|
Vol. 3, No. 10 ? October 15, 2007
In This Issue:
Sourcing Locally Grown Plants
Magazine Excerpt: Seed Saving Savvy
October To-Do List
Spotlight Special: Loropetalum 'Glowing Horizons?'
Reader Contest: Pogo Organics Compost
Local Gardening Events
Welcome to the
Washington Gardener 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.
Rest your mouse pointer on any enewsletter photo image here to see the full photo caption displayed. If this enewsletter does not display properly in your email browser, please click above on "Read This Issue Online? option.
We encourage you to subscribe to Washington Gardener magazine as well for in-depth articles, inspirational photos, and great garden resources for the Washington DC area gardener.
Without your support, we cannot continue publishing this enewsletter. Our magazine subscription information is at the bottom of this enewsletter.
If you know of any other gardeners in the greater Washington DC area, please forward this email to them so that they can subscribe to this free enewsletter as well using the form at the bottom of the enewsletter or by visiting www.WashingtonGardener.com.
If you are not interested in receiving future issues of the enewsletter, simply follow the Unsubscribe directions also at the bottom of this enewsletter.
The September/October 2007 Washington Gardener magazine is available now. If you subscribe by October 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 "Succulent Success: Hardy Plants for the Mid-Atlantic Region." Also in this issue: drought-tolerant native plants; the USBG National Garden turns One; Southern Vegetables; Seed Saving Techniques; and, much, much more.
Sourcing Locally Grown Plants
We hear a lot these days about locally grown food to help the environment and buying the works of local businesses to keep our dollars in the community. Have you given any thought to not only buying locally grown tomatoes, but also to purchasing locally grown tomato seedling plants as well? Do you know where your garden plants are coming from? Many of you may be surprised to find just how much of the plantings in your yard have traveled over a thousand miles to get here.
A few gardeners are starting to look at just that issue. John Laumer on Treehugger.com used the term LEG'D to describe this trend. It stands for locally evolved, grown, and distributed plants. LEG'D plants are adapted to the local eco-system and are by definition pre-Columbian natives to our area.
Many of us plant-a-holic home gardeners are not ready or willing to go all-native with our gardens. However, we can educate ourselves on where our plant purchases originate and make a point of buying local. Why should we add that extra layer of complexity to our plant purchases? Here are five key reasons:
- Plants grown here are accustomed to native soils and conditions. They are generally superior in their adaptation to the local DC-area weather patterns of a usual rainy spring followed by a mid-summer drought period.
- By purchasing locally grown plants you are supporting local farmers and nurseries. Their growing fields will stay in business and stay green. Helping all of us breathe cleaner air and keeping the land out of sprawl developers hands.
- Plants that are grown locally save on fuel and transportation costs. They are not shipped from overseas or across the country. Why buy dogwoods or roses grown in Oregon and trucked out here, when you can get the same exact variety grown in the Mid-Atlantic by local nurseries and wholesalers?
- Local plants are ?fresher.? In general, locally grown plants come to the marketplace right when they are about to hit their peak bloom. Local growers can time their offerings better and adjust their inventory to the marketplace swifter than those who need to transport their plant products over a long distance. You are also not risking introducing foreign bug and disease problems to your garden.
- Growers in our area are a great source of local plant knowledge. You can visit a local tree nurseryman and pick out a tree right from his farm after consulting with him on the best one for your needs. Local planting fields are great daytrips to see what is thriving and what new varieties are doing well in our climate.
Where can you buy locally grown plants? Almost everywhere you shop. Two local nurseries are known for growing much of their own plant inventories locally, Behnkes and Homestead Gardens. The Mid-Atlantic Home Depot stores are stocked by Bell Nursery, a local Maryland wholesale grower. Whole Foods Market has many seasonal, local offerings in its plants department such as fig trees and blueberry bushes.
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.
