Washington Gardener Magazine April 2024

WASHINGTON g a rdener

Long-Blooming Catmints

Spring Garden Tour Listing

Sip the Azalea Coc ktail

Two Exceptional Ephemerals

Combatting Fungus Gnats

Great Gardening Books Reviewed Salad Greens: Endive, Escarole, Mustard, and Cress

Meet FOOP’s Founder Year of the Lily

Delightful Dwar f Flowering Almond

Your Ad Here

Are you trying to reach thousands of gardeners in the greater DC region/Mid-Atlantic area?

Washington Gardener Magazine goes out on the 15th of every month. Contact KathyJentz@gmail.com or call 301.588-6894 for ad rates (starting from $200). The ad deadline is the 10th of each month. Please submit your ad directly to: KathyJentz@gmail.com.

Washington Gardener Magazine’s staff and writers are available to speak to groups and garden clubs in the DC region and ONLINE! Call 240.603.1461 or email

KathyJentz@gmail.com for available dates, rates, and topics.

RARE AND EXCEPTIONAL PLANTS FOR THE DISCRIMINATING GARDENER AND COLLECTOR

Barry Glick

Sunshine Farm and Gardens

696 Glicks Road

Renick, WV 24966, USA

Email: barry@sunfarm.com

www.sunfarm.com

www.greenspring.org ooo

Green Spring Gardens

A “must visit” for everyone in the metropolitan Washington, DC, area. It’s a year-round goldmine of information and inspiration for the home gardener. It’s an outdoor classroom for children and their families to learn about plants and wildlife. It’s also a museum, a national historic site that offers glimpses into a long, rich history with colonial origins. Located at 4603 Green Spring Rd., Alexandria, VA. Information: 703-642-5173.

FOOP’s Organic Inoculated Biochar helps plants, trees, and shrubs get the most out of soil. Biochar is like a sponge: It will absorb anything it comes into contact with—one small handful has the surface area of a football field. This makes biochar a perfect medium to house nutrients, moisture, and microbes—the three building blocks of plant life.

Catmints are easy-care. Remove spent flowers to encourage new flowering. Plant catmint in a well-drained location that provides either sun or partial shade. Prune high-growing varieties in May, and cut the plant back by half if you want more compact growth.

Spring Fever

This is that crazy-busy time of year when it seems like everything is in bloom and there are not enough hours in the day to see them all! I’ve been running around to many local public gardens, open gardens, plant sales, flower festivals, and garden tours, taking photos and videos—see those images shared on our social media channels, espcially Instagram and our Facebook page.

I’ve also been updating our “peak bloom” listings for Cherry Blossoms, Virginia Bluebells, and Azaleas that I post to our blog at https://washingtongardener. blogspot.com/ annually. These listings are for all the great spots in our region to view masses of these flowers in bloom. I try to go back to as many of these in person each spring. It is a tough job, but someone has to do it. *wink*

That leaves my own garden neglected, but still full of flowers since I rely on the thousands of bulbs I’ve planted over the years to tide me over until I can get out there and do some serious planting and weeding. The Snowdrops and Crocus are long gone, but some late Daffodils and Tulips are hanging on. The Spanish Bluebells, Lily of the Valley, and Summer Snowflakes are putting on the show currently and next will come the large Alliums and Camassia.

I hope you make some time this spring to enjoy those fleeting flowers!

Sincerely,

Kathy Jentz, Editor/Publisher, Washington Gardener, KathyJentz@gmail.com

Credits

Kathy Jentz Editor/Publisher

Washington Gardener

826 Philadelphia Ave.

Silver Spring, MD 20910

Phone: 301-588-6894

kathyjentz@gmail.com

www.washingtongardener.com

Ruth E. Thaler-Carter Proofreader

Cassie Peo

Hannah Zozobrado Interns

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Volume 19, Number 2

ISSN 1555-8959

© 2024 Washington Gardener

All rights reserved. Published monthly.

material

mation

be reproduced

Your editor at the Residence of the Ambassador of the Netherlands in Washington, DC, for Dutch Tulip Days. Photo by Cassie Peo.

Reader Contest

Win a Flowerbulb.eu Gift Card in the April 2024 Washington Gardener Magazine Reader Contest! For our April 2024 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, we are giving away a Flowerbulb.eu gift card (value $100).

Flowerbulb.eu is the place to learn all there is to know about flower bulbs. It is not a site for purchasing bulbs; it is dedicated to providing education and inspiration on all thing’s bulb related. It’s time to buy your summer-flowering bulbs now. Your pollinators will love them! Follow Flowerbulb.eu on social media for stunning images and fun DIY projects. Visit Flowerbulb.eu to learn more.

To enter to win the gift card, send an email to WashingtonGardenerMagazine@ gmail.com by 5:00pm on Tuesday, April 30, with “Flowerbulb.eu” in the subject line and in the body of the email. Tell us what your favorite article was in this issue of Washington Gardener Magazine issue and why. Include your full name and address. The winner will be announced on May 1. o

Your Ad Here

Are you trying to reach thousands of gardeners in the greater DC region/MidAtlantic area? Washington Gardener Magazine goes out in the middle of every month. Contact KathyJentz@gmail.com or call 301.588.6894 for ad rates (starting from $200). The ad deadline is the 5th of each month. Please submit your ad directly to: KathyJentz@gmail.com.

Plant a Row for the Hungry (PAR) is an easy program to participate in and really does not take any extra resources than what you may have in your garden. In normal times, about 35 million people wonder where their next meal will come from. Most of these are children. That’s where PAR steps in.

PAR is such a simple program: It urges gardeners to Plant A Row (or a container) dedicated to feeding the hungry, and then take the harvest to someplace or someone that needs it. Once you have donated, send an email to KathyJentz@gmail.com with the total (in pounds and ounces) of what you gave. That is all there is to it. Easy. Effective. Adaptable and Helpful.

Reader Comments

That Freeze Date tool [in the March 2024 issue] is super-interesting. My sister in Cleveland is about two weeks behind me in Kensington, while my cousins in Loudon County are a couple days colder than Montgomery County. Very helpful!

~ Joshua Yospyn

I liked the article about cicadas the most [in the March 2024 issue] because so many people know so little about them and are afraid of them as a result. I also liked the crow article because I love learning about birds and crows are so interesting: how intelligent and social they are.

~ Kathy Stevens

Cecily Nabors’ delightful article regarding the American Crow was, by far, my favorite article in the March issue of Washington Gardener Magazine. These intelligent creatures are so entertaining to observe in the garden and it was a joy to read more about them in this insightful article. Plus, they dress like Johnny Cash! We typically have four American Crows that visit our garden, who I have named Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Three. They visit all during the year. Once, while in the garden, I played a crow “caw” on my cell phone and received enthusiastic “caws” in return from these wonderful birds. Thanks for including the article!

~ Don Truitt

My favorite article in the March 2024 Washington Gardener Magazine was “The American Crow.” I have become fascinated by crows, and love learning about these clever, noisy “bad boys” of the avian world. I would love to have one or two regularly visit my yard! I’m currently planning on setting up a feeding station that I hope will attract crows, without having all the crow food eaten by squirrels (like they do with the suet feeders that I put out for other birds).

~ Maureen Wynn

I found the Greg Susla article [in the February 2024 issue] fascinating. It is interesting how his background lead to the eventual rebuilding of the medicinal garden.

~ Ann Baker o

Larry Footer: Founder, FOOP Organic Biosciences

By Cassie Peo

When Larry Footer founded FOOP Organic Biosciences in 2016, he set out to make the best possible product for gardeners and plant growers everywhere. FOOP combines fish manure, microbial biostimulants, and all the other critical nutrients plants need into organic plant foods and foliar sprays that transform any dirt into organic living soil. The products can be used for your garden, house, or farm.

Footer went to the George Washington University School of Business for his Bachelor’s in Business Administration and International Business/Economics, and then to Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies for his Masters in International Public Policy, Middle Eastern Studies and Strategic Studies.

After a 25-year track record of launching, growing, and managing suc-

cessful businesses, Footer founded FOOP Organic Biosciences to provide an organic alternative to chemicalbased fertilizers.

Tell us about your background: where you grew up, your education, etc. I was born and raised in New York City—this is a place where we take all the plants and trees, put them in the middle of town with a wall around them, and call it Central Park.

I studied business and entrepreneurship in college. After graduating, I started an internet company in the mid1990s that was focused on software development.

Where did your interest in gardening and biosciences come from?

About 87% of people in the United States have at least one plant. Until my 40s, I was one of the 13% who did not.

