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Vol. 2, No. 10 — October 15, 2006
In This Issue:
Apple Picking Time
Volunteer to Fight Invasives
October To-Do List
Spotlight Special: Miracle Berry Makes Life Sweeter
What's Blooming
Local Gardening Events
Welcome to the
Washington Garden Enews!
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The September/October 2006 Washington Gardener magazine is now out. If you subscribe by October 31, you can start your subscription with this issue or single copies of this issue can be purchased directly from Washington Gardener. The issue is also on sale at area Borders and B. Dalton book stores. This issue focuses on Shade Gardening including a feature on hosta care and lists of great shade plants for our region. Also in this issue is an interview with landscape legend, Wolfgang Oehme, Fig growing tips and fabulous recipes, a trip to Oatlands Plantation, and much, much more.
Apple Picking Time
It is apple picking season and most folks go out to a local orchard more for the experience of a crisp autumn day in the country than for the actual apples themselves. At local orchards, you can buy apples already picked along with apple cider, apple sauce, and my favorite, apple butter.
You can also sample apples of different varieties and gather recipes from the apple growers. Keep in mind that certain apples are better for baking and others are better for snacking. For every day eating, I’m a Gala girl myself, but recently tasted Jonaclicious at a local farmer’s market and I think I’ll make the switch.
My grandfather owned an apple orchard and I confess I was not the gentlest or most artful apple picker, but I do have a few basic tips to share:
- Dress in layers and wear comfortable shoes.
- Select apples that are firm and free of bruises.
- Color is relative to the apple variety and is not necessarily an indicator of ripeness.
- Employ the "rolling method." Gently turn the apple upside-down. If an apple is ready to pick it will usually separate easily. This method avoids ripping off part of the branch with the apple.
- Be careful not to bruise your apples. Place them gently in the basket. When transporting and storing them, you should be equally careful in their handling. Treat them as you would a basket of eggs.
- Don’t wash your apples until you are about to use them.
- Store them in a cool, dry place such as a cellar.
- Some varieties keep better than others – ask at the orchard for their recommendation if your goal is long-term storage.
Here are a links to comprehensive lists of where in the greater DC area to go apple picking as well as tips on apple growing and descriptions of specific apple varieties:
Happy Growing!
Kathy Jentz
Editor/Publisher
Washington Gardener
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Local Gardening Events
Here is a selection of upcoming events (October 15 - November 15) in the DC area of interest to gardeners:
DC
Woods Walk—Autumn Colors
October 19, 10:00am
National Cathedral, meet at the George Washington statue on Pilgrim Road, NW, Washington, DC
Cathedral horticulture Manager Maureen Alonso will lead the tour through Olmsted Woods. She’ll help participants hone their plant identification skills while appreciating fall beauty. Native trees and shrubs will be highlighted.
Fee: $0/Free. Preregistration is not required.
For more information: call 202.537.2319 or go to: www.cathedral.org.
Defiant Gardens: Making Gardens in Wartime
November 3, 12:00noon-1:30pm
United States Botanic Garden Conservatory, 100 Maryland Avenue, SW, foot of the U.S. Capitol
In a rich history focusing on the first half of the twentieth century, an era marked by the deadliest wars in human history, landscape historian Kenneth Helphand examines the significance of gardens made during the horrors and tribulations of war. Gardens created during wartime are examples of what Helphand calls “defiant gardens” – gardens cultivated in extreme environmental, social, political, economic, or cultural conditions. The fact that gardens exist in these situations is remarkable, even inspiring.
Fee: $0/Free. Registration required.
For more information: call 202.226.4082 or www.usbg.gov
Creative Floral Designs for the Holidays
November 14, 7:00-8:00pm
Tudor Place, 1644 31st Street NW, Washington, DC
Rance Goff, Chief Designer at ULTRA Violet Flowers in Georgetown, presents a creative demonstration of holiday floral design and arranging. The program includes basic tips for making fresh arrangements, innovative centerpiece and home decor ideas, and unique design applications that will inspire you to create your own beautiful holiday arrangements. Goff, an internationally acclaimed designer, brings an innovative flair to the art of arranging flowers.
Fee: $15 ($10 members). Registration required.
For more information: visit: www.tudorplace.org/ or call 202.965.0400.
