Washington Gardener July 2020

JULY 2020 VOL. 15 NO. 5

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gardener

the magazine for gardening enthusiasts in the Mid-Atlantic region

Growing Native Cardinal Flower 7 Essential Summer Tasks Guerrilla Gardening: Sowing Seeds of Hope

It’s Not Too Late!

Start a Victory Garden Now Hirshhorn’s Concept for a Revitalized Sculpture Garden Nancy Ross Hugo: Author, Garden Writer, Instructor What to Do in the Garden this Month

Smooth Hydrangea:

Taming the “Wild” Hydrangea

9 Steps to Bring Back Fireflies to Your Yard

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RESOURCESsourc

Need a Garden Club Speaker?

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.

Green Spring Gardens

www.greenspring.org

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.

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GARDENER AND COLLECTOR ����������������������������������������� ���� ����������������������������������������� ����� Barry Glick ������������������������������������������ Sunshine Farm and Gardens 696 Glicks Road ��������������������������������������������� ��� �� �� ��� � Renick, WV 24966, USA �������������������������������������������� ��� �� �� ��� Email: barry@sunfarm.com

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Izel Plants

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Ask Maryland’s Garden Experts extension.umd.edu/hgic

We offer cost effective options to cover a lot of ground, including containerized plants and retail-elusive plugs. Easily find the species that are best suited to your specific needs, from popular ones to those that are rare and hard to find.

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FEATURES and COLUMNS

Nancy Ross Hugo is a floral designer with a passion for wildflowers, weeds, and other important yet underappreciated plants.

During her career, she has taught floral design to amateurs and experts, practiced floral design professionally, and conducted workshops all over the MidAtlantic.

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Win a free tube of Zanfel poison ivy wash!

See contest details on page 5.

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Lunar Bird, a bronze sculpture by Joan Miró, in the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. The museum with its two-level sculpture garden opened on the National Mall in 1974. Photo courtesy of DCgardens.com.

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Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) prefers moist, damp soils. It is a good choice for planting near water gardens and ponds, or any garden areas that are prone to occasionally waterlogged soil.

BOOKreviews 18-20 Cocktails and Infusions, Indoor Jungle, Plant Medicine, Botanicals, Organic Compost DAYtrip 6-7 Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden EDIBLEharvest 16 Not Too Late for Victory Garden GOINGnative 22 Cardinal Flower GREENliving 8-9 Guerrilla Gardening INSECTindex 21 Nine Steps for Bringing Fireflies Back to Your Yard NEIGHBORnetwork 14-15 Nancy Ross Hugo NEWPLANTspotlight 11 Monarda ‘Berry Taffy’ PLANTprofile 17 Smooth Hydrangea TIPStricks 10 Essential Garden Tasks, Water Gardening Plants, Smart Irrigation Month

DEPARTMENTS

ADVERTISINGindex BLOGlinks EDITORletter GARDENcontest GARDENDCpodcasts LOCALevents MONTHLYtasklist NEXTissue READERreactions RESOURCESsources

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ON THE COVER

A Smooth Hydrangea spills over a retaining wall in Takoma Park, MD.

In our August issue: Garden Myths and Scams A Honeybee Meadow and much more . . .

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Click on the “subscribe” link at washingtongardener.com

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Credits

EDITORletter

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 Hadley Baker Taylor Calavetinos Anastazja Kolodziej Interns Cover price: $4.99 Back issues: $6.00 Subscription: $20.00

Your editor behind the mask in the community garden. Photo by Taylor Calavetinos.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

I have been giving a lot of thought lately to the concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the garden and how those lessons can be applied to society as a whole.

Over the last century, we have seen time and time again how planting monoculture communities of one species has proven disastrous—from the rapid decline of the American Elm to the ‘Victoria’ oat blight. When one species is used extensively, it is perfectly set up for a sudden demise. Sure, it is simpler and much easier to tend field after field and front lawn after front lawn of one plant type, but that is not how nature works. As Michael Pollan wrote, “a field of identical plants will be exquisitely vulnerable to insects, weeds, and disease.”

The latest horticultural research shows that, in fact, the ideal planting communities are those that are matrixes of plant varieties. The matrix model includes plants that interweave and occupy different, overlapping spaces throughout multiple growing seasons. It helps to think of them as successive waves of peaks and valleys. As some plants hit their stride and bloom, others are just emerging, while still others are going to seed and creating a living mulch. Each has their own time to shine.

This can be a very complex operation. One plant can easily take the fore and run roughshod over other planting communities in its exuberance. It requires constant vigilance and selective editing on the behalf of the gardener to ensure each plant has its growing space and an opportunity to succeed. It is not always easy and there are hard decisions to be made. We want all of our plants to be their best at all times, but that may not be entirely possible with limited resources.

Which ones get the beneficial extra water, mulching, and fertilizer? It is the ones who we pay attention to out of proximity and habit. They are the plants we remember from previous seasons and are familiar with caring for. The other plants cannot speak up and say, “Look after me!” if we never stop and listen to them.

Not to lay it on too thick here, but I believe this matrix model of planting can teach us a great deal about interacting with our fellow human beings.

Happy gardening,

WASHINGTON GARDENER

• Washington Gardener is a womanowned business. We are proud to be members of: · GardenComm (GWA: The Association for Garden Communicators) · Green America Magazine Leaders Network · Green America Business Network Volume 15, Number 5 ISSN 1555-8959 © 2020 Washington Gardener All rights reserved. Published monthly.

No material may be reproduced without prior written permission. This magazine is purchased by the buyer with the understanding that the information presented is from various sources from which there can be no warranty or responsibility by the publisher as to legality, completeness, or technical accuracy.

Kathy Jentz, Editor/Publisher, Washington Gardener KathyJentz@gmail.com 4

• Washington Gardener Blog: www.washingtongardener.blogspot.com • Washington Gardener Archives: http://issuu.com/washingtongardener • Washington Gardener Discussion Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ WashingtonGardener/ • Washington Gardener Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/WDCGardener • Washington Gardener Instagram: www.instagram.com/wdcgardener • Washington Gardener Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Washington GardenerMagazine/ • Washington Gardener YouTube: www.youtube.com/ washingtongardenermagazine • Washington Gardener Store: www.amazon.com/shop/wdcgardener • Washington Gardener Podcast: https://anchor.fm/kathy-jentz/

JULY 2020

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Reader Contest

For our July 2020 Washington Gardener Magazine Reader Contest, Washington Gardener is giving away tubes of Zanfel Poison Ivy, Oak & Sumac Wash (prize value $40).

Zanfel® Poison Ivy, Oak & Sumac Wash (http://zanfel.com/) is a safe and effective topical solution for poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. It removes urushiol, the toxin responsible for the reaction, from the skin after bonding, enabling the affected area to immediately begin healing. After using Zanfel®, the itching and pain are the first things to be relieved, usually within 30 seconds. Zanfel has a 10-year shelf life.

To enter to win a tube of Zanfel, send an email to WashingtonGardenerMagazine @gmail.com by 5:00pm on Friday, July 31, with “Zanfel” in the subject line and in the body of the email. Tell us what your favorite article was in this issue and why.

Include your full name and address. Winners will be announced on August 1. o

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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.

June 2020 Issue For me, the most fascinating article by far in the June 2020 issue was the article on Shaun Spencer-Hester and the Anne Spencer House and Historic Garden Museum. First, Ms. SpencerHester has led a fascinating life with lots of twists and turns, but in which all paths lead to the job she is now holding at the House and Garden. I loved hearing about the varied things she has done in her life.

Secondly, the House and Garden sound beautiful and interesting. I have never been to Lynchburg, but just made a note in my calendar to check it out next spring.

Thanks for bringing both Ms. SpencerHester and the house and garden to my attention. ~ Barbara Delaney, Bethesda, MD My favorite articles in the June 2020 issue were a combination of “Foraging 101” and the Serviceberry plant profile.

While going on neighborhood walks, I discovered serviceberry plants with ripe berries. From the “Foraging 101” article, I learned that I could pick berries in public right-of-ways. I did not try out any recipes since the berries were so tasty on their own. Now I am telling family, friends, and co-workers to look out for serviceberries near them! ~ Katie Hart, Mount Rainier, MD My favorite article in the June 2020 issue is “Local Gardeners Share Their Surplus Harvest.” It’s inspiring to read about encouraging young gardeners, and not-so-young gardeners, to spread the wealth that is gardening. At this precarious time, it’s especially important to empower people to take care of themselves and others. Gardening for others is even better than gardening for yourself! ~ Catherine Jamieson, Arlington, VA My favorite article was “What causes plant stress.” It was so interesting and informative. I actually never thought of this as it compares to a human and it was quite enlightening. We are stewards of the care of our living plants. Finding the correct light, food, water, and love will make them thrive. Like we do!

Thank you!! ~ Donna Martin, Ashburn, VA o JULY 2020

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DAYtrip

Hirshhorn’s Concept for a Revitalized Sculpture Garden

By Anastazja Kolodziej

For the first time in 40 years, the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum is planning a redesign and renovation project of their Sculpture Garden. For many of the garden’s visitors, this project has raised a series of questions, such as what will the new experience be like? And how will it compare to the current design?