My interest in gardening began when my first daughter was born. As a parent, you naturally feel responsible for the food you feed your kids. And, like many parents, I quickly realized that most of the food available in grocery stores is not only poisoning us, but its production also harms the environment. Since I always wanted the best for my daughters, I slowly started turning our backyard into a garden.

Although some people might see this as a drawback, it actually is one of the key factors in FOOP’s success. The humility that comes with knowing that you’re not an expert at seeking out the advice of people much smarter than you, asking questions that someone who had been in this industry for years would consider foolish, often leads to the best innovations.

How did you come up with the idea to combine fish poop and other nutrients to make a plant food?

I like to call it a glorious accident. My whole life, I have been fascinated by aquatic life, and as an avid scuba diver, I’ve also maintained numerous fish tanks. I once broke a fish tank while moving houses, and that triggered a series of events that introduced me to the possibilities of using fish manure as plant food. And I really wanted to make it both organic and easy to use … so easy that anyone (including a city boy like me) could figure it out in minutes with no expertise required. We decided to put everything a plant needs into one bottle rather than splitting up the ingredients like so many other organic plant food companies.

How would you like to spend your ideal day?

My ideal day would start with a cup of coffee in my backyard, surrounded by my family and our two dogs. After finishing my first cup, I’d grab a bottle of FOOP and start nurturing my garden. Gardening together with my family brings me an amazing feeling of peace and connection. Sometime between the second and third cup of coffee, my phone would most likely start ringing with a question from one of our customers. And while many people might see that as a distraction, for me, it’s part of an ideal day—knowing

that somewhere out there is another passionate gardener who decided to go organic and do something for themselves and the environment always brings a great smile to my face.

What is your favorite FOOP product and how do you use it?

This is a hard question—each of our products is awesome and I truly enjoy using all of them. However, if I had to choose one, I would most likely choose our Organic Inoculated Biochar. We believe that this product can help address the soil erosion crisis.

Biochar is like a sponge: absorbing anything it comes into contact with. One handful has the surface area of a football field, making biochar a perfect medium to house nutrients, moisture, and microbes—the building blocks of plant life. It’s easy to use. You just mix it with soil and it allows plants to uptake nutrients more efficiently and conditions soil with billions of beneficial microbes.

What have been the most challenging and most rewarding thing about your work?

The most challenging, and at the same time most rewarding, thing is product development. Making the perfect product usually involves lots of testing and retesting. However, seeing the final product on shelves of a garden center makes the entire process worthwhile.

How do you like to spend your free time?

I enjoy spending my free time with my family—gardening, cooking, or at farmers markets.

Do you garden yourself and if you do, what are your favorite things to grow?

Not until recently, but in the past few years, I’ve started using all of our products and I now have a 1,000-squarefoot garden with raised beds, growing everything from leafy greens like kale, spinach, and lettuces to tomatoes, cucumbers, and string beans.

My kids get out into the garden for the blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries and I just planted two plum trees as our newest additions.

How can our readers get in contact with you?

The best way to learn more about us and get in touch with us is through our website: www.thefoop.com. We’re also quite active on social media, mainly Instagram and Facebook. o

Cassie Peo is a senior at the University of Maryland in the Philip Merrill College of Journalism, She looks forward to helping her mom tend their garden during the summer back home in New Jersey. This spring semester, she is an intern at Washington Gardener Magazine.

The Urban Garden: 101 Ways to Grow Food and Beauty in the City is all about small-space gardening solutions!

GardenDC Podcast

The GardenDC podcast is all about gardening in the greater Washington, DC, and Mid-Atlantic area. The program is hosted by Kathy Jentz, editor of Washington Gardener Magazine, and features guest experts in local and national horticulture. The latest episodes include interviews with experts on Elderberries, Birdscaping, and Vegetable Garden Planning. You can listen online at https:// washingtongardener.blogspot.com/ or on Spotify, Apple, etc. o

Dwarf Flowering Almond

By Kathy Jentz

It prefers full to part-sun and is tolerant of a range of soil types. It also does well in urban conditions. However, it cannot stand to sit in wet soil for long periods. Once established, it is quite drought-tolerant.

It is a rose relative and is native to Asia. Despite the common name of “Flowering Almond,” it does not produce almonds (that is a different tree entirely).

Butterflies and other pollinators are attracted to the flowers. It is the larval host plant for the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly.

Flowering Almond is hardy to USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 8. It requires frequent pruning; do so right after it flowers. Take out any old wood and anything dead, diseased, or damaged.

It is easy to propagate from softwood cuttings in late spring or early summer.

It can be a short-lived plant in the garden due to its susceptibility to diseases and insect issues, but it is worth growing for its decorative value and as a cut flower. This was a favorite shrub of Thomas Jefferson, who planted it extensively at Monticello. o

Kathy Jentz is the editor of Washington Gardener

Dwarf Flowering Almond (Prunus glandulosa) is a multi-stemmed shrub with beautiful light-pink or white flowers in early spring. It can reach 3 to 5 feet wide and high.

Brookside Gardens Celebrates Earth Month

Sponsored by Friends of Brookside Gardens

• DC Environmental Film Festival

Screening and Panel Discussion

Wednesday, April 10

• Brookside Gardens Plant Sale

Saturday, April 20

• Electric Landscape Equipment Exhibit

Saturday, April 20

• Guided Bird Walk

Saturday, May 4

• Bird Walk

Screening and Panel Discussion

Saturday, May 4

For more information scan the QR code or visit: MoCoParks.org/BGEarthMonth

BROOKSIDE GARDENS

1800 Glenallan Avenue | Wheaton, MD 20902

BrooksideGardens.org

EARTH MONTH SUSTAINABILITY TOURS

Estanques acuáticos superiores e inferiores

Martes, 2 de abril

Reúnase en la entrada del Centro de visitantes

*Visita guiada en español. This tour will be given in Spanish.

Rose Garden & Maple Terrace

Wednesday, April 10

Gude Garden

Monday, April 15

Parking Garden & Harry Dewey Memorial Garden

Friday, April 26

Expert Tips for Healthy Lawns and a Healthy Chesapeake Bay

The Maryland Department of Agriculture has partnered with experts from the University of Maryland Extension to produce an educational video highlighting best practices for lawn care. This instructional video, available on the department’s YouTube channel, answers commonly asked questions about best practices for healthy lawns and cleaner streams.

“Homeowners, like farmers, have the power to safeguard the Chesapeake Bay from its biggest threat—excess nutrients that fowl water quality and fuel the growth of harmful algae blooms,” said Maryland Department of Agriculture Secretary Kevin Atticks. “For homeowners, the journey begins by adopting sound lawncare practices. Our new video demonstrates how to achieve a healthy lawn and reduce fertilizer and nutrients from polluting local streams and the Chesapeake Bay.”

Key takeaways from the video include:

• Get Smart About Soil

Before you even think about fertilizing, get a soil test to determine your lawn’s needs.

• Balancing Act

Remember to check your soil’s pH level. Adjusting pH to the right level ensures your grass can absorb the nutrients you provide.

•Ideal Timing

Fall is the best time to fertilize most lawns

• Tricky Business

Learn how to calibrate your spreader and apply fertilizer evenly.

• Mow Like a Pro

Get the lowdown on how high to cut your grass for a lusher, fuller lawn.

The video also provides insights about the benefits of slow-release fertilizers, optimal watering practices, fall/winter lawn fertilizer blackout dates, and how to find a certified lawn care pro trained in Bay-friendly fertilizer practices. You can watch it at https://mda.maryland. gov/Pages/fertilizer.aspx and explore the department’s website for additional tips and info on Maryland’s Lawn Fertilizer Law that helps protect the Chesapeake Bay from excess nutrients entering its waters. o

Long-blooming Catmints

Catmint is an easy-going, extremely versatile perennial. The flowers of most varieties range from blue to purple, although pink and white varieties are also available. With their generous abundance of nectar, they attract bees and butterflies to your garden.

Catmint, Latin name Nepeta, works very well in garden beds and borders. You could also turn it into an attractive edge planting; for example, in combination with boxwood or spindle tree (Euonymus ‘Green Spire’) and Japanese holly (Ilex crenata). Catmint also thrives in pots.

It will flower all summer long. Bumblebees and other wild bees will visit the flowers and butterflies also like to snack on the nectar.

There are more than 250 different catmint varieties. Here are a few to try.

• Garden catmint (Nepeta × faassenii) is the best-known variety, with lavenderblue flowers and compact growth. Trim this variety after flowering and a new flowering period will follow after about six weeks.

• Yellow catmint (Nepeta govaniana) is an unusual variety with light-yellow flowers that prefers a humid spot in the shade.

• Large-flowered catmint (Nepeta kubanica) is a variety with a sturdy growth habit and violet-blue flowers.

