Washington Gardener Enews July 2010 by Kathy J

JULY 2010 Welcome to the Washington Gardener Enewsletter! This enewsletter is the free sister publication of Washington Gardener Magazine. Both the print magazine and online enewsletter share the same mission and focus — helping DC-MD-VA region gardens grow — but our content is different. In this monthly enewsletter, we address timely seasonal topics and projects; post local garden events; and, a monthly list of what you can be doing now in your garden. We encourage you to subscribe to Washington Gardener Magazine as well for indepth articles, inspirational photos, and great garden resources for the Washington DC area gardener. Without your support, we cannot continue publishing this enewsletter. Our magazine subscription information is on page 6 of this enewsletter. If you know of any other gardeners in the greater Washington, DC-area, please forward this issue to them so that they can subscribe to this free enewsletter as well using the form on page 7 of this enewsletter to subscribe to our print magazine. You can also connect with Washington Gardener online at: • Washington Gardener Blog: www.washingtongardener.blogspot.com • Washington Gardener Discussion Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WashingtonGardener/ • Washington Gardener Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/WDCGardener • Washington Gardener Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/washington.gardener • Washington Gardener Web Site: www.washingtongardener.com Sincerely, Kathy Jentz Editor/Publisher Washington Gardener Magazine

Reader Contest

For our July 2010 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, Washington Gardener is giving away one author signed copy of An Illustrated Guide to Eastern Woodland Wildflowers & Trees: 350 Plants Observed at Sugarloaf Mountain, Maryland by Melanie Choukas-Bradley (a $19.95 value). This volume is an exquisitely illustrated guide to 350 eastern woodland wildflowers and trees found onsite at Sugarloaf Mountain, Maryland. It includes a botanical key and an illustrated glossary of common and scientific names, and is packed with nearly 400 elaborately and artistically detailed pen-and-ink drawings to make plant identification simple and fun. To enter to win the lotion, send an email with “Choukas” in the subject line to WashingtonGardener@rcn.com by 5:00pm on Saturday, July 31. In the body of the email please include your full name, email, mailing address, and your favorite Eastern Woodland wildflower or tree (plus why it is your favorite). The winner will be announced and notified by August 2. Some of the contest entry responses may be used in future online or print articles.

NEW Summer 2010 Issue

Our Summer issue is now printing and mailing, If you are a current subscriber, it will be in your mailbox soon. The cover story is on Fragrance Gardens. There is a listing of over 50 fragrant plants that do well in Mid-Atlantic gardens. Also in this issue is the Edibles column, “Social Spuds” by Cindy Brown. She shares her tips on how to grow potatoes here in the Mid-Atlantic and the best varieties for our area. Our Daytrip is to the Mt. Cuba Center outside of Wilmington, DE. I visited there myself this past April and have to say it is unforgettable. I must have taken over 100 trilium photos during that one-day visit. You’ll also find in this issue: • a plant profile feature on Lavenders • a how-to article on Watering Without Waste • a short piece on attracting desirable backyard birds • a round-up of our several springtime garden tours in the DC region • our InsectIndex column focuses on Bagworms • a meeting with the Washington Area Butterfly Club • an interview with Margaret and Richard Koogle of Lilypons Water Gardens • coverage of several local events including an Urban Farming Summit • answers to readers’ questions such as the best way to get an old Crape Myrtle to rebloom • summer bulbs for garden pizzazz and much, much more To subscribe, see the page 7 of this newsletter for a form to mail in or go to

