Washington Gardener Enews May 2012

ENEWSLETTER

MAY 2012

Welcome to the Washington Gardener Enewsletter!

This enewsletter is the 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.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This enewsletter is only sent out as a PDF via email to current subscribers. Without your support, we cannot continue publishing this enewsletter nor Washington Gardener Magazine! Our magazine subscription information is on page 9 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 our print magazine using the form on page 9 of this enewsletter. You can also connect with Washington Gardener online at: • Washington Gardener Blog: www.washingtongardener.blogspot.com • Washington Gardener Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/WDCGardener • Washington Gardener Pinterest boards: http://pinterest.com/wdcgardener/ • Washington Gardener Discussion Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WashingtonGardener/ • Washington Gardener Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/washingtongardenermagazine • Washington Gardener Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/WDCGardener • Washington Gardener Web Site: www.washingtongardener.com Sincerely, Kathy Jentz Editor/Publisher Washington Gardener Magazine

Reader Contest

For our May 2012 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, Washington Gardener is giving away 5 sets of passes to the Brookside Gardens Wings of Fancy live butterfly exhibit (each set has two passes and is a $12 value). Running daily through mid-September, from 10:00AM to 4:00PM, Brookside Gardens South Conservatory features live butterflies. Come witness the butterfly life cycle as tiny eggs hatch into crawling, chewing caterpillars, which then encase themselves in jewel-like chrysalides and emerge as sipping, flying adult butterflies. Learn about the best annual and tropical plants, and hardy shrubs that are used as nectar sources to attract butterflies to your own garden. To enter to win one of the 5 pairs of passes, send an email with “Fancy” in the subject line to WashingtonGardener@rcn.com by 5:00pm on Thursday, May 31. In the body of the email please include your full name, email, mailing address, and what plant you regret adding to your garden and why. The pass winners will be announced and notified by June 2. Some of the entry responses may be used in future online or print articles.

Spring 2012 Issue

Our Spring 2012 magazine issue is now mailing out to all current subscribers. To subscribe today and make sure you start with this issue, see page 9 of the enewsletter. The cover story is on Pollinator Gardens from butterflies to birds to bees. You’ll also find in this issue: • A DayTrip to the Brent and Becky’s Bulb in Gloucester, VA • Perennial Plant of the Year: Brunnera • Carrot Rust Fly • Garden Photo Contest Winners • An English Garden Story • How to Make a Seed Tape • Profile of a Tulip Farmer • Precautions about Hazardous Chemicals in our Garden Tools • Mosquito Season Tips • A Wrap-Up of Local Gardening Events • Before-After of a Balcony Garden • And much, much more... To subscribe, see the page 9 of this newsletter for a form to mail in or go to www.washingtongardener.com/index_ files/subscribe.htm and use our PayPal credit card link.

Quick Links to Recent Washington Gardener Blog Posts • Pea Harvest • How to Grow Marigolds from Seed Video • Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day May 2012 • Kill Weeds with Vinegar • Plants I’ve Killed More Than Once See more Washington Gardener Blog posts at WashingtonGardener.Blogspot.com.

Spotlight Special First Editions® Snow White Mockorange Philadelphis ‘Snowwhite Fantasy’ PP13,774

First Editions® Snow White Mockorange may really be the fairest of them all. This repeat blooming shrub features stunning, 2-inch, double flowers. The bloom clusters cover the plant in spring and then reappear in summer. These pure white, beautifully fragrant flowers sit atop attractive foliage. Snow White keeps its rounded shape and doesn’t get bare or twiggy. Plant Snow White near a walkway or patio to get the most enjoyment out of its fragrance. Guaranteed to charm any prince or grumpy diamond miner. Attractive foliage on gracefully arching branches guarantees easy placement in the garden with other flowering shrubs.