Back To Top
Local Gardening Events
Here is a selection of upcoming events (October 16-November 15) in the greater DC area of interest to gardeners:
DC
DC School Garden Week
October 15-20
Various locations throughout Washington, DC
Among the events planned: the 4th Annual Schoolyard Bus Tour, 1st-ever Schoolyard Photo Contest, Meet the experts to start your own project and get funding, Schools teaching and learning outdoors, School garden volunteer work days, and more. This week is sponsored by DC Schoolyard Greening, a program of the DC Environmental Education Consortium. DCSG is a group of nonprofit organizations, government agencies, teachers, and concerned individuals interested in improving green spaces at schools and expanding the outdoor educational opportunities for Washington, DC students.
Most events are $0/Free. Preregistration is required.
For more information: call 202.349.1892 or go to: cschoolyardgreening.org.
SafeLawns and Landscapes Fall Seminar Series
October 19-20
2007 DC Environmental Conference at The University of DC, 4200 Connecticut Ave, NW, Washington, DC
The SafeLawns Foundation offers individuals and local businesses a training course on how to convert to and maintain a healthy organic lawn and garden. The ?Green? Movement has been sweeping the nation, and converting to organic lawn care practices is one way individuals and businesses can protect their health and environment. Speakers will include EPA officials, county executives, and garden experts from across the country, including SafeLawns Founder and former HGTV personality Paul Tukey. Paul has been featured on "Good Morning America" as well as in a host of national publications.
Fee: $25 consumer or $125 professional. Preregistration is required.
For more information: call 202.2452726 or go to: www.usna.usda.gov.
Herbal Remedies: Wellness for Fall and Winter
November 4, 1:00-4:30pm
United States Botanic Garden Conservatory, 100 Maryland Avenue, SW, foot of the U.S. Capitol
As the fall/winter cold season approaches, come learn about herbal remedies from Anya Syrkin, MS, CNS. Learn how to make herbal syrup that is effective for cold, cough, and sore throat. If dry skin is a problem during the cooler weather, try Ms. Syrkin?s skin protective balm. It?s great for the skin during wind, dampness, or dryness. The demonstration will conclude with an immune-supporting tonic that incorporates wisdom of the East and the West.
Fee: $12. Registration is required.
For more information: call 800.251.1784 or www.safelawns.org
MD and PA
Painting a Fall Leaf
October 23, 12:30-4:30am
Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton MD
Ruskin said, ?If you can paint a single leaf, you can paint the world.? Celebrate Brookside Gardens? Year of the Tree by using watercolors to do two paintings of a single fall leaf. All painting materials will be supplied. Participants should wear paint-friendly clothing and bring several colorful fall leaves they might wish to paint and a sharpened #2 pencil. No previous watercolor or art experience is necessary. Just bring a spirit of adventure. Participants will complete two paintings, one of which will be matted and ready for an 8x10 frame.
Fee: $60. Preregistration is required.
For more information: www.brooksidegardens.org
Plant a Demonstration Wetland
October 26-27, 10:00am-3:00pm
Jean Ellen duPont Shehan Audubon Sanctuary, in Bozman, MD (Talbot County)
The quarter-acre volunteer project is a small piece of a newly constructed wetland complex, with two wetlands that will restore 25 acres of shallow water and emergent habitat. Next year we will surround the wetlands with 10+ acres of forested buffers, 13 acres of warm-season grass and wildflower buffers, and two agricultural wildlife food plots. The planting event is aimed at helping landowners and others to see how beneficial and beautiful wetlands can be for any property; and how they can get similar landowner assistance from partners such as Ducks Unlimited, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MD Department of Natural Resources, the Waterfowl Festival, and Eastern Shore Resource Conservation and Development Council (all partners on this project). Once established, the new areas will draw in
waterfowl, shorebirds, and other wildlife, providing them with habitat, and our visitors with prime viewing opportunities.
Fee: $0/Free. Registration required.
