs can hatch into hundreds of baby spiders and do so in the warmer days of spring. The young spiders spin their webs lower in foliage as they grow through the late spring and summer.

When they are full grown, they spin their webs higher in the foliage and it is those larger webs that we notice.

Nocturnal Orb Weavers have figured out that the light from our houses and street lights makes good places to make their webs. That is an interesting adaptation driven by feeding success.

If the webs are sticky, how do the spiders keep from getting entangled?

The lines of silk that radiate from the center, secure the web to the surrounding structure, and form the scaffolding are not sticky. Orb Weavers also have

three claws on each leg. The legs rotate as the spider moves across her web, orienting the middle claw perpendicular to the scaffolding silk, thus avoiding the sticky strands.

Orb Weavers are essentially blind and sensitive to vibration. It is the vibrating of the web strands that indicates a captured prey. The spider will quickly bite the caught insect and wait for the venom of its bite to subdue it. It then wraps the body in silk. The spider may remove the swaddled insect to another part of the web, where it will feed on it over time. Stinging insects caught in the web will be subdued by silk wrappings before being paralyzed by the spider’s bite. Orb Weavers have chewing mouth parts, unlike other types of spiders.

The males of many of our Orb Weavers are considerably smaller than the females. They approach the females on their webs or create small side webs and draw the females by making vibrations. Mating is a tricky business and cannibalism is very high. Mating consists of brief contact for 5 to 10 seconds. The male who is quick lives to mate again, but the longer period of contact ensures fertilization at the cost of the male spider’s life.

These fascinating spiders belong to the family Araneidea and are found all over the world numbering more than 3,000 species. Locally, you may find the Black and Yellow Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia) hanging out in the zucchini patch. These are day-feeding spiders that can be up to 2.5 inches, including their legs. The webs are built every day and can measure more than 2 feet in diameter.

The Argiope spiders are also known for the thicker zig-zag of silk that runs through their web. Immature spiders

by Carol Allen

INSECTindex use this thicker part as camouflage. It is hypothesized to be a visual deterrent for birds, but studies suggest that the zig-zag pattern may actually be harder for flying insects to detect, thus increasing their chances of flying into a web.

Spider silk has some amazing mechanical properties to withstand the impact of a flying insect.

The spider most likely to leave silk on your face as you hike would be a Micrathena. This group generally have spiky protrusions on their abdomens.

In our region, the most common is the Spined Micrathena (Micrathena gracilis). Although their face-height webs can be a nuisance, they specialize in feeding on gnats, flies, and mosquitos.

Orb Weaver Spider egg sac.

Photo by James Gagliardi, Smithsonian Gardens.

The showiest Orb Weaver we see here is the Marbled version (Araneus marmoreus) with their black-marked, yellow abdomens. They can be stunningly pretty. For a cool Halloween costume, the yellow abdomen often turns to orange, earning them the name of “Pumpkin Spider.” Most of the Orb Weavers occupy their webs hanging head down, but the Marbled Orb Weaver waits nearby in a folded leaf held together with spider silk.

Arachnophobes may not agree, but the Orb Weaver spiders are some of our best gardening friends and can be encouraged in their insect-capturing benefits by keeping a not-so-tidy garden that is pesticide-free. o Carol Allen describes herself as a committable plant-a-holic. She has more than 25 years’ experience in the horticulture industry, with a special interest in plant pests and diseases; is a Licensed Pesticide Applicator in the state of Maryland; and is an ISACertified Arborist. She can be contacted at carolallen@erols.com.

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13

GARDENbasics

Local Gardening 101

By Racquel Royer Gardener, speaker, and editor-in-chief of Washington Gardener Magazine Kathy Jentz shared her tips for finding and taking advantage of local gardening resources at a talk for Knowledge Commons DC in Dupont Circle recently.

Knowledge Commons is a “free school for thinkers, doers, and tinkerers—taught anywhere, by anyone, for everyone.”

“All gardening is local,” Jentz says.

Her first step in creating a garden is to “start with your soil.” That means getting a soil test to discover what your soil needs to help plants grow. In doing so, it’s important to let those testing the soil know what your plans are so they can specify what you might need. Soil test kits can be purchased and mailed to a lab like the one at Penn State. The next step is to amend the soil with aged manure and leaf compost. She shared 14

WASHINGTON GARDENER SEPTEMBER 2018

a list of many local and free sources of both.

