Washington Gardener Magazine June 2021

JUNE 2021 VOL. 16 NO. 4

WWW.WASHINGTONGARDENER.COM

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gardener

the magazine for gardening enthusiasts in the Mid-Atlantic region

Are You Planting Melons Too Early?

Native Shrubs for Year-round Interest

New School Garden Guide Reducing Mosquito Breeding Sites Crocosmia: A Fiery Family Garden Tour Season Wrap-up

Schifferstadt Heritage Garden

Yucca: Tough

and Easy-Care

Meet Arlington’s Cooperative Extension Agent DC-MD-VA Gardening Events Calendar Rage Gardening

Summer Creek Horticultural Soil Mixes HiDra2-Seed Starter MultiMix2–Raised Bed Mix Organic - Local – Sustainable – Pro Grade Most sustainable horticultural mixes available.

Available at Mom’s, Direct & select ACE Hardware www.summercreekfarm.com - Thurmont, Maryland

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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.

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

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Izel Plants

Online Marketplace for Native Plants

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

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INSIDEcontents

FEATURES and COLUMNS

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A welcoming bench sits outside the front gate of the Schifferstadt Architectural Museum and Heritage Garden. Photo

by Jennie Russell, Frederick County Landmarks Board of Directors/Schifferstadt Architectural Museum Manager.

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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.” Then look for your answered questions in upcoming issues.

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Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia) is also known as Sweet Pepperbush.

It is a versatile native shrub that can be used as a specimen plant or hedge. It smells pleasantly spicy and sweet. The flowers attract native bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and honey bees.

Melon ‘Green Nutmeg’ (Cucumis melo var. reticulatis) is native to Europe.

This short-season muskmelon was introduced in the U.S. before 1830. It is one of the oldest named melons. The oblong shape of the 2–3 lb. fruit is reminiscent of a nutmeg.

The skin is heavily netted.

The flesh is a vivid green and very sweet.

ASKtheexpert 22 Good Bug Identification, Cicada Activity, Dripping Ficus, Damaged Maple Tree BOOKreviews 18-21 Heirloom Gardener, Grow Bag Gardening, Micro Food Gardening, Lilies, Forage, Herbal Houseplants, Tiny Plants DAYtrip 6 Schifferstadt Architectural Museum and Heritage Garden EDIBLEharvest 16 Timing Melons GOINGnative 14-15 Native Shrubs GREENliving 17 New School Garden Guide HORThappenings 12 Garden Tour Season NEIGHBORnetwork 8-9 Kirsten Conrad, Arlington Extension Agent NEWPLANTspotlight 11 Catmint ‘Whispurr™ Blue’ PLANTprofile 7 Yucca TIPStricks 10 Crocosmia; Reducing Mosquito Breeding Spots

DEPARTMENTS

ADVERTISINGindex BLOGlinks EDITORletter GARDENcontest GARDENDCpodcasts LOCALevents MONTHLYtasklist NEXTissue READERreactions RESOURCESsources

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In our July issue: Daylily Festival Season Attracting Carolina Wrens and much more . . .

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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 Jackie DiBartolomeo Amanda Cash Molly Cuddy Intern Cover price: $4.99 Back issues: $6.00 Subscription: $20.00

Your editor at the recent Philadelphia Flower Show 2021 posing in the honey bee display.

Is “Rage Gardening” the New Rage?

A few days ago, I was asked to comment on an article about the “new” trend of rage gardening? “What kind of gardening?” I asked, thinking I must have misheard the reporter. “Rage gardening,” she repeated. “Ah, you mean the age-old practice of getting out your aggressions in the garden,” I replied. She affirmed that yes, that is another way of describing it.

And there it is, a concept that is as old as the hills—only given a new name and hyped-up for the Millennial generation to think they invented it. I’ve since discovered articles on “rage cleaning” and “rage baking” as well. Well, I’d declare this to be my editorial letter created by “rage writing” (also known as a good old-fashioned rant), if only I actually felt that strongly about it.

The truth is, it has been a great while since I got worked up enough about anything to feel genuine rage. I mean, sure, I’ve been bothered by a few unfair and unjust things in the past few months, and went out and weeded a patch to get rid of some of that excess negative energy, but it is hard to sustain that level of effort for long.

I also don’t think a gardening session filled with fury would be advisable in any area of your landscape that was not entirely weed-infested. Otherwise, you are liable to rip our or slash the good plants along with the bad. Few things are more heart-breaking that realizing you yanked out a precious perennial along with the cursed weeds and seeing that the resulting broken stub is not likely to recover.

Channeling pent-up frustrations can be therapeutic and cleansing at some level—as long as that stress is directed towards constructive tasks. Perhaps you can safely vent your stress by chopping up dead plant materials in a “rage composting” session or do some “rage digging” for a new rain garden?

And hey, if you still have a built-up head of steam going and need somewhere to direct it, come on by. I have some stubborn invasive vines waiting to be ripped out!

Happy gardening,

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

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• Washington Gardener Blog: www.washingtongardener.blogspot.com • Washington Gardener Archives: http://issuu.com/washingtongardener • Washington Gardener Discussion Group: https://groups.google.com/g/ washingtongardener/ • Washington Gardener Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/WDCGardener • Washington Gardener Instagram: www.instagram.com/wdcgardener • Washington Gardener Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ WashingtonGardenerMagazine/ • Washington Gardener YouTube: www.youtube.com/ washingtongardenermagazine • Washington Gardener Store: www.amazon.com/shop/wdcgardener • Washington Gardener Podcast: https://anchor.fm/gardendc/ • Washington Gardener is a womanowned business. We are proud to be members of: · GardenComm (GWA: The Association for Garden Communicators) · Green Montgomery · Green America Business Network Volume 16, Number 4 ISSN 1555-8959 © 2021 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.

All uncredited photos in this issue are © Kathy Jentz.

READERcontt

Reader Contest

For our June 2021 Washington Gardener Magazine Reader Contest, Washington Gardener is giving away one Hydro Wine watering system each to three lucky winners.

The Hydro Wine watering system from BioGreen USA (https://biogreen-products.com/ products/hydro-wine) fits most wine bottles and gives your plant just the right amount of water. Gently push the terracotta stake into the pot and load your water-filled wine bottle.

Perfect for long weekends or forgetful or busy plant parents. You can decorate the wine bottles to fit any aesthetic!

To enter to win a Hydro Wine watering system, send an email to WashingtonGardenerM agazine@gmail.com by 5:00pm on Wednesday, June 30, with “Hydro Wine watering systems” in the subject line. In the body of the email, tell us what your favorite article was in this issue and why. Include your full name and mailing address. The winners will be announced by July 2. 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.

