|
Vol. 2, No. 5 — May 15, 2006
In This Issue:
Annual Water Plants
Community Tree Grants
May To-Do List
Spotlight Special: All-America Rose Selections
What's Blooming
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.
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 Washington DC area gardeners, 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.
Our May/June 2006 issue of Washington Gardener magazine is now out! This issue focuses on Native Plants. It also includes a daytrip to a little-known Iris garden, how to deal with Crabgrass, Jack-in-the-Pulpit focus, and much, much more.
Your Garden Photos Wanted!!! Send us a photo of your garden and you may see it published in our next magazine issue. Tell us in a short essay what makes your garden special or unique. Please include your name and location of the garden. Send high-res photo files to: editor@washingtongardener.com or send actual photo prints (no slides, please) to: Washington Gardener, 826 Philadelphia Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910.
Annuals for Your Water Garden
Just as you use annual flowers to add fast color, fullness, and punch to your growing beds and containers, you can use water garden annuals for your pond to provide almost instant coverage, lushness, and flowers. Now that the last danger of frost has passed (traditionally after Mother’s Day in our region), you can now set about rejuvenating your pond or water garden for the season.
Here is a list of annual water plants to fill your pond in style:
- Water Hyacinth: This floater needs no planting. Just place it on the ponds surface and off it goes. It has a purple, scented flower and is a prolific grower in full sun.
- Water Lettuce: This is another floater plant. It is also called shellflower. The plant has pale green leaves that resemble a bunch of frilled lettuce. It is a fast grower and will quickly fill in any blank pond spaces. It divides easily for sharing with other gardeners.
- Parrot’s Feather: This plant gets its name from the feathery lime-green foliage that is beautiful to look at. It is a very quick grower that is essentially a floater, but likes to have its roots anchored in the edge of other plants’ pots or between rocks along the pond edges.
- Papyrus: Add vertical interest and an exotic touch to your water garden with this ancient plant. It is a bog plant so should be placed just below the surface and at the edge of your pond. Elevate it on a few bricks if necessary. Choose a dwarf variety if you only have a small pond or water garden container. Mine actually wintered-over the last two years, but should still be considered an annual in our area.
- Tropical Water Lily: Unlike their hardy cousins, tropical water lilies will not survive our DC-area frosts and freezes. However, you’ll want to add one or two to your water garden every year as these wonderful bloomers comes in luscious colors and with scents that their hardy cousins can never match. Tropical water lilies bloom either by day or night. Be sure to purchase on that will bloom during the hours you are home most and can get the most enjoyment out of it.
One of the best sources for water garden plants in the greater DC area is Lilypons in Adamstown, MD. Since 1917, Lilypons has been the source for water garden plants and supplies. Treat yourself to a visit to their beautiful 300 acres of natural ponds, woods and rolling hills, next to the Monocacy River. They host several special events each year including Children’s Day and the British Car Show, but stop by anytime to consult with their knowledgeable staff or just to take a stroll among the herons and frogs.
This article was adapted from one we published in the Washington Examiner newspaper. Look for our garden column feature every-other-Thursday in the Examiner. It is available free at metro stations, in street boxes, and online at www.dcexaminer.com
Happy Growing!
Kathy Jentz
Editor/Publisher
Washington Gardener
Back To Top
Local Gardening Events
Here is a selection of upcoming events in the DC area of interest to gardeners:
DC
Backyard BayScapes Talk and Tour
May 20, 9:00-11:00am
The Historic Congressional Cemetery, 1801 E Street, SE, Washington, DC
Ever wonder why native plant gardens are coming back into style? Want to learn more about planting a backyard habitat that attracts songbirds and butterflies? Come discover how low maintenance “BayScapes” are beneficial to the community and local wildlife. A presentation and walking tour of recently installed BayScape gardens. Cemetery BayScapes planted by local volunteers including students from Two Rivers Charter School and Watkins Elementary. Participants will receive a packet of information that will provide them with information on BayScapes and how to implement these landscapes in their own backyards. Presented by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay with support from the Association for the Preservation of Historic Congressional Cemetery. Sponsored by the Spring Creek Foundation.
Fee: $0/free. Preregistration is required.
