|
Vol. 4, No. 3 — March 15, 2008
In This Issue:
Early Spring Veggies
Magazine Excerpt: Captivating Coral Bells (Heucheras)
March To-Do List
Spotlight Special: USDA Power Trees
Reader Contest: MoCo Home Show Passes
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 March/April 2008 Washington Gardener magazine is available now. If you subscribe by April 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 "No Yard? No Problem! Rooftop, Patio, and Balcony Gardens." Also in this issue: Temperate Tropicals; Seed Starting Basics; Photo Contest Winners; and, much, much more.
Early Spring Veggies
If you think the vegetable growing season starts with the tomato seedlings you plant in late spring, think again. Now is the perfect time to get acquainted with and grow the numerous early season crops we can cultivate in the Mid-Atlantic’s cool, wet spring months of March and April.
Many delectable edibles prefer these mild days and practically melt when our hot, humid summers arrive. Tradition says to plant peas on St. Patrick's Day and this week is a perfect time to set up a vegetable patch or planting boxes full of cool-season edibles.
Start the following plants from seeds and sow successive crops for fresh veggies on your table in just a few short weeks. Direct sow beets, carrots, celery, chard, dill, endive, fava beans, garlic mustard, jerusalem artichokes, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, green onions, summer-maturing varieties of bulb onion seed and sets, mustard greens, parsley, peas, peanuts, potatoes, radishes, rutabaga, shallots, spinach, strawberries, swiss chard, and turnips.
You can also purchase started seedlings of broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, and kohlrabi to get a head start on our too-short cool growing season so that they mature before the heat abruptly moves in.
Plant asparagus and rhubarb now and you’ll be rewarded with harvests of these perennial edibles for several springs to come.
This is also the time of year to gather fiddlehead ferns, wild leeks, and dandelions. Make a wild green salad or just use to garnish another prepared dish.
Indoors, you can sow eggplant, peppers, herbs, and tomatoes for transplanting into the garden in early May.
Pansies and violas can also be direct sown now to beautify your veggie patch and pick a few to decorate your salads as well.
Enjoy these days of mild weather and soft rain. Most of all get out there and get growing!
Happy Growing!
Kathy Jentz
Editor/Publisher
Washington Gardener
P.S. Our Washington Gardener bus trip to the Philadelphia Flower Show on March 5 is over half-full now. Sign up quickly to ensure you have a seat with us. Go to chevalsgardentours.com for details.
Back To Top
Local Gardening Events
Here is a selection of upcoming events (March 16-April 15) in the greater DC area of interest to gardeners:
DC
Fragrant Orchids
March 21, 12:00-1:00pm
United States Botanic Garden Conservatory, 100 Maryland Avenue, SW, foot of the U.S. Capitol
Cinnamon! Chocolate! Lemon! Vanilla! Only one experience is more breathtaking than seeing a gorgeous orchid in bloom, and that is smelling a fragrant orchid in bloom! Ask the insect pollinators who depend on fragrance rather than beauty to lead them to the right flower. Yet orchid growers have traditionally paid more attention to flower size, substance, color, and shape than to scent! Mr. Frowine will share concise information about the cultivation of several fragrant orchids along with detailed notes on the plant’s fragrance and intensity, which can range from elegant and sophisticated to downright nasty, from fruity and spicy to medicinal and fishy, from light and fresh to heavy and overwhelming. Presented by author Steven A. Frowine.
Fee: SONG members: $10; Nonmembers: $12. Pre-registration is required.
For more information: call 202.225.8333 or www.usbg.gov.
Create Your Own Garden!
March 26, 10:00–11:30am
Tudor Place Historic House and Garden, 1644 31st Street NW, Washington, DC
Children ages 6-10 explore the 5.5 acre historic gardens in search of flowers, trees, plants, and wildlife. Following the tour, children learn about key principles of gardening and create a small flower garden to take home.
Fee: Members: $7 (per child/adult pair); Nonmembers: $12 (per child/adult pair); Additional adults and children: $5.
Supplies included in price. Pre-registration is required.
For more information, visit tudorplace.org.