READERreactions

Thoughts about the May 2021 Issue My favorite article from the May 2021 issue was about “Deer-resistant Summer Flowering Bulbs.” I am taking care of two gardens in two parks in Washington, DC, and have been planting flowers and bulbs. The purpose is to create and tend to a garden that can be enjoyed by local families and visitors to our community park. Children and their parents constantly come by and we talk about the different flowers.

In one garden, sun exposure is 10+ hours a day and the other is a shade garden. I am always on the lookout for plants and bulbs that are able to tolerate shade and are “deer-resistant” for the latter one. Hence, my delight in the list you provided and the warning that no plants are truly deer-resistant, especially where there is a scarcity of food. ~ Diana Aviv, Washington, DC Many good articles in the May 2021 issue! I greatly enjoyed the book reviews, but my favorite article was “Simplify with a Garden Full of White Flowers.” I’ve read many a decluttering blog, but hadn’t thought about applying some of those principles to the garden.

The best part for me, though, was the beautiful pictures illustrating a serene all-white flower garden. ~ Francine Krasowska, Silver Spring, MD My favorite article in the May 2021 issue was the one on Euphorbia because I didn’t know much about Euphorbia previously—I learned something new. Thanks! ~ Madeline Caliendo, Washington, DC

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.

My favorite article in the May 2021 issue was about catbirds. I think I’ve been mis-identifying a pair of them for mockingbirds, but the coloring and even the cat-like meow sound fits the birds in my tree. It feels like I got a nice surprise, to know this soon-to-be family (three eggs in the nest) by the correct name. I love how the magazine looks at and educates us about the broad swath of what lives in our gardens. Thanks for this article, in particular! ~ Jane Beard, Churchton MD o JUNE 2021

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DAYtrip

Schifferstadt Architectural Museum and Heritage Garden

By Amanda Cash

Plan your next day trip as a visit to a beautiful garden and museum in Frederick, Maryland. The Schifferstadt Architectural Museum is owned and managed by the Frederick County Landmarks Foundation and is a National Historic Landmark, as well as one of the earliest homes in Frederick County.

Visitors learn the story of a German family and their quest to make a new life in a new country in the early 18th century. Some readers may recognize the museum from its recent participation in the “Beyond the Garden Gates Garden Tour” in Frederick, which continues until the end of October.

The garden is maintained by garden manager and Master Gardener Mary Beth Fleming, who is a descendant of the original owners of the property. She says the Schifferstadt Heritage Garden follows a traditional German four-square layout with fencing and raised beds.

Raised beds allow the soil to warm faster than the soil on the ground level and create an easier planting season.

The garden is full of herbs normally used for cooking and medicinal purposes, as well as for their fragrances.

Fragrant plants were often used as bug repellent and for “strewing,” which is when herbs are tossed on the floor and swept away with the debris in the home.

The current heritage garden was established in the late 1990s, and many of the original plants remain, including Comfrey, Tansy, St. John’s Wort, Horseradish, Valerian, Lovage, Germander, Fennel, Horehound, Ladies Bedstraw, Lamb’s Ear, Southernwood, Hyssop, and Marsh Mallow.

Just last year, a new garden was created in the only shady area of the 6

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garden. This area includes Ferns, Solomon’s Seal, and Goatsbeard.

The black and red Currant bushes were pruned early this spring and a bumper crop of the fruits is expected.

The ‘Cascade’ Hops are thriving as they do each year and the Egyptian Walking Onions are beginning to “walk.” The garden also contains a variety of native plants and is pollinator-friendly. It is always a work in progress and is everevolving.

In addition to the museum and the garden, there is also a gift shop for those who would like locally made items—from handmade pottery from

the Frederick Pottery Guild to books, lotions, candles, food, and much more. The museum and gift shop are currently closed for renovations, but the Heritage Garden is open daily for visitors to enjoy. To stay up to date on the museum’s reopening, visit www. fredericklandmarks.org or follow Frederick County Landmarks Foundation on Facebook. o Amanda Cash is a journalism major at the University of Maryland, College Park, and an intern this summer with Washington Gardener. She is also interning at WBAL-TV11 in Baltimore, MD.

PLANTprofile

Yucca

By Kathy Jentz

Yucca (Yucca filamentosa var. flaccida) is a tough plant that is native to the central and eastern United States. It is hardy to USDA Zones 5–10. It is commonly known as Adam’s Needle, Needle Palm, or simple Yucca.

In early summer, this broadleaf evergreen shrub puts up a tall flower spike that is striking and also a pollinator magnet. For fun, I like to spray paint the remaining spike in a bright tropical color after the blossoms drop and leave it up for the rest of the summer.

Although it looks like a hot desert plant, it has no problem withstanding ice and snow.

There is a straight green species available at many local garden centers, as well as several variegated forms . The most popular of the variegated cultivars is ‘Color Guard’.

Yucca is easy to grow from rhizome divisions. Just dig up a section, cut it into 3-inch clumps, and plant them. I also find it fairly easy to divide the clumps and replant them in new locations.

Yucca prefer full sun and well-draining soil. They need no fertilizing or extra watering.

They are rabbit- and deer-resistant. They are a great choice for along street edges because they are also salt spray- and pollution-resistant. o Kathy Jentz is the editor and founder of Washington Gardener.

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NEIGHBORnwork

Kirsten Conrad

Arling�on Ex�ension Agent

By Jackie DiBartolomeo Kirsten Conrad is the Agriculture Natural Resources Extension Agent in Arlington County and the City of Alexandria, VA. She works alongside landscapers, homeowner associations, local governments, and more to provide answers and education about pest management, urban agriculture, and preserving the natural landscape.

Q: Tell us about yourself. Where did you grow up?

A: I was born and was raised in southwest Ohio in a small town called Oxford, where I attended elementary and high school. My parents met in Denmark when my dad was in the U.S. Army, and German was a dual first language for me. Although we lived in Germany for two years, my family was rooted in Oxford. We camped and traveled a lot in Europe and in Canada and the U.S., and my love for our country’s coastal areas and the outdoors is rooted in these experiences.

Q: What got you interested in horticulture in the first place?

A: My family influences certainly informed my professional inclinations.