For more information: call 410.377.6270 or email: kdowling@acb-online.org.
2nd Annual Shepherd Park Garden Tour
May 21, 1:00-4:00pm
Tickets are sold on the day of the event at Shepherd Elementary School @ 14th and Kalmia Rd., Washington, DC
The Shepherd Park Citizens Association will host the tour that includes eight beautiful neighborhood gardens in the Shepherd Park, Colonial Village, and North Portal Estates neighborhoods in DC. This is a wonderful opportunity to discover wonderful areas at the city’s northern tip.
Fee: $15. Preregistration is not required.
For more information: visit: www.shepherdparkgardentour.org.
Storytime in the Garden at Tudor Place
May 26, 4:00-6:00pm
Visitor Center, Tudor Place Historic House and Garden, 1644 31st St. NW, Washington, DC
Children ages 3-8 will engage in a multi-sensory learning experience in Tudor Place’s 5 1/2 acre historic garden. Following an interactive read aloud, children will tour the garden and landscape while observing a variety of flowers, trees, plants, and wildlife. Each child will decorate his or her own flower pot and leave with a plant from the Tudor Place garden!
Fee: $12 ($7 for Members) per adult/child pair and includes supplies. Preregistration is required.
For more information: call 202.965.0400 or go to: www.tudorplace.org.
Plants in Crime: CSI Botany
Now through July 15, 10:00am-5:00pm
United States Botanic Garden Conservatory, 100 Maryland Avenue, SW, foot of the U.S. Capitol
Plants in Crime: CSI Botany is a new exhibit at the U.S. Botanic Garden Conservatory that examines the growing science
of forensic botany. Included in the discussion are real court cases where plant evidence played an important role, such
as the famous Lindbergh baby kidnapping case in 1932, in which annual tree growth rings helped convict Bruno
Hauptmann. The case was one of the earliest to introduce plant evidence into the record.
Fee: $0/Free. Registration is not required.
For more information: call 202.226.4082 or www.usbg.gov
Map and Measure DC Trees
Training in May and early June with Tree Inventory from June 1 to August 15
Washington, DC
Casey Trees Endowment Fund is recruiting volunteers to help map and measure some of the District’ s largest trees this summer. Free training classes will be held in May and early June. Participants can choose their classroom training from two sets of evening classes (offered from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Tues., May 16 and Wed., May 17; or Wed., May 31 and Thurs., June 1) or two Friday sessions (May 19 or June 2 each from 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.). Field training sessions are offered from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Sat., May 20 and Sat. June 3 in Franklin Square Park at 14th and K Street, NW. Classroom trainings will be held at the Casey Trees offices, 1425 K Street, NW, Suite 1050. No experience is necessary.
Casey Trees Endowment Fund conducts an annual inventory of trees in Washington, DC. This year, the organization will focus on large trees due to the extraordinary community benefits they provide. This inventory will be a part of the organization’s new Living Legacy campaign to increase appreciation and stewardship for the large trees of DC and will be conducted between June 1st and August 5th. In addition to identifying the largest trees in DC, this inventory will help identify preventable causes of injury or death to trees.
The classes will cover: biology and anatomy of trees, how to identify species, and how to measure trees.
Fee: $0/Free. Registration is required.
For more information: call 202.833.4010 or www.caseytrees.org
MD and PA
Creating Native Landscapes by Design
May 19, 9:00am-3:00pm
Chesapeake College, Wye Mills, MD, and Adkins Arboretum, Ridgely, MD
The symposium will feature two nationally known speakers: Dr. Allan Armitage, award-winning author, speaker, and horticulturist, and Julie Moir Messervy, acclaimed landscape designer, author, and lecturer on outdoor sanctuaries that feed the spirit. Both speakers will speak about their new books which will be published in early 2006. Native Plants for American Gardens, published by Timber Press, is Dr. Armitage’s first book on native plants. Julie Moir Messervy’s new book, Outside the Not So Big House, is co-authored with residential architect Sarah Susanka. The day at Chesapeake College will also include concurrent sessions on rain gardens, soils, and native plants and beneficial insects. The afternoon segment at Adkins Arboretum will feature demonstrations on trellis construction
with natural materials, natural dyes, and bonsai with native plants. Guided walks will be held throughout the afternoon, as will a native plant sale and art exhibit.
