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Vol. 3, No. 8 — August 15, 2007
In This Issue:
Crape Myrtles
Magazine Excerpt: Native Groundcovers
August To-Do List
Spotlight Special: Japanese Hornbeam
Reader Contest: Hardy Geranium 'Rozanne'
Local Gardening Events
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The July/August 2007 Washington Gardener magazine is available now. If you subscribe by August 25, 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, Barnes and Noble, and B. Dalton book stores plus many independent stores like the USNA's Arbor House. This issue's cover story is "Groundcover Alternatives to Turfgrass Lawns." Also in this issue: hardy geranium selection and care guide; native groundcovers; a trip to the William Paca House & Garden; edible lawns; and, much, much more.
Crape Myrtles
Is it crape myrtle, crepe myrtle, or crapemyrtle? However, you spell it, this glorious tree/shrub is an essential addition to your late summer garden. Not only does it flower profusely while the rest of your garden wilts in the dog days of the DC-area summer, it also blesses us with beautiful peeling bark and sculptural trunk forms in the otherwise dull late winter season. Practically carefree and hardy in adverse growing conditions, this little tree fits in anywhere from the urban streetscape to a mixed border plantings to compact suburban townhouse yard.
Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) is a native to Asia that was first introduced to the US in 1747. In the 1950s, the Japanese crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia faurei), was brought in as part of an extensive breeding program at the U.S. National Arboretum (USNA) conducted by Dr. Don Egolf. According to Clemson University, "The goal of the breeding program was to combine the trunk attributes and powdery mildew resistance of the Japanese crape myrtle with the variety of flower colors of the common crape myrtle. Dr. Egolf introduced over 30 of these hybrids into the horticultural industry of which the variety ‘Natchez’ has become the most notable selection.”
Since the USNA is right in our own backyard, I went straight to the source for expert advice on growing crape myrtles in the greater Washington region -- Margaret Pooler, Research Geneticist at USDA/ARS/USNA. Margaret recommends that area gardeners "make sure that crape myrtles are planted in full sun so that they will produce the fullest and longest-lasting bloom. The plants will live in partial shade, but will not bloom optimally.” She says six-eight hours of blazing hot, afternoon sun is what this plant loves.
Margaret cautions, "Although our area seems to be warming up, there are still locations in the northern suburbs where crape myrtles might have marginal cold hardiness. Most crape myrtles are root hardy to USDA Zone 6, but are top-hardy only to Zone 7. So, if you live in a colder climate, you can grow them as perennials since they produce flowers on new growth, and hope that they don’t die back during the winter. There are also some of the newer miniature varieties that can be grown in containers and protected in the winter.”
The best crape myrtle for your garden is a healthy one. "I always recommend that gardeners use cultivars developed at the USNA because these were bred specifically for resistance to powdery mildew. You can recognize these because they are all named after Native American tribes,” says Margaret.
"One of the most important considerations is the ultimate size and shape -- you want to use a plant that is the right size for your landscape so that you don’t have to do radical pruning,” adds Margaret. "At the National Arboretum, we are working on breeding new flower colors (especially deep reds and purples) and novel plant habits, especially slow-growing and miniature types.”
For more information on crape myrtle varieties and care, visit
Crape Myrtle Society of America and the USNA’s Crapemyrtle Quick Guide Chart.
Happy Growing!
Kathy Jentz
Editor/Publisher
Washington Gardener
P.S. As of May 1, our annual subscription rate to Washington Gardener magazine increased to $20. Subscribe or renew for multiple years to save 10%, subscribe/renew for two years at $36 or three years for $54.
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Local Gardening Events
Here is a selection of upcoming events (August 15-September 15) in the greater DC area of interest to gardeners:
DC
Monarch Magic
August 23, 4:00-5:00pm
The Rock Creek Nature Center, 5200 Glover Road, NW, Washington, DC
Learn about the amazing but fragile world of monarch butterflies while making your own monarch butterfly craft. For ages 4 and older. Part of the National Park Service's Ranger Led Programs.
Fee: $0/Free. Preregistration is required.
For more information: call 202.895.6239 or go to: www.nps.gov.