• Siberian catmint (Nepeta sibirica): purple-blue flowers and loose growth habit.

Catmint gets its name from the fact that most cats adore this plant. This is due to nepetalactone, a substance found in the leaves of many varieties. Some cats love it so much that they start rolling around in the plant, as if madly in love. The dried leaves of the plant are sometimes added to cat toys.

Catmint is native to Europe, Asia, and Africa and belongs to the lipped-flower family. It is very resistant to heat and drought, especially varieties with silvergrey leaves. It is also deer-resistant. The flowers look lovely in a mixed garden bouquet; you can also dry them.o

2024 Year of the Lily

The National Garden Bureau has declared 2024 as Year of the Lily.

Originating in various parts of the Northern Hemisphere, lilies have adorned myths and traditions for thousands of years. In ancient Greek mythology, these flowers were believed to have sprung from the milk of the goddess Hera, symbolizing purity and renewal. Similarly, in Christian iconography, lilies are often associated with the Virgin Mary, representing purity, virtue, and the divine.

One reason they’ve managed to thrive and adapt for such a lengthy period is closely tied to their captivating reproductive strategy. These flowers have a unique floral structure that facilitates cross-pollination by attracting pollinators, such as bees and butterflies. The intricate shapes, vibrant colors, and alluring scents of lily flowers have evolved to ensure successful reproduction through pollination, contributing to their incredible resilience and diversity.

There are about 100+ species in the genus Lilium. Besides variations in appearance, each of them differs slightly in the ease of growing, bloom time, sunshine need, and more.

Many plants have lily in their name that are not true lilies and members of the genus Lilium. These include daylily, waterlily, peace lily, calla lily, canna lily, lily of the valley, and many, many more.

These bulbs thrive in well-draining soil and prefer to receive partial sunlight throughout the day. Most love the sun, and require six hours or more. Remember the adage, “Head in the sun, feet in the shade.” To keep their roots cool, plant them with low-growing annuals, perennials, or grasses.

USDA Hardiness Zones 5 to 8 are ideal for most lilies. Some are hardy and can tolerate some chill, but not the heat found in the higher zones.

Drainage is a critical issue for these bulbs. They like to be planted in a berm or raised bed so water drains away from the bulbs.

Fertilize with a balanced, slow-release fertilizer in early spring when new growth starts. A complete formula such as 10-10-10 works well. Remember to apply it throughout the season in smaller feedings, too. o

New Plant Spotlight

Agastache ‘Pink Pearl’

Agastache ‘Pink Pearl’ showcases a mid-sized, full, and compact mound of large flower spikes with a unique, light-pink color.

Dense blooms cover the entire plant, appearing in two tones with deeper-colored flower buds. This variety presents substantial landscape value in mid-to-front garden borders, as well as in the container.

It also offers a vast array of special uses, including being deer-resistant, fragrant, and an effective pollinator and hummingbird attractor.

‘Pink Pearl’ boasts an extended bloom time—from June through September—and prefers welldrained, fertile soil.

It grows most actively in spring, reaching a height of 8", width of 16", and flower height of 16". USDA Hardiness Zones for ‘Pink Pearl’ are 6 to 10.

Learn more about ‘Pink Pearl’ at: www.terranovanurseries.com/ product/agastache-pink-pearl. o

Quick Links to Recent Washington Gardener Blog Posts

• Plastics in Gardening

• Top Local Spots for Azalea Viewing

• Japanese Andromeda Plant Profile

• Runaway Asparagus

• Making More Plants: Plant Propagation

See more Washington Gardener blog posts at WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com o

April–May Garden To-Do List

• If you started seeds last month, thin them and start the hardening-off process.

• Start some more seeds—especially flowering annuals like impatiens, marigolds, nasturtium, and petunias.

• Do not set out seedlings or tender annuals until after Mother’s Day (traditional last frost-free date for our entire area).

• Water shrubs and trees deeply during any dry spells.

• Prune winter damage on evergreens.

• Make compost tea and use on seedlings.

• Turn your compost pile.

• Sharpen tools.

• Prune flowering shrubs, such as forsythia and azaleas, when they finish blooming.

• Repot and fertilize houseplants.

• Set aside a few hours each weekend for attending garden shows and tours. (You may have to do this virtually for the immediate future.)

• Weed by hand to avoid disturbing newly forming roots.

• Prepare your soil—add lime, compost, etc., as needed.

• Walk your garden—look for early signs of fungal disease.

• Divide perennials and herbs. Pot up extras to give away at plant swaps.

• Fertilize new growth.

• Plant and prune roses.

• Transplant small trees and shrubs.

• Buy or check on your stored summer bulbs (such as dahlias and caladiums). Pot them and start to water to give them an early start on the season.

• Build a raised bed for vegetables. Add lots of aged manure and compost.

• Buy an indoor plant to liven up your office space. Try an Orchid or African violet.

• Start/keep fertilizing your indoor plants.

• Cut back and clear out the last of your perennial beds and ornamental grasses.

• Mulch beds with a light hand.

• Feed birds and provide nesting materials (try pet hair), as well as houses, for the start of their family season.

• Sow beans and corn directly outdoors.

• Start carrots, turnips, and parsnips in well-draining beds or deep containers.

• Keep cutworms off newly planted edible seedlings by surrounding the seedlings with collars cut from a plastic bottle or cardboard tube.

• Pick peas often to encourage the plants to produce more.

• Ensure new seedlings do not dry out by installing a drip-irrigation system.

• Start herbs from seed or cuttings.

• Edge garden beds.

• Remove Ivy, Pachysandra, and other vine-like groundcover from under shrubs.

• Work in dry, not wet, soil to keep the ground from compacting.

• Hand-pick cabbage worms from broccoli and other cabbage-family plants.

• Put row covers over vulnerable crops—remove covers to allow for pollinating once they set flowers.

• Thin lettuce seedlings and plant more seeds in new rows. (You can eat the seedling greens you pull.)

• Plant a tree for Arbor Day or Earth Day. o

TOP AREA GARDENING EVENTS

Classes, Events, and Plant Shows/Sales

• Saturday, April 27, 9am–4pm

Garden Fair & Plant Sale

The annual Garden Fair & Plant Sale is FONA’s largest seasonal festival and benefits the U.S. National Arboretum. Shop thousands of plants and more than 25 local gardening, lifestyle, and food vendors. You can also get advice from expert gardeners and enjoy free family activities. Details at https://www. fona.org/.

• Tuesday, April 30. 7pm

Trapa bispinosa: a New Species of Water Chestnut Spreading Rapidly in Virginia and Maryland

Dr. Nancy Rybicki, an aquatic plant ecologist and affiliate professor at George Mason University, will report on investigations into a recently discovered and newly identified species of water chestnut from Asia: Trapa bispinosa var. iinumai. This is a non-native floating aquatic plant that was first observed in 2014 in the Potomac River watershed. It was observed at about 100 sites in Virginia and recently spread to Maryland where it was observed in two locations in Prince George’s County. This is a Zoom meeting hosted by the Maryland Native Plant Society. Register: http://www. mdflora.org/event-5696114.

• Thursday, May 2 and the following two Thursdays, 7–8:30pm Gardening Basics and Beyond Series

Taught by Kathy Jentz, editor of Washington Gardener Magazine, for Brookside Gardens. If you’re a first-time homeowner looking to tackle your new garden or just interested in brushing up on your skills, you’ll benefit from this introductory gardening series. Lessons are applicable to a range of garden spaces from big to small, including typical suburban yards and postagestamp-sized urban lots. Session I: Prep and Plan. Session II: Soils and Plants. Session III: Maintain and Sustain. Held online. The sessions will be recorded so if you miss one, you can watch it later. Register at ActiveMontgomery. PBG0131.

• Friday, May 3, and Saturday, May 4, 8am–4pm

Ladew Topiary Gardens’ 16th Annual Garden Festival

A curated collection of 40 exclusive vendors from across the eastern seaboard offering hard-to-find perennials, specialty annuals, unique small trees, unusual exotics, container plants, decorative garden furniture, urns, and architectural treasures is held at Ladew Topiary Gardens in Monkton, MD. New this year, the Garden Festival Marketplace tent features an expanded collection of specialty indoor plants, garden antiques, and ornament vendors offering finds for gardeners and garden lovers alike. This annual ticketed event is rain or shine. Details at https://ladewgardens.com/.

• Thursday, May 9, 9am—12noon

Bethesda Community Garden Club’s Annual Plant Sale

Held at the Farm Women’s Market in downtown Bethesda. You’ll find hundreds of plants that thrive in the metro area. All are dug and potted by club members from their own gardens and ready for planting in your space. BethesdaCommunityGardenClub.org.