Native Plants: Cultivars Considered - 22nd Annual Lahr Symposium
March 29, 9:00am-3:30pm
National Arboretum, Administration Building, 3501 New York Avenue, NE, Washington, DC
This year’s program includes Tony Avent, renowned horticulturist, worldwide plant explorer, and champion of native plant introductions and cultivation. The program will also include experts exploring topics on how native plant cultivars fit into our gardens, the horticulturally outstanding native plant cultivars being grown today, and the possible effects our gardening practices have on the natural world. All registrants gain early entry to the Native Plant Sale.
Fee: $85 includes lunch. Registration is required.
For more information: call 202.245.2726 or go to: www.usna.usda.gov.
MD and PA
Camellia Sale
March 29 10:00am-5:00pm and Sunday, March 30 10:00am-2:00pm
Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton MD
Be sure to come early to this very popular event that always sells out! A large variety of spring and fall blooming camellia cultivars will be on sale including newly introduced National Arboretum cultivars. All camellias are cold-hardy hybrids specifically propagated for this area. Plants are available in one and three gallon pots and will include a culture sheet with growing instructions. Sponsored by the Camellia Society of Potomac Valley.
Fee: $0/Free. Pre-registration is not required.
For more information: www.brooksidegardens.org.
Spring Flowers Hike
April 9, 1:00–2:30pm
Adkins Arboretum, 12610 Eveland Road, Ridgely, MD
Take a hike down the Tuckahoe Valley Trail with Conservation Curator Sylvan Kaufman to discover spring’s ephemeral wildflowers. April brings the earliest spring blooms of bloodroot, spring beauty, spicebush, and trout lily. Learn to identify these beautiful flowers and hear about their natural history. This 1.5 mile walk will be across easy terrain. Waterproof shoes are recommended.
Fee: $8 members, $10 general public. Registration is not required.
For more information: www.adkinsarboretum.org or call 410.634.2847.
Herb Garden in a Pot
April 12, 11:00am-12:00noon
Whole Foods, 833 Wayne Ave, Silver Spring, MD
Celebrate Earth Day by enjoying the bounty that Mother Earth provides. Herbs are cultivated for their fragrance, flavor, and healing properties. Kathy Jentz, editor of Washington Gardener Magazine, will describe the various herbs you can grow in your own home garden. Then you'll plant an herb garden in a pot to take home and put in a sunny spot so you can enjoy your herbs all growing season long.
Fee: $10. Pre-registration is required.
For more information, email www.wholefoodsmarket.com or call 301.608.9373.
VA and WV
Garlic Mustard Pull at Turkey Run Park
March 29, 9:00am-3:00pm
George Washington Memorial Parkway, Turkey Run Park, VA
Join the Nature Conservancy and members of the Appalachian Mountian Club to pull Garlic Mustard from the woods and make room for native spring wildflowers! A project perfect for all ages. You are welcome to bring lunch and stay for lunch and a hike through the park afterwards.
Fee: $0/free. Pre-registration is required.
For more information, contact Mary Travaglini, Potomac Gorge Habitat Restoration Manager, at 301.897.8570 or visit www.nature.org.
American Horticultural Society's Garden School - Trees of the American Landcape
April 10 -11
Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens, Alexandria, VA
During this two-day workshop, participants will learn how to select, establish, preserve, and restore trees in the landscape. Sessions will also focus on the value of trees in the landscape and the characteristics plant explorers and breeders are seeking for the next generation of landscape trees. In addition to lectures, attendees will partake in a guided tour of George Washington's beloved trees at Mount Vernon, as well as a field study focusing on tree care and preservation at the American Horticultural Society's River Farm headquarters.
Fee: $415 for AHS members; $450 for nonmembers. Pre-registration is required.
Visit www.ahs.org or call 703.768.5700 ext. 137.
Basic Gardening Series: Composing Containers
April 11, 1:30-2:30pm
Green Spring Gardens, 4603 Green Spring Rd., Alexandria, VA
Containers are all the rage. Master Gardeners show you how to combine tender perennials and annuals to make a splash on your front porch or patio.
Fee: $11. Registration is required.
Call 703.642.5173 to register. More details at www.greenspring.org.