For more information, call 410.777.5187 or visit www.audubonmddc.org.
Behnke's Holiday Open House
November 15, 6:30-9:00pm
Behnke Nurseries' Beltsville, MD location
Shop for unique gifts and decorations and choose from greenhouses filled with Behnke Signature Poinsettias. Select decorations and gifts from our Christmas Shop and enjoy light refreshments accompanied by Celtic music. They'll also have local craftspeople exhibiting and selling their wares. Behnkes Open House at their Potomac location will be during the day on Saturday, November 17.
Fee: $0/Free. Registration is not required.
For more information: www.behnkes.com or call 301.937.1100.
VA and WV
Color in the Garden Lecture
October 23, 6:30-9:00pm
River Farm, 7931 East Boulevard Drive, Alexandria, VA
As part of the AHS?s annual celebration of Dr. H. Marc Cathey Day, Dr. Robert Griesbach, a research geneticist with the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, DC, will use familiar garden plants as examples to explain the science behind color in plants, including how different pigments influence the color of flowers and foliage. A plant breeder with the National Arboretum?s Floral and Nursery Plants Research Unit, Dr. Griesbach has a special interest in the genes that control plant color. He and a colleague, John Stommel, have been developing a new line of peppers that have both ornamental and culinary value. One of their recent pepper introductions, ?Black Pearl,? was named a 2006 All-America Selections winner.
Fee: $10 for AHS members/$12 for nonmembers. Registration is recommended.
For more information, call 703.768.5700 or visit www.ahs.org.
Fall Woody Plants and Their Perennial Companions
October 27, 9:30-11:30am
Green Spring Gardens, Alexandria, VA
Discover plants that turn the fall garden into a rich tapestry of color and fragrance. Join us for a lecture and a tour to look at these dazzling trees and shrubs, and the perennials that tie them together.
Fee: $20. Registration required.
Call 703.642.5173 to register. More details at www.greenspring.org.
Invasive Plant Removal Party
November 3, 10:00am-12:00pm
Cherry Hill Park, 300 Park Ave, Meet at the Basketball Court, Falls Church, VA
Join the Falls Church Invasive Plant Removal Task Force. To learn more about these events or how to remove English Ivy or other invasive plants from your property, contact Jeremy Edwards, City of Falls Church Senior Urban Forester.
Fee: $0/Free. Registration is not required.
For event details, call 703.248.5016 or see fallschurchva.gov.
Special Event: Visit Gardens of the Past and Future
Viburnum Talk and Bulb Sale hosted by the Takoma Horticultural Club
October 17, 7:00-9:00pm
Takoma Park Community Center, 7500 Maple Avenue, Takoma Park, MD
Brookside Garden?s Phil Normandy, who will speak about viburnums, one of his favorite subjects. Phil is a wonderful speaker with lots of knowledge and a wealth of experience. Since July 1979, he has been on the staff of Brookside Gardens (Wheaton, MD), where as plant collections manager he has responsibility for supervising garden maintenance and developing permanent plant collections. Since 1986, he has also been the grounds supervisor for McCrillis Gardens (Bethesda, MD), a 5-acre mature shade garden managed by Brookside Gardens. He has also been an instructor on woody plants in the Landscape Design Program of George Washington University.
Spring-flowering bulbs for sale -- $4, $5, or $6 per pack of bulbs. All high quality and good-sized. Cash or check only.
Fee: $0/Free. Preregistration is not required.
For more information: www.takomahort.org or call 301.891.7100.
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 November 12 for the November 15 edition of this enewsletter featuring events from November 16-December 15.
Back To Top
Spotlight Special: Glowing Horizons? Loropetalum
Enjoy a stunning display in early spring with the bright blooms of the Gardener?s Confidence? Collection Series of loropetalum and start the growing season with a blooming bang. These newly developed loropetalums have been tested for disease resistance and insect resistance and like moist, well-drained soil and can tolerate dryer conditions once established in the garden. For stunning spring displays, place in a full sun location in mass plantings, borders, under story plantings, screen plantings, or as an accent plant.