• Friday, May 10, 9am–5pm, and Saturday, May 11, 8am–4pm

Baltimore African Violet Club’ Joppa Grand Market

Celebrate spring and the Year of the African Violet by attending the annual plant sale of beautiful African Violets and other unusual plants, leaves, cuttings, pots, soil, perlite, etc. Club members will be available to answer questions about growing and caring for violets and their gesneriad cousins. Visit, www.baltimoreafricanvioletclub. org, for more information about the club or the spring sale.

• Saturday, May 11, 9am–1pm GardenMart Plant Sale

The Silver Spring Garden Club’s plant sale fundraiser is back again with a large selection of herbs, veggies, annuals, and perennials. (Note that many things sell out, so come early for the best selection!) It is rain or shine. The sale is at Brookside Garden’s Visitor

Center on the Outside Terrace to the right of the main entrance as you face the building. Details at https://www. silverspringgardenclub.com/.

• Saturday, May 18, 9am–3pm

Spring Garden Day—The Big Plant Sale Local garden vendors descend on Green Spring Gardens with beautiful and unusual plants to fill your spring gardening needs. Growers and Extension Master Gardeners will be on hand to help with plant selection and offer gardening advice. Home-baked goods and treats will be available in the bake sale at the Horticulture Center. There will also be a used book sale. This annual event is sponsored by the Friends of Green Spring (FROGS) and proceeds help support the gardens. For details, go to www.friendsofgreenspring. org.

Looking Ahead

• May 20

First Annual Reduce Your Lawn Day! See details at reduceyourlawnday.com.

• Wednesday, May 22

Spring Garden Party 2024

Held at Tudor Place. Details soon at https://tudorplace.org/.

• Saturday. May 25 and Sunday, May 26

Arlington Rose Foundation

Annual Rose & Photography Show

Merrifield Garden Center—Fair Oaks, 12101 Lee Highway, Fairfax, VA.

Event Listing Updates

See updated event listings on the Washington Gardener discussion list. Join by emailing WashingtonGardenersubscribe@googlegroups.com.

How to Submit Events

To submit an event for this listing, email washingtongardenermagazine@gmail. com with “Event” in the subject line. Our next deadline is May 5 for the May 2024 issue, for events taking place after May 15, 2024. o

Ask the Expert

By Miri Talabac

Who Laid these Eggs?

Q: Are these (pictured at right) lanternfly eggs, tent caterpillar eggs, or another pest I should be worried about?

A: In this case, none of the above. This distinctive egg mass belongs to a Wheel Bug, a beneficial predator in the assassin bug group that consumes insects gardeners consider pests. The raft of eggs glued to the bark is often roughly hexagonal in shape, and each individual egg is barrel-shaped with a pale top and dark sides. Close-up photos of various life stages, including egg masses, can be found on the Maryland Biodiversity Project’s profile page for this species (https://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/view/10191).

Spotted Lanternfly eggs will be hatching soon (April or May, weatherdepending), so if you find any, crush them or scrape them off (without injuring bark) and dunk them in rubbing alcohol. In comparison to Wheel Bugs, lanternfly egg clusters will be flatter, elongated, and look more like a smear of light-gray clay that has cracked slightly as it dried.

Tent caterpillar egg masses look like a smooth lump of black spray foam wrapped around a branch. They can generally be ignored since the caterpillar damage is fleeting and these native insects feed birds and other animals, but if you prefer, pry them off or prune off the twig they are attached to. Some areas have already experienced egg hatching by now, so any tents you find may already be empty. If a young tree contains lots of tents, just tear the silk open periodically with a stick to give birds, wasps, and other garden helpers easier access to the caterpillars.

Over-seeding Lawns

Q: Can I seed my fescue lawn in the spring? I eventually want to replace part of it with other plants, but for now, it has to be improved because it’s getting thin and I don’t want weed or erosion problems.

A: Cool-season turfgrass is best overseeded in late summer or early autumn. While spring is the next-best

opportunity, it comes with many more challenges to success.

Late in the growing season, the soil is still warm even though air temperatures are dropping, which promotes faster turfgrass seed germination and establishment. Many weed seeds are germinating in spring, and it will be difficult (or expensive) to use any needed herbicides to prevent their growth while also leaving the turf unaffected.

Germinating grass seed also needs consistent levels of moisture, and if a garden hose freezes overnight, it can make watering on time harder to do. Plus, frosts might nip tender grass blades in spring compared to hardier seedlings that have had more time to mature before frosts begin in autumn.

One approach, if you must attempt at least some seeding now (say, on a bare area where you had to strip the sod to get rid of tenacious weeds), is to cover sown seeds with a floating row cover, pinned down with landscape staples along the edges. This can trap just a few degrees of warmth to bring turf seedlings through a chilly night. You would remove the cover when they’re ready to be mown for the first time.

Combatting Fungus Gnats

Q: Fungus gnats have invaded my houseplants, but my yellow sticky traps aren’t cutting it. What else can I do?

A: If you haven’t already, the first step is to make conditions less suitable for fungus gnat reproduction. They require damp substrates like an overwatered or consistently moist potting mix, so check indoor plants for watering needs instead of just assuming it’s time to water on a set schedule. Most indoor plants prefer to dry out slightly between waterings, where the top inch of potting mix becomes fairly dry to the touch.

When an insecticide is warranted, try products marketed for mosquito larva control, as long as the label also lists instructions for fungus gnats and indoor use. These formulations contain the active ingredient Bacillus thuringiensis variety/strain israelensis, otherwise abbreviated Bti. Make sure any Bt product you find uses the right strain, since other strains target other insects. This is a toxin that the gnat larvae need to ingest as they feed on organic matter or dying roots in the pot, so applications are made to the potting mix directly. Follow product label directions for usage instructions, including when to apply a follow-up treatment. More tips for management can be found on our Fungus Gnats web page (https://extension.umd.edu/resource/fungus-gnats/).

Cicada Mania

Q: I keep hearing about cicadas this year, but I thought we won’t be seeing them again for a while. Which is it?

A: Only a portion of St. Mary’s County will experience some periodical cicada emergence this year; no other Maryland area contains the brood that will be appearing this cycle. “Annual” cicada species, or the types that emerge every year later in summer, will still be with us, as they always are. It’s the redeyed, alien-sounding periodical species that we must wait for a while to be immersed in again.

Local media reports might be sensationalizing the event or misunderstanding the scope of this insect phenomenon in our particular area, since it’s abuzz further west in several states that will be inundated. According to the Cicada Mania website, visit Springfield, Illinois, to surround yourself with the almost-overlap of both broods emerging this year if you want the full experience. See the InsectIndex column in our last issue for more about these cicada broods. o

Miri Talabac is a Certified Professional Horticulturist who has worked as a horticulture consultant for the University of Maryland Extension Home and Garden Information Center since 2019. To ask a gardening or pest question, go to http:// extension.umd.edu/hgic and scroll to “connect with us.” Digital photos can be attached.

Wheel Bug egg mass Photo courtesy of HGIC.

Spring 2024 Garden Tours Listing

• Saturday, April 20–Saturday, April 27

Historic Garden Week (VA)

Each spring, visitors are welcomed to more than 200 of Virginia’s most beautiful gardens, homes, and historic landmarks during “America’s Largest Open House.” This eight-day, statewide event provides visitors a unique opportunity to see unforgettable gardens at the peak of Virginia’s springtime color. Various Virginia locations. See dates and details at http://www.vagardenweek.org.

• Spring Saturdays and Sundays, April 28 to May 22

Maryland House & Garden Pilgrimage

Generous property owners open their historic sites to the public for six weekends in April and May. Each county’s tour includes seven or eight properties.

Maryland counties: Cecil, Talbot, Dorchester, Montgomery, Baltimore, and Prince George’s. Get more information at mhgp.org.

• Sunday, May 5, 1-4pm

Annual Garden Tour—Horticultural Society of Maryland (HSM)

Three lovely gardens in Catonsville are featured. Free to HSM members. Catonsville, MD. See www.mdhorticulture.org.

• Sunday, May 5, 2–5pm

19th Annual SPCA Garden Tour

This self-guided walking tour showcases the beautiful landscapes in Shepherd Park, Colonial Village, and North Portal Estates in NW Washington, DC. Unique gardens of all sizes and styles will be on display for everyone’s enjoyment and inspiration, plus there will be some special attractions, as well as activities for kids. Shepherd Park, Colonial Village, and North Portal Estates in Washington, DC. Visit http://www.shepherdpark.org for details.

• Saturday, May 11, 10am–3pm

Reston Gardens of Note Tour 2024

The 2024 Gardens of Note tour features six different private Reston residential gardens enlivened by pop-up musical performances by members and friends of the Reston Chorale. Reston, VA. For more information and to buy tickets: https://restonchorale.networkforgood.com/events/68394-gardens-of-note-may-11-2024.