The Sculpture Garden was originally designed by Gordon Bunshaft and opened in 1974; in 1981, landscape architect Lester Collins renovated the garden to include more greenery. The concept design for the current proposed project, created by a team of architects led by Hiroshi Sugimoto—an architect and artist who remodeled the Hirshhorn’s lobby in 2018—and shared with the public in March 2019, incorporates many elements from both architects.

“We have to balance a historic design that has been crumbling with a new design program,” said Faye Harwell, the director and co-founder of Rhodeside & Harwell, the landscape architecture firm working on the project. “We work very, very hard to respect the historic elements and bring as many of those forward as we can.”

The idea for renovating and redesigning the Sculpture Garden arose 6

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from the need to repair the garden’s infrastructure. The two major planned infrastructure projects are replacement of concrete walls within the garden and addition of a stormwater management system, said Carly Bond, a Smithsonian historic preservation specialist.

In the past four years, the garden has seen three major “flood events,” Bond said. During heavy storms, water collects in the garden, and with no existing stormwater management system, the only way for the flooding to leave the Sculpture Garden is to be pumped out, she said.

In addition to fixing infrastructure, a main goal of the project is to establish the Hirshhorn Museum—the only Smithsonian museum “directly integrated” into the Mall—as a “front door” to the Mall, according to a Hirshhorn press release.

The garden is recessed below ground level, Harwell said. To make the garden more pronounced, the concept design, which was approved by federal agencies last summer, calls for an “enhanced entrance” from the Mall.

As modern art progresses and changes, the Hirshhorn seeks to adapt the garden appropriately by refining

A rendering of the preliminary concept design for revitalization of the Hirshhorn’s Sculpture Garden. Image courtesy of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.

garden rooms and spaces to house performances and display up to 50% more sculptures and installations, according to project documents. The plan also seeks to connect the garden and museum by restoring a linking underground passage from the original design. Another goal of the design is to make viewers more comfortable in the garden by increasing shade, seating, and accessibility options.

“As contemporary art continues to evolve, the Sculpture Garden must evolve as well,” Melissa Chiu, the Hirshhorn’s director, wrote to Washington Gardener in an emailed statement.

The Planting Plan

A new planting plan, including new trees and groundcover mixes, is a vital part of achieving these goals.

The plan divides the garden into five zones, each with specific plants selected to match the zone’s ambiance and purpose. The first zone, which surrounds the garden and connects it to the Hirshhorn and the Mall, currently

DAYtrip features Mt. Fuji cherry trees on the north border and American elms on the east and west sides. In the concept design, Yoshino cherry trees will be planted on the north side, and an Accolade elm will be planted to replace a missing American elm on the west.

The second zone, which serves as the entrance, will not include any new trees.

The plan includes a line of Kentucky coffeetrees and a katsura tree to separate the third zone, a central area that would house the reflecting pool, and the fourth zone to its west. With additional Kentucky coffeetrees on its northern and southern sides, the fourth zone would be a lawn area and a separated garden room. On the east side of the reflecting pool, two sugar maples, two katsuras, and two red maples would separate the fifth zone from the center. New walls, red maples, and loblolly pines would split this fifth zone, described by Harwell as the “most intimate zone of the garden,” into smaller spaces.

These garden rooms of the fourth and fifth zones follow the influence of Collins’ 1981 design. The lawn area in the fourth zone could be used for performances, while the smaller rooms in the fifth zone would “hold the collection of really important internationally known modernist works by [Auguste] Rodin, [Henri] Matisse, and others,” Harwell said.

The trees and grasses in the concept design, which is still preliminary and subject to change in the future, were selected to highlight the artwork and serve as a backdrop for the sculptures in the garden.

The main idea behind choosing tree types, Harwell said, was that they produce a gentle, but consistent, shade throughout most of the year.

“There’s really a whole lot of attention paid to texture, to the senses—not only the visual sense, but the sense of smell, and the feeling of the dappled shade and dappled light that are very important in the garden,” she said.

For the new grasses and groundcover plants, the concept design includes a diverse mix of species and types. The color palette for the grasses is mostly green and white, and any flowering plants in the design are small and delicate, such as lavender.

“The mix of plantings is being done as a kind of a stylized naturalism,” Harwell said. “You’re not going to get shapes and specific patterns in the planting—it will be really rather a blend of plants that becomes a texture almost like a carpet.”

The planting plan seeks to make the garden more sustainable by introducing a larger variety of native plants.

Although Collins’ 1981 renovation included a significant increase in greenery from the initial design, many of the plants he added were “not suitable for the climate of the Sculpture Garden,” said Bond.

“The new planting palette that we’re putting back is very much inspired by the cultural trees and types of tree cover that was in place in the 1980s,” Bond said. “It’s all very inspired, but we’re purposely putting in plants that are appropriate for the climate so that we can have a more sustainable garden.”

The cover plants from the concept design would be planted in different quantities, so the garden ends up with 60% coverage by native plants and 40% coverage by non-native species, Harwell said.

Public Input

In May, the Hirshhorn held a public meeting over Zoom to allow the public to share their opinions on the concept design, but The Cultural Landscape Foundation published a comment about the meeting on June 19, expressing dismay that the meeting did not offer a real opportunity for the public to give constructive or critical comments.

“The online meeting was carefully circumscribed to limit meaningful involvement by the official consulting parties, with tightly controlled question and answer sessions and little opportunity for follow-up,” the statement reads.

“Museum officials made clear, however, that they were only nominally interested in seriously addressing the adverse effects that the Hiroshi Sugimoto-led redesign would have on the historic core of the sunken sculpture garden, as detailed in the draft Assessment of Effects (AOE).”

On July 1, Docomomo International, a nonprofit concerned with the documentation and conservation of historical

buildings, published a statement on their website that listed issues brought up by speakers at the meeting. The statement included Docomomo’s own concern that the plan to replace the garden’s walls would set a precedent for “façade system replacements for other concrete-clad Modern buildings.”

The statements from The Cultural Landscape Foundation and Docomomo also mentioned concerns with the redesign for the reflecting pool, a central feature of the garden.

Bond, who is responsible for running the public meetings about the project, said the meetings have had a real effect on the design. She said the plan for the reflecting pool is in its sixth iteration.

“We keep changing and revising the design in response to comments that we’ve received to try to highlight more of the original 1974 pool dimension,” Bond said, adding that the Hirshhorn has been pleased to receive so many responses during its public meetings.

“It’s an important project for the National Mall and for the Hirshhorn and for the Smithsonian, and the public involvement, for me, reflects that,” she said. “It’s only for the betterment of the project, really, to have so much interest.”

This meeting, the fourth of its kind during this project, was part of a requirement laid out in Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. This section requires federal agencies to assess how a proposed project would affect historical properties by allowing citizens to voice concerns.

The next meeting date is uncertain, but may be in the early fall. In the meantime, the team will wrap up their assessment of possible risks posed by the project and begin to consider mitigation measures to offset negative effects, Bond said.

The Hirshhorn seeks to submit a final proposal to the National Capital Planning Commission by March 2021. o Anastazja Kolodziej is a rising senior at the University of Maryland, double-majoring in multiplatform journalism and the classics (Ancient Greek and Latin). On campus, she serves as an assistant managing editor at The Diamondback. She is an intern this summer with Washington Gardener.

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GREENliving

Guerrilla Gardening

Sowing Seeds of Hope

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Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash.

By Hadley Baker

Just like many of us in quarantine, a few months ago, Jess Staskal was looking for a new hobby to occupy her extended time at home. And, like many in quarantine, she turned to gardening.

Staskal posted online, asking if anyone in her neighborhood had a space for her to garden, since she lives in an apartment building without an outdoor area. She got a response from someone who plants in the L Street Guerrilla Garden in the NoMa neighborhood of Washington, DC, and invited her to plant there, Staskal said.

And that’s how Staskal started her new hobby not just of gardening, but guerrilla gardening.

“Guerrilla gardening is planting in locations that are public spaces or private property where permission has not been sought,” says Jim Guckert, founder of the Guerrilla Gardeners of Washington, DC, a nonprofit organization in the area. While some may see it as destructive, Guckert emphasizes that guerrilla gardening is “generally a benevolent act for the purpose of beautification, conservation, support for insect and bird populations or food production for humans or wildlife.”

Guckert founded the Guerrilla Gardeners of Washington, DC, last year as a way to raise funds to obtain land parcels around the city and beautify them for humans and wildlife. The group is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works in the area and can accept funding from corporate, community, and private organizations as well as tax-deductible donations from individuals, he says.

“We hope that our work increases the sense of community among the residents,” Guckert said. They aim to beautify public spaces around the Washington area that are currently neglected and often are eye-sores. He added that the group also focuses on areas that have the potential to support native pollinators that can help the bee and butterfly populations in the region.