Fee: $105 ($90 members). Registration is required.
For more information: info@adkinsarboretum.org or call 410.634.2847.
Annual Mum Plant Sale
May 20, 8:00am-12:00noon
Four locations: Bowie High school, Bowie, MD; White Oak near Bank of America parking lot, Silver Spring, MD; Bethesda United Methodist Church of Christ, Bethesda, MD; and, Parking lot on Rt. 355 and Fulks corner, Gaithersburg, MD
All plants $1.25. Come early for best selection. Many colors and types of mums. Mum experts at each location to answer your questions. Please bring boxes to carry your purchases. Hosted by the Potomac Chrysanthemum Society.
Fee: $0/Free. Registration is not required.
For more information, email cccunnick@hotmail.com.
Historic Hyattsville House Tour
May 21, 1:00-5:00pm
Hyattsville Municipal Building, 4310 Gallatin Street, Hyattsville, MD
Enjoy a walking tour through the lovely Historic District of Hyattsville or catch the van and be shuttled from home to home. This year’s tour includes 10 homes including Colonials, Bungalows, and Victorians. Many of the homes feature recent renovations including new kitchens and additions in keeping with the style and character of the home. Presented by the Hyattsville Preservation Association.
Fee: $12 ($10 in advance). Registration is not required.
For more information: www.preservehyattsville.org
Native Plants in the Landscape Conference
June 1-3
Millersville University, Millersville, PA
Each June, many Washington area gardeners and gardening professionals attend the Native Plants in the Landscape Conference on the scenic campus of Millersville University. This year (our 16th) the Conference includes speakers on
Landscape Design and Restoration, Control of Invasive Plants, Native Woody
Plants, and Urban Landscapes, as well as field trips to local gardens, a native
plant sale, and much more.
Fee: $185 includes shared dorm room. Registration is required.
For more information: 717.872.3030 or www.millersvillenativeplants.org.
College-Level Courses in Horticultural
Semester starts June 13
Montgomery County, MD with area field-trips
Montgomery College at Germantown and at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton offers a variety of horticulture courses that are beneficial to the suburban homeowner, the landscape professional, and those interested in continuing education classes. Topics include: Water Garden Management and Herbaceous Plant Materials.
Cost depends upon residency and credit hours per course. Registration is required.
For more information: www.montgomerycollege.edu or call 301.353.7803.
VA and WV
Spring Garden Day
May 20, 9:00am-3:00pm
Green Spring Gardens Park, Alexandria, VA
An annual rite of spring at one of the outstanding gardens in this area! This plant sale is fast and furious and the FROGS volunteers (Friends of Green Springs) perform a valuable service in organizing and keeping up with the fast pace of this sale. More than 40 vendors descend upon the gardens and offer plants to fill your spring gardening needs. Get there early for the best selections and plan time to enjoy the glorious gardens while you’re there, it’s a botanical treat!
Fee: $0/Free. Registration is not required.
For details, go to http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/gsgp/events.htm.
Friends of River Farm Family Picnic
May 21, 3:00-6:00pm
AHS headquarters at River Farm in Alexandria, VA
Come and enjoy food, fun, and the beautiful gardens at River Farm.
Fee - call for details. Registration is required.
For more information: www.ahs.org or call 703.768.5700 x114.
Native Tree and Shrub Planting
May 27, 10:00-11:30am
Lake Fairfax Park, 1400 Lake Fairfax Drive, Reston, VA
Come learn how to plant native trees and shrubs along stream banks for the purpose of protecting streams and property while providing habitat for wildlife. If you live near a stream or love trees, don’t miss this opportunity to see local plant gurus demonstrate and explain the what, why, and where of ecologically-sensitive planting projects and the creative use of native trees and shrubs. You’ll receive a free Citizen’s Guide to Tree Planting, and learn how to organize a tree planting event in your neighborhood.
Fee: $0/Free. Registration is not required.
For more information, call 703.324-5821 or email SWPDmail@fairfaxcounty.gov.