MD and PA
Green Building Institute - Green Roofs Bus Tour
October 21, 8:30am-5:00pm
Green Building Institute, 7761 Waterloo Road (Rte. 175), Jessup, MD
Presented by the Green Building Institute and The University of Maryland Green Roof Research Committee. A bus tour of six local green roof projects. The bus will be a University of Maryland coach, using bio-diesel as the fuel to lessen our impact on the environment for the day. A box lunch is included.
Fee: $60 ($50 Green Building Institute members). Registration is required.
For more information: www.greenbuildinginstitute.org or call 443.733.1234.
Turning a New Leaf: Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council Conference
November 3, 8:00am-6:00pm
Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church, Bethesda, MD
The Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council is proud to announce a conference for landscaping professionals to promote and learn about sustainable landscaping practices. From organic lawn care to site-specific stormwater management techniques, from tree preservation to sustainable site design, this conference will focus on innovative practices to improve your business and the health of the environment and the Chesapeake Bay.
Fee: $95. Registration required.
For more information, go to www.chesapeakelandscape.org/ or call 410.634.2847 ext. 40.
Fall Family Festival
November 11, 11:00am-3:00pm
Adkins Arboretum, 12610 Eveland Road, Ridgely, MD
Catch the fall spirit at this year’s annual Fall Family Festival. Activities include a hayride, a demonstration of Native American traditions by Daniel “Firehawk” Abbott, storytelling, walks through the Arboretum woods, seasonal crafts, music, and an array of lunchtime treats.
Fee: $10 per family, $2 per individual. Registration is not required.
For more information, go to www.adkinsarboretum.org or call 410.634.2847.
VA and WV
Old Dominion Chrysanthemum Society Annual Convention and Show
October 19-22
Hyatt Dulles Hotel, 2300 Dulles Corner Boulevard, Herndon, VA
The Old Dominion Chrysanthemum Society (ODCS) and the National Chrysanthemum Society (NCS) are co-hosting the 63rd annual Convention and Show of the National Chrysanthemum Society, Inc., 'Mums and Politics in 2006.' There will be a Saturday afternoon horticulture symposium. Bring your best blooms, bonsai, and other trained plants for the show.
Fee: $0/Free. Preregistration is not required.
For more information: www.odcsmums.org or call 703.560..
Loudoun Farm Color Tour
October 21 and 22, 10:00am-4:00noon
Loudoun County, VA.
The colorful trees of the Blue Ridge, Short Hill, and Sugarloaf Mountains set the stage for your self-guided tour of 15 privately owned farms along with the Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum, the Loudoun County Master Gardeners, the Loudoun Valley Sheep Producers Association, the Natural Mercantile of Hamilton, and the Purcellville Library, each offering their own unique experience of rural Loudoun. See alpacas, horses, sheep, and pigs; take a wagon ride through a tree farm; pick your own apples and pumpkins; have lunch by a scenic pond; and more.
Fee: $0/Free. Registration is not required.
For more information: www.loudounfarms.org or call 703.777.0426.
Fall Garden Tour
October 21, 10:30am-12:00noon
Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, 9750 Meadowlark Gardens Court, Vienna, VA
Enjoy the brilliant fall color at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens with seasonal gardener Andrew Jenkins. Learn to identify, to grow and to use native and non-native trees in your landscape for exceptional late season color, as you walk through the gardens and wooded areas.
Fee: $0/Free. Registration recommended.
For details, call 703.255.3631 or go to www.nvrpa.org.
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: editor@washingtongardener.com.
Our next deadline is November 12 for the November 15 edition of this enewsletter featuring events from October 15-November15.
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Spotlight Special: Miracle Berry Makes Life Sweeter
One unique plant that is being marketed as a great holiday gift—is the Miracle Berry plant (Synsepalum dulcificum). Once you’ve eaten the small red fruit (about the size of a gumdrop), everything eaten afterwards tastes incredibly sweet—even sour citrus. From tropical West Africa, this lovely plant flowers profusely and fruit is set usually during the summer months. Miracle Berry grows best in a sunny indoor location in a pot with acidic soil. The Miracle Berry plant is available from Logee’s, 888.330.8038, www.logees.com.