After taking care to prepare your soil, obtain local plants at garden club swaps, independent garden centers, and public garden plant sales, and by posting on group lists like DC Urban Gardeners and DC Metro Plant Swap.

There are so many gardening clubs and groups to join, and most welcome new gardeners. A few good local plant swaps Jentz mentioned are those held by the local chapter of the Rock Garden Society, the Takoma Horticultural Club, and the Four Seasons Garden Club. A few of Jentz’s favorite area nurseries and garden centers include Homestead Gardens, Merrifield, Behnke, and Meadows Farms .

If you’ve started growing your plants and encounter problems, Jentz advised reaching out to places like the UMD

HGIC online, inperson at Master Gardener clinics, and by submitting questions for the Washington Gardener’s “Ask the Expert” column.

Another great way to get involved in the local gardening community is to attend garden tours like the ones held

by Brookland Garden Club and Virginia Garden Week, or to join a local garden club. If you’d like to do some local garden adventuring on your own, some lesser-known public gardens to visit and get inspired by include the Franciscan Monastery, Tudor Place, Oatlands, and the Bishop’s Garden at the National Cathedral.

Happy local gardening!. o Racquel Royer is a senior studying broadcast journalism in the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, College Park. This summer, she was an editorial intern at Washington Gardener.

PLANTprofile

Fall-blooming

Japane Anemone

By Kathy Jentz

Commonly known as Japanese anemones (they actually come from China), these fall-blooming anemones are usually hybrids of these three Asian species: A. hupehensis, A. tomentosa, and A. vitifolia. Anemones are known as windflowers, because the genus name was derived from the Greek word for wind: anemos. The appellation is perfectly understandable once you see an anemone flower stalk swaying gracefully in the wind on a mild fall day.

In our area, these flowers—members of the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae)—can be seen blooming from mid to late August through October. Some

varieties, like A. tomentosa ‘Robustissima’ (pictured here), flower in the earlier part of that bloom cycle. By planting a variety of cultivars, a gardener can keep the show going for about 12 weeks.

Other popular cultivars include the pure-white ‘Honorine Jobert’; a semidouble, rose-pink ‘Prinz Heinrich’; and the semi-double, shell-pink ‘Elegans.’

Not only are Japanese anemones good-looking, they are also easy to grow and care for. Give them a spot in partial sun with bit of moisture and they will reward you with masses of flowers for years. They can take full sun, as long as you make sure you keep them well-

watered. Like just about every other plant on the planet, your fall-blooming anemones would prefer well-drained soil, but they will gamely put up with our heavy clay-based soil and look good doing so.

Leave the attractive seedheads up in the winter and the blackened-by-frost foliage acts as a good insulator, so there is no need to cut the plants back until early spring. Dig and divide them in mid-spring every few years. o Kathy Jentz is editor of Washington Gardener and is experiencing the “robust” nature of Japanese anemones in her own garden.

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CHEFgardens

Rooftop to Glass at Firefly

By Ana Hurler

Bartender Brendan Ambrose in the Firefly rooftop herb garden.

“Forget farm to table; I’m growing your drinks rooftop to glass.” This slogan is how lead bartender Brendan Ambrose said he approaches creating and serving cocktails at Firefly since beginning work on its rooftop garden about a year and a half ago.

Ambrose’s signature drinks combine his rooftop harvests with 24 years of bartending experience for an end result that is both classic and fresh.

Cocktails such as the Transformation Cubed, a gimlet with a house-made basil-lime cordial poured over an Aviation sphere, and the Aw Snap!, with Plymouth Gin, Cointreau, sugar snap pea and tarragon cordial, and rosemarylemon thyme syrup in a Genepy Des Alpes misted glass, exemplify his ability to incorporate the garden into his bar.

The restaurant’s seasonal offerings take a new spin on the classics, while incorporating fresh ingredients from around the region—and the rooftop.

Executive Chef Jammir Gray “is all about bringing classic American com16

WASHINGTON GARDENER SEPTEMBER 2018

fort food with a little bit of a modern twist, using as much fresh and local vegetables as she can from around the region,” Ambrose said.