Details

Full sun Height: 5- to 6-feet Spread: 4- to 5-feet Zone: 5-8

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May Garden To-Do List

Here is our comprehensive garden task list for gardens in the greater DC metro region for May 16-June 15. Your additions to this list are most welcome: If you started seeds last month, thin them and start the hardening off process. • Cut back spent tulip and daffodil blooms, but not the foliage! • Divide and replant crowded daffodils. • Feed your roses and new plantings with slow-release fertilizer sparingly. • Provide supports for fast-growing perennials such as delphiniums, peonies, and lilies. • Tie up clematis and other fast-growing climbing vines. • Hose off aphids, white flies, or spider mites on your roses or other perennials. • Deadhead spent blooms on your annuals and perennials to encourage re-flowering. • Water your newly planted shrubs, trees, and perennials. • Weed regularly. • Go on a local house and garden tour to see what plants are thriving in other’s area home gardens. • Pinch back mums, salvias, and other late season bloomers to encourage bushy not leggy growth. • Check pots and containers daily for water needs. • Plant dahlias, gladioli, caladiums, and cannas. • Direct sow annual flower seeds. • Thin vegetable seeds sown directly in the garden. • Move your houseplants outdoors for a summer vacation on your porch. • Put out slug traps around your vulnerable edibles and hostas. • Prune back forsythia, spirea, and other early spring blooming shrubs. • Check for black spot on your roses -- remove and discard and affected leaves in the trash, never back into your garden or in your compost -- apply a fungicide with neem oil every two weeks during the growing season. • Cut some flowers to enjoy inside -- make a small arrangement for every room. • Sow squash and melon seeds. • Plant seedlings (or direct-sow) sweet potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. • Fertilize azaleas and rhodos, if needed. • Divide crowded perennials and share them. • Turn your compost pile. • Start a water garden or re-new yours for the season. • Mark and photograph your bulb plantings now, while they are still visible. • Keep a sharp eye for fungal diseases and pests. • Replace cool-season annuals with heat-loving ones. • Be vigilant for mosquito breeding spots, any standing water from a bottle-cap to blocked gutters, and clean them out immediately. Ask your surrounding neighbors to do the same. Put Mosquito Dunks or Bits in any areas that accumulate water. • Plant tomatoes and peppers. To get them started off right, put cages/stakes in at same time as you plant them, so that you are not disturbing their roots later. Place a collar (cardboard tube or cat food can) around the tender plants to prevent cut worms. Put crushed eggshells first in the planting hole of tomatoes for extra calcium and mix lime in the soil you surround the plant with to prevent blossomend rot. Fertilizes with kelp extract or fish emulsion. • Hand pick cabbage worms from cabbage and broccoli.

First Editions® Snow White Mockorange

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Container Gardens Made Easy Many people walk into a garden center with glorious plans for a container garden, only to be completely overwhelmed by rows and rows of plants. So they buy a bunch of varieties they like and cram them in a pot, only to be discouraged when those selections die, grow out of proportion or end up sporting color combos that just don’t work. That’s why Tesselaar Plants, in its goal of “Making Gardening Easy,” offers these 10 tips and plant-by number recipes from container design pros Barbara Wise and Todd Holloway. Holloway is the owner of Pot Incorporated, an award-winning container and landscaping company in Vancouver, BC. Wise is the author of the new book Container Gardening For All Seasons (Cool Springs Press, $21.99). 1. “ECHO” COLORS “I like to echo colors,” says Wise. This means looking for hues in one plant that can be reflected in another plant used in the same container. For example, she likes pairing Strobilanthes ‘Persian Shield’ with Torenia ‘Golden Moon’ because the purple throat of the torenia echoes the purple of the strobilanthes. 2. CONTRAST TEXTURES Wise and Holloway both recommend mixing different textures. Fine or delicate foliage contrasts nicely with straight, narrow stalks and broad tropical leaves. Similarly, long, skinny, linear leaves or strappy, arch-type formations look great when paired with full, rounded or oval shapes. “I focus on the foliage contrast with one or two complementary flower varieties,” says Holloway. In green glazed pot: Flower Carpet Yellow (groundcover rose) 3. CHOOSE PROVEN, EASY-CARE PLANTS with tender plant companions, Ipomoea Sweet Caroline Bronze, Especially if your pots can’t be placed close to your water Calibrachoa ‘Celebration Apricot.’ In mustard square pot: tender source and you’re limited on time, says Wise, choose Canna Tropicanna with Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea.’ Photo courplants that aren’t as needy. Succulents, of course, require tesy of Tesselaar International Plants (www.tesselaar.com). little care, but the same can be said for tropical plants like mandevilla, cannas like the colorful Tropicanna line and cordylines like Festival Burgundy™. Even roses can be used in containers, says Wise, if they’re disease-resistant and drought- and heat-tolerant. “Flower Carpet® roses, for instance, look fabulous trailing over the sides of containers.” 4. DON’T FORGET THE POT! Some plants, like Tropicanna cannas, will grow up to 6 feet high by the end of the season and enlarge their root size so much, they break through the pot. So Wise recommends making sure all the plants you plan to put in the pot will remain in scale and that your pot size is one-half to one-third the size of the tallest plant when mature. In fact, if Holloway had to recommend just one tip for successful containers, it would be to make sure the pot is large enough. “It must have enough volume to accommodate the roots of the plants’ ultimate size,” he explains. At minimum, it must have at least half the volume of the size of the mature plants. “Your planter must be large enough to accommodate the plants throughout their life in the container,” he explains. “At the very least, your container’s volume should be roughly a third to half the size of the eventual volume of the mature plants. If your mature plants are expected to grow to 3 feet tall by 3 feet wide, your plants should be no smaller than 1 to 1.5 feet tall by 1 to 1.5 feet wide.” And remember, the pot’s style, material, color and texture are just as important an element in container design as the plants themselves, says Holloway. 5. THINK “THRILLER-SPILLER-FILLER” This tried-and-true design trick is a great way to make sure your container gardens have the right scale, proportions and mix of shapes and textures. “For your thriller, try a tall or upright focal point plant such as cannas or cordylines,” suggests Wise. “For your filler, you’ll want a plant that’s bushier or fuller, like a daylily or caladium. The spiller, she explains, is any plant that will trail or cascade over the edge of the pot, like petunias or lysimachia (creeping Jenny). “Remember to mix in fine foliage with your big leaves and to add a little repetition or color among the plants. This makes for a more cohesive, unified piece.” 6. SAME NEEDS, SAME POT “Know the difference between full sun, partial shade and full shade, and choose plants with like cultural requirements in one pot,” says Holloway. Or, as Wise likes to put it: “Know who your plants’ friends are.” This not only ensures healthy plants, but cuts way down on your maintenance routine. “Keeping light exposure in mind while considering plants is extremely important,” says Holloway. “Knowing whether your plants do best in full sun, part sun, part shade of full shade is a good