My paternal grandfather was the director of grounds at Miami University for many years, where he created a beautiful tree-filled campus and a formal gardens that are named for him today. My maternal grandfather and one of my uncles were farmers in northern Germany, and I have very fond memories of visiting and staying on the farm. Another uncle on my mother’s side was a landscape contractor near 8

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Copenhagen. But most of all, my family was oriented to the outdoors. My father always had a vegetable garden, fruit trees, and later, a pond, and a woodlot.

Our home was surrounded by natural spaces, creeks, and woods where we hiked, fished, and hunted mushrooms.

I learned a lot about natural resources, wild animals, geology, landscape, and food gardening at home. My formal education degrees at Auburn University in landscape design, and much later at Indiana University in outdoor recreation resource management, were both outgrowths of these life-long interests.

Q: What is a typical day for you?

A: I don’t think there is a typical day.

One of the things I like about my job is its variability. I work with the general public, with professional landscapers and pesticide applicators, with homeowner association committees and local government departments, with nonprofit organizations doing like-minded work, with volunteer organization leadership committees, with schools, and with other Extension colleagues in Virginia. In a given week, I can be juggling communications about volunteer projects, partnerships with outside organizations, questions from our Help Desk or eXtension clients, professional development training, or course development for volunteer training, and calls from residents on subjects as diverse as tree health and human parasites and everything in-between.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: Tell us about some of your peers and predecessors whom you admire.

A: I work with so many talented and knowledgeable people. Certainly, I have had the benefit of great professional networks with fellow ANR agents in the Northern District. Adria Bordas in Fairfax County, Paige Thacker in Prince William County, Tim Ohlwiler in Fauquier County, and Beth Sastre Flores in Loudoun have been friends and mentors. Our amazing Extension Master Gardener volunteer program has had outstanding program coordinators and two who stand out are Leslie Fillmore, who has held this part-time job since 2017, and Joanne Hutton, who held the job when I started here.

I greatly admired the late John Bottom, who was a mentor and whose career in the USDA and volunteer work with our Extension Leadership Council were hugely meaningful to me.

Also, I have to mention Puwen Lee, founder of the Plot Against Hunger program, who truly was a leader of the start of what is now a multi-faceted urban agriculture initiative in Arlington.

Alonso Abugattas, the outstanding award-winning author and speaker, who is the Natural Resources Manager for Arlington County, is a great reason Arlington has such a robust greenspace conservation effort. He was instrumental in the formation of the Arlington Regional Master Naturalist Chapter of volunteers that I serve as an advisor to.

Q: What is the most-fulfilling part of your profession?

A: What I have loved most about my job is the chance to be an educator. I am deeply involved with the people I work with in our urban agriculture, landscape best management, and natural resources volunteer groups in the business of helping others to be better stewards of the landscape. I do this in social media gardening groups, in training provided to green industry professionals, and in partnership with other institutions of higher education. Most valuable to me has been the opportunity to learn and expand my skills. I learn something every single day—from my colleagues, from my volunteers, from the public who contact me with questions that require research. I have been

NEIGHBORnwork grateful to be able to help those who care enough to ask about pesticide reduction, how to teach children about our world, what trees to plant, how to grow our own food, and so very much more about how to make our shared community a better place to live. I don’t always have all the answers, but it has been exciting to be able to do this job in a place where the need is great and where residents care enough to ask for and take my advice.

Q: Where do you see Cooperative Extension going in the next 10 years?

A: I work for a vibrant, dynamic organization. The mission of Cooperative Extension to share research-based education is simple and as profoundly important today as it was at its founding in the late 1860s. It is an institution with a great history and remarkable resiliency. Extension is unique.

The model allows enough flexibility to address local need and has a core mission to provide its jurisdiction’s residents with research-based best practices that work. The traditionally free-of-charge Extension-provided services balance those provided by local for-profit businesses and support and expand the work of many non-profit organizations.

Over the next 10 years, I feel that Extension’s work to educate about climate change, species migration, invasive plant and pest management, and urban agriculture will be in great demand. We are already seeing the results of climate change effects in our landscape. Consumers and businesses will need help in making better decisions about land use, stormwater management, chemical pesticide use, and soil health that Extension’s Agriculture Natural Resources program area is well-equipped to address. The growth of urban agriculture practices, home gardening, food production, and including outdoor learning areas on school grounds are other traditional areas of expertise that we are expanding.

Q: Do you like to garden for yourself?

If so, what plants are your favorites to grow? Any tips?

A: I live in a townhouse with a small garden that gives pleasure perhaps because it is small. I can enjoy a place

to do a little gardening without feeling like it owns me. But I also garden at the Fairlington Community Center Teaching Garden, one of our six Extension Demonstration gardens. I also have a small community garden plot at the Chinquapin Community Garden in Alexandria, VA. I have a particularly soft spot for plants with blue flowers—Love in a Mist, Vitex, annual salvia, Nepeta, Russian sage—but truly, I don’t believe that nature’s colors “clash.” I love the riot of color of zinnias and cosmos and the deep, rich intense hues of poppies, peonies, clematis, and dahlias.

My most-heartfelt tips for new gardeners are to first, cultivate the soil as carefully as the plants you want to grow. Second, get to know the plants in your own gardens and when you know these, learn the names of the trees at your school or church, and know about the plants you want to grow before you plant them: their mature size; their growing habits; their pests; their soil, moisture, light, and pH preferences.

Lastly, become a serious student and emulator of other gardeners’ successes.

Q: What else do you like to do in your time off from work?

A: I am a beach person much more than a mountain person. I love the great open spaces where I can see the horizon and the sky, and have always had an affinity for the places from Nova Scotia to the Caribbean where I have had the good luck to live and play for many years. I travel quite a bit. I take my bike and my kayak to Delaware when I can get away. I have children and grandchildren in Canada and North Carolina, and other family members in California, Ohio, Indiana, and Florida, whom I love to visit with. And finally, great cooks often become great gardeners and I aspire to become better at both of these, although I am still learning after all these years.

450 volunteers in my two established programs that help to provide education and services to residents and that support county and city initiatives. I would love for more people to know about Cooperative Extension, to take advantage of what Cooperative Extension resources have to offer to gardeners and non-gardeners alike. I would also like for folks to understand that Extension operates county and city offices at the pleasure of your local government. If you have the good fortune to have access to the people and programs of Extension, thank your local county board, city council, or other representatives and support the funding that provides these services.

Q: How can our readers contact you?

