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Vol. 3, No. 2 — February 15, 2007
In This Issue:
Hardening Off Seedlings
Magazine Excerpt: Growing Asparagus
February To-Do List
Spotlight Special: New Potato Variety ‘King Harry’
Reader Contest: Passes to the Capital Home & Garden Show
Local Gardening Events
Welcome to the
Washington Garden Enews!
This is the free sister publication of Washington Gardener magazine.
Both the magazine and enewsletter share the same mission and focus — helping Washington DC area gardens grow — but our content is different.
In this monthly enewsletter, we will:
address timely seasonal topics and projects; post local garden events; and, include a monthly reminder list of what you can be doing now in your garden.
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The January/February 2007 Washington Gardener magazine is now out. If you subscribe by February 23, you can start your subscription with this issue. 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's cover story is "Indoor Gardening: Houseplant Care." Also in this issue: daphne selection and care guide; cultivating seeds from native plants; a trip to the USNA Gotelli Conifer Collection; how to propagate house plants; asparagus growing tips and recipes; and, much, much more.
Hardening Off Seedlings
If you attended the Washington Gardener Seed Exchange last month or purchased seeds for this upcoming growing season, you are probably getting ready right now to start them off. We gave you seed-starting tips in our February 2005 issue archived here. What trips up many new and experienced gardeners in the process of growing from seeds is the hardening-off period. That is, the transition from indoor seedling to outdoor plant.
Here then are a 10 insider tips to make the hardening-off process smoother and more successful for your wee seedlings:
- Do it gradually, moving them outdoors during the day and inside at night. Slowly increasing their amount of exposure to hours in the sun.
- Don't rush it -- wait to start until about two weeks before your last frost date for most sun annuals.
- Blow or run your hand over the seedlings while they are growing indoors to get them used to a breeze.
- Choose a site in the morning sun and avoid the harsh afternoon sun.
- Select a transition area such as a shaded porch or under a tree or bench.
- Watch the temperatures, should a cold snap threaten move them back to shelter or give them some protection.
- Small containers can dry out very quickly in the sun and wind so keep an eye on their watering needs.
- Avoid letting seedlings sit right on the ground or out in heavy rains. The former to discourage slugs and the latter to prevent breakage.
- Place your seedlings in a child's wagon or a rolling tea server cart and simply wheel them in and out as appropriate to the weather.
- Choose a cool, overcast, wind-less day to transport your seedlings into the ground.
One Bonus Tip: Consider building a simple cold-frame to place your seedlings in. Then open the window a little more each day, closing it each night.
Good luck with your seedlings and mark your calendars to join us for the next Washington Gardener Seed Exchange on January 26, 2008!
Happy Growing!
Kathy Jentz
Editor/Publisher
Washington Gardener
P.S. We have discontinued our "What's Blooming" regular column and replaced it with our new monthly "Reader Contest." Good luck!
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Local Gardening Events
Here is a selection of upcoming events (February 15-March 15) in the greater DC area of interest to gardeners:
DC
Nature's Barcodes
February 1-June 10, 10:00am-5:00pm
United States Botanic Garden Conservatory, 100 Maryland Avenue, SW, foot of the U.S. Capitol
Accurate plant identification is important - not only in scientific studies, but also in the monitoring of
plant product quality and many other applications. But anyone trying to identify plants has quickly
discovered that it isn't easy, especially if one isn't a taxonomist. What we need is a "natural barcode" -
and that dream is now closer to becoming reality.
In devising a natural barcode, scientists study an organism's unique DNA sequences, which can be
easily extracted from tissue samples and then analyzed. Conceivably, this could be done for every
species on the planet. The Nature's Barcodes exhibit tracks the progress of an ongoing joint project to
develop such genetic "barcodes" for plants, as well as barcode "readers."
Fee: $0/Free. Registration is not required.
For more information: call 202.226.4082 or www.usbg.gov
East of Eden: Gardens in Asian Art
February 24 through May 13, 10:00am-5:30pm
Smithsonian's Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington, DC
For centuries, gardens in Asia have held a universal appeal as manifestations of the human relationship to nature. From intimate courtyards, planted with flowers and trees to monumental temple, tomb and pleasure gardens, each culture has developed its own distinct tradition to express various artistic, social, religious and economic concerns. The exhibit highlights the rich visual culture of garden imagery in Asia. Drawn primarily from the permanent collections of the Freer and Sackler galleries, some 65 works are incorporated in this exhibition, including hand scrolls, hanging scrolls, folding screens, manuscript paintings, lacquer objects, ceramics and textiles created in South, West and East Asia from the 12th century through the present.
Fee: $0/Free. Preregistration is not required.
For more information: call 202.633.1000 or go to: www.asia.si.edu.