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What's Blooming
Our readers reported the following blooms and items of interest in their gardens during the first week of October:
Jim Dronenburg of Knoxville, MD, has:
“Annual” dianthus
Annuals (tagetes, scarlet sage)
Aster cordifolius
xAmarcrinum
Begonia grandis, pink and white forms
Buddleia, various
Bulbine fructescens (bedding pl)
Clematis paniculata
Colchicums, various
Cyclamen hederifolium
Goldenrod
Clerodendrum trichotomum
Dendranthema
Elaeagnus pungens
Feverfew
Heptacodium miconioides
Hemerocallis- either Autumn Prince or Autumn Minaret, lost tag
Holly, one of the blue males
Lespideza ‘Gibraltar’
Nipponicum
Roses, various
Pansies
Salvias, various incl. greggii cvs
Tricyrtis, various cv
White “perennial ageratum”- I forget the Latin
Weed-in-the-lawn sp.violet
Various tiny weed asters that are pretty enough that I don’t rip them out
Bearing fruit:
Green fig
Black walnut
Chestnut, Chinese and ‘Dunstan’ hybrid
Concord grape
Fox grape (infiltrated the Concord when I wasn’t looking, it is about to get the surprise of its life)
Apple ‘Calville Blanc d’Hiver’
Pear White Doyenne (one last one I didn’t see)
Ursula Sabia Sukinik of North Bethesda, MD, has:
Anemone X hybrida
Begonia 'Dragon Wing Red'
Begonia gradensis
Callicarpa D. ‘Issai” (berries)
Caryopteris ‘Sunshine Blue’
Chelone glabra
Clemartis paniculata
Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam'
Eupatorium Rugosum ‘Chocolate’
Helianthus tuberosus
Heuchera Autumn Bride
Hydrangea 'annabel'
Hydrangea quercifolia
Hypericum perforatum (berries)
Ilex Americana (berries)
Impatiens
Lablab purpureus
Lantana
Lonicera sempervirens
Melampodium paludosum
Nicotiana ‘Sylvestris’
Nicotiana alata 'Lime Green'
Oxalis regnellii 'Triangularis'
Passiflora ‘Waterloo Blue
Persicaria microsephala ‘red dragon’
Phlox spp
Physostegia virginiana
Plumbago auriculata
Rosa' knock out'
Rosa Meidiland Meicoublan
Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue'
Sedumn ‘Autumn Joy’
Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks'
Tricyrtis formosana
In your editor's own garden in my MD/DC-border site:
Alyssum
Anemone
Angelonia
Aster ‘Monch’
Balsam
Black-eyed Susan
Buddleia butterfly bush
Callicarpa Beautyberry (berries)
Catmint ‘Kit Kat’
Coleus
Cosmos
Crepe Myrtle
Datura
Dianthus - annual
Euporbia ‘Diamond Frost’
Echinacea ‘Pixie Double Delight’
Eupatorium Joe-Pye Weed ‘Little Joe'
Gallardia
Geranium - annual
Goldenrod
Hydrangea mac.
Impatiens
Liriope
Marigolds
Morning Glory vine
Mums
Pansies
Pepper ‘Black Pearl’
Petunias
Primula
Rhododendron (PJM)
Rose – mutabilis, meidiland, and knock-out
Russian sage
Salvia
Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’
Snapdragon
Sunflowers
Toadlily
Verbena on a stick
Viola
Cheval Force Opp in Dunn Loring, VA, has:
Anemone hybrida, Japanese Anemone
Asteromoea Mongolica, kalimeris
Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ Feather Reed Grass
Cyrtanthus elatus, Fire Lily
Begonia grandis, pink, white
Boltonia asteroids ‘Ping Beauty’
Canna X generalis, Tropicanna Gold
Cleome hasslerana, Spider Flower, Violet Queen, Helen Campbell
Eupatorium cannibium flore plena, ‘Boneset
Eupatorium maculatum, Joe-Pye Weed ‘Purple Bush’
Gaura lindheimeri, ‘butterfly gaura’ white
Hibiscus syriacus, ‘Diana’
Liatris scariosa ‘White Spires’ Gayfeather
Miscanthus sinensis ‘Little Zebra’
Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’
Muhlenbergia capillaries ‘Pink Muhlygrass'
Pennisetum alopecuriodes ‘Hameln’ Dwarf Fountain Grass
Perovskia atriplicifolia, ‘Russian Sage’
Persicaria virginiana ‘Painter’s Palette’
Rudbeckia hirta ‘Prairie Sun’ Gloriosa Daisy
Rudbeckia laciniata ‘Green Headed Coneflower’
Ruellia ‘Purple Showers’
Salvia guaranitica ‘Blue Anis’ Sage
Sanguisorba tenuifolia atropupurea, Burnet
Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’ Goldenrod
Tagetes patula, Marigolds French Brocade, Red Metamorph
Thaictrum aquilegiifolium, ‘Meadow Rue’
Tricyrtis ‘Tojen’ Toad Lily
Zinnia elegans, Persian Carpet
Compare to last year's October blooming lists in our October 2005 issue. Let us know what is blooming or of particular interest in your garden during the first week of November. Please include your name, city, state, and a plant list in alphabetical order. You may also send low-res digital images. Send to editor@washingtongardener.com by November 12 and we’ll note it in our November 15 issue.