July Garden To-Do List

Spotlight Special

First Editions® Standing Ovation™ Serviceberry: the perfect vertical accent for any yard. If your landscape needs some uplifting appeal check out First Editions® Standing Ovation™ Serviceberry. This serviceberry features a narrow silhouette that adds height to any garden space. Its compact size and uniform habit makes it a great choice for smaller yards. With three-season interest, this small tree is ideal addition to your garden. Standing Ovation’s round leaves start out a dark green changing to yellow and orange as fall sets in. Its stems are flush with white flowers in the spring that occasionally turn into edible berries in June. (Wildlife love the berries too!) All these features combine to make Standing Ovation a spectacular accent shrub or hedge. Look for Standing Ovation Serviceberry from Bailey Nurseries at local garden centers starting in spring 2010. First Editions® Standing Ovation™ Serviceberry facts: • Amelanchier alnifolia ‘Obelisk’ • Height: 15’ • Spread: 4’ • Shape: Upright • Foliage: Soft green • Fall Foliage: Yellow and orange • Exposure: Full Sun • Zone: 2-8 2

Here is our comprehensive garden task list for gardens in the greater DC metro region for July 16-August 15. Your suggestions and additions to this list are most welcome: • The heat of summer is here. Time to start doing chores during early morning or evening. Take a break during the hottest parts of the day. • Prune Wisteria. •If your pond water gets low from prolonged drought, top it off with tap water and add a dechlorinator according to package instructions. • Cut back spent stalks on common daylily. • Pinch back any annuals that may be growing leggy. • Divide and cut back bearded iris. • Check your pond pump of any debris and continue to clean it out every few weeks. • Weed. • Cut off bottom, yellowed foliage on tomato plants. • Stake and tie-up any tall-growing perennials such as phlox or delphiniums. • Wash out birdbaths weekly with diluted bleach solution. • Water thoroughly especially if you receive no rain for more than 5-7 days. • Take cuttings from azaleas, boxwoods, and camellias to start new plants to share. • Check your local garden center for mid-summer bargains. • Hand-pick Japanese Beetles or shake a branch over a bucket of dishwater. Early morning is a good time to catch them while they are still drowsy. • Re-pot the houseplants you’ve moved outdoors for the summer. • Pick blueberries at a local pick-your-own farm or visit a local farmer’s market. • Pinch back any straying strawberry runners. • Deadhead perennials for a second flush of blooms later this summer. • Thin out small trees and cut off any suckering branches growing from the bottom root ball. • Inspect your garden for powdery mildew. If seen, prune back perennials to create needed circulation. • Annuals are now hitting their peak. Keep them well-watered and add a little liquid fertilizer every few weeks to keep them going through September. • Check your plants at night with a flashlight for any night-feeding insects like slugs. • If you find slug damage, set out beer traps or Sluggo pellets. • Pinch back mums so they grow bushier and won’t flower until autumn. • Holding off on planting new trees and shrubs until the summer heat has passed. • Caulk and seal your outside walls to prevent insect entry into your home. • Harvest regularly from your vegetable garden to prevent rot and waste. • Put up a hammock or a garden bench to enjoy your views. • Turn compost pile. • Check out gardening books from your local library to read on vacation. • Check for any mosquito breeding grounds, especially your gutters. Dump out any water that sits stagnant for more than three days. • Add Mosquito Dunks to any standing water in your yard such as birdbath, downspouts, plant saucers, and gutters. • Gather roses to enjoy indoors and make sure to make the cut just above a fiveleaf unit. • Harvest onions when tops die back. • Sow seeds of fall crops such as broccoli, turnips, cauliflower, etc. in late July. • Have a wonderful 2010 growing season!

Quick Links to Recent Washington Gardener Blog Posts • Spellcheck This • Have a Field Day • Easy Summer Annuals the Beat the Heat • How to Pamper Yourself After a Hard Day in the Garden • Love This Local Business See more Washington Gardener Blog posts at WashingtonGardener.Blogspot.com.

Battling Japanese Beetles By Kathy Jentz

Pauline grew and pampered her grandmother’s heirloom roses with pride each year. In March they had just began to leaf out, by May they were magnificent, but come July and they were desiccated skeletons. Like many gardeners in the Washington, DC region, Pauline’s had been attacked by Japanese Beetles. They can do devastating damage often stripping a whole plant from top to bottom. How can we fight back?