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starting point once you’ve determined the location of where your planter will live. Always make sure all the plants in the pot are tolerant of the light conditions of your location.” 7. CONTAINER CARE 101 Plants in containers have different needs than those in the landscape. Here, Wise and Holloway provide a few basics: Plant spacing/placement. Even though Holloway likes cramming in lots of plants, he still encourages planting them a few inches apart to give roots a chance to spread and establish quickly. After filling the container with soil up to a few inches from the top of the pot, he recommends starting your design with large plants and adding smaller ones as you move to the edges of the pot. “Fill with soil as you go, making sure the tops of the roots aren’t covered with more than a half-inch of soil.” Moisture. Because there’s less soil in containers, they tend to dry out quicker than their counterparts in the ground. So Holloway recommends keeping an eye on when your plants need a drink, especially later in the season, when they’ve gotten bigger: “Allowing your planter to fully dry out one or more times causes considerable stress on the plants, often preventing them from fully recovering or reaching their full potential.” Holloway recommends watering with your sprayer on a gentle shower setting. “You can stop watering when water flows freely out of the bottom of the pot,” he says. Wise suggests keeping pots as close as possible to your water source, to cut down on the water hauling. She also recommends using a potting soil made for containers instead of soil dug up from the ground. “The lighter components of potting soil provide more aeration for roots,” she explains. Checking for moisture is easy, she says: “Just stick your finger into the soil, up to your first finger joint. If it feels dry, then water.” On the other hand, you don’t want roots to rot, so make sure there’s a hole at the bottom of the pot for good drainage. Feeding. For easier feeding, Holloway and Wise recommend a slow-release, granular fertilizer. “It doesn’t hurt to apply some liquid fertilizer occasionally as the plants grow larger,” notes Holloway, “especially tightly planted containers, where fertilizer is in high demand.” Keep ‘em in shape. Holloway and Wise recommend keeping plants under control (bushier and with more blooms) by pinching, pruning and deadheading throughout the season. 8. THINK OF THE BIGGER PICTURE “The container and the plants must always complement their location,” says Holloway. In her book, Wise devotes a whole chapter to the concept of “container-scaping,” or using container gardens year round as landscaping supplements, garden focal points or décor accents in your “outdoor room.” You can also treat your containers as constantly evolving props, moving them to perhaps cover a hole in the landscape or changing out spent plants as new seasons arrive. “You can create a lush container-scape, maybe even a paved paradise, when you fill it with potted plants,” she says. “The options are endless.” 9. ADD SOME ARCHITECTURE Just as a landscape needs good garden “bones” to give it three-dimensional interest and characters, containers can always use a beginning structure or skeleton. So give it to them, says Wise, with manmade materials, trees and shrubs or architectural plants like agapanthus, cordylines, phormiums or succulents. “A pyramidal trellis in the center of the container, for instance, adds height and can showcase stunning annual vines like mandevilla and passion flower.” ECHO COLORS: This container garden by A topiary hibiscus is also striking, she adds, especially with a thick grouping of Todd Holloway features echoes of black daylilies below. “And I love shrub roses in containers underplanted with Purple throughout: (1) Tropicanna® Black cannas, (2) Colocasia esculenta ‘Black Magic,’ (3) Queen setcresia and lantana. Aeonium ‘Zwartkop’, (4) Rudbeckia fulgida 10. CHECK OUT THESE OTHER RESOURCES var. sullivantii ‘Goldsturm,’ (5) Plectranthus You’ll find more container gardening inspiration from Wise in her book, Container ‘Lemon Twist,’ (6) Ipomoea ‘Sweet Caroline Gardening For All Seasons, which hit bookshelves last month (April 2012). This Purple,’ (7) Calibrachoa ‘Callie Orange,’ (8) at-a-glance recipe book of sorts offers 101 full-color photos of container garden Ipomoea ‘Sweetheart Purple,’ and (9) Coleus ‘Sky Fire.’ Photo courtesy of Todd Holloway/ designs for all seasons, climates and personal tastes. Each recipe comes with www.potinc.ca. a shopping list, a coded “plant-a-gram” (showing which plants go where) and a listing of sun preference, pot size and difficulty level. Wise also offers plenty of ideas on her blog, B Wise Gardening. You can also find stunning container designs on Holloway’s Pot Incorporated web site, particularly on the home page’s slideshow or “Gallery.” Pot Incorporated’s Facebook page is routinely updated with inspirational material as well. Also see the two container gardening cover stories in the September/October 2005 and March/April 2008 issues of Washington Gardener Magazine. You can order back issues of the magazine using the lusting on page 8 of this newsletter.