While getting involved with an organization such as the Guerrilla Gardeners of Washington, DC, is a great option to start your journey in guerrilla gardening, doing so on your own is another good choice. Staskal works with her neighbor, planting in the L Street garden and

GREENliving another seasoned guerrilla gardener, Edna Truax, works on the grounds of the Sherwood Recreation Center in DC. Truax tracks her interest in gardening back to her childhood in World War II, when her father and brother grew vegetables in “Victory Gardens,” the term for home-grown vegetable plots. This term has resurfaced recently and is gaining popularity as many people have begun to grow their own vegetables in quarantine. In fact, our editor Kathy Jentz even held a webinar in June on the very topic of starting your own Victory Garden (see page 16).

Guerrilla gardening is often a bit less planned out than a Victory Garden, and focuses more on the beautification of public spaces rather than growing your own vegetables. Truax focused on planting trees around the recreation center, and now says they have about 50 or so in the area. She also added that, leading up to the entrance of the building, they have planted various flowering shrubs, as well as daffodils and tulips.

Staskal and her neighbor, however, have decided to focus mainly for growing vegetables.

They have grown “several types of potatoes and sweet potatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, and some herbs.”

Staskal adds that they are adding in a fall crop of greens, such as lettuce and kale, and a bed of asparagus and rhubarb. Clearly, the options for what to grow in a guerrilla garden near you are wide-ranging.

Before you start your own journey into guerrilla gardening, the gardeners we interviewed shared some tips to create a successful garden and other things to consider when starting out.

“The advice I give is to use common sense and do things that are practical and sustainable. Some worthy projects begun with the best of intentions fail because they cost too much or can’t be maintained to a satisfactory level,” Guckert emphasized. This is especially important if you are doing guerrilla gardening on your own, because you will have to bear the entire cost and upkeep of the project. Staskal added that it’s important to do your research on where to plant, what to plant, and how to care for your plants before you begin to avoid

some small, “stupid” mistakes that she felt she made when starting out. One of those important considerations is to ensure you have a nearby water source, to avoid long trips to water your garden.

She also said that a way to manage the cost is to enlist friends or neighbors to help out and split the costs with you.

“It’s just a fact of guerrilla gardening that some things will be stolen,” Staskal said. She noted that some plants have been completely dug up and taken, while people have also stolen vegetables right off the vine. Staskal suggested accepting this reality of the process, and planting enough for yourself and any others who will take from your garden without permission.

Another issue many guerrilla gardeners have is with outside entities mowing or weed-whacking the area, since guerrilla gardens are often used without permission.

“The NoMa Business Improvement District staff mow around our area, so we have to make sure our beds are clearly identified so they don’t accidentally mow over our plants,” Staskal said.

It is important to know who works in the area you’re gardening in, and possibly develop a relationship with them so they know not to mow over your plants.

Finally, Staskal pointed out that you need to commit to your garden throughout all seasons.

“Plants are resilient, but few plants are going to survive a DC summer without regular watering. I have a lot of free time with the quarantine, so I don’t mind going out there frequently to water, weed, and thin,” Staskal said.

Since many of us have more free time during quarantine, this is probably a perfect time to get started on guerrilla gardening. But if you don’t think you’ll be able to make it to your plot often, you can buy or build your own irrigation system to ensure your plants survive in this heat and humidity.

While the very idea of guerrilla gardening seems to work against organized community groups or government organizations, Guckert assured us that the Guerrilla Gardeners of Washington, DC, often collaborate with these entities.

“We are natural allies with Barracks Row Main Street and the Capitol Hill

and Capitol Riverfront BIDs. We work together on some projects and in other cases, pick up where they leave off,” he said, adding that they also work with DCDOT’s Division of Urban Forestry, to water trees, as well as report and promote their statutory guidelines for planting treeboxes. Guckert added that the group would be happy to work with other agencies in the future as opportunities arise.

If becoming a guerrilla gardener on your own simply sounds like too much work or commitment, there are plenty of area organizations with which you can get involved. Guckert and his team are always happy to have more volunteers, even during this pandemic, and you can sign up to volunteer through their website (guerrillagardenersdc.org/ volunteer). If you don’t have the time or energy to volunteer, you can donate from their website as well. You can also follow them on Facebook.

Another group doing great work is Ward 8 Woods, which focuses on creating awareness of public green spaces and cleaning up those spaces, specifically in underserved areas (http://www. ward8woods.org/). During the pandemic, they have become even more concerned with food insecurity in these areas of the District, and offer guerrilla gardening as a potential way to alleviate this problem.

For other resources, Staskal recommended taking a look at the DC Urban Gardeners (DUG) Network website (http://dugnetwork.org/), which has an abundance of information and courses to start guerrilla gardening. Staskal specifically recommended the DPR Basics of Urban Growing Webinar Course, which she took, also available on their site.

Whether you want to start gardening alone, with an organization, with a neighbor; to grow vegetables; to help others; or simply to beautify your neighborhood, guerrilla gardening has a place for you. o Hadley Baker is a rising senior studying English and Spanish at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. She is from Takoma Park, MD, and her mother is a landscape designer in the area, She is an intern this summer with Washington Gardener.

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TIPStricks

7 Essential Summer Tasks

Here are seven essential summer tasks for a raised bed vegetable garden from Nikki Jabbour of Savvy Gardening, courtesy of All-America Selections (https:// all-americaselections.org).

1) Watering. I mulch with straw or shredded leaves to help the soil retain moisture. When watering, I try to water the soil, not the plant. This helps reduce the spread of soil-borne diseases.

2) Weeding. When I transitioned my garden from an in-ground plot to raised beds, my time spent weeding was slashed significantly. I NEVER let weeds go to seed in my raised beds.

3) Thinning. Not all vegetables have to be thinned, but those that are directseeded often have to be properly spaced once the seedlings emerge and are growing well. I use small scissors or herb snips. I don’t want to accidentally remove the seedlings I wish to keep as I pull out the extras.

4) Fertilizing. “Feed the soil, not your plants” is a common mantra among gardeners, and for good reason. Healthy soil results in healthy plants. I try to feed my soil with plenty of compost and aged manure, but I also work in an organic granular fertilizer at planting time. As my vegetables grow, especially long-term crops like tomatoes and peppers, I apply a monthly dose of liquid kelp or fish emulsion.

5) Staking. I grow a lot of vertical vegetables in my raised beds to maximize production, and the way they are supported depends on the type of crop and how it grows.

6) Succession Planting. I constantly succession-plant new seeds or seedlings as crops are harvested.

Succession planting allows you to significantly boost production. I keep seeds on hand for successive crops.

7) Bug Patrol. Spoiler alert: You WILL see bugs in your vegetable garden. That said, most of the bugs you spot are either beneficial or neutral. Sure, there are some bad guys to watch out for, like squash bugs, cucumber beetles, and Colorado potato beetles, but you don’t have to panic at the sight of a bug.

The first step is figuring out what type of bug you have. Many pests can be handpicked and dropped in a bucket of soapy water. o 10

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July is Smart Irrigation Month: Use Water Wisely

A water-wise landscape is one that is functional, attractive, and easily maintained in its natural surroundings, according to the National Initiative for Consumer Horticulture (consumerhort. org). A water-wise landscape also helps to conserve water and improve water quality by slowing and collecting rain.

Plants are the key to a water-wise landscape. Plants prevent soil from eroding into our waterways, reduce stormwater runoff, and lessen flood damage. They serve as a natural filter to protect streams, rivers, and lakes.

Water-wise landscaping uses regionally appropriate plants with growing conditions that match the site conditions and groups plants based on soil and water requirements. Follow these strategies to save water, save money, and see better results: • Plant the right plant in the right place.

• Invest in a well-designed, efficient irrigation system.

• Water wisely.

• Maintain and upgrade your system.

• Work with an irrigation professional.

Plant selection is a fun part of the design process for most people and selecting the right plant for the right place is essential for creating a waterefficient landscape.

Many low-water turf types are available. With careful selection and efficient watering, lawns can be an important part of a water-wise landscape.

Mulch provides many benefits in water-wise landscapes. Mulch covers the soil and prevents compaction and water evaporation. It provides weed control while adding to the visual design. Choosing the right mulch for the situation is dependent on plant selection, watering regime, and site use.

Scheduling irrigation according to plant needs reduces excessive water use. In addition to conserving water, proper irrigation can encourage deeper root growth and healthier, moredrought-tolerant landscapes.

A benefit of established water-wise landscapes is they require less time and money to maintain than a traditional landscape. Spend less time trying to manipulate plants to fit your conditions, and more time enjoying their beauty. o

Water Gardening Plants

When you say “pond plants,” most people first think of waterlilies or the elegant and highly symbolic lotus.

According to perennialpower.eu, these sun-worshipping pond plants are available in many colors and sizes, and you don’t even need a large pond to grow them. Some lotus will thrive in containers just 6 inches deep.

You have a wide choice of plants for stocking a pond. There are marginal, bog, floating, and oxygenating plants. All are important for maintaining the biological balance of a pond. Pond plants remove nutrients from the water and provide shade; both of these characteristics help to limit the growth of algae.

Animals hide beneath pond plants or lay their eggs on them.

Marginal and bog plants are pond plants that grow in wet soil or shallow water. Frogs and salamanders like to hide among these kinds of pond plants.

One familiar example is the goldenflowering Marsh Marigold (Caltha).