• Saturday, May 11, 10am–5pm

94th Annual Georgetown Garden Tour

This year’s tour celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Georgetown Garden Club. Georgetown in Washington, DC. Details at www.georgetowngardenclubdc.org.

• Saturday, May 11, 4–7pm, and Sunday, May 12, 1–5pm

Capitol Hill Restoration Society’s 67th Annual House & Garden Tour

The Capitol Hill Restoration Society’s annual event is one of the highlights of the Capitol Hill calendar, with tours of the best homes and gardens of Capitol Hill Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. See details at www.chrs.org.

• Saturday, May 18–Sunday, May 19, 1–5pm

Beyond the Garden Gates Garden Tour

In addition to stunning landscapes, visitors are treated to a hospitality center to refresh themselves during the tour.

Historic Frederick, MD. See www.celebratefrederick.com/events/garden-tour/.

• Saturday, May 18, 10am–4pm

Sandy Spring Museum Garden Club Tour

The Sandy Spring Museum Garden Club invites you to immerse yourself in the spring display of beautiful local gardens. Grow your inspiration as you walk through four remarkable gardens. Among the various landscapes, you will enjoy bulbs, annuals and perennials, ornamental trees and shrubs, and a variety of hardscapes. Sandy Spring, MD. Visit https://www.sandyspringmuseum.org/ for details.

Historic Garden Week (VA)

Beyond the Garden Gates Garden Tour

Brookland House and Garden Tour

Spring 2024 Garden Tours Listing

• Sunday, May 19, 12noon–5pm

19th Annual Greater Brookland House and Garden Tour Neighbors in Brookland and across the city look forward to this tour with eagerness each year because of the diversity of lovely houses and gardens in this neighborhood in Northeast Washington, DC. Brookland neighborhood in Washington, DC. See https://www.brooklandgc.org/.

• Saturday, June 8, and Sunday, June 9, 12n–5pm 25th Annual Secret Garden Tour of Annapolis

The Hammond Harwood House’s Secret Garden Tour is celebrating 25 years in 2024. Join them this spring as they revisit both fan favorites of the past and newer gardens. Historic District of Annapolis, MD. See www.hammondharwoodhouse.org

• Sunday, June 9, 1–5pm 2024 Takoma Park House and Garden Tour

This year’s tour has a focus on native plant gardens. Takoma Park, MD. Tickets can be purchased online at historictakoma.org.

• Saturday, June 8, 10am–4pm Fairfax County, VA, Garden Conservancy Open Day

Three private gardens are on the tour, along with Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Fairfax County, VA. See https://www.gardenconservancy.org/open-days/.

• Saturday, June 22, 10am–3pm Victorian Garden Tour

The Mountain Laurel Garden Club hosts the Victorian Garden Tour features eight gardens in historic Mountain Lake Park. Garrett County, MD. For details, visit www.MountainLaurelGardenClub.com. o Shepherd Park Garden Tour

Georgetown Garden Tour

Salad Greens: Endive, Escarole, Mustard, and Cress

By Barbara Melera

Of all the vegetables that you can grow in a garden, the salad greens are the easiest. With mulching, they often can be harvested into the early winter. They can easily be grown in containers and with a bright-enough window, a few can be grown indoors. If you are just getting started in gardening, they are some of the first plants you should try to grow. If you have been a gardener for years, there are numerous varieties that you may have never grown. If there is a vegetable group that could be considered the staple of the American vegetable garden, it would be the group of vegetables known as salad greens.

The Heirloom Frisée, Green Curled Ruffec

Endive (Chicorium endivia) is the broad class of greens that include the frisées and the escaroles. It is thought to have originated in either India or the Mediterranean. It has been cultivated and used for culinary purposes since ancient times. The Greeks, Egyptians, and Romans all grew these greens and used them in salads. The Endives prefer cool weather, but are less frost-hardy than the other salad greens discussed here.

Green Curled Ruffec, known as Frisée, has been a part of American gardens since the mid-1800s. Its highly serrated, curled leaves make it a beautiful addition to any salad. It forms a rosette rather than a head and these rosettes can be very large (16–18 inches). Unlike many leafy vegetables, it tolerates cold, wet weather well and with mulching, will winter over in USDA Hardiness Zones 7 and higher. It is highly recommended as a Second Season crop. It takes 75–100 days to reach maturity.

Heirloom Escarole, Batavian Broad-Leaved

Fearing Burr, in his landmark book Field and Garden Vegetables of America, published in 1863, discusses Batavian Broad-Leaved as an escarole. Heads are large (12–16 inches) and covered with thick fleshy leaves. The hearts are creamy-white and buttery. This escarole is often used in soups or sautéed as well as in salads. It takes 85–90 days to reach maturity and can withstand light frosts.

Endive should be direct-seeded as soon as the ground can be worked in

the spring. Cover the seed with a dusting of soil. Plant in rows that are 18–24 inches apart. When the seedlings are 1–3 inches tall, thin them, leaving 12 inches between plants.

Blanching endive makes the leaves much sweeter, so it is recommended to cover the heads with a darkcolored flower pot 7–10 days before they reach maturity. In Colonial times, the plants were dug up before a hard frost, for an extended harvest, leaving as much soil as possible clinging to the roots, and then replanted in a root cellar or basement in loose sand. They were then harvested throughout the winter as needed.

Heirloom Cress Curled aka Pepper Cress

Cress (Lepedium sativum) is native to Europe, particularly the Mediterranean, where it has been cultivated for thousands of years. Due to its strong, tangy, peppery flavor, it was often known as the “poor mans’ pepper.” It was brought to the United States in the 1600s by early colonists and became a staple of the American kitchen garden. It provides a welcome contrast to the bland-

ness of a lettuce salad and is used as a condiment in soups and stews. Cress should be planted as soon as the ground can be worked. Seeds should be covered with ½ inch of soil in rows 18 inches apart. When the seedlings are 2 inches tall, thin them, leaving 12 inches between plants. Harvest throughout the season by aggressively cutting single leaves or by cutting off the entire rosette.

Heirloom Mustard, Green Wave

Mustard Green Wave (Brassica juncea) is a fairly new heirloom. It was introduced in 1957 and officially became an heirloom variety in 2007. Each year at our Harvesting History Heirloom Plant Sale, which takes place in May on the weekend after Mother’s Day, we have a mustard tasting, and we ask people to vote on which mustard they like the most. They sample baby mustard greens. Each year, the hands-down winner is Green Wave (pictured on opposite page).

The young sprouts have a slight horseradish flavor very distinctive and delicious. Mustard can be eaten as a micro green, baby mustard (the thinnings from the garden), and a mature plant. As a mature plant, it is usually cooked.

Mustards were an important part of the Colonial American diet, probably because they are so cold-tolerant. They can be grown throughout the winter, with some mulching, in Zone 6 and higher.

Green Wave grows very well in a container and is one of the showiest edible ornamentals you will ever grow. It is called Green Wave because the mature plant leaves arch elegantly backward like the cresting of an ocean wave, and the dense curling at the edges of these leaves is reminiscent of the froth that roils up just as the wave is about to crash. This is a gorgeous, delicious, and historic plant.

Growing Tips

All salad greens require cool weather and fertile, well-drained garden soil. Hot weather causes most salad greens to immediately produce a flower spike and go to seed—also known as bolting. When salad greens bolt, the leaves

take on a bitter, unpleasant taste. In the spring, plant as soon as the ground can be worked. Soil should be deeply spaded before planting. Rows should be 12–18 inches apart. When seedlings are 2 inches high, thin them, leaving space between plants as indicated above. Adding lime to the soil before planting will sweeten the salad greens.

Salad greens are best direct-seeded in succession plantings spaced two weeks apart. Seeds should be planted up to half an inch deep (depending on rhe variety) in rows 12–18 inches apart and thinned when the seedlings are 1–3 inches tall.

All types of salad greens can be grown in containers. Salad greens grown in containers can be started at least two weeks earlier than in-groundgrown salad greens, but containergrown salad greens will also go to seed sooner and so must be watched closely for signs of bolting. Salad greens also make excellent fall crops. Seeds should be planted 8–10 weeks before the first frost date in autumn. Salad greens can begin to be harvested when the leaves are approximately 3 inches long. Heading greens should be harvested before the central crown begins to elongate and bolt.