Know the Enemy

Japanese Beetles first arrived in New Jersey about 90 years ago by accident. Since then they have multiplied exponentially. Each female beetle can lay about 50 eggs during their active summer season. Without their natural predators and diseases from their native Japan, they have thrived and spread throughout the eastern United States. One of the most hated pests around, they have few virtues other than providing nutrition to birds. The good news is they are only active in your garden from the end of June to late August. The bad news is they spend the rest of the year in their larval stage as white grubs eating your lawn’s turf grass roots. You will notice that the beetles are attracted to certain plants over others. They will strip a hollyhock or grape vine bare, while letting your boxwoods, azaleas, and holly alone. This is due to certain plant scents that are highly attractive to the beetles. You can plant your garden full of beetle resistant varieties or you can read on for practical ways of fighting this local garden scourge.

Hand-to-Hand Combat

The most effective way of dealing with a small infestation of Japanese Beetles is picking them by hand. I know it is not the most pleasant way to spend Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica. a summer morning. However, the more you can get rid of now, the fewer that Photo by Stephen Ausmus, USDA-ARS. will be around to lay more eggs and come back next year. Beetles eat in groups and while feeding they give off odors that attract others to the damaged plant. In addition, each female beetle excretes a chemical that attracts male beetles to her in droves. By manually cutting down on their number, you will automatically get rid of the chemical scents that attract more to your garden. Put on gloves and fill a bucket with soapy water. Go out before 8:00AM while the beetles are still sluggish and shake the infested plant over the bucket. Pick off any beetles that stubbornly stay on the plant.

Pulling Out the Bug Guns

Some gardeners are facing a situation where the beetle numbers are so large, they are forced to go to drastic measures and resort to chemicals that kill all bugs in their yard. This can be especially destructive to our area’s vulnerable honeybee population. St. Gabriel Labs , based in Orange, VA, distributes Milky Spore, which is one of the first lines of attack for home owners doing battle with an entrenched Japanese Beetle infestation. Milky Spore is a naturally occurring host specific bacterium. It is lethal to the white grubs of Japanese Beetles and does not harm other creatures or plants in your garden. With the spore you are targeting the beetles at their most vulnerable stage. Milky Spore is available at your local garden center and comes in two forms – powder for a one-time application or granular which is applied three times for two years in a row. Once applied the spore is guaranteed to kill the grubs and prevent Japanese Beetles for 10 years in your yard. That is great for getting rid of your infestation, but what if your surrounding neighbors are also infested and you’ve got beetles coming over from next door? Dave McDonald of St. Gabriel Labs says that St. Gabriel offers a service that is popular with local home associations. They come out and apply Milky Spore to an entire townhouse community to ensure a Japanese Beetle-free environment for all. It is usually paid for out of the association dues and has proved to be very popular recently. For more information on environmentally safe beetle combat, visit www.pueblo.gsa.gov, www.milkyspore.com, or www.uky.edu/ Agriculture/Entomology and do a site search for “Japanese Beetle.”

DC-Area Gardening Calendar ~ Upcoming Events July 16-August 15, 2010 Brookside Gardens 1800 Glenallan Avenue Wheaton, MD 20902 301.962.1400 www.brooksidegardens.org

• Thursday, July 22, 1:00pm THURSDAYS AT BROOKSIDE: WALK — BUTTERFLY PLANTS Join us for this exciting new series of walks, talks, and demonstrations, highlighting the plants, people, and displays that are uniquely Brookside. Every Thursday at 1:00, from the middle of March through July, our staff and/or volunteers will offer a guided tour, demonstration, or educational walk around the gardens. You’re sure to enjoy learning more about all that Brookside Gardens has to offer. Fee: Free; registration preferred at www. parkpass.org; Course number 101451; meet at Conservatory Entrance.