Land Trust of Virginia’s Annual Garden Party
June 4, 5:00-8:00pm
Birchwood Farm, just north of Waterford, VA
Birchwood Farm is perched above the Catoctin valley offering dramatic views of Furnace Mountain to the east and North Fork of Catoctin Creek to the west. Guests will mingle under a canopy of rare and exotic conifer and deciduous trees and enjoy an exclusive, self-guided tour of the 30-acre living museum. Regional wines and light-fare will be served. A musical sojourn will be provided by classical guitarist Michael Kolmstetter. The event is a fund raiser for The Land Trust of Virginia, which was founded in 1992 to protect and preserve the Commonwealth’s open space lands and unique natural and historic resources.
Donation: $45+. Registration is required.
For more information, call 540.687.8441 or email meghanbwriter@yahoo.com.
To submit an event for this listing, please contact: editor@washingtongardener.com.
Our next deadline is June 12 for the June 15 edition of this enewsletter.
Back To Top
Spotlight Special: 2007 All-America Rose Selections
Look out for new, hardier roses coming your way soon.
All-America Rose Selections (AARS) named its 2007 selections:
Rainbow Knock Out, Moondance, and Strike It Rich. Rainbow Knock
Out from
Conard-Pyle Co. is said to be even more floriferous and
disease resistant than its parent, 2000 AARS winner Knock Out.
Flowers are deep coral-pink with yellow centers and fade to
light coral. Moondance is a floribunda from
Jackson & Perkins with creamy-white flowers contrasted by
glossy, dark-green foliage. Strike It Rich from
Weeks Roses is a grandiflora with deep, golden-yellow
flowers swirled with ruby red and a strong, spicy fragrance.
AARS operates a nationwide network of 20 official test gardens dedicated to evaluating roses on all of the characteristics consumers desire in a garden plant. Every AARS winning rose completes an extensive two-year trial program in these test gardens located throughout the country and representing all climate zones. New rose varieties in the AARS trials receive only as much care as would be given in the average home garden. This sophisticated evaluation process results is a new crop of AARS winning roses each year, guaranteeing that only the best make it into your garden.
Back To Top
What's Blooming
Wow! This is the time of year we gardeners live for - almost everything is bursting into bloom. Our readers reported the following blooms and items of interest in their gardens during the first week of May:
Jim Dronenburg of Knoxville, MD, has: Arisaema triphyllum and 2 other x (Jack in the pulpit), Arum italicum, Azaleas 3x, Calanthe orchid (Kozu Spice hyb), Camassia 2x, Convallaria(Lily of the valley) 3x, Corydalis 3x, 2 kinds columbine, reg Lord-knows-hyb and Aq. canadensis. Corydalis lutea, Eomecon, Iris bearded 2x, Iris tectorum, Ornithogalum nutans, Otto Lukeyns cherry laurel, Paeonia suffruticosa (Tree peonies ) 6x, Herbaceous peonies 3x incl P. tenuifolia, Robinia (Locust tree), regular and red flowered, Roses 4x incl Lady Banks rose, Paulownia tomentosa and kawakamii, Polygonatum (Solomon's seal) 3x incl P. humile, Smilacina (False Solomon's seal) racemosa & stellata, Tulip 4x; Valeriana, Veronica (either Waterperry or Georgia Blue, not sure), Wallflower, and Wisteria (Chinese
purple).
Ursula Sabia Sukinik of North Bethesda, MD, has: Ajuga ‘Burgundy Glow’Arisaema triphyllum, Allumn cultivar, Aquilegia canadensis & cultivars, Azaleas, Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost,' Chrysogonum virginiaum, Clematis ‘Nelly Moser,’ Columbine, Convallaria majalis, cornus florida, Corydalis ‘Purple Leaf,’ Dicentra 'Luxuriant,' Dicentra spectabilis, Forget me knots, Fothergilla gardenia, Galium odoratum, Gelsemium sempervirens, Geranium 'Johnson's Blue,' Helleborus argutifolius, Helleborus Royal Heritage, kerria japonica 'Pleniflora,' Lonicera japonica, Lorapedulum, Mazus reptans, Phlox divaricata, Podophyllum peltatum, Polygonatum odoratum Thunbergii Variegatum, Pulmonari, Rhods, Sanguinaria Canadensis, Scilla, Spiraea, Stylophorum diphyllum, Syringa meyeri Palibin, Tiarella Black
Snowflake, and Tiarella Running Tapestry.