Although Firefly is adjacent to the Kimpton Hotel Madera in the Dupont Circle neighborhood, Ambrose said its main focus is “taking care of all Washingtonians.” After serving at nightclubs and sports bars for years around DC, Ambrose said he is lucky to now have the opportunity through Kimpton to take on projects such as the rooftop garden.

Garden Beginnings

The garden is still in its infant stages, but has made a great comeback from its previously forgotten state, as Ambrose tells the story: “I had just started as a bartender and in passing one day, I heard someone say, ‘You know it’s a shame what happened to the rooftop boxes’ … On hearing this, I ran up to the rooftop and it was literally just four 6-by-6 foot boxes that were just over-weeded and a mess.

I didn’t even think they were growing anything. I would come in every day about a half-hour or hour early and do as much as I could. Now, a year and a half later, we are really starting to see the fruits of our labor.”

Ambrose said he is currently growing “every herb you can imagine, from chamomile to lavender,” along with watermelon, cantaloupe, tri-colored beans, four different kinds of tomatoes, six different peppers, and Black Indian basil given to him by a guest.

Herbs are the garden’s main focus, but Ambrose hopes Gray will be able to incorporate more produce into future dishes as the garden continues to grow.

“We are using 80 percent of what we grow on the roof in our cocktails,” he said.

Having this resource has allowed Ambrose to concoct beautiful, seasonal drinks as he adapts his years of experience to the ever-changing craft cocktail scene. One of his recent ideas is a “make your own Bloody Mary bar” for

CHEFgardens private events, where guests request the herbs they want and he uses them to create infused vodka.

Another creative idea this past summer that incorporated both the bar and the outdoors theme was ‘Til the Fireflies Come Out Happy Hour, from 4 p.m. until sunset. Twinkling lights around the tree in the middle of the restaurant signaled the emergence of the fireflies and the end of happy hour. During this time, patrons could enjoy two more of Ambrose’s creations: the Firefly (vodka, triple sec, lemon juice, house-made dandelion-lemon-lavender simple syrup, and wildflower honey-infused Chai tea) and the Lightning Bug (rum, lemonthyme-sage tincture, tropical safflower and cornflower blossoms syrup, fresh guava, pineapple, orange juices, and coconut milk).

“If you don’t constantly think outside the box, you are going to be left behind,” he said.

The garden is about more than just creating pretty garnishes for cocktails.

Everything Ambrose uses has been upcycled: the raised boxes were made from delivery pallets and the soil is mixed with composted food from the restaurant.

“Everything is one big cycle here,” he said. “That’s what makes the end result of making these beautiful cocktails that much more important, and touches on how passionate I am for what I do.”

Ambrose’s passion and expertise shine through not only his craft cocktails, but also the transformation of his garden into a useful utility for Firefly.

“It’s absolutely amazing, the bottom line, when you really take in everything you’re growing and realize how much you’re putting out on that same product,” he said. “That’s what makes me think, ‘Why doesn’t everyone grow their own stuff?’ It’s not that hard.”

Ambrose shares his cocktails and ingredients via his Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/brendanambrose/. o Ana Hurler is a recent graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park. She was an intern with Washington Gardener during the summer of 2017.

For other stories in the “ChefGardens:” series visit the Washington Gardener blog at: www.washingtongardener.blogspot.com.

Aw Snap! cocktail photo by Bonnary Lek.

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.

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EDIBLEharvt

Quick Pointers for Growing Great Garlic

by Kathy Jentz

draining soil in full sun. Insert cloves root-side down (pointy-side up) about 6 inches apart on center, burying the tips about 2 inches down. Green shoots will come up in a few weeks; mulch around them with straw. Keep the bed weedfree and don’t plant anything else in that area.

3. Cutting Garlic Scapes

Hardneck garlic will form flowering scapes by mid-May. Cut them off before they open and flower. This directs the bulbs’ energy into growing larger, rather than producing seedheads. Then use them in recipes as you would scallions or garlic cloves.

4. Harvesting Garlic

The bulbs are ready when most of the lower leaves have browned. The upper ones will still look green. “Lift the bulbs” usually describes moving things like Daffodils, but it’s also a good way to think about harvesting garlic. Those heads are more delicate than they seem.