Magazine’s 3rd Annual

Tomato Tasting

at the Silver Spring FreshFarm Market It’s ‘Big Boy’ vs. ‘Mortgage Lifter,’ hybrid vs. heirloom, the tomato wars have just begun. Everyone is sure that their tomato pick is the tastiest. Join Washington Gardener Magazine at the FreshFarm Market in downtown Silver Spring, MD, on Saturday, August 28 from 10AM-12NOON for a Tomato Tasting. Best of all, this event is FREE! Farmers at the market will contribute their locally grown selections — from super-sweet ‘Sungold’ to notso-pretty ‘Cherokee Purple’ — and we’ll explore which tomatoes make the short list of favorites. We’ll have tomato growing tips, tomato recipes, tomato activities for kids, and much more — all to celebrate one of summer’s greatest indulgences — the juicy fresh tomato. 4

• Saturday, August 7, 9:00AM-5:00PM and Sunday, August 8, 9:00AM-4:00PM CACTUS SHOW Sponsored by the National Capital Cactus and Succulent Society at the Visitors Center at Brookside Gardens. • Saturday, August 14, 1:30-5:00PM DAYLILY SHOW Sponsored by the National Capital Daylily Club outside the Visitors Center at Brookside Gardens.

Green Spring Gardens 4603 Green Spring Road Alexandria, Virginia 22312 703.642.5173 www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/gsgp/

• Wednesdays, 6:30-8PM July 7: Salsa at Sunset July 21: Tomato in Twilight August 4: Desserts at Dusk AN EVENING OF EDIBLES SERIES Learn about edible plants with fellow enthusiasts, sample delectable garden treats and then take home the featured plant to grow in your own garden. Fee: $16/session $45/series • Wednesday, July 28, 6:00-7:30PM BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP Are you always reading gardening books in the winter months or want to, but don’t know where to start? Join us at Green Spring to discuss, The Gardener’s Year by Karel Capek. Books will be available at Green Spring Gardens at time of registration. Pre-registration required, book included. Fee: $12.

D.C. Guerilla Gardeners’ • Saturday, July 24, 11:00AM-12:30PM SEED BOMB-ARANZA Meet on the National Mall, near the Smithsonian Metro stop on the Blue/Orange lines What is a seed bomb? Think of a Dunkin’ Donuts donut hole, but instead of being made of cakey goodness, it’s made of clay and dirt. And instead of having dough inside, it has flower seeds. And instead of getting powdered sugar on your hands when you hold it, you get mud. And instead of digesting it, you throw it in an empty lot. What happens after the Bomb-aranza? We send you, our loveable gardening minions, off into the concrete jungle to seed bomb the naked areas of our fair District. What to bring: Something to sit on, some food and beverages if you want to snack and sip, the willingness to get your hands dirty, and most importantly, some seeds. Bring a packet (or two... or fifty) of seeds to add to the muddy mix. Native flowers are great. RSVP to dc.guerillas@gmail.com. For more details: http://dcguerillagardeners.blogspot.com

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

9750 Meadowlark Gardens Court Vienna, VA 22182 703.255.3631 http://www.nvrpa.org/park/meadowlark_ botanical_gardens • Sunday, July 25, 3:00 PM BIRDING THE GARDENS Meet in the visitor center for a special tour of the gardens in search of our local bird species. Learn basic bird identification and other tips on identifying songbirds, hawks, herons, and many others! Bring field guides, binoculars, and a camera if desired. Cost: Free. • Saturday, July 31, 10:00-11:00AM TROPICAL PLANTS Join Horticulturist Laurie Short in a free walk through the gardens to learn how to grow, propagate and over-winter tropical plants. Reservations recommended. • Saturday, August 14 11AM-3PM IRIS SALE

DC-Area Gardening Calendar ~ Upcoming Events July 16-August 15, 2010 • Thursday, August 5, 10:00-11:00AM Tudor Place Historic GARDENER’S FAVORITE: House and Garden BACKYARD CUTTING GARDEN TOUR AND 1644 31st Street, NW Washington, DC 20007 202.965.0400 www.tudorplace.org

• Tuesday, July 27, 1:00PM Tuesday, August 10, 1:00PM TUESDAY TEAS AT TUDOR PLACE Enjoy a delightful afternoon tea at Tudor Place. Sample a traditional Victorian tea complete with tea sandwiches, scones, delicious desserts and historic tea blends. After the tea join docents for guided tour through the 1816 historic mansion. Members: $20 ~ Nonmembers: $25 Register at: http://tuesdayteas.eventbrite. com.