In your editor's own garden in my Silver Spring/DC/Takoma Park border site: Ajuga, azaleas var., cat mint, clematis ‘Silver Moon’ (pictured here), annual dianthus, annual geranium, heather, heuchera ‘coral bells,’ bush honeysuckle, honey locust tree, iris, lilac, lily-of-the-valley, Lunaria (Money plant) narcissus (daffodil) ‘Chinese Corral and ‘Kaydee,’ pansy, petunia, phlox, primroses, rose “Mutabalis’ and a miniature yellow, saxifraga, scilla, strawberry, tulip ‘Sweet Love’ and ‘Angelique,’ vinca, wiegela, and Chinese wisteria.
Cheval Force Opp in Dunn Loring, VA, has: Ajuga Chocolate Chip, Bugleweed; Anemone quinquefolia, wood anemone, nightcaps; Arisaema ringens, Japanese Corbra Lily; Aucuba japonica, Japanese laurel, Azaleas, Camellias, Carex morrowii 'Ice Dance' sedge; Clematis 'blue ravine,' Dicentra eximia, wild bleeding heart, Dicentra spectabilis, bleeding heart; Disporopsis pernyi, Evergreen Solomon's Seal; Dodecatheon, shooting star; Dogwoods, Fothergilla gardenii, 'Mt. Airy," Geranium maculatum & 'Walter's Gift'; Indigofera dielsiana, Hyacinthoides hispanica, Spanish Bluebells; Luzula multiflora, native woodrush; Mazus reptans, Physocarpus opulifolius var intermedus 'Dart's Gold', ninebark, Polemonium yezoense, Jacobs Ladder; Polygonatum 'Variegatum", Solomons's seal; Primulas, Prunus laurocerasus
'Otto Luyken', Laurel , Pulmonaria, lungwort; Rhododendronx kaempheri 'Silver Sword', Stylophorum diphyllum, wood poppy, celandine poppy, Tiarella cordifolia, foam flower, Vaccinium angustifolium, lowbush blueberry; and Zizea aurea.
Let us know what is blooming or of particular interest in your garden during the week of June 4. 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 June 12 and we’ll note it in our June 15 issue.
Back To Top
May To-Do List
We've completed a whole year of garden to-do lists for our region. Last year's May list can be found in our May 2005 issue. Here are a few more tasks and chores to add to the previous listing:
- Sow squash and melon seeds.
- Plant seedlings (or direct-sow) sweet potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants.
- Fertilize azaleas and rhodos, if needed.
- Divide crowded perennials and share them.
- Turn your compost pile.
- Start a water garden.
- Mark and photograph your bulb plantings now, while they are still visible.
- Keep a sharp eye for fungal diseases and pests.
- Replace cool-season annuals with heat-loving ones.
Be vigilant for mosquito breeding spots, any standing water from a bottle-cap to blocked gutters, and clean them out immediately. Ask your surrounding neighbors to do the same.
Back To Top
Community Tree Grants
There are several grass-roots community organizations in the greater Washington metropolitan area striving to plants trees and save those already here. They need your volunteer help and your green knowledge.
The Alliance for Community Trees (ACT), a national nonprofit organization based in Beltsville, MD, supports local nonprofits dedicated to urban and community tree planting, care, conservation and education. Of Act's 75 member organizations, three are in the District, two are in Maryland, and three are in Virginia. These member organizations – known as the National NeighborWoods Network – have planted and cared for 7.8 million trees with help from 450,000 volunteers across the USA and Canada.
Here is a link to ACT's full member list www.ACTrees.org. The groups include Tree-Mendous Maryland, which includes an order form to purchase from an extensive list of native trees and shrubs. Also listed is DC GreenWorks, which has a care guide for street trees. It is posted at www.dcgreenworks.org
Back To Top
Next Issue
The June issue of Washington Gardener Enews will cover Pinching, Pruning, and Dead-Heading Perennials.
Subscribe to our magazine:
Send a check for $18.00 payable to Washington Gardener magazine to:
Washington Gardener, 826 Philadelphia Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910
Or click on 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 2006
Back To Top
|