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TOP AREA GARDENING EVENTS DC-Area Gardening Calendar ~ Upcoming Events ~ May 16-June 15, 2012 • Wednesday, May 23, 7:15pm Chevy Chase Citizens Association Garden Club Meeting Janet Draper, plant geek and noted horticulturist of the Smithsonian Ripley Garden is giving a talk at the DC Chevy Chase Community Center, 5601 Connecticut Ave., NW, WDC. Open to the public and free. For details, email Barbara Baldwin at bbaldwing@yahoo.com. • Wednesday, May 23, 7:30 pm Beltsville Garden Club Meeting Annie Ceccarini will speak on USDA’S People’s Garden Initiative: A Growing Movement. Ms. Ceccarini is the Outreach and Education Coordinator for the People’s Garden Initiative at US Department of Agriculture where she develops, coordinates and teaches healthy gardening and sustaining cultivation techniques to youths and adults including over 100 USDA employee volunteers. Refreshments will be served after the meeting. Bring a plant or plant related material for the club’s door prize table. The public is welcomed and admission is free. The Beltsville Garden Club will meet in the cafeteria of the James E. Duckworth School, 11201 Evans Trail, Beltsville, MD. • Thursday, May 24, 4-7pm Top Plant Picks for 2012 Kathy Jentz, Washington Gardener Magazine, is all plant-smart and stuff. AND she’ll be here in Davidsonville where she’ll talk about her top plant picks for 2012 at 4:30p and again at 6:30p. This is a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity. Miss it, and you’ll never forgive yourself. Probably. Homestead Gardens, 743 West Central Avenue Davidsonville, MD 21035. FREE. Details at www. homesteadgardens.com. • Monday, May 28, 5:30am-10:00pm Photographers’ Field Day at Meadowlark Join area photographers and Meadowlark staff for a day of learning and field shoots, beginning before sunrise and ending after sunset. Admission is $5. See www.nvrpa. org for more info (click on Parks and choose Meadowlark) or call 703.255.3631. To be held at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, 9750 Meadowlark Gardens Court, Vienna, Virginia 22182. • Tuesday, May 29, 10:00-11:30am or Wednesday, May 30, 10:00-11:30am Miniature Rock Garden Enjoy planting your very own miniature rock garden in a shallow dish. Sure to provide years of low-maintenance delight! Joan O’Rourke has selected some of her favorite 6