United States Botanic Garden Conservatory (USBG) 100 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 202.225.8333 www.usbg.gov

• Tuesday, July 27, 10:00-11:00AM GARDENER’S FAVORITE: OUTDOOR GARDENS OF THE USBG Nate Cromley, USBG Gardener Stroll through some of Nate’s favorite outdoor garden spaces at the U.S. Botanic Garden. You’ll get an overview of the Garden’s layout and hear stories about why the USBG gardeners chose to plant certain plants in specific areas such as the National Garden and the Southern Exposure Garden. Please note: This tour is held outside in the garden. We suggest wearing sunscreen, protective clothing, and bringing water. Tour is canceled if it rains. FREE: Pre-registration required Visit www.usbg.gov or call 202.225.1116. • Wednesday, July 28. 11:00AM-12:30PM FARMERS’ MARKET OR YOUR OWN GARDEN DINNER Tania Mercer, Chef, Instructor, and Nutrition Advisor Did you know you can find a complete menu of goodness in your garden? These recipes will inspire you with fresh ideas and may even introduce you to some ingredients you’ve never used before! • Five Farmers’ Market Greens Salad and fresh goat cheese • Grilled wild salmon with garden fresh salsa • Lemon-scented quinoa with lively summer herbs Please note: Menu is subject to change. Friends: $5 ~ Non-Members: $10 Pre-registration required Visit www.usbg.gov or call 202.225.1116.

DEMONSTRATION Lupe Rodriguez, USBG Gardener Walk around the U.S. Botanic Garden with Lupe to discover which garden plants are his favorites for creating a backyard cutting garden. Learn tips and techniques for creating your own backyard cutting garden through a small demo at tour’s end. Please Note: This tour is held outside in the garden. We suggest wearing sunscreen and protective clothing, and bringing water. Tour is canceled if it rains. FREE: Pre-registration required Visit www.usbg.gov or call 202.225.1116.

• Tuesday, August 10, 10:00-11:00AM GARDENER’S FAVORITE: BARTHOLDI PARK Adam Pyle, USBG Gardener Walk around Bartholdi Park with Adam to discover which garden plants are his favorites for growing in this area. Find out this year’s plans for the garden and hear about plants that add seasonal interest, are easy to maintain, or have a special place in his gardening palette. Please Note: This tour is held outside in the garden. We suggest wearing sunscreen and protective clothing, and bringing water. Tour is canceled if it rains. FREE: Pre-registration required Visit www.usbg.gov or call 202.225.1116.

US National Arboretum 3501 New York Avenue, NE Washington, D. C. 20002-1958 202.245.2726 www.usna.usda.gov

• Saturday, July 24, 12:00-4:00pm WASHINGTON YOUTH GARDEN FRIENDS + FAMILY FUN DAY Enjoy some fresh, healthy snacks from the garden. Meet their new honeybees. Ring in the new Nature Explore Classroom. Listen to live music and tour the garden. Please visit www.washingtonyouthgarden. org for details and directions. Donations benefit programming at the Washington Youth Garden. Project of the Friends of the National Arboretum. Rain date is Sunday, July 25, same time.

Event Listing Notes

For even more area garden event notices than we can’t possibly squeeze in here, become a member of our free online discussion group. To join the email list serv, just send an email to: WashingtonGardener-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. To submit an event for this listing, please contact: Wgardenermag@aol.com and put “Event” in the email subject head. Our next deadline is August 12 for the August 15 edition of this enewsletter featuring events from August 16-September 15.