A: My contact information is on our local office website: https://arlington. ext.vt.edu/. Folks can also contact our Extension Master Gardener Help Desk at mgarlalex@gmail.com for assistance with weed and plant disease management, household and landscape insect identification, and landscape troubleshooting. Our award-winning public education programs offer on-line classes, in-person classes, volunteer training support, and recorded classes at www. mgnv.org. o Jackie DiBartolomeo is a journalism major at the University of Maryland, College Park, and an intern this summer with Washington Gardener. She is also a staff reporter with The Campus Trainer.

Q: Is there anything else about yourself that you think our readers would be interested to know?

A: My Agriculture Natural Resources program area serves both the residents of Arlington County and the City of Alexandria. We have about JUNE 2021

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TIPStricks

Mosquitoes spread some of the world’s deadliest and most-debilitating diseases, including Zika virus, West Nile virus, malaria, and dengue fever. Year after year, mosquitoes are such a serious health threat that they have an official week devoted to their extermination.

The American Mosquito Control Association (AMCA) has declared June 20 through June 26, 2021, as this year’s National Mosquito Control Awareness Week. The goal of Mosquito Control Awareness Week is to educate the public about the dangers of mosquitoes and the importance of mosquito control in the prevention of disease.

According to mosquito expert Joe Conlon, technical advisor for AMCA, it is impossible to live in a completely mosquito-free environment. Wherever there is moisture, there will be mosquitoes.

But you can reduce your chances of getting bitten by these insect pests by being “mosquito smart” and reducing places where they can breed.

To reduce the chances of getting mosquito bites, keep as much of your skin covered as possible by wearing long sleeves and long pants. Wear lightcolored clothing because mosquitoes are attracted to darker colors.

Using mosquito repellent is another good way to keep mosquitoes—and mosquito bites—at bay. Apply EPArecommended repellent directly to skin or clothing, following the instructions on the product label.

It doesn’t take much standing water to create a mosquito breeding site.

“Some species of mosquitoes can lay eggs in as little as a bottlecap full of water,” said Jonathan Cohen, mosquito control expert and president of Summit Responsible Solutions. “That’s why homeowners need to be vigilant in elim10

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Crocosmia ‘Babylon’ photo credit: iBulb.com.

How to Reduce Mosquito Breeding Sites

inating places where water can collect and stand in their yards and gardens.”

To reduce mosquito breeding grounds, dispose of cans, plastic containers, old tires, and other items that can collect water. Turn over wheelbarrows and children’s wading pools. Clean clogged roof gutters, which can become prime mosquito-breeding spots.

Periodically empty the saucers under plant pots to make sure they are not harboring mosquito larvae.

To prevent mosquitoes from breeding where water collects, including ponds, bird baths, animal watering troughs, gutters, ditches, drainage pipes, and rain barrels, use a sustained-release mosquito control product such as Mosquito Dunks® that contains BTI to kill mosquito larvae. BTI (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis) is a bacterium that kills mosquito larvae naturally before they can become diseasespreading adults.

Even though BTI is deadly to mosquito larvae, it is harmless to people, pets, fish, wildlife, and beneficial insects.

When a donut-shaped Mosquito Dunk is placed in standing water, the BTI will kill mosquito larvae for up to 30 days. The BTI is continually released as the Mosquito Dunk (https://amzn. to/3iWKqFm) breaks down naturally in the water.

In places where small amounts of water collect, such as tree holes, potted plant saucers, water reservoirs in selfwatering planters, discarded tires, and even in water-collecting plants like bromeliads, a BTI product called Mosquito Bits® can kill mosquito larvae.

Mosquito Bits provide a quick kill of mosquitoes because the BTI is released instantly. Mosquito Bits are perfect for use in swampy areas and areas of extremely dense populations of mosquito larvae. A quick-kill Mosquito Bits application can be immediately followed by the addition of Mosquito Dunks for effective long-term mosquito larvae control.

By reducing exposure to mosquitoes, limiting breeding sites and using the most effective types of mosquito control products, you can greatly reduce your chances of being bitten by diseasecarrying mosquitoes.

Visit www.summitresponsiblesolutions.com for more information. o

Crocosmia: A Fiery Family

Looking for a real sun-worshipper? If so, choose the Crocosmia! It seems as if it turns the heat and sunshine right into more and more flowers. This is one tough plant: it can really take it. Dry soil, little water, and lots of blazing sun? No problem! Its first flowers start opening in June, and the enjoyment can last for months. Your flower border can be blazing with color until late in October.

Crocosmia is available in the warm colors of yellow, orange, and red. What could be better for a hot border? Some cultivars produce large flowers and others small ones; some are all one color and others sport two colors. They even come in a range of heights. Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ is the most-popular cultivar in this fiery family. This blazing red-orange beauty creates a tremendous explosion of color when you plant it in a large cluster.

Did you know that the flowers are followed by ornamental berries? It’s like getting two fantastic features from the same plant.

You can cut the plant down to the ground in the fall, but this isn’t really necessary. Whatever you do, the new shoots will start emerging from their corms in the spring.

Crocosmia makes a wonderful cut flower. Try cutting a few stems from its sea of flowers and putting them in a vase.

Crocosmia varieties that are shorter and more-compact will be perfect for growing in pots or containers.

More information about flower bulbs is available at www.bulb.com. o

GARDENnews

Quick Links to Recent Washington Gardener Blog Posts • Meet the 2021 Summer Interns • Solomon’s Seal Plant Profile • Bloom Day Dreaming • Favalicious See more Washington Gardener blog posts at: WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com o

June–July Garden To-Do List

New Plant Spotlight

Catmint (Nepeta faassenii) Whispurr™ Blue™ and Whispurr™ Pink Catmint are excellent landscape plants with long-blooming seasons, from spring through summer. Plant in a fullsun landscape location. Trim plants in mid-summer for repeat flowering in fall. Fertilize once per month during the growing season. The foliage has a minty fragrance and is very popular with pollinators. It is hardy to USDA Zones 4–9.

Catmint (Nepeta) Whispurr™ Pink and Blue have large, flower plumes on robust plants. Whispurr gets 2 feet high and wide.

For more information, see www. darwinperennials.com. o

Photos courtesy of www.darwinperennials.com.

• Direct-sow annual flower and vegetable seeds.

• Water newly planted trees and shrubs weekly or as needed.

• Contact a Certified Arborist to have your trees’ health inspected.

• Check on your container plants daily and keep them well-watered.

• Watch for insect and disease problems throughout your garden.

• Mow in the early evening and cut off no more than one-third of the grass height at one time. Leave clippings on the ground to provide nutrients.

• Add barley straw (in a bale or ball) to your pond to improve water clarity.

• Take cuttings from azaleas and roses to start new plants.