Another, Mare’s Tail (Hippurus), produces feathery stems that stick up above the water. The Golden-club (Orontium) produces white spadices tipped with yellow that resemble little candles rising above the surface.

Floating pond plants, as their name suggests, float on the water’s surface.

The nice thing about them is that they increase in number so easily. Floating pond plants include the Water Soldier (Stratiotes) and the Water Lettuce (Pistia). Since they give a pond a lot of shade, they are perfect for keeping the water from becoming too warm in the summer.

Oxygenating pond plants remain completely submerged throughout the year.

They may not be that visually prominent, but they generate a lot of oxygen in the pond water. Waterweeds (Elodea) are a familiar oxygenating pond plant.

Watermillfoil (Myriophyllum) and Pondweed (Potamogeton) are another two oxygenating pond plants.

Pond plants need enough warmth and light to grow well, so make sure that they get sun or partial sun.

The more levels your pond has, the greater your choice of pond plants. This is because every pond plant has its own preferred water depth. o

GARDENnews

Quick Links to Recent Washington Gardener Blog Posts • The “Other” Radish Harvest • Plant Profile: Monarda (Bee Balm) • Polish Beet and Chard Summer Soup Recipe • DIY: Floating Glass Globes See more Washington Gardener blog posts at: WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com o

July–August Garden To-Do List New Plant Spotlight

Monarda didyma Sugar Buzz® Berry Taffy The members of the SUGAR BUZZ® Series of Monarda (Bee Balm) from the Walters Gardens, Inc. hybridizing program are perfectly suited to the middle of the flower border at 16-24" tall. All members of this series are similar in size, bloom time, and vigor. They display above-average resistance to powdery mildew.

In mid-summer, they form a solid dome of color with their 2–2½" flowers on strong, well-branched stems. The dark-green foliage forms an upright clump that will fill out containers nicely, but won’t run all over the garden if planted in the ground.

Monarda is native to eastern North America. The flowers’ sweet nectar attracts scores of hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees to the garden. The aromatic foliage smells like mint when crushed and is often used to flavor teas.

‘Berry Taffy’ has hot-raspberry-pink flowers with bronze-colored bracts. The newest foliage is notably dark. o

Photos courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.

• The heat of summer is here. Time to start doing chores during early morning or evening. Take a break during the hottest parts of the day.

• Prune Wisteria.

• If your pond water gets low from prolonged drought, top it off with tap water and add a dechlorinator according to package instructions.

• Cut back spent stalks on common daylilies.

• Pinch back any annuals that may be growing leggy.

• Divide and cut back Bearded Iris.

• Check your pond pump for any debris—clean it out every few weeks.

• Weed.

• Cut off bottom, yellowed foliage on tomato plants.

• Stake and tie up any tall-growing perennials such as phlox or delphiniums.

• Wash out birdbaths weekly with diluted bleach solution.

• Water thoroughly, especially if you receive no rain for more than seven days.

• Take cuttings from azaleas, boxwoods, and camellias to start new plants.

• Check your local garden center for mid-summer bargains.

• Hand-pick Japanese Beetles or shake them off over a bucket of dishwater.

Early morning is a good time to catch them, while they are still drowsy.

• Re-pot the houseplants you’ve moved outdoors for the summer.

• Pick blueberries at a local pick-your-own farm or visit a local farmer’s market.

• Pinch back any straying strawberry runners.

• Deadhead perennials for a second flush of blooms later this summer.

• Thin out small trees and cut off any suckering branches growing from the bottom root balls.

• Inspect your garden for powdery mildew. If seen, prune back perennials to create needed circulation.

• Annuals are now hitting their peak. Keep them well-watered and add a little liquid fertilizer every few weeks to keep them going through September.

• Check your plants at night with a flashlight for any night-feeding insects like slugs.

• If you find slug damage, set out beer traps or Sluggo pellets.

• Pinch back mums so they grow bushier and won’t flower until autumn.

• Hold off on planting new trees and shrubs until the summer heat has passed.

• Caulk and seal your outside walls to prevent insect entry into your home.

• Harvest regularly from your vegetable garden to prevent rot and waste.

• Put up a hammock or garden bench for enjoying your views.

• Turn compost pile.

• Check out gardening books from your local library to read on vacation.

• Check for any stagnant-water mosquito breeding grounds, especially your gutters. Dump out any water that sits stagnant for more than three days.

• Add Mosquito Dunks to any standing water in your yard, such as birdbaths, downspouts, plant saucers, and gutters.

• Gather roses to enjoy indoors—be sure to make the cut just above a five-leaf unit.

• Harvest onions when tops die back.

• Sow seeds of fall crops such as broccoli, turnips, cauliflower, etc., in late July. o JULY 2020

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GARDENDCpodcast Episode 6: A chat with David Ellis, editor of The American Gardener, the magazine of the American Horticultural Society, about favorite spring flowering trees and shrubs. The Plant Profile is about pansies/violas and we reflect on the late, great Henry Mitchell.

Episode 7: A chat with returning guest Marianne Willburn about chickens in the garden, her fuzzy ducklings, and new hugelkultur installation. The Plant Profile is about lilacs and we vent about leaf blowers.

GardenDC Podcast Episode Guide

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 horticulture.

Episode 1: A discussion with garden writer Marianne Willburn about the Philadelphia Flower Show, rose pruning, Edgeworthia, March gardening tasks, and more.

Episode 2: A chat with Kit Gage, a Chesapeake Bay landscape professional, about the recent Green Matters Symposium, the novel The Overstory, and Doug Tallamy’s Nature’s Best Hope.

Our Plant Profile in this episode is about the cool-season annual Sweet Alyssum.

Episode 3: A chat with Kim Roman of Square Foot Gardening 4 U (SFG4U) about Square Foot Gardening techniques, microgreens, and what coolseason edibles you can start right now.

Our Plant Profile in this episode is about Forsythia.

Episode 4: A talk with Doug Oster all about tomatoes—from the earliest varieties to ripen to combating blight issues—along with Doug’s best tips and tricks. Our Plant Profile in this episode is Heuchera.

Episode 5: A talk with Abra Lee of Conquer the Soil, who is a horticultural storyteller and Longwood Fellow. The Plant Profile focuses on the Pussy Willow and we add a new segment about what is growing in our community garden plot and home garden this week.

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Episode 8: A chat with Heather Zindash about IPM and best practices for diagnosing and treating issues in your garden. I share why gardening is not canceled and the Plant Profile is Kale.

Episode 9: An in-depth talk with Barbara Bullock about all things azalea— from planting tips to pruning to favorite selections. She is the recently retired curator of the U.S. National Arboretum’s azalea collection. We also reminisce a bit about Behnke Nurseries, and Barbara talks about what gardening in retirement is like.

Episode 10: A chat with Peter Pepper about growing Peppers, I describe my visit to Rachel Carson’s home a few years ago, and I discuss what is blooming in my garden. The Plant Profile is fothergilla.

Episode 11: A chat about Lotus with Kelly Billing of Water Becomes a Garden, and I answer a listener question about harvesting Asparagus. Also, I share what is blooming in my garden and the Plant Profile is Calamintha.

Episode 12: A chat with Eva Monheim about her new book on Shrubs and Hedges. I opine about gardening in movies and the Plant Profile is Hakone Grass.

Episode 13: A chat with Connie Hilker of Hartwood Roses about Heritage (aka Old or Heirloom) Roses. I share my love for Crocs and the Plant Profile is Hardy Waterlily.

Episode 14: A chat with Niraj Ray of Cultivate the City about unusual edibles, including Papalo, Malabar Spinach, and Megberries. I share my Confessions of a Plant Killer and the Plant Profile is Daylilies.

Episode 15: A wide-ranging conversation with plantswoman Carol Allen about Orchids, insects, hummingbirds, and more. The Plant Profile is Common Milkweed, and I share why gardening has real value.

Episode 16: A talk with Tony Sarmiento about all things Garlic. The plant profile is Lavender and I share my lessons in No-stress Gardening.

Episode 17: An in-depth conversation with Mike Whalen about garden photography. The Plant Profile is Hardy Geranium, and I share my “Confessions of a Plant Hoarder.”

Episode 18: A chat with Jenny Rose Carey about shade gardening. The Plant Profile is Clematis and tips for “Logging Offline in the Garden.”

Episode 19: A talk with Holly Heider Chapple about floral design. The Plant Profile is Black-eyed Susans, and I share my thoughts on “Gardening by Rules.”

Episode 20: A talk with Shari Wilson about native plants. The Plant Profile is Sunflowers and I share my thoughts on “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Garden.”

PREVIEW of Episode 21: A talk with Drew Asbury of Hillwood Museum and Gardens about cut-flower gardens.

Scheduled to be posted on Saturday, July 25.

Listener Support Needed You can become a listener-supporter for as little as $0.99 per month! We will give you a thank you shout-out on the next episode. See how at: https:// anchor.fm/kathy-jentz/support.

Find Our Podcast

You can listen online at https://anchor. fm/kathy-jentz/ or at our blog: https:// washingtongardener.blogspot.com/.

We are also available on Spotify, RadioPublic, Breaker, PocketCasts, Overcast, Apple, and Google Podcasts.