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October To-Do List
We've completed a whole year of garden to-do lists for our region. Last year's October list can be found in our October 2005 issue. Here are a few more tasks and chores to add to the previous listing:
- Cover pond with netting to keep out fallen leaves and debris.
- Harvest sweet potatoes.
- Plant garlic.
- Force the buds on Christmas Cactus by placing in a cool (55-60 degree) room and 13 hours of darkness.
- Apply deer deterrent spray.
- Prevent the spread of disease by cleaning up all infected plants and disposing of them in your trash - not your compost pile.
- Plant cover crops in your vegetable gardens and annual beds (i.e. rye, clover, hairy vetch, winter peas).
- Set-up a cold frame, then plant lettuces, radishes, and carrots from seed.
If you have a water garden, clean out the annual plants and compost them. Cut back the submerged hardy plants and group them to the deepest pond section.
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Volunteer to Fight Invasives
During the last few decades, invasive exotic plants have caused a dramatic change along the banks of Sligo Creek. Where bluebells once bloomed in azure carpets each April, now there is nothing but garlic mustard. Groves which once held Jack-in-the-Pulpits now are thickly matted with monochromatic English ivy. And where once tall oaks and hickories sprouted from the leaf litter, Japanese honeysuckle overwhelms emerging trees before they reach more than a few feet tall. Non-native weeds, vines, and trees are out-competing the native vegetation. When we lose our native plants we lose our own unique heritage and history. We also lose the birds, insects, and mammals that depend on those plants for food and shelter.
Over the last five years, the Friends of Sligo Creek in Montgomery County, MD, have volunteered thousands of hours of labor in a campaign to beat back the spread of invasive exotic plants. The long-term goal of the campaign, officially known as the Removing Invasive Plants project (RIP) is to educate residents about the harm invasive exotic plants cause and to collaborate with park managers to keep the invaders at bay.
“Twenty years from now,” says RIP Chair Sally Gagne, “we can have 10 alien plant species covering most of the park, or we can have more than 300 species of native plants here. We need to work now to rescue the park’s biodiversity.”
In October, the campaign will kick off its fall series of RIP events and is looking for volunteers willing to devote a few hours to protect the Park. The short-term goal of the project this fall is to remove English ivy, wintercreeper, and other non-native vines that are growing up the trunks of our oaks, hickories, tulip poplars, and other native trees. These vines are capable of weakening and eventually killing even the largest trees. Losing those trees anywhere in the park is bad; it is even more serious when we lose trees along the banks of the creek. They are necessary to keep the banks from being eroded away by the flash floods that have become all too common in our watershed.
Each Saturday and Sunday from now through mid-November, RIP leaders will conduct several events throughout the Park. They will provide tools and instructions on how to fight invasive exotics. Each event will last two hours. These sessions are a great way for residents to meet their neighbors, get some exercise and fresh air, and help the native trees. For details on the schedule of events, meeting locations, and RIP contacts, people should check the events calendar at www.fosc.org. The site also features links to other invasive removal groups and events in the greater DC region.
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Next Issue
The November issue of Washington Gardener Enews will cover Making a Rain Barrel.
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Edited by Kathy Jentz
Contact: editor@washingtongardener.com or 301.588.6894.
©Washington Gardener 2006
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