• Harvest herbs to use in salads and summer dishes.

• Try a few new tropical plants on your patio.

• Shape your evergreens and hedges. Prune boxwoods.

• Look for slug trails in the early morning and put out slug bait as needed.

• Tie up climbing roses and other wandering vines.

• Fill in bare spots in the garden with annuals.

• Deadhead spent flowers to encourage reblooming.

• Prune flowering shrubs as their flowers fade—last chance to do so for fallblooming camellias.

• Spray roses with Neem oil every two weeks.

• Start a sunflower patch with help from a few kids.

• Harvest strawberry beds daily.

• Cut a few flowers to enjoy at your workplace.

• This is the perfect time to apply grub control.

• Change the water in your birdbath daily and throw a Mosquito Dunk (or Mosquito Bits) into any standing water.

• Put in supports for tomatoes and tall-blooming plants such as dahlias.

• Order spring-flowering bulbs to arrive for planting this fall.

• Take photos and update your garden journal.

• Inspect your garden hose for leaks and tighten all connections.

• Weed.

• Sow beets, beans, cucumbers, pumpkins, and squash for fall harvesting.

• Sharpen your lawnmower blade.

• Avoid using pesticides or any chemicals near your water garden.

• Make hummingbird food by boiling 2 cups sugar in 4 cups of water.

• Turn your compost pile.

• Clean up fallen fruit and berries.

• Cover berry bushes and fruit trees with bird netting.

• Dig up garlic when the tops turn brown. Place in a well-ventilated room or a dry, shady spot to cure for three weeks, then store.

• Fertilize your azaleas and rhododendrons, and monitor them closely for any lacebug damage.

• Sow heat-tolerant greens like Swiss Chard and mustard greens in part-shade.

• As the heat and humidity move in, take it easy by working in the morning or early evening to avoid intense sun. Leave the big projects for this fall. For now, concentrate on maintaining the beds you’ve already established and nurturing your new plantings. o JUNE 2021

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HORThaenings Potomac Rose Society Tour of Franciscan Monastery in Washington, DC

Hosta Society Open Garden in Silver Spring, MD

Several garden tours and open gardens returned in 2021 that had been canceled last spring due to COVID-19 restrictions. Here are a few images from the gardens that Washington Gardener Magazine visited.

Annapolis Secret Garden Tour in Annapolis, MD

Shepherd Park Garden Tour in Washington, DC.

Beyond the Garden Gates Garden Tour in Frederick, MD 12

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TOP AREA GARDENING EVENTS Classes and Tours • National Pollinator Week Sign up at https://dnr.maryland.gov/ wildlife/Pages/habitat/wapublicevents. aspx for free online talks: ~ Maryland’s Solitary Bees (400+ species) on Monday, June 21, 6:30pm ~ Butterflies and Birds that Require Trees on Tuesday, June 22, 6:30pm ~ Gardening for Pollinators on Thursday, June 24, 7:00pm • Friday, June 25, 10–11:30am Vegetable Garden Pests and Diseases Join Kirsten Conrad, Extension Agent for Arlington and the City of Alexandria, for a class about recognizing common injurious insects and diseases in your vegetable garden. Learn how to attract and encourage beneficial insects to assist you in fighting off these pests.

Conrad will provide tips and tricks to limit and even prevent damage on your vegetable crops. Held online via Zoom. Free. Register at https://mgnv. org/events/.

• Friday, June 25, 12n–1pm DC’s Bees: Natives in our Neighborhoods The U.S. and Canada has nearly four times more species of bees than birds.

This online lecture will introduce participants to the diverse, beautiful, and essential native bees that coexist with residents of the DC area. Dr. Olivia Carril and Dr. Joseph Wilson will introduce some of the most-common bees found in the East Coast and celebrate their importance in today’s urban and wild landscapes. Hosted by the U.S. Botanic Garden online. Free. Register at www.

USBG.gov.

• Saturday, June 26, 10am–3pm Country Gardens Tour, hosted by the Mountain Laurel Garden Club The tour features a farm theme and includes two unique gardens in farm settings plus one extensive residential garden. All are within a five-mile radius in the town of Accident in northern Garrett County, MD. It is held rain or shine (no pets). Tickets for the tour are $10.00. For tickets and more information, contact Betsy Potts at bhpotts04@hotmail.com.

• Saturday, July 10, 5:30–7pm Eco-Gardening Ideas: Evening Stroll at Green Spring Take an evening stroll through the gardens at Green Spring with curatorial horticulturist Brenda Skarphol to see eco-friendly and sustainable garden ideas. Learn how to incorporate native plants that will attract more pollinators and wildlife to your garden, and about ways to improve your soil to enhance water retention and manage runoff.

Ages 16 to adult. Fee: $18 per person.

Register online at www.fairfaxcounty. gov/parks/parktakes (code NQN.P4JZ) or call Green Spring Gardens at 703642-5173.

• Wednesday, June 30, 6–7:30pm Great Native Plants for Difficult Sites What plants can tolerate constantly wet areas, or clay soil, or blazing sun, or deep shade? Nancy Bell, the Education and Garden Coach Coordinator at Gateway Garden Center in Hockessin, DE, presents a select group of native plants that can take on those challenges, look great, and provide ecological services— all at the same time. Leave with a list of plants to help solve the difficult site dilemmas that you may have! Hosted online by Mt. Cuba Center. Fee: $24.

Register at https://mtcubacenter.org/.

• Thursday, July 15, 6:30–8pm Garden Book Club Summer Meeting We are discussing American Eden: David Hosack, Botany, and Medicine in the Garden of the Early Republic by Victoria Johnson. The meeting will be held via Zoom. Register in advance at: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwvcuygrz8jGtOMTJL6gnbXgZ5g GB8c2o61. The Washington Gardener Magazine’s Garden Book Club is free and open to all. We meet quarterly on a weekday evening to discuss gardenrelated nonfiction and fiction books.

Looking Ahead • Wednesday, September 22, Tudor Place 29th Annual Garden Party Traditionally held on the last Wednesday in May, this year’s gala is scheduled for September due to health guidelines and recommendations from the Office of the Mayor and the CDC. Details

posted at https://tudorplace.org/support/spring-garden-party/.

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 July 5 for the July 2021 issue, for events taking place after July 15. o

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 in water gardening, hydrangreas, peonies, and daylilies.

You can become a listener-supporter for as little as $0.99 per month!

See: https://anchor.fm/gardendc/ support.