succulents for this colorful and resilient container garden. Fee: $49, FOBG: $44; registration required at www.ParkPASS.org; for more information, call 301-962-1400 or visit us online at www.brooksidegardens.org. To be held at Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton, MD 20902. • Friday, June 1, 12noon -1pm The Magical World of Floral Close-Ups A program with Allen Rokach, Former Senior Photographer for Southern Living magazine and Director of Photography at the New York Botanical Garden. Go on a visual journey that begins with his early attempts at flower photography. Allen shows the path he traveled to become a master flower and garden photographer, with the emphasis on his dramatic floral close-ups and his new impressionistic images. U.S. Botanic Garden Conservatory Classroom. Registration Fee: $10 for Friends; $15 for non-Friends. • Saturday, June 2, 10am-4pm Private Gardens of Bethesda Visit some of the most fabulous private gardens in the Bethesda and Chevy Chase area at the height of the gardening season. Join Brookside Gardens for our second annual private garden tour for your ONLY opportunity to visit several extraordinary, designer showcase properties — guaranteed to provide inspiration to the most avid gardeners and designers as well as garden hobbyists! Discover your inner designer as you gather creative ideas and practical information for your own garden. Pre-register through ParkPASS.org to visit one or all of the gardens on this exclusive tour, including one designed by Oehme van Sweden & Associates. For garden images and descriptions, http:// www.montgomeryparks.org/brookside/ or call 301.962.1402. • Saturday & Sunday, June 2-3, 9am-5pm Floral Close-Up Photography Discover the magical miniature world found in close-ups of flowers. Allen Rokach, Former Senior Photographer for Southern Living magazine and Director of Photography at the New York Botanical Garden, will show you how to use macro lenses, as well as inexpensive extension tubes and close-up filters on lenses you already have, to help you create dramatic and aesthetic images of flowers as you have rarely seen them. Morning refreshments will be included; lunches will be on your own. Registration fee includes the Friday evening June 1 lecture. U.S. Botanic Garden Conservatory Classroom. Registration Fee: $185 for Friends; $215 for non-Friends.

• Saturday, June 2, 10am-4pm The Heritage Garden Tour The Dorchester County Historical Society will present The Heritage Garden Tour, rain or shine. Enjoy a self guided tour of beautiful gardens in Dorchester County and nearby. Guides will be on hand at all locations to highlight each garden’s features. The tour will take you to breathtaking waterfront properties, new and historic homes, Baywise-certified native gardens and will feature an artist’s and potter’s studios. At DCHS’ La Grange Plantation, there will be tours of the colonial style herb garden, the native waterfront garden, as well as floral design demonstrations and plant sales. For an added cost, you can enjoy a wonderfully decadent Sweet Tea in the historic Meredith House. Tour tickets may be purchased in advance by calling DCHS at 410.228.7953 or email dchs@verizon.net. Ticket cost: $10/ advance, $15/day of event, $25/including tea, reserved. The Dorchester County Historical Society is located at 1003 Greenway Drive, off of Maryland Avenue East in Cambridge, MD. • Saturday, June 2, 9:30-11:30am Container Water Gardening Have you always wanted a water garden but thought you didn’t have the space? How about planting your garden in a container? Green Spring gardener Judy Zastick provides inspiration and advice as she guides you through building your own water garden to take home. Plants, pump and container included in materials fee. Register and pay $55 materials fee by May 18th by calling Green Spring Gardens at 703-642-5173. Code: 290 286 5801, $30/person. Green Spring Gardens, 4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria, Virginia 22312. Details at www. fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/greenspring. • Saturday, June 2 and Sunday, June 3, 12noon-5pm Hammond-Harwood House Secret Garden Tour The historic Hammond-Harwood House is sponsoring the 12th annual Secret Garden Tour, rain or shine. This popular event will feature twelve to fourteen private gardens, seldom seen by the public, in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Annapolis. The different and unique styles of the featured gardens will inspire those who have a passion for gardens. Tickets are good for Saturday, Sunday, or both days. They are $25 in advance or $30 the weekend of the tour. The printed program for the tour serves as the ticket. See www.hammondharwoodhouse.org.