Final Thoughts

Salad greens are some of the most nutritious vegetables that we consume. Escarole and Frisée are rich in Vitamins B6, D, and C, calcium, magnesium, and iron. The Mustards and Cress contain Omega-3 fatty acids, copper, phosphorus, and zinc. In addition to salads, they can be used in soups, egg dishes, and as condiments in sauces like tomato sauce. Some like cress, frisée, and escarole can be gently cooked and served as wilted greens with garlic.

As noted in the introduction, these salad greens are among the easiest of all plants to grow from seed. Combine this with the fact that they are among the most nutritious of all food sources and you truly have a winning combination. o

Barbara Melera is president of Harvesting History (www.harvesting-history.com), a company that sells horticultural and agricultural products, largely of the heirloom variety, along with garden tools and equipment.

GROUNDCOVER REVOLUTION IS OUT NOW!

By Kathy Jentz

Published by Cool Springs Press

Order it today at: https://amzn.to/3IlYHYL

“Groundcover Revolution is must-have book for anyone who is interested in having less lawn, fewer weeds, and reduced mulching. The properties charts will save the reader time and money, the pictures provide inspiration, while the detailed plant portraits give the focused information needed for creating beautiful, functional landscapes.”

―C.L. Fornari, GardenLady.com

“Inspire. Connect. Grow.”

The National Garden Bureau is a nonprofit organization that exists to educate, inspire, and motivate people to increase the use of garden seed, plants, and products in homes, gardens, and workplaces by being the marketing arm of the gardening industry. Our members are experts in the field of horticulture and our information comes directly from these sources. Find out more at https://ngb.org/

Cheer s to the Azalea Cocktail

By Kathy Jentz

The Azalea cocktail is fruity and fun. This pink libation is traditionally served at the Masters Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, but there is no reason you can’t enjoy it anytime. Here is an easy recipe for trying this cocktail at home.

Ingredients

1 part lime (or lemon) juice

1 part pineapple juice

3 parts gin or vodka*

Splash of grenadine**

Ice

*To make a mocktail version (without alcohol), you can substitute in a nonalcoholic gin like Lyre’s Dry London Spirit or Cedar’s Distilled Non-Alcoholic Spirit. You can also use a good tonic water.

**Add just enough grenadine to turn the drink pink. If you don’t have any on hand, you can use cherry, cranberry, or pomegranate juice instead.

Directions

Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake well, then strain into tall cocktail glasses filled halfway with ice. Serve immediately.

Variations

To make it creamy, add 2 parts whipping cream to the shaker when mixing it. To make it fizzy, add one part sparkling wine to the glass and use a bit less ice. Some “cheat” recipes use a shortcut of lemonade instead of the fruit juices.

Garnish

Add a small slice of fresh pineapple, lemon, or lime. You can also skewer a curl of lime/lemon peel, along with a maraschino cherry on a cocktail pick.

Caution!

Note that no part of any azalea plant should actually be consumed. Azaleas

contain grayanotoxins that can cause cardiac disorders and other health issues. Which is too bad, because otherwise, it would make a nice-looking garnish. Place the azalea flower next to the glass or in a nearby vase. o

Kathy Jentz is the editor of Washington Gardener and is collecting floral cocktail recipes.

There is a ‘Cocktail’ azalea. It is part of the Glenn Dale Hybrids. (There is also a ‘Cordial’ azalea in that collection.)

Pink cocktail photo by Wesley Tingey, Unsplash.com.

Photo by Dan Krabill.

The Insect Artist: How to Observe, Draw, and Paint Butterflies, Bees, and More

Author: Zebith Stacy Thalden

Publisher: Timber Press

List Price: $27.99

Order Links: https://amzn.to/4457tn4 and https://bookshop.org/ a/79479/9781604697964

Reviewer: Cassie Peo

The Insect Artist: How to Observe, Draw, and Paint Butterflies, Bees, and More is a comprehensive and fully illustrated guide to drawing and painting the wonderful world of insects. This step-by-step guide offers a complete course in making creative and lifelike artwork, in various mediums. Each project lists what supplies you will need and takes you through the process with both written and illustrated steps and instructions. The 15 projects included are designed to build on each other with clear instructions and visual aids that describe each step of the creative process. Reference photos are also included to show the anatomy and colors of each insect. This book sparks creativity and helps readers connect with nature through each project.

Author and artist Zebith Stacy Thalden highlights the natural beauty of insects and biodiversity through her guide and illustrations by combining art and ecology. She received a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and an MFA, focused on painting and entomology, from Goddard College. Thalden provides clear, stepby-step instructions, starting with basic

shapes, and teaches you how to build on your artistic skills with each project. Her expertise shines through on each page as she breaks down the process of observing, drawing, and painting insects in ways accessible to beginners and more experienced artists.

This book covers everything from essential tools and materials, to techniques, to how to prepare before you start your work, saying it is “important that you acknowledge your creative experience so that you set up a framework for expressive freedom and selfencouragement.”

The book is split into three main sections: Level 1: Foundational Skill Building, Level 2: Composition and Environments, and Level 3: Advanced Techniques. The first section’s projects are designed to strengthen core creative skills and establish a creative process to help you succeed in any project. Tips and tricks along the way teach you how to minimize mistakes and address issues when they occur. The second section expands your skills by teaching color interaction, units of measurement, and aesthetic composition of designs. This section encourages you to consider the illustration process as a whole so you can make the best choices for your illustration. The third section helps you learn new techniques and address challenging subjects. Each project is focused on a specific topic and encourages you to further develop your own creative process so you will be able to apply the same process to any subject. The projects build on each other, explore new techniques, offer helpful tricks, and allow you to incorporate your skills into your process.

I was inspired to try out the first project, the Seven-spotted Ladybug Beetle, and had a great time sketching and following along with Thalden’s instructions and visual aids. This is a great book for artists at all levels and would make a good gift for anyone interested in the natural world and artistic expression. o

Cassie Peo is a senior at the University of Maryland in the Philip Merrill College of Journalism. This spring semester, she is an intern at Washington Gardener Magazine

Vegetable Gardening Made Easy: Simple Tips & Tricks to Grow Your Best Garden Ever

Author: Resh Gala

Publisher: Cool Springs Press/Quarto

List Price: $24.99

Order Links: https://amzn.to/3xJp5sz and https://bookshop.org/ a/79479/9780760381502

Reviewer: Hannah Zozobrado

Resh Gala’s book Vegetable Gardening Made Easy: Simple Tips & Tricks to Grow Your Best Garden Ever is a personable, amateur-friendly read that presents various gardening tricks, techniques, and tips in its eight chapters. With beautiful photography accompanying Gala’s insights on the garden, Vegetable Gardening Made Easy comprehensively teaches its readers a wide range in skill set, from effectively eliminating weeds to using hoop houses as a means of extending your growing season. Gala encourages a love for gardening through this simple step-by-step guide about how to “enjoy bountiful harvests while feeling a sense of accomplishment and empowerment that you grew your own food.”

Gala is a self-taught gardener, with her first experience in vegetable gardening being failed tomato plants. Since then, however, she has honed her craft; today, Gala is the owner and founder of Hundred Tomatoes, LLC and has her MBA in marketing and business strategy.

Born and raised in New Jersey, she has been featured in New Jersey

Monthly magazine and was named Burpee Home Gardens’ 2020 gardener of the year.

Readers can expect to better understand how soil health is critical in effective vegetable growth and how to navigate pest control, garden in the winter, and solve common growing issues, along with numerous other how-tos.

Beyond the helpful content in the book for any vegetable gardener, the layout of the book is easy to follow and facilitates the purpose of the book: presenting “Simple Tips & Tricks to Grow Your Best Garden Ever” for beginners and non-beginners, alike.

As someone with little knowledge of gardening, I found the steps easy to follow as I read through the chapters. The book lacks garden jargon and is made simple for those who may not know where to start in their vegetable gardening journey. What I know of vegetable gardens is whatever my own mother has taught me before, and to read Vegetable Gardening Made Easy while knowing that Gala herself is also self-taught is encouraging—for me and likely many others. o

Hannah Zozobrado is a senior at the University of Maryland in the Philip Merrill College of Journalism. This spring semester, she is an intern at Washington Gardener Magazine.

Nature at Your Door: Connecting with the Wild and Green in the Urban and Suburban Landscape

Author: Sara A. Gagné

Publisher: Stackpole Books

List Price: $29.95

Order Links: https://amzn.to/3Umr6nk and https://bookshop.org/ a/79479/9780811772266

Reviewer: Teri Speight

This is quite the informative book, filled with usable information, relevant to urban, as well as suburban settings. Many times, it is hard to address both conditions with one reference. However, author Sara A. Gagné has done an excellent job of assessing the needs of the total landscape and beyond.

Gagné instructs the reader on how to observe issues that might be present, as well as how to resolve any issues using environmentally sound best practices.