You can listen online at https:// anchor.fm/gardendc or at our blog: https://washingtongardener. blogspot.com/. We are available on Spotify, Apple, RadioPublic, Breaker, PocketCasts, Overcast, and Google Podcasts. o

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GOINGnative

Small Shrubs

Native Shrubs for Year-Round Interest

• Dwarf fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii) This dwarf variety of fothergilla grows up to 3 feet high and 4 feet wide; perfect for tucking into a border. It is lowmaintenance and has a short period of spiky white blooms in late spring and gorgeous fall color. The foliage in summer has a slightly blue cast. These plants thrive in moist soils and can take part shade as well. In sunny locations, they must have moist soil. If you plant this shrub in average, rather than moist soil, it is essential to keep it moist until it is well-established.

• Summersweet ‘Hummingbird’ (Clethra alnifolia ‘Hummingbird’) This is a smaller version of summersweet shrub and grows to 4 feet tall.

This shrub has abundant candle-like white flowers in summer with a noticeable fragrance. I think of it as a native substitute for lilac, although it blooms later and the flowers are smaller. The number of flowers though, make up for the smaller size. In fall, leaves turn yellow. Summersweet also grows in partshade.

Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia)

By Shari Wilson I am reading a new book by legendary plant collector Dan Hinkley. Of course, discovering and collecting plants from other parts of the world to bring back home is the polar opposite of gardening with native plants. The story of how this person came to live in the Pacific Northwest and build two world-famous gardens is interesting, though. Early in the book, Hinkley says, in talking about the need for texture and foliage in a garden, “I am not forging new territory here. Yet, for the freshman gardener, there seems to be no coercion or simple pleading that will force retreat from floral flirtation. Nurseries, blossom dens, pushing floral addictions and thwarting the quantum leap to foliage, don’t make it easy.”

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A bit over the top, but I had to laugh out loud. This is so true. As a gardener starting out, I planted flowers and then more flowers. It was only over time that I came to realize building a garden, whether for aesthetics or ecological value, requires different heights and textures. Hinkley suggests taking a photo of your garden in black-and-white to help you see whether there is variation in height and texture. I tried it; it really works!

This brings us to planting deciduous, native shrubs. They are an excellent way to add layers to your garden for more texture, better design, and amplifying ecological value—not to mention the possibility for more flowers. Here are a few native shrubs worth a try.

• Winterberry ‘Red Sprite’ (Ilex verticillata nana ‘Red Sprite’) This smaller cultivar of winterberry grows 2 to 3 feet high and wide—perfect for smaller gardens. One thing to remember about winterberry is that you need a male and a female. The female shrub produces the berries and one male within 50 feet or so is usually adequate to pollinate up to 10 female shrubs. Nurseries typically sell both side by side.

These shrubs grow in clay soils, wet areas, and drier areas, and produce the most fruit in sunnier spots, although I have had them produce abundant fruit in dappled shade once they are mature.

Winterberry have small white flowers in spring, dark-green foliage in summer. Berries begin to form around late August and last through mid-winter or until birds eat them.

• Pee Wee Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Pee Wee’) This is a smaller cultivar of the large, native oak leaf hydrangea that works wonderfully in a tighter space. Interest-

GOINGnative shrub. It develops into a vase shape, blooms with small white flowers in clusters in spring, and in fall, has red berries and red and orange leaves. It grows 6 to 8 feet high and 6 feet wide.

Coralberry (Symphoricarpos)

ing branching in winter, glorious white panicle flowers in early summer, and blazing color in fall make this a versatile shrub. The larger leaves also add textural contrast.

• Coralberry (Symphoricarpos) I am reluctant to include this shrub because I have little experience with it, having only planted three very small shrubs last fall. They definitely grew in their part-shade location, but remained pretty small, so I can’t say much about their habit and shape. Coralberry shrubs do, though, have fascinating pink berries. Like many shrubs, the more sun they get, the more berries.

I found these at Herring Run Nursery.

They grow 3 to 6 feet high and wide, and are said to be low-maintenance. I plan to move one to a full-sun location to see if that makes a difference.

• Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia) This shrub grows to 8 feet or so. It grows naturally in moister areas, but tolerates regular and clay soils easily.

Once established, you can let it alone and be delighted when you see it has come into bloom. Regular summersweet blooms mid-summer, so a bit later than lilac, but the scent is equally as amazing. The pink or white candlelike flowers are also great for cutting.

Summersweet grows naturally in moister areas, but tolerates regular and clay soils easily. Bees are highly attracted it. The fall foliage color is yellow.

Large Shrubs • Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) This is the naturally occurring size of the smaller shrub described earlier.

It has all of the same attributes and needs, but grows up to 12 feet high and wide. Only the most-mature of shrubs would reach the maximum height, and these are easily pruned to reduce height and width. These also grow well in part-shade.

• Blueberry (Vaccinum corymbosum) Blueberries have white flowers in spring, berries in early summer, and bright-red foliage in fall. They feed birds and look good. A mature blueberry is a beautiful shrub. They grow best in more-acidic soil and at least medium moisture.

• Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) This 5- to 8-foot-high and wide hydrangea is fascinating in spring as the leaves unfurl in a sort of a prehistoric fashion. The shrub then quickly fills out and blooms with long, white, panicled flowers in May and June. These blooms eventually fade to pink and brown.

The leaves turn into an incredible array of maroons, reds, and greens in fall. In winter, the papery bark and architectural form of the oakleaf hydrangea provide great seasonal interest.

Once established, very little care is needed other than pruning it, if it gets too large. To prune, remove the tallest branches at the base of the shrub to maintain its shape. This shrub takes shade, partial sun, and full sun, although partial sun seems better.

• Red chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia) Red chokeberry is an easy-to-grow

• Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) Spicebush blooms with chartreuse-

Medium Shrubs • Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) Beautyberry shrubs need sun and space and given both, they are gorgeous come fall. The flowers are tiny and the summer foliage is a lighter green. You can read more about beautyberry in the June 2019 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine.

yellow clusters of flowers on bare branches in early spring. If you have ever happened upon a mass of these in the dappled shade of woods, it can be magical. The blooms are followed by light-green leaves and yellow fall foliage color.

In the wild, it grows to 12 feet high and wide, but stays smaller in a garden setting, typically growing 6 to 8 feet tall and wide. It will do well in shade and part-sun and likes moist soils, but can tolerate average soils. It reportedly gets more blooms the more sun it gets.

• Viburnum (Viburnum sp.)

Arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum), American cranberry bush (Viburnum opulus), Nannyberry viburnum (Viburnum lentago), and Possumhaw viburnum (Viburnum nudum) are all large-size shrubs that grow in sun or part-shade and are care-free.