Choose an overcast day when the soil is dry. Loosen the soil with a digging fork, inserting it well away from the heads, then lift them out of the row gently and shake off any excess soil.

5. Curing Garlic

Let the whole plants dry in a single layer out of the sun, where it’s warm but not hot. Lay them across an old screen, if you have one, for good air circulation. When the outer skin is papery, Garlic is so easy to grow. If you have successfully planted spring-blooming bulbs, like Tulips and Daffodils, you have the basic steps down already. All you have to learn is how to cure and store the bulbs, which is neither difficult or time-consuming. Here are the basics:

1. Choosing the Best Garlic for Our Region

Hardnecks do best in the Mid-Atlantic, where there’s a real winter. ‘Purple Stripe’ and ‘Music’ are two good varieties that are easy to find at local garden centers of farmer’s markets.

2. Planting Garlic

Mid-fall, plant garlic bulbs in well18

WASHINGTON GARDENER SEPTEMBER 2018

Curing garlic on an old window screen.

EDIBLEharvt brush off as much dirt as possible and clip the roots.

6. Storing Garlic

The ideal temperature is between 55 and 70 degrees F, with moderate humidity and good air circulation (not in plastic bags) and out of direct sunlight.

If these easy steps don’t convince you to grow garlic yourself, I asked Tony “the Garlic Guy” Sarmiento of Silver Spring, MD, to share his top 10 list with us. He attends several garlic festivals and events each year, and he can tell you garlic is best fresh and homegrown. o Kathy Jentz is editor of Washington Gardener. She loves garlic in all its forms.

Garlic scapes.

Tony’s Top 10 Reasons for Growing Garlic

10. No sweat—you plant garlic during the cool fall weather.

9. You plant big cloves—no pesky small seeds to handle.

8. Deer don’t eat garlic.

7. Frost or snow won’t kill garlic.

6. Garlic you grow is fresher, tastier, and healthier than any packaged garlic (most likely imported) for sale.

5. You can grow gourmet varieties you can’t find outside a farmer’s market.

4. You can watch your garlic grow in early spring, while most of your garden is still asleep.

3. It’s a great way to learn about gardening.

2. You can harvest your own garlic scapes to make garlic pesto.

1. Growing garlic (like gardening) is addictive!

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GREENliving

Transforming Your Backyard

into a Wildlife Haven: Simple Steps, Big Impact

By David Mizejewski From songbirds to butterflies, America’s amazing wildlife is facing increasing challenges with people and wildlife living in closer proximity to each other than ever before. In fact, metropolitan areas now consume nearly half of the lower 48 states. Experts say more than a third of North American wildlife species are at risk of extinction. However, there are a few easy steps you can take to establish beautiful wildlife- and people-friendly habitats at home that help keep common species common and even support declining wildlife, from monarch butterflies to bees, migratory birds, and amphibians. Simply introducing native wildflowers, shrubs, and trees (ones that thrive naturally in your specific region), and natural sources of food, water, cover, and places to raise young into your yard, garden, or landscape, can double the amount of local wildlife vs. traditional landscaped areas.

Wildlife can appear within days or even moments of introducing native plants and other habitat element into a space!

The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is marking the 45th anniversary of its popular Garden for Wildlife initiative this year. Here are a few of their simple tips for designing a garden space that will enhance the natural landscape and attract wildlife to your great outdoors. No yard? No problem!

Pots of native plants like milkweed and coneflower are great for small areas.

• Decide on the type of habitat garden based on your region. Think first 20

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about the kinds of wildlife you’d like to attract. Birds, butterflies, and bees can all be supported in a garden habitat.

Then select plants that provide the kinds of food they need, such as nectar, berries, or seed. Plant according to your region. Factor in your existing plant material, which probably already provides some habitat. You don’t need to rip out your landscape completely or totally start from scratch. Use NWF’s “Plant Finder” to get a list of the plants native to your area that support wildlife.

• Observe the amount of sun and shade your intended garden habitat receives during the day and plan accordingly. For example, any area that gets six or more hours of sunlight will thrive with sun-loving plants. Areas that tend to collect water or stay moist will be suitable for wetland plants. Follow the “right plant in the right place” rule of thumb to select native plants that will thrive in your specific garden conditions.