One of my favorite chapters in the book addresses the street. Our landscaping affects not just our yards, but the streets we live on. A lot of attention is being placed on the importance of trees. We have learned how treescaping can reduce the heat zones that hover over our communities. The author offers a list of best practices for tree care for suburban or urban sites.

Many readers enjoy a good walk in the park. These public spaces are always seeking volunteers or “Friends” to help keep the parks beautiful for all to enjoy. There are Green Teams, Litter Patrols, Earth Day programming, and more that invite the public in to assist with park maintenance. This is just another way for anyone to connect with nature in a way that fits their skillset. When communities become active in these efforts, passersby can tell the residents take the time to care about the conditions of their surroundings.

From butterfly highways to basic storm water management to sound conservation practices, this book is quite useful to have in the toolbox of knowledge. I could see it as a basic manual for how to show you care in your community, and I recommend it for homeowners to urban planners. o

Teresa J. Speight is a garden speaker, podcaster, blogger, and author. You can find her work and links at Cottage in the Court, https://cottageinthecourt.com/.

Private Gardens of Philadelphia

Author: Nicole Juday

Photographer: Rob Cardillo

Publisher: Gibbs Smith

List Price: $60.00

Order Links: https://amzn.to/3QxMKTB and https://bookshop.org/

a/79479/9781423663935

Reviewer: Jim Dronenburg

This “garden guide” is about private estates in the Philadelphia, PA, region. It presents 21 gardens—well, actually, only a few would fit your reviewer’s idea of “garden” and the rest of them are estates. Some give the owner’s name(s) and some do not. Some, like David Culp’s garden, are actually stated as “open for tours.” Some owners are identified. At least one set of owners wished to remain private. In all cases, however, the photographs are spectacular. They cover, overall, the whole year, but not the whole year for each garden. A lot of the photos are of springtime, but there is a good amount of highsummer photos, too.

The text for each garden gives its history—one garden in particular “invented its history” in 1993, with the landscape architect and the owners coming up with the theme of a practical farmer “long ago” who came into money. (The land was originally agricultural, but the farmhouse was long gone; only a bank barn remained.) This is perhaps the most original “story”—but of course, every piece of property in the Philadelphia story has some history. Many of the estates come from the era of the industrial barons, who erected mansions and created estates in the then-fashionable new neighborhoods. Some of these estates have an unbroken history of prosperity. Others fell into neglect and were restored/re-imagined. Garden staff can be assumed, of course, in all but one or two cases where the owner stated that they do it all themselves.

For the most part, also of course, these “gems” took money to make and take money to maintain. A couple of them have rafts of greenhouses that your reviewer would give his eyeteeth to see. (One garden’s owners, in particular, are not just garden owners, but plant nuts who contribute plants each year to the competitions

in the Philadelphia Flower Show.)

Some photos are riots of bloom; others, in contrast, show areas of cool, soothing green. Some show farm animals—yes, there are farm areas in the Philadelphia region—and one garden provides a home for homeless animals and birds. The text mentions the peafowl—peacocks and peahens—as being no respecters of boundaries, so that most of this estate’s neighbors perforce have peafowl, too.

Hardscapes are showcased as well as plants. A great many photos show hardscape dominating. The text mentions landscape designers for many properties (the Olmsted group through to the present). While summerhouses and the like are not your reviewer’s passion, the older stoneworks of the industrial-baron age are magnificent.

The text is good, but this is primarily a coffee-table book. Photos run from full-page shots to multiple-photo pages, documenting panoramas, individual flowers, statuary, vignettes with (and without) parts of the houses, and everything in between.

In short, this is probably not a book to buy and keep, unless you have a vacant coffee table. It is, most certainly, a book to read. There are ideas here worth copying in smaller spaces. And if you have a larger acreage than most, you might indeed want to buy this book. The rest of us can march down to our libraries and demand it. It’s more than worth the effort of asking the libraries to get it. o

Jim Dronenburg is a retired accountant and now gardens full-time in Knoxville, MD

The Climate Change Resilient Vegetable Garden: How to Grow Food in a Changing Climate

Author: Kim Stoddart

Publisher:Cool Springs Press/Quarto

List Price: $28.99

Order Links: https://amzn.to/44b4N7p and https://bookshop.org/ a/79479/9780760384732

Reviewer: Beth Py-Lieberman

Anyone who took up gardening anytime over the past three decades is certainly making changes to their seasonal habits and routines. Whether it’s dealing with water retention issues, pest and fungus control, or extreme weather conditions, gardeners are undeniably the frontline veterans, seeing, feeling, and experiencing the impacts of global climate change.

Kim Stoddart, the award-winning UK journalist and educator, is expert at designing climate-change resilient, low-cost spaces; and capturing that solution-oriented spirit of the savvy gardener to help towns and cities fund community gardens and projects. Her new book, The Climate Change Resilient Vegetable Garden, is packed with loads of tips and advice to not just ward off seasonal catastrophes, but spark in her readers their own inventive ideas and solutions. We are all in this together, Stoddart says.

“It’s no longer gardening, seasons, or indeed life, as usual,” she writes. “This is why gardening in a climate changesavvy way is as much about connection and resilience in the gardener as it is the actual vegetable garden itself.” As gardeners, we know innately how to make decisions based on any type of weather at any given moment. But now it’s time to break some of the rules and traditions. Stoddart encourages gardeners to gain knowledge by “working with, and learning from, others, the individual growing conditions where you live, and the natural world at large.”

One relic of the past, she warns, is striving for the image gardeners create of that picture-perfect garden. That false aesthetic that we’ve all seen time and again on television and film of rows of cabbages emerging among neat carrot tops, backed by vine-ripened tomatoes is one we long to emulate. Achieving anything like it requires

huge amounts of work to keep nature in check. Instead, she urges gardeners to embrace “a wilder, less structured garden.” In this way, your garden becomes “cheaper to run” and more likely to be more “resilient in a changing climate.”

We live with frightening rapid changes always on the horizon. Last summer for the first time in the DC-area, smoke from the northern wild fires kept us indoors for several days. Rain comes now in deluges. Cold snaps followed by sudden bursts of intense spring heat shrivel our early plantings.

We as gardeners are doing our part, watching over tiny parcels of land where carbon capture takes place as we embrace no-till soil practices. We save seeds, recover and restore gardening knowledge for our young people, help to grow extra food for our communities, and create oases within cities where community gardens attract birds, moths, butterflies, bees, rabbits, and multitudes of insects to our plants. We watch and listen and find solutions to the myriad challenges.

Stoddart’s book is packed with ideas to foster still more. Your garden, she points out, “is a place where you can help reverse nature’s decline.”o

Beth Py-Lieberman is the author of the 2023 book The Object at Hand: Intriguing and Inspiring Stories from the Smithsonian Collections. Until her retirement in December, Py-Lieberman served as the senior museums editor at the award-winning Smithsonian magazine, where over a 37-year-career, she frequented the halls and galleries of the Smithsonian museums, educating readers about its history, art, and science collections; and exhibitions.

TwoEphemeralsExceptional

So…..my esteemed editor/publisher, chief cook, and bottle-washer of this fine publication that you now have in your hands, Kathy Jentz, comes to me to through cyberspace and announces that as always, my article is overdue. Kathy always has great suggestions for content and suggested Anemone nemorosa, but just as I was emailing her back to tell her that Anemone nemorosa was a fine plant and I do grow it—but it is NOT native, she caught the error herself and like magic, our emails passed each other in cyberspace. Again, another great-minds-think-alike moment. As I was about to suggest Anemone quinquifolia, she had the same brainstorm, so once again, our emails crossed paths in cyberspace.

My caveat was that although we both thought it was a wonderful plant to profile, it would be a stretch to fill a page with a story about it, so I proposed a “two-fer”: a plant that is almost always found growing near or with Anemone quinquifolia a naturally occurring com-

By Barry Glick

panion plant, Maianthemum canadense.

Let’s see what should we talk about first. I’ll just flip a coin, because I love them both equally—and Anemone quinquifolia wins.

When you see the tiny little tuber that this plant grows from, you wouldn’t expect much, but don’t let that diminutive size fool you. Like many spring ephemerals, it produces a nice-sized plant reliably every year. Don’t let the name fool you either, although in Latin, quinquifolia means five-leaved or five leaflets, sometimes even on a mature plant, you will see only three leaflets. This is a tough plant that has plenty of strength to poke its way up through a good layer of leaf litter, but give it a little help by removing any winter deadfall or debris and you will get a larger, more robust plant. The pure-white, star-like flower that appears in early to mid-April lasts as long as a couple weeks if your soil is rich and moist, but well-drained. (I always thought that phrase was misleading and un-understandable, but you

know what I mean—no standing water.) Anemone quinquifolia will gently seed itself around, but will never be considered aggressive or invasive.