Ask a Question

We welcome your questions and comments. You can leave one at https:// anchor.fm/kathy-jentz/message. o

TOP AREA GARDENING EVENTS DC-Area Gardening Calendar ~ Upcoming Events Listing Webinars • Thursday, July 30, 5–6:30pm Live from Chanticleer: Creating Beauty in the Garden Year Round Having a garden that delights in winter requires a little thought and planning ahead in the summer. Come together, virtually via Zoom, for a conversation with Chanticleer assistant horticulturist Chris Fehlhaber about the planning and practices that will lead to a garden that enchants all year. Learn which plants bring year-round interest, autumn practices and techniques, and tips for attracting birds and wildlife.

Cost: $35 for nonmembers | $31.50 for PHS and Chanticleer Members | $2 for EBT/AccessPhilly Cardholders. To register, visit PHSonline.org.

• Sunday, August 2, 2–3pm Water in the Landscape: Creating a Garden Oasis Water features and water gardens can be a magical addition to your landscape. Water can be stimulating or calming, depending on how it is used.

Water gardens can sustain native wildlife and mask ambient noise. This class explains the basics of installing and maintaining a water feature of any size in a garden. It also highlights water garden plant choices appropriate for our region. Speaker: Kathy Jentz, Washington Gardener Magazine. Held via Zoom.

Note that if you cannot attend the live class, you can still register and get a link to view the class for two weeks after the actual date. Fee: $10.

Register at: https://py.pl/VOItf • Monday, August 3, 7:30 pm Lessons from the Living Landscape that is Our Home Habitat Rick Darke is a prominent landscape designer and co-author with Doug Tallamy of The Living landscape: Designing for Beauty and Biodiversity in the Home Garden. Held via Zoom.

Sponsors: Audubon Society of Northern Virginia and Plant NOVA Natives.

Registration: https://www.audubonva. org/asnv-events/living-landscapewebinar. A small fee is being charged to cover costs.To register, email plantnovanatives@gmail.com.

• Sunday, September 6, 2–3pm Attractive Plant Combinations We’ll explore playing with color, form, and texture in the perennial/shrub border. This image-heavy talk includes tried-and-true proven combinations and some daring new mixes to experiment with in your own home garden. Speaker: Kathy Jentz, Washington Gardener Magazine. Held via Zoom. Note that if you cannot attend the live class, you can still register and get a link to view the class for two weeks after the actual date. Fee: $10.

Register at: https://py.pl/rxMxN

Garden Book Club

• Sunday, October 4, 2–3pm Dealing with Deer and Other Mammal Pests in Your Garden Bambi may be cute, but he and his mother, cousins, and rest of the herd are very hungry and would love to make a feast of your garden. This talk will cover proven and humane tactics for gardening with deer, rabbits, rats, groundhogs, and other creatures that are attracted to both edible and ornamental gardens. Speaker: Kathy Jentz, Washington Gardener Magazine. Held via Zoom. Note that if you cannot attend the live class, you can still register and get a link to view the class for two weeks after the actual date. Fee: $10. Register at: https://py.pl/180w3U.

Plant Swap • Sunday, September 20, 11am–12n

Online Garden Clinics • July 21, August 4, August 18,

September 1, September 15, and September 29 at 12noon In the Garden Garden Q&A with Montgomery County Master Gardeners has the answers.

Submit your questions and photographs using the form on the Montgomery County Master Gardeners-Maryland website https://go.umd.edu/inthegarden. Then tune in to the Montgomery County Master Gardeners-Maryland Facebook page on the first and third Tuesdays of the month for your answers. You’ll also have the chance to ask questions live at: www.facebook. com/MoCoMasterGardenersMD/. If you miss the live show ,you can visit their YouTube channel to see the recorded program.

• Thursday, August 20, 6:30–8pm For the next Garden Book Club selection, we will discuss The Food Explorer: The True Adventures of the Globe-Trotting Botanist Who Transformed What America Eats by Daniel Stone. You can order it new or used at the Amazon link: https://amzn.to/31PBuJF. The Washington Gardener Magazine’s Garden Book Club is free and open to all. RSVP by August 18 to washingtongardenermag azine@gmail.com, to receive the Zoom link.

DC Plant Swap The annual DC Plant Swap hosted by Washington Gardener Magazine at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, DC, is open to all. This year, the event will be by pre-registration only and will observe all social-distancing precautions. Start potting up and labeling your plants now to prepare for it. More details to be announced soon.

Photo Show • Extended through Sunday, August 30 Garden Photo Show Display of 2020 Garden Photo Contest winners at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, VA.

Event Listing Updates See updated event listings on the Washington Gardener Yahoo discussion list. Join the list at http://groups.yahoo. com/group/WashingtonGardener/.

How to Submit Local Garden Events To submit an event for this listing, email washingtongardenermagazine@gmail. com with “Event” in the subject line.

Our next deadline is August 5 for the August 2020 issue, for events taking place after August 15. o

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NEIGHBORnetwork

Nancy Ross Hugo: Author, Garden Writer, Instructor

By Taylor Calavetinos

Nancy Ross Hugo is the recipient of the Frances Jones Poetker Award in the American Horticultural Society’s 2020 Great American Gardeners Awards. The award, first given in 1988, recognizes significant contributions to floral design.

Hugo is a floral designer, writer, and lecturer with a passion for gardening. She lives on a 50-acre farm in Howardsville, VA. Tell us about yourself and your background. How did you start a career in garden writing?

I was teaching high school English and doing some freelance writing on the side when I decided I wanted to be a garden writer. I told myself I could quit teaching after being published in Horticulture and Virginia Wildlife.

I accomplished those goals, quit my teaching job, then applied for and got a job as garden columnist for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Writing books came later.

What made you focus on gardening?

I’ve been a gardener since I was a child.

Made rock paths in the woods and lined them spring-blooming bulbs with wildflowers. I got to decide where the paths 14

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went—right or left of this tree?—and it was very empowering. Learning to wait months for the bulbs to bloom was also important. I’ve gardened everywhere I’ve ever lived and now I have two gardens—a small farm in Buckingham County and a more suburban garden in Ashland, VA. Love them both, but in Ashland, I have a sunny deer-fenced area where I can really grow what I want with abandon.

What does a typical workday look like for you?

When I was writing more, I worked at my desk every weekday from 9 to noon.

No exceptions. Didn’t even accept phone calls. Now I spend most daylight hours gardening. It’s my favorite thing to do. I take breaks to read, cook, cool off, tend to business and personal stuff, but gardening is my main (and favorite) activity. I also occasionally lead floral design workshops, provide cut flowers to The Arranger’s Market, and do some commercial design work, but when I get up in the morning, unless I’m working on a big design project, like a wedding, the first thing I think about is the garden—what needs doing and what do I WANT to do.

What is your favorite part about what you do? What is the hardest part?

Favorite part: being outdoors, watching the life cycles of plants, listening to birds, gathering seeds. Yesterday, the goldfinches and I were competing for poppy seeds! The hardest part right now is that my body is failing me. I used to be able to garden all day without penalty. Now, for some reason I haven’t figured out yet, walking is sometimes painful. What a drag!

What is one thing you want people to know about you?

I am a gardener, pure and simple. I’m also head-over-heels in love with trees (the most important plants you can grow). The other day, I was thinking about how happy I was that both of my adult children are now gardeners because I know how much this will enrich their lives.

Tell us about some of your favorite hobbies outside of gardening.

I’m an avid reader (devour The New Yorker the minute it arrives in the mail), an avid flower arranger (I create a windowsill arrangement almost every day), and I travel (or used to travel—before

NEIGHBORnetwork the coronavirus) around the state and world to see fine trees. My husband loves tree-searches, too, so we’ve made many tree pilgrimages. We also love hiking.

How does it feel to receive the Frances Jones Poetker Award of the 2020 American Horticultural Society’s Great American Gardeners Awards?

I am thrilled because it means my message is getting through. I do all sorts of floral design—from ginormous wedding arrangements to standard corporate stuff—but the arrangements I most enjoy making are the small, simple arrangements I create for the windowsill every day. Someone has called them “floral haiku,” and I like that. In Windowsill Art, I describe how making these little arrangements with seasonal materials every day can become almost a spiritual practice—something that grounds you and focuses your attention. It’s also a way of connecting with what’s going on outside and stretching your creative muscles. I didn’t know Frances Jones Poetker, but a friend of mine who did tells me she loved naturalistic design as much as I do, and I hope she’d agree with me that simple designs are the most satisfying, local

materials are best, and everyone can enjoy playing with flowers.

What are you most proud of accomplishing in your career?

Starting the Remarkable Trees of Virginia Project and writing (with Jeff Kirwan and photographer Robert Llewellyn) Remarkable Trees of Virginia. Just getting to spend four years traveling around the state looking at trees was the opportunity of a lifetime, but working with Jeff and Bob on the book was also wonderful. We also had to raise lots of money for the Project, and that was less fun, but I think we all feel we accomplished something important.

What is some advice you would give to new gardeners in our region?