• Prepare your site for planting. Clear the new planting site of all turf grass.

If your soil is very compacted, till it or double-dig, adding compost or sand to loosen it. Don’t add fertilizers; native plants typically do not need them. For small outdoors spaces, select pots and planters that will allow you to plant a selection of blooming pollinator-friendly native plants.

• Select a focal point for your yard.

This can be natural, like an anchoring shrub, tree, or hollow log, or can be human touches. For example, a bird bath, fountain, bench, or sculpture can

A baby fox in the back flowerbed in Fairfax Station, VA. Photo by Mike Whalen.

add interest and draw people into the landscape.

• Select plants that provide yearround diversity. Wildlife needs food, water, cover, and places to raise young all year. Choose some plants that bloom in spring, some in summer, and some in fall. Select shrubs that produce berries in summer and fall, and some that hold their berries into winter. Include evergreens for year-round cover. Think vertically, too. Include large trees, but underplant with smaller trees and shrubs for cover and nesting places.

• Plant similar species of plants in groupings. This will result in more color, eye-catching patterns, and textural impact throughout the garden bed or landscape. This technique also draws the eye into the garden. The close plantings will prevent weeds and minimize the need for excess mulching. Clusters of blooming plants also are more likely to attract butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds.

• Introduce water sources. Adding bird baths or container water gardens helps attract a variety of wildlife, from birds to tree frogs. If you have space, consider adding a larger garden pond.

• Certify your garden. Celebrate by certifying your garden with the National Wildlife Federation and proudly displaying a sign! Show why you have designed your yard intentionally to help wildlife and encourage neighbors to do the same. Certifying also spreads the wildlife gardening message to your entire neighborhood. o

GREENliving

11 Tips to Help Birds in Your Backyard From the smells of backyard cookouts to vibrant displays of roadside wildflowers, late summer is a time for the senses. One of the simple pleasures of the season is seeing and hearing birds of all shapes, colors, and sizes.

In the United States. We are fortunate to be home to an incredible variety of birds, ranging from tiny hummingbirds to the giant California condor. The U.S. hosts 951 species, 11 of which are found nowhere else in the world. Many of these species are migratory, passing through our neighborhoods as they travel seasonally between their breeding and wintering habitats.

In honor of this month’s 100th anniversary of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the National Wildlife Federation’s Garden for Wildlife program offers these 11 tips and resources to help Americans support both local and migratory bird species by providing bird-friendly gardens and landscapes that provide food, water, cover, and places to raise young.

• Feed birds with plants. Fill your yard or garden space with variety of native trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and grasses to offer year-round food in the form of seeds, berries, nuts, and nectar. Allow native wildflowers and grasses to go to seed; the seed heads are an important food source.

• Feed birds with insects. More than 95% of backyard bird species rely on insects as a food source for themselves and their babies; specifically, the caterpillars of butterflies and moths that are supported by native plants. Chickadees, for example, must catch more than 6,000 insects to successfully feed one brood of chicks. Landscaping with native plants such as oaks, which support 557 caterpillar species, and eliminating the use of pesticides, ensures an abundance of insect food for birds. Find native plants that host the highest numbers of caterpillars in your ZIP Code.

• Supplement with feeders. Supplement the food provided by native plants and insects with a few bird feeders.

There are many feeder types to offer foods such as seed, suet, dried insects, and nectar. Feeders can help birds survive during harsh weather and provide

Two male bluebirds perch on their lookout on a winter day. Photo by Mike Whalen.

great bird watching opportunities. Clean them regularly to prevent spread of disease. Select the right feeder for your own yard.

• Add water. Birds need fresh water for drinking and a place to bathe to keep their feathers in good condition. A simple birdbath is a great start. Change water every two to three days to prevent mosquitoes from breeding and use a heater in the winter to prevent ice from forming. A garden pond with a wide, shallow area will also be used by birds.

• Offer cover. Plant densely to provide birds with plenty of cover from the elements and places to hide from predators. Evergreen trees and shrubs provide excellent cover through all seasons. Build a brush pile in a corner of your yard. Start with larger logs and top with smaller branches. Some birds will hunt, roost, or even nest in brush piles.