National Capital Orchid Society's 29th Annual Orchid Auction
March 3, 11:00-4:00pm
National Arboretum Admin Building, 3501 New York Avenue, NE, Washington, DC
Bid on hundreds of orchids, which the NCOS carefully select from top growers throughout the U.S., including Hawaii. Additional orchids are arriving from well-known hybridizers who are going out of business--classic orchids that represent the
"end of an era." Other unusual, hard-to-find or rare orchids will be auctioned from private collections, or have been nurtured by
NCOS members especially for this event. After viewing what you can't live without(!) from 11 to 12 noon, the lively auction
then begins and goes to 4 pm. Auctioneers will give specific information on each plant as part of the auction process as well
as enlarged digital pictures of the orchid's flower. Add to your own orchid collection and have fun doing it!
Fee: $0/Free. Registration is not required.
For more information: visit: www.ncos.us/ or call 202.245.2726.
MD and PA
The Go Green at Home Takoma Park Green Building Conference
February 18, 11:00am-5:00pm
Takoma Park Community Center, 7500 Maple Ave., Takoma Park, MD
For homeowners, gardeners, and contractors to learn and share information about green building and earth-friendly practices. John Spears of Sustainable Design Group, Inc. will be the keynote speaker at 11 AM. There are over 20 additional speakers to choose from and many more topics on subjects ranging from landscaping to composting to finishes.
Fee: $5. Preregistration is not required.
For more information: www.takomaparkmd.gov or call 301.891.7205.
“Spring Into Spring” Silent Auction
February 25, 1:00-4:00pm
Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton MD
Bid on plants, shrubs, gift baskets, tickets, hand-crafted jewelry and pottery, landscape and pruning consultations, vacation escapes, meal and theatre tickets and much, more! The event is sponsored by Friends of Brookside Gardens to benefit Phase One of the Master Plan for Brookside Gardens.
Fee: $0/Free. Registration is not required.
For more information: www.brooksidegardens.org
The Joys of Cultivating Mums in Your Yard
February 28, 7:30-9:30pm
James E. Duckworth School, 11201 Evans Trail, Beltsville, MD
The Beltsville Garden Club hosts speaker Robert Howell. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland Agronomy Department. His love of chrysanthemums dates back to 1968 when he joined the Potomac Chrysanthemum Society. He has been growing and exhibiting mums since 1980. In addition, he is a Master Judge and travels throughout the US to judge national and local chrysanthemum shows. Each year he grows between 500 to 700 mums for show purposes. Dr. Howell will be bringing order forms for anyone interested in ordering Chrysanthemums for fall 2007.
Fee: $0/Free. Registration is not required.
For more information, go to wwww.beltsvillegardenclub.org or call 301.890.4733.
VA and WV
Streams of Stewardship Symposium
February 24, 10:00am-4:15pm
Massey Conference Center, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Richmond, VA
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden and the Virginia Society of Landscape Designers invite you to attend the Streams of Stewardship symposium, on water management and conservation in the landscape. Learn about innovative design approaches and stewardship practices that manage and conserve water in the landscape, bring beauty to our built and natural environments, and contribute to a healthy watershed.
Fee: $70. Registration is required.
For more information: www.lewisginter.org/streamsofstewardship or call 804.262.9887.
Early Folk Uses for Non-Native Plants in Northern Virginia
March 3, 1:30-3:00pm
Green Spring Gardens, 4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria, VA
Elizabeth Fortson Wells, Associate Professor of Botany at George Washington University, whose area of research is native and naturalized alien plants, shares her knowledge of early folk uses of non-native plants in Virginia.
Fee: $11. Registration is required.
For more information: www.greenspring.org or call 703.642.5173.
Discovering Virginia -- 1607-2007: Bushwackers, Botanists, and Pioneer
March 3, 9:30am-3:30pm
University of Richmond, Gottwald Center for the Sciences, Richmond, VA
Inspired by the quadricentennial of the Jamestown settlement, this workshop looks back at 400 years of botanical exploration, cultivation and colonization in our state. Considered by many to be the birthplace of botanical study in the New World, Virginia has a long and fascinating history of pioneers and explorers who have made significant contributions to science and to our cultural heritage. In the 18th century, for example, pioneers who pushed through the boundaries of the Blue Ridge Mountains created an entirely new cultural and agrarian landscape in the Shenandoah Valley. On a broader scale, early botanists like John Clayton laid the foundation for plant exploration that can be traced from the publishing of Flora Virginica in 1743 up to present day efforts to produce a new Flora of Virginia.
Join us as we celebrate some of the remarkable people who have contributed so much to our present day botanical knowledge and to Virginia's history.
Fee: $35. Registration is required.
For more information: www.vnps.org/events or call 540.722.3072.
Special Event: Philadelphia Flower Show Group Tour
Philadelphia Flower Show Tour
March 7, Wednesdays, 10:00am-10:00pm
Departing from and returning to downtown Silver Spring, MD
The Philadelphia Flower Show is the largest indoor flower show in the world. This year's theme is Legends of Ireland. Enjoy the award-winning displays, hear a lecture, watch a demonstration, and shop the marketplace. Lunch is provided. Dinner is on your own. Surprises and prizes will be awarded along the journey. Wear comfortable walking shoes.
Fee: $80 ($5 discount for Washington Gardener magazine subscribers). Registration is required by March 1.
For more information: www.chevalsgardentours.com or call 703.395.1501.
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 March 12 for the March 15 edition of this enewsletter featuring events from March 15-April 15.