TOP AREA GARDENING EVENTS DC-Area Gardening Calendar ~ Upcoming Events ~ May 16-June 15, 2012 • Thursday, June 7, 7:00-9:00pm AWS Lecture Series: Solar Living Roof Systems Learn more about your green-roof options at this presentation by Jörg Breuning, founder and owner of the green roof design and engineering firm Green Roof Service LLC. He will discuss a green roofing system that combines photovoltaic panels and extensive green roofs. Location: AWS Office, 4302 Baltimore Avenue, Bladensburg, MD 20710, 301.699.6204, www.anacostiaws.org. • Thursday, June 7, 10am-12oon Celebrate 100 Years of Scouting Girl Scout Garden Party Celebrate Scouting’s centennial in a historic Georgetown garden: Tudor Place. Scouts start with a scavenger hunt through 5.5 acres of historic landscape. Indoors, in picturesque garden rooms, costumed interpreters will them in period gaming and dancing. Then, they will meet and mingle with other Scouts while partaking of traditional crafts and refreshments in the Pierce Arrow Garage. Scouts and Tag-Alongs: $8; Adults: $3. REGISTRATION: http://scoutgardenparty. eventbrite.com/. • Saturday, June 9, 9:00am-12noon Attracting Beneficial Insects & Creating Interest During Four Seasons in the Garden. Children’s: Bee-Friend a Bug! Taught by VCE - Prince William Master Gardener Volunteers. Held at the Teaching Garden at St. Benedict Monastery, 9535 Linton Hall Road, Bristow, VA 20136. All programs are free and registration is requested. A children’s program is offered concurrently with each Saturday in the Garden program. Space is limited. A registration form is required to complete registration for children’s programs. Details at: www. pwcgov.org/Grow • Saturday, June 9 and Sunday, June 10 Working With Nature for Beautiful and Sustainable Gardens Day 1 will feature a keynote presentation by Dr. Tallamy, author of Bringing Nature Home and chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware. His book emphasizes how native plants can beautify our gardens while serving as central food sources for the insects, birds, and butterflies that are essential to a healthy local ecosystem. His presentation will be followed by break-out sessions with experts on elements of the Landscape for LifeTM program, an eco-friendly approach to gardening from the U.S. Botanic Garden that can provide a wealth of health and environ-

mental benefits. Day 1 to be held at Fairlington Community Center, 3308 South Stafford Street, Arlington, VA. On Day 2 participants will tour the VCE/MGNV Demonstration Gardens in Arlington and Alexandria to see the elements of the Landscape for LifeTM program in action. Registration fee of $50 includes a box lunch. Details at www.mgnv. org or at http://offices.ext.vt.edu/arlington. • Sunday, June 10, 4-6pm Washington Gardener Magazine’s Garden Photo Exhibit Opening Reception Winning photographs from this year’s Washington Gardener Magazine photo contest will be on display at Meadowlark through August 10. Light refreshments offered at reception. Free and open to the public. Reservations not required. Address: Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, 9750 Meadowlark Gardens Court, Vienna, Virginia 22182

a society beauty who brought them with her to Tudor Place on her 1921 marriage to Armistead Peter 3rd. In the Tudor Place Townhouse, enjoy Vodka-Thyme Lemonade and a sweet-and-savory array of summerthemed treats, for a midsummer evening you won’t soon forget. Complimentary to Tudor Place Members. Non-Members: $15. (Ages 21+). Consider a Tudor Place membership. http://midsummerstudornights. eventbrite.com/ • Saturday, June 16 10am Washington Gardener Magazine’s DC PLANT SWAP Come with plants to swap or a snack to share if you are plant-less. Free and open to anyone to attend. At the H Street FreshFarm, Farmers Market in NE Washington, DC.

SAVE THE DATE:

• June 10-22 16th Annual Historic Landscape Institute “Preserving Jefferson’s Gardens and Landscapes” Monticello This two-week course uses the gardens and landscapes of Monticello and the University of Virginia as an outdoor classroom for the study of historic landscape preservation. Lectures, workshops, field trips, and practical working experiences will provide an introduction to the fields of landscape history, garden restoration, and historical horticulture. Fee charged; registration required. Call 434.984.9816 or www.monticello.org/hli.

•Washington Gardener Magazine is proud to be a sponsor of the annual Parade of Ponds weekend in the DC-MD on July 28-29, 2012. Participants can tour private gardens in the area that include ponds, water features, and water gardens for inspiration and enjoyment. They can visit all the gardens over the weekend in any order they desire or just visit a few. Donations are requested from tour-goers and all proceeds go to support Shepherd’s Table in Silver Spring, MD, which provides food and services to the needy. For more information, visit: http://www.premierpond.com/paradeof-ponds.html.

• Sunday, June 10, 1-3pm The Apiarists’ Tale Beekeepers Marian Villasenor and Bob Becker take the mystery out of this rewarding backyard pastime with the story in pictures of their first year of beekeeping at Green Spring. Their experiences will entertain, fascinate and inform you. After tea, we’ll visit the hives. Call 703-941-7987 for reservations. $27/person. Green Spring Gardens, 4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria, Virginia 22312, www.fairfaxcounty. gov/parks/greenspring.