• Provide nesting places. Many bird species build nests in the branches of densely planted trees and shrubs, while others use cavities in trees. Protect mature trees and shrubs in your neighborhood and plant new ones to offer nesting places. You can also install nesting boxes for cavity-nesting species. These “birdhouses” should have ventilation holes at the top and drain-

age holes at the bottom, and shouldn’t have a perch, because that gives predators easy access to the young birds. Be sure to monitor the boxes for invasive non-native species such a starlings and house sparrows, which out-compete native birds.

• Protect birds from cats. Free-roaming domesticated cats kill billions of birds each year. Keep your cat indoors and keep birds safe from cats by offering plenty of dense vegetation where birds can hide, but keep features that attract birds to the same spot daily such as feeders or birdbaths at least 10 feet from places where cats can wait in ambush.

• Prevent window collisions. Each year up to a billion birds are killed when they strike the windows of our homes and other buildings. Reduce reflections of the surrounding landscape by keeping curtains or shades drawn, covering windows with decals or opaque spray, planting shade trees that reduce reflections, or hanging mobiles in front of windows, especially during spring and fall bird migration.

• Plant a living fence. Need a little privacy in your yard? Consider planting a beautiful and carefree living fence, using a combination of native flower trees, shrubs and evergreens. Summer is the perfect time to plant this lowmaintenance alternative to pampered formal hedges, and provide birds and other wildlife with food, cover, and places to raise young.

• Remove invasive plants. Many invasive plants out-compete the native species favored by birds, insects, and other wildlife. Check with your local U.S. Department of Agriculture Cooperative Extension System office for information about plant species to avoid.

• Stop using pesticides. Insecticides kill the insects that birds rely on as a key food source and herbicides kill the native plants that both insects and birds need for survival. Pesticides can be toxic to birds themselves. o David Mizejewski is the resident wildlife/garden expert at the National Wildlife Federation (nwf.org), based in Reston, VA.

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GOINGnative

Turtles in the Garden: Chelone species

By Barry Glick

If ever there was a plant that lived up to its “common name”, it’s Chelone.

The name of the genus that is home to these unique plants comes from the Greek word “chelona” meaning tortoise.

And “Turtlehead” just happens to be their common name. One look at these unique flowers and you’ll understand why.

I grow two of the four species of Chelone in my garden, Chelone lyoni and Chelone glabra. These seem to be the only two commercially available. In their native habitats, both species are found in moist to wet areas such as brushy marshes, stream banks, wet ditches, low meadows, and woodlands. In spite of their natural choices, I’ve found that they do well in average garden soil in light shade to full sun, as long as you don’t let the soil totally dry out, especially in a full sun location.

Both species have attractive, darkgreen foliage and attain heights of 24– 48". You can pinch them back in spring, 22

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if they are growing in shadier areas and are getting too tall.

Chelone glabra has white flowers, sometimes with a pink tinge. The specific epithet, glabra, means smooth and refers to the fact that the stems and foliage have no hairs. It flowers from August through October.

Chelone glabra is a larval host and/or nectar source for the Baltimore Checkerspot butterfly (Euphydryas phaeton). It is native along the entire Eastern seaboard of the U.S. Chelone lyoni has pink flowers and is in flower a bit earlier than Chelone glabra: from July through

September. I’ve also enjoyed them as long-lasting cut flowers. There is at least one named selection of Chelone lyoni and it’s called ‘Hot Lips’. It has deeper pink flowers than the species.

This species is named for John Lyon, an American botanist who explored the flora of the southern Appalachians in the late 18th century. It is native to the Blue Ridge of the Carolinas and Tennessee.

Both Chelone glabra and Chelone lyoni are well-behaved, clump-forming plants.

Have no worries about them taking over your garden. Good companion plants are just about anything else that prefers moist conditions, such as Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphlitica), Palm Sedge (Carex muskingumensis), and Cinnamon Fern (Osmunda cinnamomea), among others.

The Cherokee Indians used an infusion of Chelone blooms for worms, sores, or skin eruptions, and to increase appetite and as a laxative. They also ate the young shoots as they emerged in early spring, probably the same way we eat asparagus nowadays. 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.

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Jentz Prints

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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.

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