Washington Gardener Special Events
PhotoSynthesis
March 28, 6:00-8:00pm
Adams Bank Lobby in the World Building, 8121 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD
You are invited to PhotoSynthesis, an exhibition of the winning images from the second annual Washington Gardener Magazine Photo Contest. All 16 stunning photos were taken in DC-area gardens. Both inspirational and educational, this show represents the best of garden photography in the greater DC metropolitan region. After the opening reception, you may come by and view the photos any time during the normal bank lobby hours (M-F 9am-4pm, Sat 9am-12noon). The show runs through May 22.
Fee: $0/free. Registration is not required.
For more information: www.washingtongardener.com or call 301.588.6894.
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. PLEASE NO ATTACHMENTS! Our next deadline is April 12 for the April 15 edition of this enewsletter featuring events from April 16-May 15.
Back To Top
Spotlight Special: Power Trees
Conflicts between large trees and utility lines greatly impact the reliable power transmission and long-term health of the trees. Developing new tree selections for planting in utility right of ways will reduce costs associated with the management of trees by utility companies and contribute to increased health of urban forests.
The US National Arboretum has developed a new focus on breeding trees specifically for street and utility line applications. The available palette of urban tolerant, small trees with compact habit for planting under utility lines is extremely limited. Those species of trees that are of suitable height (e.g. flowering dogwood, Cornus florida) are often intolerant of urban edaphic conditions (e.g. soils compacted and anoxic, high soluble salts, fluctuating moisture and temperature), while traditional tree species utilized in urban tree plantings are either too large (e.g. London plane, Platanus ?acerifolia) or too invasive (e.g. Norway maple, Acer platanoides) for modern cityscapes.
The new Powertrees program brings together the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Maryland Electric Reliability Tree Trimming (MERTT), US National Arboretum, DC Urban Forestry Administration, University of Maryland, and the USDA Forest Service in a partnership to breed trees specifically for urban streetside plantings in the metro DC area.
Working with breeders, utility experts, and urban foresters, Powertrees has established planting Zones and corresponding lists of appropriate street adapted tree cultivars for Zone A (within 30 feet of powerlines) and Zone B (approximately 30 feet away from utility lines). The program goal is to pursue breeding, growing, study and marketing of better adapted cultivars for use in utility right-of-ways in urban environments.
Details on this new program are available at www.powertrees.com.
Back To Top
Reader Contest
For our March 2008 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, we are giving away passes to the upcoming Montgomery County Home Show Saturday, March 29 through Sunday, March 30, 2008 at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Gaithersburg, MD.
Find it all under one roof! Patios, kitchens, counters, doors, landscaping, windows, home theater, flooring, heating and air, additions, sunrooms, remodeling, siding, garage design, and the latest in home innovations! Meet Celebrities and save with great show specials!
Washington's favorite gardening guru, Mike McGrath, the Garden Editor from WTOP Radio, returns to the Montgomery County Home Show. Meet Mike on Saturday and Sunday to get the answers to all your gardening ideas. Presented by Damascus Enterprises and the Montgomery County Master Gardeners.
This prize package is a set of two passes worth $8 each for a total prize value of $16.
To enter to win the Montgomery County Home Show passes, send an email with "MoCo Home Show Contest" in the subject line to WashingtonGardener@rcn.com by 5:00pm on March 24. In the body of the email include your full name and address. The pass winner will be announced and notified on March 25.
Back To Top
March To-Do List
Here is our comprehensive garden task list for gardens in the greater DC metro region for March 16-April 15. Your suggestions and additions to this list are most welcome:
- Avoid walking on and compacting wet soil in the garden.
- Prune grapevines.
- Set out traps for mice, moles, and voles.
- Get a soil test.
- Soil preparation -- add lime, compost, etc. as needed.
- Mulch beds with a light hand.
- Repot root-bound houseplants and start fertilizing them.
- Clean leaves and debris from your water garden.
- Do not be alarmed if your pond turns green from algae bloom, this is natural until your water plants fill the surface area. Add a barley ball to combat it for now.
- Cut back ornamental grasses.
- Water during dry spells.