• Kathy Jentz, editor of Washington Gardener Magazine, will moderate a panel of DC-area gardening communicators speaking on the Dirty Secrets of Garden Writers. The panel will take place on August 14, 2012 at the American Women Writers National Museum, 1275 K St NW, Washington, DC. For more information, visit: www.americanwomenwritersnationalmuseum.org.

• Thursday, June 14,6-8 pm Tudor Nights: A Midsummer’s Enchantment The sweet breath of midsummer breeds, if not fairies themselves, then dreams of fairies. As a Tudor Nights guest, revel in the enchantments of a June evening in Tudor Place’s five acres of gardens. In the mansion, view imprints from Andrew Lang’s charming Fairy Series, featuring full-color plates and exquisite woodcuts by renowned children’s illustrators. The eight books came as girlhood gifts to Caroline Ogden Jones,

Still More Event Listings See even more event listings on the Washington Gardener Yahoo discussion list. Join the list at http://groups.yahoo. com/group/WashingtonGardener/. Event Listing Submissions To submit an event for this listing, please contact: Wgardenermag@aol. com and put “Event” in the email subject head. Our next deadline is June 12 for the June 15 edition of this enewsletter featuring events taking place from June 16-July 15.

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MARCH/APRIL 2005 • Landscape DIY vs. Pro • Prevent Gardener’s Back • Ladew Topiary Gardens • Cherry Trees MAY/JUNE 2005 • Stunning Plant Combinations • Turning Clay into Rich Soil • Wild Garlic • Strawberries JULY/AUGUST 2005 • Water Gardens • Poison Ivy • Disguising a Sloping Yard • Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005 • Container Gardens • Clematis Vines • Sponge Gardening/Rain Gardens • 5 Insect Enemies of Gardeners NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2005 • Backyard Bird Habitats • Hellebores • Building a Coldframe • Bulb Planting Basics JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006 • Garden Decor Principles • Primroses • Tasty Heirloom Veggies • U.S. Botanic Garden MARCH/APRIL 2006 • Top 10 Small Trees and Large Shrubs • Azaleas • Figs, Berries, & Persimmons • Basic Pruning Principles MAY/JUNE 2006 • Using Native Plants in Your Landscape • Crabgrass • Peppers • Secret Sources for Free Plants JULY/AUGUST 2006 • Hydrangeas • Theme Gardens • Agave • Find Garden Space by Growing Up SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2006 • Shade Gardening • Hosta Care Guide • Fig-growing Tips and Recipes NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2006 • Horticultural Careers • Juniper Care Guide • Winter Squash Growing Tips and Recipes • Weed-free Beds with Layer/Lasagna Gardening JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2007 • Indoor Gardening • Daphne Care Guide • Asparagus Growing Tips and Recipes • Houseplant Propagation MARCH/APRIL 2007 • Stormwater Management • Dogwood Selection & Care Guide • Early Spring Vegetable Growing Tips • Franciscan Monastery Bulb Gardens MAY/JUNE 2007 • Roses: Easy Care Tips • Native Roses & Heirloom Roses • Edible Flowers • How to Plant a Bare-root Rose JULY/AUGUST 2007 • Groundcovers: Alternatives to Turfgrass • How to Pinch, Prune, & Dead-head • A Trip to the William Paca House & Gardens • Hardy Geraniums SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2007 • Succulents: Hardy to our Region • Drought-tolerant Natives • Southern Vegetables • Seed Saving Savvy Tips NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2007 • Gardening with Children • Indoor Bulb Forcing Basics • National Museum of the American Indian • Versatile Viburnums JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008 • Dealing with Deer • Our Favorite Garden Tools • Indoor Bulb Forcing Basics • Delightful Daffodils MARCH/APRIL 2008 • Patio, Balcony, and Rooftop Container Gardens