As most loropetalum grow to about 12-14 feet high, pruning or spacing eventually becomes an issue. Loropetalum with a smaller growth habit than regular varieties and a slow growth rate make including a loropetalum an easy decision for your garden.
The new Gardener?s Confidence? Collection Series includes three new selections bred by Mark Griffith of Griffith Propagation in Watkinsville, GA. Little Rose Dawn? and Ever Red Sunset? are available nationally as of this past spring. The newest addition to the colllection, Carolina Moonlight?, will be in garden centers in spring 2008.
Loropetalum chinense are cold hardy down to zone 6b and heat tolerant in zones 3-9. They are prolific bloomers with evergreen foliage. These new introductions are a compact, mounded form just 6 feet high and wide at full maturity.
Back To Top
Reader Contest
For our October 2007 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, we are giving away five (5) large buckets of Pogo Organics Compost with Beneficial MicroOrganisms. The covered buckets contain 20 pounds each of the concentrated compost. The containers are re-usable.
Pogo Organics was profiled in our September/October 2007 Washington Gardener magazine. Pogo Compost with Beneficial Microorganisms is made from 100% recycled local plant material with essential plant and soil nutrients. This specially blended superior compost is tested by the most comprehensive soil testing lab in the world, the Soil Food Web. Pogo's compost is ideal for use as an all-purpose soil amendment to loosen clay and compacted soil. Use Pogo Compost with beneficial microorganisms as an organic fertilizer for lawn, plants, flowers, and crops.
Pogo Compost will increase:
- Plant Vigor, Color, and Density
- Plant Drought Tolerance
- Plant Resilience to Pests and Diseases
The specially blended Pogo Compost is a natural soil enhancer for your lawn or garden. It provides an excellent medium for increased microbial activity creating an environment where plants will flourish. Plants need a bio-active ecosystem rich in beneficial microorganisms in order to thrive and fully reach their potential. Pogo Compost is also recommended for brewing compost tea. Pogo compost is excellent for all Plants, Flowers, Trees, Shrubs, Lawns, and Crops. This organic compost is also pet safe, bay safe, and helps break down chemical toxins.
To enter for the Pogo Organics Compost, send an email with "Pogo Compost" in the subject line to Editor@WashingtonGardener.com by October 27. In the body of the email include your full name and address. The five winners will be announced and notified on October 28.
Back To Top
October To-Do List
Here is our combined garden task list for October 15-November 15 compiled from the previous October 2005 and October 2006 issues of the Washington Gardener News:
- 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.
- Leave seedheads on black-eyed susans, echinacea, and thistles for the birds to enjoy.
- Check for bagworms, pick off, bag, and dispose of them.
- Dig up and store potatoes in a cool, dark spot.
- Continue to divide and transplant perennials.
- Rake leaves and gather in compost piles.
- Pick pumpkins at a local pick-your-own farm or visit a local farmer's market.
- Cut garden herbs and hang to dry in cool, dry place indoors.
- Start feeding birds to get them in the habit for this winter.
- Attend a local garden club meeting.
- Mulch strawberry beds for winter.
- Turn your compost pile weekly and don't let it dry out. Work compost into your planting beds.
- Plant evergreens for winter interest.
- Weed.
- Plant spring-flowering bulbs.
- Sow wildflower seeds, such as California Poppies, for next spring.
- Collect dried flowers and grasses for an indoor vase.
- Clean and store your garden tools.
- Lightly fertilize indoor plants.
- Pot up Paper Whites and Amaryllis for holiday blooming.
- Check that all vines are securely tied for winter's cold winds.
- Collect plant seeds for next year's planting and for trading.
- Pull out spent summer annuals.
- Water evergreens and new plantings to keep them hydrated this winter.