Keep at it! I’ve laughed to watch my adult son start vegetable gardening and expecting most everything to grow and thrive. Ha! Welcome to the world of deer and chipmunks and rabbits and voles and squash bugs! I’m sure any success I’ve had as a gardener has more to do with persistence than it does to do with skill—although putting up a deer fence was the smartest thing I ever did in Ashland.

How has COVID-19 changed what you are doing right now?

Because I am semi-retired, the pandemic, and resulting closures, have affected me less than it has my children and grandchildren. I’ve had lectures, workshops, and weddings and other special events canceled, but, because I’m happy at home gardening and reading, I’ve been embarrassingly content.

It makes me sad to see some of the flowers I planted for a particular event bloom without being used (dahlias blooming now for a wedding that was canceled, for example), but I’ve been able to “keep my hand in” by doing arrangements for small events, and my neighbors and friends get lots of bouquets from me they might not otherwise have gotten.

Any final thoughts?

My three passions—gardening, trees, floral design—may seem unrelated, but they are really all part of the same thing: finding ways to enjoy nature and learning to be a better observer. o Taylor Calavetinos recently graduated from the University of Maryland with a bachelor of arts in broadcast journalism. She is an intern with Washington Gardener.

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EDIBLEharvt

It’s Not Too Late!

Start A Victory Garden Now

By Hadley Baker

On June 28, Washington Gardener editor Kathy Jentz led a Zoom webinar entitled “Start Your Victory Garden Now.” As more people turn to gardening in their own backyards during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Jentz gave the audience an hour of helpful tips and tricks to start and sustain a victory garden full of your own delicious fruits and vegetables. The idea of victory gardens is to grow your own food in whatever space you have—in your backyard, on your patio, etc. to avoid reliance on grocery store produce, something especially relevant right now.

The webinar was intended for firsttime victory gardeners or those just starting their gardens a bit late in this season. Whether you are a novice or veteran vegetable gardener, this webinar provided extremely helpful and clear information to successfully grow your own vegetables.

The first half of the webinar focused on gardening basics, and the second half focused on the best plants to start growing right now.

To start off, Jentz addressed where to start planting your garden. Whether this is a nearby community garden, your own backyard, or even a shared plot with a neighbor or friend, make sure that your plot gets full sun—at least six to eight hours per day.

Ideally, your plot would have raised beds, making it easier to control weeds and to water your vegetables. While you can build your own raised bed boxes, Jentz says that even just creating raised mounds of soil is as effective a method for planting.

Next, she discussed the layout of your plot; ideally, this would be north to south to capture as much of the sun’s rays as possible. You can use that sun direction either to shade some plants for part of the day or to provide full sun to your entire plot.

If you’re not able to find ground space to start your victory garden, growing in 16

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containers—or grow bags—is another great option. This is perfect for those living in apartments or houses with minimal outdoor space. Jentz mentioned gardeners who have used old milk crates or other creative ways to reuse products rather than throwing them out and creating more waste.

Next, Jentz discussed soil. Ideally, she recommends having a soil test done for metal in the soil, although it may be a little too late in the season for that now.

She recommends using a good organic soil without heavy metals. For containers, you want to use an organic potting mix and for raised beds, a good garden soil mix. Then, add as much compost or organic material as possible, including, but not limited to, leaf grow—shredded, composted, and aged leaves. Finally, add fertilizer only after planting your fruits and veggies. Jentz emphasized that you should avoid using soil with fertilizer mixed in, since the best time to fertilize your plants is two to four weeks after they have germinated, and then roughly every two weeks after.

After the garden basics topic, Jentz weighed the benefits and drawbacks of starting your garden either with seed packets or from seedlings. While many seed packets were completely sold out at the beginning of this pandemic, when many people were starting their own victory gardens for the first time, the supplies are largely replenished now, making this a great option for starting your own garden.

An important element to notice when choosing seeds is the timing. Jentz recommends choosing fast-growing varieties, carefully checking the days to maturity on the packet. Include the days to emerge in your maturity calculations as well. One benefit of starting your garden now? Seeds germinate faster in warm soil. This is especially important depending on your expected first frost date in the fall; in the Washington, DC, area, this is typically October 15.

To aid in this race against the coming fall frost, Jentz addressed speeding up the process. Some of her tips included soaking seeds, succession planting and taking cuttings from other plants.

After taking some audience questions, Jentz talked about her recommendations for the best vegetables to start growing in mid- to late summer.

These recommendations included basil, radishes (extremely quick to mature), swiss chard (great to grow in heat), kale, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, beans, melons, and cucumbers. With each of these, she shared tips for growing and caring for these plants. She also addressed how to deal with flowers on squash and ways to pollinate them to speed up the squash growing process, as well as the multitude of culinary uses for these blossoms.

Although it may seem too early right now, Jentz also suggested starting to grow a few smaller varieties of pumpkins to harvest them by October or November. Other vine-grown plants she recommended are summer squash and zucchini, and she offered solutions to common problems with vine plants. For an extremely fast-growing plant, okra is a fantastic option. Once it gets going, it does require daily harvesting.

Finally, Jentz discussed solutions to pest problems as you start your victory garden.

Overall, the webinar offered extremely helpful tips for setting up your own victory garden, whether you’ve never tried to grow your own vegetables before or if you simply need a few tips to make your garden more successful. Jentz will continue offering webinars throughout the summer. o Hadley Baker is a rising senior studying English and Spanish at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. She is from Takoma Park, MD, and her mother is a landscape designer in the area, She is an intern this summer with Washington Gardener.

PLANTprofile

Smooth Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens)

By Kathy Jentz

Smooth Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens) is a native shrub that blooms from late spring through summer.

Typically, the flowers emerge green in color, then turn white before they fade to brown.

Newer introductions have added shades of pink to the color selections available. These include ‘Invincibelle Ruby’, ‘Invincibelle Mini Mauvette’, and ‘Invincibelle Spirit’.

The favorite new varieties among those we are trialing is the Invincibelle Wee White® Hydrangea, a dwarf selection that gets only about 2-feet-tall.

The best known Smooth Hydrangea is ‘Annabelle’, with its enormous blooms, but it does tend to droop from the heavy flowers, so look instead for the improved ‘Incrediball’ at your local garden centers.

They are deciduous and unlike the Mophead Hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla), you cannot change their flower color by adjusting the soil pH. They prefer part-sun to full-sun locations. It is a good idea, though, to give them protection from the harshest afternoon rays. These plants need well-drained, but moist, soil. Add mulch around their root zones to help keep the soil moist during dry periods.

Fertilize in early spring, before new growth starts to appear, with a slow-release fertilizer that is designed for woody plants. Then prune them by trimming back one-third of the total length of the branches. As these shrubs bloom on new wood, this will serve to strengthen the plant’s stems and encourage lots of blooming in the growing season. o Kathy Jentz is the editor and founder of Washington Gardener.

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BOOKreviews

Plants for the People: A Modern Guide to Plant Medicine Author: Erin Lovell Verinder, photographed by Georgia Blackie Publisher: Thames & Hudson List price: $29.95 Order link: https://amzn.to/2Cm0LAL Reviewer: Taylor Calavetinos Plants for the People is the book for you if you’re looking to learn about how to use medicinal plants. This book is a useful guide to plant medicine, even for beginners looking to expand their knowledge of plants that surround us daily, with beautiful images to match.

The book begins with an introduction of why plant medicine is so important.

After all, it is “our oldest known system of healing,” says Verinder. The book is divided into three parts: the plant path, the wild healers, and materia medica.

In Part One, the plant path, Verinder says that plant medicine will always be the “people’s medicine” and that there are plants to help with almost everything, from aches to depression to heartbreak and even trauma. She also discusses how our bodies and nature are connected, and how plant medicine comes from the wild, giving us the opportunity to find plants that can offer healing right in our backyards. Verinder shares the “Wildcrafting Golden Rules,” to provide some guidance on foraging wild medicinal plants.

Parts two and three contain Verinder’s guide to plant medicine, with the reassurance that anyone can partake—including you! She gives tips on everything you could possibly think of when it comes to plant medicine, such as how to store herbs, fresh or dried plants, ingredients, sterilizing, dosages, and “friendly reminders,” as she refers 18

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to them in the book.

In Part Two, Verinder discusses different ways to approach plant medicine.

She gives an entire list of recipes and tips for teas, sunbrews, syrups and elixirs, balms and creams, baths and steams, and many more methods.

In Part Three, Verinder profiles 40 plants, including aloe vera, cinnamon, sage, and dandelion, just to name a few. With each plant profile comes tips and information about the plant, what part of the plant can be used, energetics (describing the plant’s energy and what it helps with), actions, and even cautions about when to avoid a specific plant.

If you’re looking for a useful resource about plant medicine that is easy to read and has beautiful photography, this is the book for you. Verinder, an herbalist, nutritionist, energetic healer, and educator, shares knowledge that readers can use every day for various different health purposes and share with those around them. This is a great book to get started on your plant medicine journey. o Taylor Calavetinos recently graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in broadcast journalism. She is interning this summer with Washington Gardener.

The Leaf Supply Guide to Creating Your Indoor Jungle Authors: Lauren Camilleri and Sophia Kaplan Publisher: Smith Street Books List price: $35.00 Order link: https://amzn.to/2Wop7QX Reviewer: Anastazja Kolodziej Want to introduce more plants into your house, but don’t know where to start?