Washington Gardener Magazine Urban Garden Talk Series Continues We are skipping July and August and then continuing our DC Urban Garden talk series with the Historical Society of Washington, DC (HSW) in the fall. Here are the dates and topics, please add them to your calendars and plan on joining us: • Sunday, September 26, Kathy Jentz on “Getting the Most out of Small-Space Urban Gardens” • Sunday, October 31, Cheval Force Opp on “Vermicomposting and Composting Basics” • Sunday, November 28, Michael Twitty on “In Search of African-American Heritage Seed” All three talks are from 2:00-3:30PM at the Historical Society of Washington, DC, 801 K Street, NW, at Mount Vernon Square. Washington, DC 20001; next to the Washington Convention Center and just a couple blocks from Gallery Place. Directions at www.HistoryDC.org or by calling 202.383.1800. These programs are FREE and open to the public.

Your Ad Here

Are you trying to reach gardeners in the greater DC region/Mid-Atlantic area? Washington Gardener Enews goes out on the 15th of every month and is a free sister publication to Washington Gardener magazine. The ad rate is $250 per issue or $1,000 for five (5) issues within one calendar year. The ad deadline is the 10th of each month. Please submit your ad directly to: washingtongardener@rcn.com.

Parade of Ponds

August 7-8, 2010

Spend the weekend, a day, or a few hours touring water gardens in Montgomery County, MD and Howard County, MD.

Over 30 unique and awe inspiring ponds, streams, waterfalls, fountains and water gardens will be available for a self-guided tour at your leisure. The majority of these stops include gardens at private residences with a few of commercial properties also offering their fountains for viewing. The tour includes properties in wooded settings, large scale properties, and even small water garden features for the intimate setting. Tickets are $15 per person and all proceeds are donated to Shepherd’s Table. The tour has donated over $2,200 in our first two years to this worthy organization that provides food and other necessities for those less fortunate in our community.

Tickets with tour guide maps are $15 per person and may be purchased at Seibel’s Restaurant in Burtonsville, MD, or online at www.premierpond.com. For further details, visit Premier Ponds’ web site www.premierpond.com and click on “Parade of Ponds” page or call 240-508-5671. 6

Magazine Excerpt: Bagworms by Carol Allen

I got the call at 10 o’clock at night from my sister. “The trees out front look pretty bad and there are all these ugly little things hanging on them.” She was ever the drama queen, but I knew right away what the problem was. “Sophie, your shrubs have bagworms and I will be over in the morning to take care of them.” We go through this every year. I am an enabler, but I keep hoping my sister will take care of her own bagworms! In many ways, I don’t blame her. Bagworms are creepy and yet fascinating. They can cause incredible damage and will defoliate many types of conifers and other plants. Heavy defoliation for several years can kill a host plant. Arborvitae, juniper, spruce, cedar, and pine are the most common plants affected, but bagworms have been found feeding on maples, sycamore, linden, ash, and others. How can anyone imagine they are related to the beautiful butterflies that dance through our garden? Fortunately, for us, there is only one brood per year in our area. Their life cycle is the fascinating part. In the fall, the female lays 300-1,000 eggs in the bag. She then abandons her old home, climbs out, and falls to the ground to die. The eggs stay cozy, overwintering in the old bag. The young start to hatch out in late May to early June, crawl to the base of the bag, and spin a long thread of silk. The winds carry them like little balloons to nearby plants. Scientists theorize that the young will have the same food preferences as their parents and won’t settle down to feed until they reach the right type of plant. When that plant is reached, they spin a silken bag around their bodies and cover it with dried fecal material. At this point, they are about ⅛" long. Now, this is the creepy part: As the caterpillar grows, it expands its bag to accommodate its size and decorates the outside with bits of leaves and other plant material.... Want to learn more about Bagworm Detection and Prevention? Read the rest of this InsectIndex column in the Summer 2010 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine. Bagworm photo by Suzanne Klick, University of Maryland, Central MD Research & Education Center (www.ipmnet.umd.edu).

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May 1 through Sept. 19, 2010 10 am to 4pm daily $6.00 ages 13 and up $4.00 ages 3 — 12 Hotline: 301-962-1453 NEW! Purchase your

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