- Plant hardy mums and fall season annuals.
- Fertilize your lawn and re-seed if needed.
- Dig up bulbs from your Gladiolus, cut off foliage, dry for a week, and then store for the winter.
- Transplant trees and shrubs.
- Keep an eye out for the first frost date and insulate plants as needed. In Zone 6, it is expected between September 30-October 30 and in Zone 7 it is predicted between October 15-November 15.
Have a wonderful 2007 growing season!
Back To Top
Magazine Excerpt: Seed Saving Savvy by Kathy Jentz
Autumn is harvest time in the garden and not just for your fruits vegetables. It is also time to start collecting your plant?s seeds. Many of your annual and perennial flowers are setting seed-heads and are about to burst open. Catch some of them before they do and you?ve got a head start on your garden for next year.
Save Seeds, Save the Planet
Why go to the bother of collecting all those tiny seeds? The first reason is thriftiness. No need for anything in your garden to go to waste. Compost, recycle, and re-use. The second reason is frugality. Why buy new plants every year when you can grow your own for free? Further, why buy unproven plants or seeds when you know the ones you are collecting from did well and obviously flourished in your yard.
Another reason to collect seeds is to ensure the propagation of heirloom varieties and rare, native plants that are not available through other means. Commercial growers and catalogs will often only carry the most popular plants and seeds. By collecting seeds from particular flowers and edibles, you are safe-guarding the future of these species. You are guaranteeing we will have a wide variety of genetic diversity in our future and not just the current ?top growers.?
The final reason to collect seeds is to trade them. You may have hundreds of Cleome seeds and another gardener has hundreds of Poppy seeds. Why not trade a few hundred with each other? Again, you are getting new plants for free or close to it. Seed trading is a whole world unto itself. There are online groups, pen pal lists, and clubs for seed swapping.
Gardeners in the Washington metropolitan region have the opportunity to meet up and swap seeds in person. Washington Gardener Magazine is holdings its Third Annual Washington Gardener Seed Exchange on Saturday, January 26, 2008 at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD. The Seed Exchange will include seed swapping, door prizes, planting tips, and gardening workshops experts in seed collection and propagation. Details will be online soon at www.WashingtonGardener.com.
How to Collect Seeds
Seed collecting is easy. Just wait until the end of the growing season when your current flowers form seedpods. Check on them every few days. They are ready when the pods are dry, brittle, and just ready to open. Don?t wait too late or they?ll break open on their own and cast their seeds to the wind. Pick a day with little breeze and no rain. Go out in mid-morning, after the sun has dried out the air and dewdrops from the leaves. Take a piece of paper and put it under the seed heads then shake them gently...
Read the rest of this article and get more tips on Seed Saving and Seed Storage in the September/October 2007 issue of Washington Gardener magazine.
Back To Top
Next Issue
The November 15, 2007 issue of Washington Gardener Enews will explore Plants for the Holiday Season
Subscribe to our magazine:
Send a check for $20.00 payable to Washington Gardener magazine to:
Washington Gardener, 826 Philadelphia Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910
Or select the PayPal link below to subscribe online using a secure credit card transaction.
Purchase Washington Gardener Gear:
Great gift idea! Show your pride in Washington DC and your gardening hobby with new Washington Gardener gear.
Items available include tote bags, organic cotton T-shirts, infant creepers, and much more. They make great holiday gifts.
Visit the Washington Gardener online store today.
Advertise:
Reach Your Customers: Are you a landscaper, nursery, or other business trying to
reach Washington DC area gardeners? Why throw away your money to advertise in other publications
that go to 1,000s of other readers that are not in your target market?
Get directly to your most interested potential customers by advertising in
Washington Gardener magazine or enewsletter. Contact advertising@washingtongardener.com for rates and details today.
Edited by Kathy Jentz
Contact: editor@washingtongardener.com or 301.588.6894.
?Washington Gardener 2007
Back To Top
|