This book is for you. The Leaf Supply Guide to Creating Your Indoor Jungle takes you through the process of adding plants to your life, step by step.

The book begins with the first considerations when choosing plants: analyzing your space and finding inspiration. Different plants need different conditions to grow in, and the authors list out all the factors to consider—light, water, soil, temperature, humidity, fertilizer, and more. For beginning gardeners, these details are helpful to keep in mind when choosing plants.

More-seasoned gardeners can skip right to the main section of the book: a list of jungle-like plants to choose from, including each plant’s light, water, and soil requirements; photos; and a brief profile. This section is a helpful and

handy resource to refer to while selecting plants, and although I wasn’t able to figure out how the plants are organized, there is an index if you need to find plant details quickly.

I fully expected the book to end with the list of jungle plants but, in fact, it continued on for several more sections.

After figuring out which plants you’re including in your space, you need to figure out their pots—and Camilleri and Kaplan are here to help. They offer ideas for both plant pairings as well as plant and pot pairings, keeping appearance and style in mind (the authors also offer style tips throughout the plant list). Next, if you can’t decide what plants should go in a particular room, the book even has a section to help with that. These details and ideas upgrade the book from thorough to exhaustive.

Finally, if you’ve gone through all these options and still need more inspiration, the book includes photos of examples from houses of various people—and not only of gardeners. One of the interviewees, Tim Labenda, a fashion designer who lives in Berlin, offered a quote that, to me, succinctly represented this book’s heart and mission: “I love the idea of a decadent but affordable interior… that’s why I styled our apartment in a light, [colorful] and plant-filled way.”

For anyone who wants some assistance with adding greenery to their indoor space, The Leaf Supply Guide to Creating Your Indoor Jungle is here to help. o Anastazja Kolodziej is a rising senior at the University of Maryland, double-majoring in multiplatform journalism and the classics (Ancient Greek and Latin). She is interning this summer with Washington Gardener.

BOOKreviews

Grow Your Own Botanicals: Deliciously Productive Plants for Homemade Drinks, Remedies and Skincare Author: Cinead McTernan Publisher: Kyle Books List price: $19.99 Order link: https://amzn.to/392gNf3 Reviewer: Hadley Baker When I first glanced through Cinead McTernan’s book, Grow Your Own Botanicals, what struck me was the beautiful photography (done by the author’s sister) and the aesthetically pleasing and simplistic design, colors, and overall presentation.

Based on the subtitle, I expected the book to be chock-full of recipes and instructions on how to use the broad genre of botanicals for cooking, drinks, and various household and skincare ideas. After reading the book, however, I found that it was fairly different from what I expected. The first half discusses tips for growing botanicals, including sowing seeds, watering, containers to grow in, and preparing your soil. Her tips are very detailed and helpful, especially if you plan on growing in a small garden. She even has a chapter specifically addressing growing botanicals on a balcony.

There is a small section in the middle discussing how botanicals—which can include herbs, flowers, and even some fruits and vegetables—can be used to infuse alcohol, make tinctures, and prepare beauty products.

The rest of the book is divided into three sections: Flowers & Shrubs; Herbs & Spices; and Fruit & Veg. These chapters go through various types of botanicals that McTernan recommends growing in your garden. These sections are extremely helpful in describing what these plants are and often, what their origins are, as well as tips for growing them, harvesting them, and

addressing the specific pest issues associated with them.

What I expected more of, however, were recipes on how to actually use these botanicals. While each plant page describes the home remedies and culinary uses possible for the plant, only a few give detailed instructions for how to make such creations.

McTernan often mentions that they can be used to make teas or balms and, while some pages do include details on how specifically to make these creations, many do not provide details. I expected this to be a good reference book for using the plants in your garden for useful products and drinks in your home. What I found was that the book serves as a very good reference for choosing what botanicals to grow in your garden and how to care for them. If you want to use them beyond that, however, it will take a bit more research on your own. o Hadley Baker is a rising senior studying English and Spanish at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. She is interning this summer with Washington Gardener.

Growing Your Own Cocktails, Mocktails, Teas & Infusions Author: Jodi Helmer Publisher: Fox Chapel Publishing List price: $18.99 Order link: https://amzn.to/30m4Ahr Reviewer: Erica H. Smith Grow-your-own isn’t just about food. As we get more sophisticated about what we drink, whether alcoholic or non-, growing ingredients to use in homemade drinks is a trend that’s reflected in the number of books being published on the subject. This book is a worthy addition to that group, although by itself, it won’t answer all your questions about plants and recipes.

This book uses a familiar structure: the why-write-this introduction, followed by some history (focusing on cocktails and tea), and then a list of plants. The plant list is divided into categories by plant part: leaves, flowers, fruits and vegetables, and roots. It makes as much sense as any other grouping, although sometimes both leaves and flowers can be used for beverage purposes, and “roots” means, I guess, “non-vegetable roots,” since carrots and beets are under vegetables, and burdock is under roots despite being used as a vegetable in some cultures.

Quibbles, I know, but you’ll see more of those later.

The next section is about garden techniques and design, and then there’s a chapter on harvesting and preserving. Then, the recipes! Many of these are by Jeanette Hurt, author of Drink Like a Woman. Recipes are included for simple syrups (essential for cocktails and other drinks); shrubs; cocktails; and alcohol-free drinks, including teas, juices, smoothies, and infused waters. Okay, here comes another complaint: The word “mocktails” is in the title, but the entire mocktail content is one paragraph urging the reader to experiment with combinations. Sometimes I want a fancy nonalcoholic drink! One or two actual recipes doesn’t seem too much to ask.

While I’m at it, here are some more nitpicks about the plant list. It’s basically fine, and when I say, for example, that I would have included roselle hibiscus (the main ingredient in Jamaican sorrel) rather than Chinese hibiscus, I acknowledge that everyone’s list would have been different, and this one could never have been comprehensive, considering the length of the book. (Time for a drink-your-own encyclopedia!

Amy Stewart’s The Drunken Botanist is great, but it covers huge numbers of plants most of us can’t grow in our own gardens.) As I said, the categorization is okay, but I wonder if a listing by botanical family might have made more sense; it’s kind of weird to be reading along in “Leaves” in common name alphabetical order and hit “Apple Mint” followed somewhat later by “Chocolate Mint” and “Lavender Mint,” etc., with other unrelated plants in between. The growing instructions included in most of the entries could have been merged for plants in the same genus, saving some space.

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BOOKreviews This disassociation of families also leads to some outright mistakes. The entry for Pineapple Sage states that it “has no relation to the pineapple plant or the sage plant.” Pineapple, I grant you, but pineapple sage is a Salvia just like Salvia officinalis, culinary sage, which is listed two pages later (after Rosemary, which some botanists now consider to be a sage as well, but I’ll let that slide since it’s a changing situation). The entry for Tomato contains some debunked or at least incomplete history about its reputation as a poisonous plant, and says that it was misclassified as a member of the nightshade family Solanaceae. Last I checked, tomatoes are still in the nightshade family. The copy of the book I reviewed was a pre-publication PDF; I’m hoping these errors were fixed in a later edition.

There are some plants I’m really glad to see in the list, like sumac, black currant (although you can do more with it than make tea!), calendula, lemongrass, and anise hyssop, to name a few. The brief growing instructions are good, as are the suggestions for uses. The whole chapter on harvesting, preparation, and preservation is terrific, especially the list of basic equipment (and although no one really needs all the differently shaped glasses that are explained, it’s fun to explore them). A little basic gardening information is a must for a book like this, and Helmer has put together a succinct list of useful hints for those starting out. I’m not sure the garden designs are necessary, and in fact, most of them include mint, which are warned elsewhere in the book will take over your garden unless you plant it in pots. Lots of the recipes look delicious; I only wish there were more of them.

This is not a perfect book. If it were up to me, I’d split it into two—one about teas and infusions, and one about cocktails and mocktails with their syrups and shrubs and bitters and juices—and both reorganize and expand the plant lists. But if you’re putting together a collection of books that combine drinking and gardening, this one’s worth adding to the shelf. o Erica H. Smith is a Montgomery County Master Gardener and grows vegetables in her own community garden plot and in the MG Demonstration Garden in Derwood, MD. She is the author of several novels; visit her website at ericahsmith.wordpress.com.

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Organic Book of Compost: Easy and Natural Techniques to Feed Your Garden (2nd Revised Edition) Author: Pauline Pears Publisher: IMM Lifestyle Books List Price: $19.99 Order Link: https://amzn.to/3fBKwO9 Reviewer: Stacey Evers Many books about composting are on the market already, so why should you be compelled to pick up this one? For starters, it’s comprehensive without being overwhelming; it’s well-organized,; and easy to use as a reference or to read straight through. It has great photos, streamlined tables, and clearly written instructions.

This 192-page revision is geared to the uninitiated, who might need to be persuaded that composting is a worthwhile endeavor, but it also reaches out to the fallen, who might need inspiration to get the pile going again.

Pears’ stated mission is to help every reader find a method that works for their situation, whether they’re in a schoolyard, in a backyard, or on a boat.