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Spotlight Special: New Potato Variety 'King Harry'
Growing potatoes in the backyard garden just got easier. A new potato variety called 'King Harry,' developed by Cornell University and field tested by Wood Prairie Farm, is resistant to the pests that bother Irish potatoes — including Colorado Potato Beetles, Potato Leafhoppers, and Flea beetles — because they dislike its hairy leaves.
‘King Harry’ is a robust upright plant with prolific pale purple blossoms that yields a heavy crop of bright-skinned tubers with pearly white flesh. The potatoes keep well, so you can enjoy them well past harvest time. It is good boiled, steamed, or in scalloped potatoes or salads. Holds its shape when cooked.
‘King Harry’ has just received an MGA Green Thumb Award from the Mailorder Gardening Association as one of the best new plants for 2007. This plant is NOT genetically engineered.
A five-pound bag of ‘King Harry’ Double-Certified Organic Seed Potatoes sells for $14.95 from Wood Prairie Farm.
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Reader Contest
<"http://www.capitalhomeshow.com" target="_blank">The Capital Home & Garden Show has sent us free admission passes worth $10 each as promotional giveaways for our Washington Gardener readers. The show takes place February 22-25 at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, VA. If you would like a pair, please email editor@washingtongardener.com with "CapH&G Passes" in the subject line by 11:59PM on February 18. Include your full name and address so that we may mail the passes to our winners on February 19. We'll randomly select several of you to get a pair of passes. Keep reading Washington Gardener's magazine, enewsletter, web site, blog, and online yahoo list for more fun reader
contests and opportunities!
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February To-Do List
Here is our combined garden task list for February 15-March 15 compiled from the previous February 2005 and February 2006 issues:
- Cut some branches (forsythia, quince, bittersweet, redbud, willow, etc.) for forcing indoors.
- Put suet out for birds.
- Check outside plants and trees for animal (deer) damage.
- Mist indoor plants and set up pebble trays to increase humidity.
- Rejuvenate holly bushes with a hard pruning.
- Plan landscape design projects.
- Check evergreens for sign of desication.
- Start seeds of cool season vegetables and flowers.
- Keep ice melting chemicals away from garden beds.
- Prune any dead or diseased wood off trees and shrubs.
- Fertilize trees, shrubs, and evergreens.
- Prune roses.
- Begin tilling beds (when the earth is dry enough to work) and work in compost.
- Plant or transplant trees or shrubs including berries, roses, and evergreens.
- Feed the lawn with a spring lawn fertilizer.
- Protect tender plants by covering them with some type of cloth material, if an unusually cold day or night is forecast. Be sure to uncover them as soon as it warms up.
- Weed.
- Trim ornamental grasses such as liriope, mondo, and pampas.
- Dividing overgrown or crowded perennials such as daylily and shasta daisy.
- Watch houseplants for insect activity.
- Clear out perennial beds of any dead plant parts and debris.
- Clean and organize the garden shed.
- Clean, sharpen, and oil the tools. If not done last Fall.
- Walk your yard and check plants for heaving and place them back into the ground. Placing more mulch to prevent further heaving.
- Apply dormant oil spray to ornamentals and fruit trees before dormancy breaks.
- Keep birdfeeders filled and provide a source of water.
- Check and tune-up power equipment (mowers and trimmers).
- Build garden furniture.
- Spread new gravel on paths.
- Mulch bare areas.
- Design new beds and gardens.
- Pick up new gardening book or magazine.
- Dust your house plants with a slightly damp cloth.
Have a wonderful 2007 growing season!
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Magazine Excerpt: Growing Asparagus by Cindy Brown
When many Washingtonians are looking up to admire cherry blossoms, my eyes are grounded, searching for the emergence of my favorite spring treat — asparagus. When the first spears surface, I snap them out of the ground and devour them. Spears sold in grocery stores don’t compare. After satiating my initial greediness, I gather recipes for the remaining harvest: potato salad with fresh peas and asparagus; asparagus soup; and asparagus tossed with pasta, ham and pine nuts, enrobed with a creamy cheese sauce. Deciding which to serve is difficult. Asparagus season is short; there are always more recipes than fresh spears.
Asparagus officianalis is a member of the Lily family, native to coastal Europe. Its flower isn’t as showy as other family members but the plant is ornamental. Uneaten shoots lengthen and unfurl into a mass of tall, ferny foliage. Autumn’s cooler temperatures trigger a colorful transformation — green “ferns” become brilliant yellow fairy wands. Because it was both ornamental and edible, it earned a place in my herbaceous border.
Since it is a perennial, care should be taken when planting, either in a vegetable garden or a mixed border. Full sun and rich, well-drained soil offer optimal growing conditions...
Read the rest of this article including sidebars on Locally Recommended Asparagus Varieties and Asaparagus Recipes in the January/February 2007 issue of Washington Gardener magazine.
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Next Issue
The March 2007 issue of Washington Gardener Enews will cover Consulting the Bulb Library.
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Edited by Kathy Jentz
Contact: editor@washingtongardener.com or 301.588.6894.
©Washington Gardener 2007
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