If you are looking for viburnums on the smaller side, check out Possumhaw viburnum ‘Brandywine’, and ‘Wintherhur’, which top out at 6 feet.

Green leaves emerge in spring; stay fresh all summer; and turn red, yellow, and green in fall.

Viburnums are also vigorous, lowmaintenance, and deer-resistant.

Nurseries carry tons of non-native viburnums, so please make sure to doublecheck the type you are buying or buy from a native plant nursery. o Shari Wilson is self-taught gardener who loves native plants. Her garden is in the Cleveland Park neighborhood of Washington, DC. She blogs at www.nutsfornatives.com.

Red chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia)

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EDIBLEharvt

Melon Timing

By Barbara Melera I was eating the last of the June strawberries as I wrote this. They were the most beautiful strawberries I had ever seen—so beautiful, in fact, that they almost didn’t look real. However, it wasn’t their beauty that was their greatest asset. It was their incredible sweetness. They were the inspiration for this column: As I sat savoring their flavor, I started thinking about fruit that needs no sweetening and immediately melons came to mind. I grew up living through each summer on a diet of homegrown tomatoes and melons purchased from various men who drove melon-laden, horse-drawn carts down the alleys of Baltimore City yelling, “Melons for sale. Get your sweet melons!” It is a multi-dimensional memory of flavor, fragrance, texture, and intense color that I will never forget.

Don’t Sow Them Too Early This is also a column about direct-sown varieties that are nearly always planted too early and therefore encounter problems that they ordinarily should not.

These direct-seeded varieties are summer squash and melons.

Today, the common practice with melons is to purchase seedlings in May and plant the seedlings in mid to late May. This was not the practice 100 years ago, nor is it the practice among some traditional farming cultures. Mel16

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ons do best when planted from seed in warm soil. They produce stronger plants and sweeter fruit when planted late. In USDA hardiness zones 4–7, I recommend that you start your melons from seed in your garden in early to mid-June.

You will be surprised to find that the melons you start from seed in June will produce fruit just as quickly as the melon seedlings you planted in May.

How to Grow Melons Melons require a long, hot, dry growing season of 80–120 days, with some watermelons requiring 150 days.

Melons like 60-degree nights and 80degree days, and will not tolerate frost.

They prefer sandy loam soil that is slightly alkaline. Each year, rotate melons and watermelons to different sites in the garden to prevent damage from nematodes or Fusarium.

Melon seeds planted in cold soil tend to germinate very slowly and if the cold soil is wet or even moist, the melon seeds frequently become moldy or rot.

Before planting melon seeds, mix generous quantities of compost or organic fertilizer into the soil. Melons and watermelons grow best when their garden patch is covered with 6 mm black polyethylene plastic. Even though the plastic looks ugly, it keeps the soil warm, conserves moisture,

slows weeds, avoids the disruption that results from weeding, and keeps plants clean and free of rot.

Plant six to eight melon seeds 1 inch deep, in hills approximately 6–8 inches high and 2 feet in diameter. When the plants are 2 inches tall, thin the seedlings to three to four plants per hill, 12 inches apart, with hills spaced 4 feet apart.

Fertilize young plants with fish or seaweed emulsion. As the vines begin to set fruit, fertilize every two weeks with a high-phosphorous, high-potassium fertilizer like Espoma’s TomatoTone.

Melons and watermelons need a consistent supply of water until the fruits are roughly the size of baseballs. After this, do not water unless drought conditions exist. Depriving the plant of water encourages ripening and makes the flesh sweeter and more flavorful.

When it is time to harvest, many melons slip from the vine, sound hollow when rapped with a fist, or give off an intensely sweet fragrance. The right conditions change from climate to climate and season to season. The best way to gauge when it is time to harvest is to take a melon and try it.

Melons in Containers To grow melons in a container, fill an 18-inch pot with a soil mix that is 60% topsoil, 20% dehydrated manure, and 20% peat moss. Make holes in the soil with a pencil and drop individual melon seeds in each hole. Plant six to eight seeds per pot. Fill the holes with soil and water the pot generously. When the seedlings are 2 inches tall, thin them out, leaving three plants per pot.

Melons planted in containers must be fertilized each week with a highphosphorus, high-potassium fertilizer or a blossom booster fertilizer until fruit has set. Once the fruit has set, fertilize every two weeks.

I urge you all, try some melons this year. Their sweetness can beat out those strawberries I just finished. o Barbara Melera is the president of Harvesting History (www.harvesting-history.com), a company founded in 2016 to provide horticultural and agricultural products, largely of the heirloom variety, along with garden tools and equipment.

New School Garden Guide Encourages Garden-based Learning in DC Schools

By Molly Cuddy

School gardeners picking peas and beans at the Watkins Elementary School on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

The United States Botanical Garden (USBG) has partnered with the Office of the State Superintendent (OSSE) and City Blossoms to promote garden-based learning in DC schools with a guide that goes in-depth about garden upkeep.

“Growing Strong: A Comprehensive Guide to Support all School Garden Programs in the District” was released as a celebration for Earth Day 2021.

The guide is meant for teachers, administrators, and parents to give students in the District a chance to learn about gardening, and also to apply what they’re learning in school to the outdoors.

Research shows that gardening is extremely beneficial and has a major positive impact on students, which is a huge reason why the guide was created. In addition to the effects on students, gardening also benefits the community and the District as a whole.

This manual was in the works for more than 10 years, according to Ray Mims, USBG Partnerships and Sustainability Specialist, and

Lee Coykendall, a Senior Children’s Education Specialist.

The USBG had partnered with OSSE and City Blossoms on past projects, such as a Greenhouse Manual for educators, and knew the partnership worked well. City Blossoms is a nonprofit organization that specializes in creative programming in kid-driven gardens. They have been providing children and students with gardening spaces since 2008, focusing especially on kids who may not have access to a garden space otherwise.

Mims and Coykendall “decided that an online manual could be a rich resource for the D.C. school community and DMV area,” according to Coykendall and Mims.

“This is serving a need that has been known about within DC schools. For years, schools reached out to USBG with school garden questions,” said Coykendall and Mims, “We would answer and provide support as we were able, but we did not have as much staff capacity as we would have liked to

GREENliving help with this topic.” The guide allowed for all of this information to be in one place, as well as easily accessible.

The guide is available on USBG’s website for anyone who may want to access it. According to the website page, it will help with “starting a new school garden, maintaining an existing school garden, and providing highquality-based instruction.”