Some Like It Hot - The Little Known World of Chili Peppers
September 1, 3:00-5:00pm
United States Botanic Garden Conservatory, 100 Maryland Avenue, SW, foot of the U.S. Capitol
Chili peppers have a long and colorful history. Spend the afternoon with Dr. Eshbaugh as he shares information about the role of chili peppers in human culture. Don't miss this opportunity to spend time with Dr. Eshbaugh -- former President of the Botanical Society of America, the American Institute of Biological Sciences, and the Society of Economic Botany.
Fee: $0/Free. Preregistration is suggested.
For more information: call 202.226.4082 or www.usbg.gov
Talk & Walk: Landscape Pest Walk
September 13, 3:00-5:00pm
USNA, 3501 New York Avenue, NE, Washington, DC
All landscapes have their share of pests and diseases. Arboretum pest management specialist Chris Carley will take you out into the field to show you signs and symptoms of current problems. He’ll then discuss the process of identification, diagnosis, and choice of prevention and management options that form the core of a successful integrated pest management program.
Fee: $15 or $12 for FONA members. Preregistration is required.
For more information: call 202.2452726 or go to: www.usna.usda.gov.
MD and PA
Garden Makeover with Art, Ecology & Style
August 18, 10:00am-12:00noon
Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve, New Hope, PA
Do you ever look at your garden and think that it’s time for a change? The world around us changes constantly and we have the opportunity to allow our gardens to take on new shapes as we change as individuals. Through a slide lecture and field discussion, David Hughes of Fringetree Design Studios in Upper Black Eddy, PA, will examine the elements in our gardens that give them meaning. He will demonstrate how to invite wisdom from ecological processes and environmental conditions to re-make gardens unique to our locale. The program will focus on regional attributes and their relationships to one another including: hydrology, geology, soils, climate, humans, flora and fauna commonly found in the Delaware River Watershed.
Fee: BHWP and Bucks County Audubon members: $15; Non-members: $20. Registration required.
Call 215.862.2924 or go to www.bhwp.org.
Native Plant Seminar & Sale
August 18, 9:00am - 2:30pm
Irvine Nature Center, Stevenson, MD
The Irvine Nature Center 16th Annual Native Plant Seminar & Sale features three dynamic speakers who are noted experts in their field: Page Dickey (author of numerous gardening books, including “Gardens in the Spirit of Place”), Angela Palmer (Supervisory Research Horticulturist, U.S. National Arboretum), and Rod Simmons (past-President, Maryland Native Plant Society). In addition, three post-seminar workshops are offered in the afternoon: Native Mosses, Managing Invasive Plants, and Garden Design with Natives. Throughout the day is a Native Plant Sale featuring a dozen of the region’s finest native nurseries providing an opportunity to learn more about species native to the Piedmont region and to purchase a wide selection of top quality native plant material. Seminar registrants are admitted
to the plant sale one hour early.
Seminar Fee: $70, members $60 (workshops $25)
No fee to attend the sale.
For more information, call 410.484.2413 ext. 25 or visit www.explorenature.org.
Friends of Brookside Gardens' Fall Plant Sale
September 8, 10:00am-3:00pm
Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton MD
Plant sale of special and rare selections. Some plants propagated from Brookside's own collection. Some plants sourced from wholesale vendors. Friends of Brookside members get an early in from 8:00-10:00am and a 10 percent discount. Please note: cash or checks only -- further no ATM is available on the Brookside Gardens grounds.
Fee: $0/Free. Registration is not required.
For more information: www.brooksidegardens.org
VA and WV
Invasive Viburnum Removal Workday at Turkey Run Park
August 18, 10:00am-1:00pm
Turkey Run Park, McLean, VA
Members of the Virginia Native Plant Society have been hard at work controlling the invasive shrubs of Linden Viburnum that have been overrunning parts of Turkey Run Park. These plants are spreading fast, and through controlling them we can help protect the biodiversity of the forests and famous wildflower diplays. Come prepared to cut shrubs with hand saws and loppers. Staff will follow behind with an herbicide on the stump to prevent resprouting. Meet at parking area C2. Bring a lunch for afterwards and we will have some snacks to share.
Fee: $10/Free. Registration is required.
Call 301.897.8570 or PotomacGorge Vol@tnc.org.