- Cut your Daffodils for indoor bouquets, but do not combine daffs with other flowers in one vase. They give off a toxic substance they may kill your other blooms off prematurely.
- Weed by hand to avoid disturbing newly forming roots.
- Walk your garden -- look for early signs of fungal disease.
- Divide perennials and herbs.
- Fertilize new growth.
- Plant and prune roses.
- Transplants small trees and shrubs.
- Buy or check on your stored summer bulbs (such as dahlias and caladiums). Pot them and start to water, if you want to give them an early start on the season.
- If you started seeds last month, thin them and start the hardening off process.
- Start some more seeds -- especially try flowering annuals like impatiens and petunias.
- Prune fruit trees as their buds are swelling. Check for dead and diseased wood to prune out. Cut a few branches for indoor forcing, if desired.
- Build a raised bed for vegetables. Add lots of manure and compost.
- Buy an indoor plant to liven up your office space. Try an orchid or African violet.
- Cut back and clear out the last of your perennial beds.
- Feed birds and provide nesting materials (try dryer lint) as well as houses for the start of their family season.
- Plant a tree for Arbor Day. Arbor Day comes on different dates in different states. In our area it is the first Wednesday in April for Maryland, Virginia has it on the second Friday in April, and DC has it on the last Friday in April. In addition, many local groups and towns have their own celebrations.
- Read a good gardening book or magazine.
Have a wonderful 2008 growing season!
Back To Top
Magazine Excerpt: Captivating Coral Bells by Kate Tyndall
If you are a lover of fantastic foliage plants as I am, then you are undoubtedly a coral bell fan. If coral bells are new to you, then I am envious — you have untold delights waiting for you in the nursery aisles this spring.
Coral bells (Heucheras) and their bigeneric kin, Heucherellas — known by the charming moniker foamy bells in a nod to their mixed parentage of coral bell and foam flower (Tiarella) — are foliage plants of the first order. With scalloped or frilled leaves, elaborate veining and striking colors like plum, burgundy, chartreuse, peach, pink, silver, and black, heucheras give us the ability to add long lasting color to our gardens without trusting solely to the ephemeral grace of flowers.
This is not to say that coral bells are bereft of floral display. In late spring to early summer, heucheras and heucherellas bear masses of tiny bell or star-shaped white, pink, or bright coral flowers on wiry stems held well aloft of the foliage. The flowers are great butterfly magnets. Admittedly, there are a few hybrid heucheras that have insignificant flowers — simply nip them off. In any case, it is their stunning foliage that makes heucheras a must-have garden plant. Their flowers are merely icing on the cake.
North American natives, heucheras are often touted as shade plants, and many of them thrive in partially shady conditions with humusy soil. However, they will not welcome deep shade, which causes many of the dark leafed heucheras to become muddy looking, their glorious plums and burgundies turning to greenish-brown, and muting the striking patterns of the silver veined coral bells. There are other heucheras that can take a lot of sun as long as they are not left to dry out. ‘Amethyst Myst,’ a royal purple leafed coral bell with prominent purple veining and a hazy overlay of silvery gray, grows happily in full sun in my rock garden, as does the gold leafed foamy bell ‘Stoplight.’
The best siting advice when it comes to heucheras and their kin is this: heed the instructions on the plant tag, but do not be afraid to move any coral bell that doesn’t seem to be thriving in a particular location. Many of mine — and I have a lot of them — have been moved multiple times and lived to flaunt their colors. ‘Amber Waves,’ an achingly lovely heuchera whose honey-gold leaves sported a candy pink hue on their reverse, traveled the length and breadth of my shady garden bed as I searched for the right spot for its optimal home. Alas, it was the humidity that ‘Amber Waves’ disliked, a factor I could not mitigate and I had to bid that beauty adieu.
Humidity and poorly draining soil are the prime culprits in our area for heucheras that fail to thrive...
Read the rest of this article and learn about sources for great daffodils in the March/April 2008 issue of Washington Gardener magazine.
Back To Top
Next Issue
The April 15, 2008 issue of Washington Gardener Enews will explore When to Prune Spring Flowering Trees and Shrubs.
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 2008
Back To Top
|