I could say ditto to all of the information about Maianthemum canadense, but there are differences. Instead of a small tuber, Maianthemum canadense grows from a tiny, thread-like rhizome. At the end of each “thread” is a small bud that produces a single leaf the shape of a philodendron leaf. This leaf is vertical and when the plant is mature and happy, there comes a stem of pure-white flowers that are incredibly fragrant. If you are fortunate enough to achieve pollination, you will be rewarded with a stem of bright-red berries in autumn. You’ll notice a similarity between these red berries and the red berries produced by the plant formerly known as Smilacina racemosa, now known as, wait for it…Maianthemum racemosum also known as False Solomon’s Seal, a name that I’m not particularly fond of, so how about Solomon’s Plume? This plant was moved from the Lily family to the Convallariaceae family to join Maianthemum canadense in familial bliss. Where the botanical name originates should be obvious to just about anyone with even a faint knowledge of Latin and botanical nomenclature, especially if I tell you that it blooms pretty reliably around the first week of May.

I know that I have omitted a lot of info here and I can only blame that on the fact that it is spring in the nursery business and I am working 90 hours a week, but Kathy is the best editor and publisher, and this magazine has such a large and loyal following that I would lose what little sleep I do get if I had to disappoint her. Now, as her proofing colleague cleans up my run-on sentences, spelling errors, and general grammar, I hope you will discover these two gems on your next foray into the woods. o

Barry Glick, a transplanted Philadelphian, has been residing in Greenbrier County, WV, since 1972. His mountaintop garden and nursery is a mecca for gardeners from virtually every country in the world. He writes and lectures extensively about native plants and Hellebores, his two main specialties, and welcomes visitors with advance notice. He can be reached at barry@sunfarm.com, www. sunfarm.com, or 304.497.2208.

BACK ISSUE SALE!

YOU CAN REQUEST A SINGLE COPY OF PRINT BACK ISSUES FOR $6 EACH OR ANY 6 BACK ISSUES FOR $24, OR ALL 40+ PRINT BACK ISSUES FOR JUST $100. PRICE INCLUDES POSTAGE AND HANDLING. PLEASE SPECIFY THE ISSUE DATE(S). ORDER MUST BE PREPAID BY CHECK OR MONEY ORDER. SEND ORDERS TO: WASHINGTON GARDENER, 826 PHILADELPHIA AVE., SILVER SPRING, MD 20910

MARCH/APRIL

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MAY/JUNE 2005

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JULY/AUGUST 2005

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005

• Container

• Clematis Vines

• Sponge Gardening/Rain

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2005

• Backyard Bird Habitats

• Hellebores

• Building a Coldframe

• Bulb Planting Basics

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006

• Garden Decor Principles

• Primroses

• Tasty Heirloom Veggies

• U.S. Botanic Garden

MARCH/APRIL 2006

• Top 10 Small Trees and Large Shrubs

• Azaleas

• Figs, Berries, & Persimmons

• Basic Pruning Principles

MAY/JUNE 2006

• Using Native Plants in Your Landscape

• Crabgrass

• Peppers

• Secret Sources for Free Plants

JULY/AUGUST 2006

• Hydrangeas

• Theme Gardens

• Agave

• Find Garden Space by Growing Up

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2006

• Shade Gardening

• Hosta Care Guide

• Fig-growing Tips and Recipes

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2006

• Horticultural Careers

• Juniper Care Guide

• Winter Squash Growing Tips and Recipes

• Layer/Lasagna Gardening

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2007

• Indoor Gardening

• Daphne Care Guide

• Asparagus Growing Tips and Recipes

• Houseplant Propagation

MARCH/APRIL 2007

• Stormwater Management

• Dogwood Selection & Care Guide

• Early Spring Vegetable Growing Tips

• Franciscan Monastery Bulb Gardens

MAY/JUNE 2007

• Roses: Easy Care Tips

• Native Roses & Heirloom Roses

• Edible Flowers

• How to Plant a Bare-root Rose

JULY/AUGUST 2007

• Groundcovers: Alternatives to Turfgrass

• How to Pinch, Prune, & Dead-head

• William Paca House & Gardens

• Hardy Geraniums

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2007

• Succulents: Hardy to our Region

• Drought-Tolerant Natives

• Southern Vegetables

• Seed Saving Savvy Tips

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2007

• Gardening with Children

• Indoor Bulb-Forcing Basics

• National Museum of the American Indian

• Versatile Viburnums

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008

• Dealing with Deer

• Our Favorite Garden Tools

• Delightful Daffodils

MARCH/APRIL 2008

• Patio, Balcony, Rooftop Container Gardens

• Our Favorite Garden Tools

• Coral Bells (Heuchera)

MAY/JUNE 2008

• Growing Great Tomatoes

• Glamorous Gladiolus

• Seed-Starting Basics

• Flavorful Fruiting Natives

JULY/AUGUST 2008

• Landscaping with Ornamental Grasses

• Edible Grasses to Graze On

• Slug and Snail Control

• Sage Advice: Sun-Loving Salvias

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008

• Autumn Edibles — What to Plant Now

• Beguiling Barrenworts (Epimediums)

• Best Time to Plant Spring-blooming Bulbs

• 14 Dry Shade Plants Too Good to Overlook

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008

• Outdoor Lighting Essentials

• How to Prune Fruiting Trees, Shrubs, Vines

• 5 Top Tips for Overwintering Tender Bulbs

• Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2009

• Compost Happens: Nature’s Free Fertilizer

• Managing Stormwater with a Rain Garden

• Visiting Virginia’s State Arboretum

• Grow Winter Hazel for Winter Color

MARCH/APRIL 2009

• 40+ Free and Low-cost Local Garden Tips

• Spring Edibles Planting Guide

• Testing Your Soil for a Fresh Start

• Redbud Tree Selection and Care

• Best Viewing Spots for Virginia Bluebells

MAY/JUNE 2009

• Top Easy Summer Annuals for DC Heat

• Salad Table Project

• Grow and Enjoy Eggplant

• How to Chuck a Woodchuck

SUMMER 2009

• Grow Grapes in the Mid- Atlantic

• Passionflowers

• Mulching Basics

• Growing Hops

FALL 2009

• Apples

• How to Save Tomato Seeds

• Persimmons

WINTER 2009

• Battling Garden Thugs

• How to Start Seeds Indoors

• Red Twig Dogwoods

• Unusual Edibles to Grow in Our Region

SPRING 2010

• Community Gardens

• Building a Raised Bed

• Dwar f Iris

• Broccoli

SUMMER 2010

• Fragrance Gardens

• Watering Without Waste

• Lavender

• Potatoes

FALL 2010

• Vines and Climbers

• Battling Stink Bugs

• Russian Sage

• Garlic

WINTER 2010

• Paths and Walkways

• Edgeworthia

• Kohlrabi

SPRING 2011

• Cutting-Edge Gardens

• Final Frost Dates and When to Plant

• Bleeding Hearts

• Onions

SUMMER 2011

• Ornamental Edibles

• Urban Foraging

• Amsonia/Arkansas Blue Star

• Growing Corn in the Mid-Atlantic

FALL 2011

• Herb Gardens

• Toad Lilies

• Sweet Potatoes

• Cool Weather Cover Crops

WINTER 2011/EARLY SPRING 2012

• Green Roofs and Walls

• Heaths and Heathers

• Radishes

SPRING 2012

• Pollinator Gardens

• Brunnera: Perennial of the Year

• Growing Yacon

SUMMER 2012

• Tropical Gardens

• Captivating Canna

• Icebox Watermelons

SPRING 2013

• Great Garden Soil

• All About Asters

• Squash Vine Borer

SUMMER/FALL 2013

• Miniature/Faerie Gardens

• Beguiling Abelias

• Growing Great Carrots

WINTER/EARLY SPRING 2014

• Ferns for the Mid-Atlantic

• Chanticleer Gardens

• Beet Growing Basics

Got a Garden Question?

Got a gardening question you need answered? Send your questions to KathyJentz@gmail. com and use the subject line “Q&A.”

Please also include your first name, last initial, and what city and state you are writing from. Then look for your answered questions in upcoming issues.

Jentz Prints

Antique Botanical Prints for the decorator, collector, connoisseur, and art lover.

Jentz Prints can be purchased most weekends (weather-dependent) at the world-famous Eastern Market.

Antique prints are affordable—most in the $10-$30 range—and they are the perfect gift idea for that plant lover in your life. And don’t forget to buy a few for yourself!

For more information or to get a detailed show schedule, please contact Jentz Prints by email at UllrichJ@aol.com.