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• Our Favorite Garden Tools • Coral Bells (Heucheras) MAY/JUNE 2008 — ALMOST SOLD OUT! • Growing Great Tomatoes • Glamorous Gladiolus • Seed Starting Basics • Flavorful Fruiting Natives JULY/AUGUST 2008 • Landscaping with Ornamental Grasses • Edible Grasses to Graze On • Slug and Snail Control • Sage Advice: Sun-loving Salvias SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008 • Autumn Edibles — What to Plant Now • Beguiling Barrenworts (Epimediums) • The Best Time to Plant Spring-blooming Bulbs • 14 Dry Shade Plants Too Good to Overlook NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008 • Outdoor Lighting Essentials • How to Prune Fruiting Trees, Shrubs, and Vines • 5 Top Tips for Overwintering Tender Bulbs • Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2009 • Compost Happens: Nature’s Free Fertilizer • Managing Stormwater with a Rain Garden • Visiting Virginia’s State Arboretum • Grow Winter Hazel for Gorgeous Winter Color MARCH/APRIL 2009 • 40+ Free and Low-cost Local Garden Tips • Spring Edibles Planting Guide for the Mid-Atlantic • Testing Your Soil for a Fresh Start • Redbud Tree Selection and Care • Best Local Viewing Spots for Virginia Bluebells MAY/JUNE 2009 • Top 12+ Easy Summer Annuals for DC Heat • Salad Table Project • Grow and Enjoy Eggplant • How to Chuck a Woodchuck from Your Garden SUMMER 2009 • Grow Grapes in the Mid-Atlantic • Passionflowers • Mulching Basics • What’s Bugging Your Tomatoes • Growing Hops FALL 2009 • Apples • How To Save Tomato Seeds • Persimmons WINTER 2009 • Battling Garden Thugs • How to Start Seeds Indoors • Red Twig Dogwoods • Unusual Edibles to Grow in Our Region SPRING 2010 • Community Gardens • Building a Raised Bed • Dwarf Iris • Broccoli SUMMER 2010 • Fragrance Gardens • Watering Without Waste • Lavender • Potatoes FALL 2010 • Vines and Climbers • Battling Stink Bugs • Russian Sage • Garlic WINTER 2010 • Paths and Walkways • Edgeworthia • Kohlrabi SPRING 2011 • Cutting-Edge Gardens • Final Frost Dates and When to Plant • Bleeding Hearts • Onions SUMMER 2011 • Ornamental Edibles • Urban Foraging • Amsonia/Arkansas Blue Star • Growing Corn in the Mid-Atlantic FALL 2011 • Herb Gardens • Toad Lilies • Sweet Potatoes • Cool Weather Cover Crops WINTER 2011 - EARLY SPRING 2012 • Green Roofs and Walls • Heaths and Heathers • Radishes

Coming Soon!

Washington Gardener Magazine’s DayTrip columns compiled into one handy publication — available soon in both paper and e-book versions. Great gift idea!

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In Our Next Issue... SUMMER 2012 Tropical Gardens

A DayTrip to an Historic Treasure

How to Simplify in the Garden Columbine Leaf Miner

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Magazine Excerpt: Brunnera: Bright Star of the Shade Garden by Judith Mensh

It shines in the shade, a silvery sheen with green crinkles, a reminder of the winter we haven’t had this year. ‘Jack Frost’ Brunnera macrophylla has won the 2012 horticultural Oscar: the Perennial Plant of the Year Award. Its leaves are gilded with a silver surface, networked with contrasting green veins, and, in spring, a cloud of true-blue flowers arise. Due to unique chemical composition and cell physiology, anthocyanins allow their flowers, like their family members Mertensia virginica and Borage, to be true blue as opposed to horticultural blue (visually purple). Add this winner to your repertoire of fabulous foliage plants — the Heucheras, the Hostas, the Caladiums. Not native to North America, but a well-behaved import (the only one of the three genus of Brunnera in cultivation), it can be grouped or massed: A clump can be an eye-catching focal point, or it can wend its way around a woodland area, creating a border or providing ground cover. A startling chartreuse version glows in the garden border and in large pots. Highly praised as good garden citizens, the Brunneras are recommended as container plants. If you plant Brunnera in a shade container, you have access to immediate flower-arranging material. A member of the Borage family, its common names include Heartleaf, False Forget Me Not, Perennial Forget Me Not, and Siberian Bugloss. First came the variegated variations, with whites and creams, ‘Variegata,’ or ‘Dawson’s White,’ then the silver arrived, with ‘Langtrees’ aka ‘Aluminum Spot.’ ‘Langtrees,’ long a favorite for its silver speckles, has given us ‘Jack Frost’ and, from there, the silver look spread. Remember the elfin Jack Frost from Norse legend, who came through and touched all the world with his magic wand, creating beautiful frost displays everywhere? Brunnera bloom early and stick around to grace the garden with lovely leaves straight on through the winter when, at last, cold temperatures induce it into dormancy... Want to learn more about growing Brunnera? Read the rest of this PlantProfile in the Spring 2012 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine. See the subscription information below.

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