“Compost-making is for everyone,” she writes in the introduction. “You don’t need to be a keen gardener or have a science degree.”

The chapters cover why to compost, how to get started, how to sort waste products, and a broad array of composting techniques. There’s a field guide-like dichotomous key for figuring out which type of composting is right for you, depending on your waste.

One chapter concentrates on worm composting, and a multi-page table helps you determine which waste can go to regular composting, which can go to worm composting, and whether that

waste is a green or a brown. Another section explains less-conventional (but still simple) composting methods such as high-fiber heaps for kitchen waste and cardboard, and the Bokashi system, a Japanese “pre-treatment” method for kitchen waste, including dairy and meat.

Later chapters focus on how to use your compost, what you might find living in your compost, and community composting. With food waste being one of the top components of landfills, Pears’ attention to centralized, neighborhood, and school composting is important and timely.

Pears started her career testing weedkillers, but by the late 1970s, she was through with chemicals. She joined the fledgling Garden Organic, Britain’s largest charity dedicated to organic growing, where she remains active. She has written numerous books on organic gardening, including several previous ones on composting. o Stacey Evers is co-chair of the Fairfax Food Council’s Urban Ag Working Group and teaches environmental education at an elementary school.

Note: These book reviews include links to Amazon.com for ordering them. Washington Gardener Magazine may receive a few cents from each order placed after clicking on these book order links.

Love Reading?

These books were reviewed by volunteer members of the Washington Gardener Reader Panel. We are looking for a few additional volunteers who live in the greater Washington, DC, region to serve on our Reader Panel. Reader Panelists may also be asked to review new gardening plants, tools, and seeds.

To join the Washington Gardener Volunteer Reader Panel, send an email with your name and address to: KathyJentz@gmail.com. We look forward to having you be a vital part of our local publication and its gardening mission. o

INSECTindex

By Carol Allen

“If all mankind were to disappear, the world would regenerate back to the rich state of equilibrium that existed ten thousand years ago. If insects were to vanish, the environment would collapse into chaos.” ~ E.O. Wilson

People are starting to become aware of the tremendous, worldwide loss of insects. Studies in certain protected areas in Germany found the decline to be an estimated 77% of insect biomass lost between 1989 to 2016.

Another study revealed, in a relatively pristine rainforest in Puerto Rico, the biomass of insects and other arthropods like spiders had fallen between 10– to 60–fold since the 1970s.

Scientists like Dino Martins, entomologist at Kenya’s Mpala Research Centre say that, “no insects equals no food, [which] equals no people,” These are compelling reasons to reverse this trend. The real question is how. Humans have had a negative impact on the environment they live in by removing native vegetation, interrupting the water cycle by paving over the soil, and polluting the night sky with artificial light, for just a few of the negative impacts. If you are reading this article, you are on your way to helping remediate some of those negative impacts,

If there is a silver lining to the current pandemic, it has turned some people’s attention from the office to the backyard, and that is a good first step. The next step is to motivate these folks into seeing their backyards as mini-ecosystems. .

Since July is the beginning of the summer season, this is the time for watching the bees, butterflies, frogs, dragonflies, and other critters whose life cycles are so obvious right now.

These animals are taking advantage of the warmth to reproduce and expand their populations. What impediments are standing in the way of this natural cycle? The answer is the lack of appropriate habitat and human-imposed stresses on their lives.

Fireflies are the poster child of the “fun in the sun” summertime. These bioluminescent beetles (that’s right; not flies, but beetles) put on their magical light show at dusk in many parts of the world. To humans, it is magical entertainment; to the beetles, it is the vital step toward reproduction and maintaining their population. Usually the males (sometimes the females, depending on the species) open the mating conversation with their flashing lights, to be answered by the females’ illuminated response. The adult fireflies may live for only two months, feeding

Common eastern firefly (Photinus pyralis) photo by Terry Priest.

Protecting the Fabulous Fireflies

on pollen or not feeding at all. After mating, the females will lay their eggs in the soil. The eggs hatch in a short time into larvae and those larvae will feed on soft-bodied arthropods, such as snails, slugs, and earthworms. To thrive, the larvae need moist soil that is rich in organic matter and remains undisturbed.

The larvae will spend the next few seasons underground and emerge as adults next spring. To ensure successful mating, the adults need to emerge in an area without distracting artificial lights that would prevent them from finding their mates.

Here are nine steps to ensure their return to your garden next summer.

1. Use non-chemical means of pest control.

2. Do not use mosquito-“controlling” cover sprays.

3. Decrease non-productive areas in your yard, such as turfgrass lawns.

4. Increase moist, shady, undisturbed areas—allow the fall leaves to gather in natural layers (not heaped into piles).

An artistically positioned log or rock can provide shelter.

5. Include more bed areas that are planted with mostly native plants.

6. Increase biodiversity and structural diversity (layering trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants) in your plantings 7. Increase areas of shorter, natural grasses and grass-like plants that are either not mowed or infrequently mowed.

8. Reduce the use of artificial lights.

Convert outdoor lights from daylight white to red or use a red filter whenever possible. Use timers or motion sensors. Shield path lights to shine only where needed for safe passage. Close curtains to reduce the bleed-through of indoor light into the outdoors.

9. Talk to your neighbors, homeowner’s association, and garden clubs about adopting firefly and other insect-protecting activities. o Carol Allen describes herself as a committable plant-a-holic. She has more than 25 years’ experience in the horticulture industry, with a special interest in plant pests and diseases; is a Licensed Pesticide Applicator in the state of Maryland; and is an ISACertified Arborist. She can be contacted at carolallen@erols.com.

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GOINGnative

Cardinal Flower

Lobelia cardinalis

By Barry Glick

Lobelia cardinalis will always have a very special place in my heart. When, as young “Hippie Homesteader,” I left the streets of Philadelphia for the mountains of Greenbrier County in West Virginia, I had no idea what a botanical paradise I had settled into. Every few miles, down each of the single lane roads travelled, I found myself wandering in countless, tiny, unincorporated hamlets, the names of which had interesting histories to learn. When I started exploring the next county up the road going north, Pocahontas County, the first little berg that I cruised through was called Lobelia. Of course, I had to find out why the town was called Lobelia, so I queried some of the local folks whom I met there. No one appeared to have a clue.

At this time, personal computers had not yet been imagined, let alone Google, so I did the logical thing and went to the library in Lewisburg, our county seat. With the help of our local librarian, I quickly found out where the name Lobelia came from and took out a Peterson’s Guide To Wildflowers.

Armed with a couple hundred pages of plant images, I quickly identified the “Cardinal Flower,” so called because it is as bright-red as a male cardinal.

I was intrigued by the fact that 22

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although the book told me that this plant favored moist to wet meadows and roadsides, it was also growing in drier places, although not as robustly—yet another clue about plants and how they choose their habitats, likes, and dislikes.

Lobelia cardinalis is a member of the Campanulaceae family, aka the Bellflower family. I’ve observed it attracting a multitude of butterflies and other insect pollinators. Although I’ve read many references to what a great hummingbird attractor it is, I’ve yet to see any hummingbirds flock to it in my garden.

(But truth be told, my lobelia is planted at a very high location and I’ve never seen a hummingbird at that elevation.

Some folks consider Lobelia cardinalis a short-lived perennial. This is simply not the case. Here’s a little trick to ensure that you’ll always have it in your garden. As the main stem dies back in the fall, the plant forms many new rosettes around the base. Just peel them off and replant them, and you’ll always have it appearing in your garden. Also, lobelias produce copious amounts of dust-like seeds. The seeds stay in the upright capsules for weeks, so watch for the capsules to open and collect the seeds in a plastic sandwich bag. Sprinkle them over a pot of soil with a layer of grit on

the top of the soil, so the seeds will settle into the particles of grit. Leave the pot outside all winter and in late spring you will have hundreds, if not thousands, of seedlings. When they get some size to them, you can separate them out in “pinches” and either pot them up to larger containers or plant them in the ground.

Note that they flower in their second year, after spending the first year as a rosette growing low to the ground.

A mature Lobelia cardinalis can get as tall as 48", although mine usually top off at about 24". A mature clump can reach about 24"; again mine, planted in a pretty moist area, are usually 12–18" in diameter.

The plant is also deer-resistant because lobelias produce a bitter substance known as “lobeline,” which deters herbivores.

By the way, the name lobelia honors Matthias de l’Obel (1538–1616), a French physician and botanist.

Next time, we’ll chat about a related species, Lobelia siphlitica. 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.

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MARCH/APRIL 2005 • Landscape DIY vs. Pro • Prevent Gardener’s Back • Ladew Topiary Gardens • Cherry Trees

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MARCH/APRIL 2008 • Patio, Balcony, Rooftop Container Gardens • Our Favorite Garden Tools • Coral Bells (Heuchera)

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Jentz Prints

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

Jentz Prints can be purchased on most Saturdays at the Eastern Market, and most Sundays at the Georgetown Flea 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, to make a private appointment, or to get a detailed show schedule, please contact Jentz Prints by email at UllrichJ@aol.com. You can also find Jentz Prints on eBay.com under the seller ID: printyman.

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