Terrarium Workshop
August 25, 10:00-11:30am
Green Spring Gardens, Alexandria, VA
Tired of the heat? Stay cool; create an indoor garden – a terrarium. Begonia enthusiast Johanna Zinn provides information on the versatile species and the inspiration to create a beautiful terrarium. Terrarium, plants, and soil provided.
Fee: $18. Registration required.
Call 703.642.5173 to register. More details at www.greenspring.org.
Introduction to the Master Gardener Program
August 27 at Chinn Park Regional Library or August 29 at Bull Run Regional Library - 7:00-8:30 pm
Find out about becoming a Master Gardener Volunteer with Virginia Cooperative Extension. This popular program is rewarding, but involves a commitment. Register for one of these classes, which is required for all wanting to apply for the volunteer training program.
Fee: $0/Free. Preregistration is required.
For more information: aseiff@pwcgov.org or call 703.792.7747.
Special Event: Visit Gardens of the Past and Future
Washington Gardener Gardens Past & Future Tour
September 20, 9:00am-3:00pm
Leaving from and returning to West Falls Church, VA and downtown Silver Spring, MD metro stations
Join Cheval Force Opp, Garden Tours, and Kathy Jentz, Washington Gardener Magazine, for a trip to the past and future of horticulture.
Travel to the past: the William Paca Gardens located in the heart of the Colonial Annapolis Historic District. Our custom tour explores one of America’s most impressive restored 18th-century sites. The Paca Gardens were saved from demolition in 1965 and restored after 10 years of meticulous preservation and archeology work.
Travel to the future: GCA’s Fashion in Bloom at Homestead Gardens in Davidsonville, MD. Sneak a peek at the plants coming out next year! We will see new varieties, new lines, new styles and discussions with breeders and growers. Think of it as the Paris runway for plants with ten designer growers showcasing in gorgeous settings, next year's new, hot plants.
Fee includes lunch, snack, coach travel, and all admissions.
Tour attendees receive 10% off Homestead purchases.
Fee: $60.00 each or $55.00 each for current Washington Gardener Magazine subscribers. Preregistration is required.
For more information: www.chevalsgardentours.com or CALL 703.395.1501 TODAY to book your spot.
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 and put "Event" in the email subject head. Our next deadline is September 12 for the September 15 edition of this enewsletter featuring events from August 15-September 15.
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Spotlight Special: Japanese Hornbeam
Japanese Hornbeam (Carpinus japonica) is a small deciduous tree characterized by its fan-shaped branching structure and wide-spreading rounded habit. Its exotic, Asian demeanor makes it a desirable under-story or small accent tree. Carpinus japonica provides year-round interest. In the spring, the tree is profusely adorned with thumb-size cone-shaped nutlets in shades of cream, tan, and green; they turn brown upon maturity and persist into fall. Its clean serrated foliage is dark green in the summer and turns yellowish in the fall. Grows 25 feet high by 15 feet wide in full or part sun. It is hardy in zones 4 to 8.
Similar to Zelkova, this tree is a great candidate for streetboxes and other high-stress areas. The small leaves do not block storm drains and the roots do not cause sidewalk damage. It is also attractive in a park-like setting. This small tree is even a good candidate for Bonsai treatment, if desired.
This 2008 Gold Medal winner from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) should be readily available next spring in nurseries and garden centers. The PHS Gold Medal recipients are not only beautiful and reliable ornamental woody plants, but are virtually guaranteed, through rigorous testing and trials, to thrive in our Mid-Atlantic region.
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Reader Contest
For our August 2007 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, we are giving away a Cranes Bill Hardy Geranium 'Rozanne' perennial plant (worth $15) donated by The Perennial Farm. We profiled this plant in our current (July/August 2007) issue of Washington Gardener Magazine. This geranium is heat-resistant and drought-hardy. It has one of the longest bloom times of any hardy geranium. No surprise that it has been named 2008 Perennial Plant of the Year and will be available in a garden centers everywhere next spring.
To enter, send an email with "Hardy Geranium" in the subject line to Editor@WashingtonGardener.com by August 31. In the body of the email include your full name and address.
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August To-Do List
Here is our combined garden task list for August 15-September 15 compiled from the previous August 2005 and August 2006 issues:
- It is harvest time and also a good time to start taking stock if what worked well for you and what didn't.
- Pick raspberries and peaches at a local pick-your-own farm or visit a local farmer's market.
- Let the lawn go dormant for now, it will green back up in the coming rains.
- Check your local garden center for end-of-summer bargains.
- If your pond water gets low from prolonged drought, top it off with tap water and add a dechlorinator according to package instructions.
- Wash out birdbaths weekly with diluted bleach solution.
- Water thoroughly especially if you receive no rain for more than 5-7 days.
- Turn your compost pile weekly and don't let it dry out.
- Start shopping for spring bulbs.
- Divide and cut back bearded iris.
- Check your pond pump for debris and clean it out every few weeks.
- Watch for slug damage and set out traps or Sluggo bait.
- Check for mosquito breeding grounds. Dump out any water that sits stagnant for more than three days.
- Weed.
- Take garden photos and make notes in your garden journal.
- Start collecting plant seeds for next year and for trading.
- As the days get cooler, plant hardy mums.
- Prune evergreens to get in shape for fall/winter.
- Hand pick or cut out any bagworm cocoons.
- Harvest your herbs often and keep them trimmed back to encourage leafy growth. Dry them indoors, if you can't use them right away.
- Bring Christmas cactus and Poinsettias indoors if you took them out for the summer in preparation for holiday blooming. Fertilize them and put them in a place where they'll get just 10 hours bright light per day.
- Inspect for powdery mildew. If seen, prune back perennials to create needed circulation. Discard properly (i.e. not in your compost bin).
- Clean your hummingbird feeders and add new sugar-water every three days.
- Renew your containers which may be looking a bit ragged at this point. Pinch back overgrown plants. Pull out any spent ones and pop in some substitute annuals or mums. Keep them well-watered and add a little liquid fertilizer every few weeks to keep them going through early autumn.
- Switch your deer deterrent spray.
- Start seeds for fall annuals such as pansy, calendula, and kale.
- Plant fall crops such as Chinese cabbage, lettuce, radish, mustard, broccoli, kohlrabi, cauliflower, and beets.
- Attend a county fair.
- Preserve gourds and dry flowers for display in the fall.
- Apply grub control to your lawn.
- Divide hostas and daylilies.
Have a wonderful 2007 growing season!
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Magazine Excerpt: Native Groundcovers by Sylvan Kaufman
I have been working hard to eliminate my half-acre of lawn, section by section, and some day I hope to have it down to a size where it takes me no more than half an hour to mow, tops! I would much rather weed than start up the lawn mower. Mainly I’ve replaced lawn by planting perennials, shrubs, and trees, but in some areas, I still want an open look The previous owner had a few borders of English ivy and vinca around the lawn which are now mixed with Japanese honeysuckle and poison ivy. I will get those under control someday, too, and to replace them, I’ll need some great groundcovers.
Working at Adkins Arboretum, I have had a chance to observe how well various native groundcovers perform and I’ve tried out a few at home as well. In selecting a groundcover, it is extremely important to consider the light, water, and soil conditions you have. The reason English ivy and vinca are so popular is because they do not really care what type of soils they are in or how much moisture or light they get and they stay green year round.
Part shade and moist, well-drained soils allow you the best selection of native groundcovers. Golden groundsel (Packera aurea, formerly Senecio aureus) spreads relatively rapidly by wind dispersed seeds in moist, shady soils. It has large rounded leaves at ground level, and in spring, sends up a stalk of bright yellow, many-petaled flowers. The leaves stay green most of the year and new leaves come out very early in spring. Golden groundsel can be grown even in full sun, if soils are kept moist.
Coralbells and foamflower, also known as Heucheras, and Tiarellas, are readily available at garden centers and make wonderful dense groundcovers in part shade to shade...
Read the rest of this article and get great suggestions for a number of native groundcover alternatives in the July/August 2007 issue of Washington Gardener magazine.
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Next Issue
The September 15, 2007 issue of Washington Gardener Enews will delve into Autumn Annuals
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Edited by Kathy Jentz
Contact: editor@washingtongardener.com or 301.588.6894.
©Washington Gardener 2007
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