The guide is just 21 pages long and provides plenty of information, going in-depth about starting a garden and being able to help a garden continue to flourish. Several color photos of real students taking advantage of gardens are scattered throughout the guide.

It also includes several references and resources that could be used for researching even more tips and tricks for school gardens.

“This guide is an important document that lays a path for establishing a sustainable and impactful school garden program,” Tara McNerney, executive director of City Blossoms, said.

Both Mims and Coykendall said they hope the guide can provide educators with correct and consistent information about starting or teaching in a garden. “We are very proud to offer this resource to area educators.”

The pandemic deprived students of in-person socializing, as well as valuable time spent outdoors. It’s important that students are able to connect with their friends and other students, and the garden is a great place to do that safely. Although students were out of school for a long period of time, they are slowly returning to the classroom— and the garden.

“Gardens are amazing outdoor spaces and classrooms,” Mims and Coykendall said, “Now more than ever, with students coming back to schools, it is important to connect students to the outdoors.”

You can check out the school garden guide on USBG’s website or use this direct link: https://www.usbg.gov/ schoolgardenguide. o Molly Cuddy is a journalism major at the University of Maryland, College Park, and an intern this summer with Washington Gardener. She is also a campus tour guide and will be a teaching assistant for a professional writing class next semester.

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BOOKreviews The Heirloom Gardener: Traditional Plants and Skills for the Modern World Author: John Forti Publisher: Timber Press List Price: $27.50 Order Link: https://amzn.to/35sqpi3 Reviewer: Andrea F. Siegel John Forti has pulled together a romance of gardens, communities, and their connections with time, season, earth, pace, and place in history.

There is plenty of nostalgia in the book, but this is less a dreamy look back to earlier times than it is advocacy for change, and it’s clear that Forti favors artisanal and local goods. The chapters are essays about the value of traditional plants and practices, artisanal crafts and skills, slow food, and the like.

Forti, an ethnobotanist, horticulturalist, and heirloom specialist, advises us to look at modern lifestyles, our Earth, our values, our food, and the families and communities we are part of. The chapters, through their information about plants, holidays, crafts, experiences, etc., are about the kind of practices that connect us to our environment and older generations we knew, as well as ancestors we never met; keeping their skills, wisdom, history, foodways, and folklore alive; reaching for heirloom plants and seeds, and living our lives in more-sustainable ways.

The book advocates, essentially, for the heirloom gardening lifestyle and the experiences gained and lessons learned from it, and the communities we form and support. There is interesting information here about horticultural practices, skills, and crafts that shouldn’t be lost over time—but that can happen when the knowledge is no longer passed from generation to generation.

Forti spews harsh words for the agri-chem industry, promoting growing heirloom plants in an earth-friendly way to enrich the soil and our lives as we learn and appreciate the pace and planning of this lifestyle.

Chapters, illustrated by block prints that hearken back to the past, feature selected plants, such as sage, and include information like uses and value through the years. They also share stories about the old ways, the language of flowers, seasonality, and the like.

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Gardeners, especially those who use heirloom seeds and plants, may find little new here. This is not a how-to book that, step-by-step, teaches skills, although there are instructions for making herbaria, and tips and advice about varied subjects and plants.

Perhaps readers who are inspired by Forti will not turn to their screens for a how-to video, but instead to someone who will pass down their knowledge by sharing their experience.

Still, many people are already involved in aspects of what Forti advocates. Whether it was the pandemic or food/health scares, climate change or GMO opposition, the decades of the environmental movement, a desire to have a pretty butterfly garden, or the fear that youngsters will think that eggs grow in cartons, many people have joined the movements to grow-your-own organically, raise backyard chickens, buy local, shop at farmer’s markets, make their own compost, etc. They are returning to “three sisters” planting and sharing the best of their heirloom seeds.

The book may appeal to like-minded readers, but people who pick it up expecting to learn about growing specific heirloom plant varieties may be disappointed. Whether you care for Forti’s views or not, his essays may lead you to consider what you want in post-pandemic life. o Andrea Siegel is a Master Gardener in Maryland.

Grow Bag Gardening Author: Kevin Espiritu Publisher: Cool Springs Press List Price: $26.99 Order Link: https://amzn.to/35HzDr7

Reviewer: Erica H. Smith If you’re a container gardener, you have likely accumulated your share of large pots made of everything from terracotta to expensive ceramic to various types of plastic; you’ve lugged them around your deck or patio; you’ve used up space storing them over the winter. Maybe you’ve also noticed that as plants grow inside the pots, their roots tend to circle around the interior, especially if the pot isn’t quite large enough for the root system. This can lead to root rot and plant death.

“Grow bags” made from fabric, mostoften spunbound polypropylene, solve several of these problems: They are relatively lightweight (although the planting mix inside can still be heavy), they fold up to store flat (away from mice!), and roots of plants grown in this porous material “air prune” or die off before starting to circle, thus keeping the plant healthier. Grow bags come in lots of sizes and colors, and can support many different kinds of plants.

Kevin Espiritu (of Epic Gardening, an online gardening education company) is enthusiastic about grow bags. This is an enthusiastic book overall, which is great; I can’t imagine anyone reading it and not wanting to run out to get a whole bunch of fabric pots, or (if you’re good at sewing) some material to make your own, which he provides directions to do, along with many other DIY projects. There is plenty of information in here to start your grow bag garden and keep it productive, including choosing bags; choosing plants from a wide selection of possibilities; creating the perfect soil mix and fertilizers; making trellises, cold frames, and drip irrigation systems and… I did have to stop and take a breath after the deluge of “another cool thing!” but anything that encourages people to get out there and get gardening is wonderful. And this book is packed with encouragement.

I would suggest reading the introductory chapters and the essential information about maintenance, and skipping over most of the specific project details until you’re ready. Do not buy 50 grow bags and fill them all up in the first season, no matter how enthused you feel. But three or four are a great idea, and you will definitely have some

BOOKreviews

ideas about what to grow after reading this book. I am not sure that asparagus would work in a grow bag in our climate. But now I kind of want to try.

If you’re already a container gardener, or if you have a small urban space and have been interested in using it for growing anything from vegetables to perennial flowers to fruit trees, grow bags are a great way to go, and Grow Bag Gardening can show you how to make them work for you. o Erica H. Smith is a Montgomery County Master Gardener whose volunteer activities include the Master Gardener Demonstration Garden in Derwood, MD; the Grow It Eat It program; and speaking engagements on food-growing topics. She is the author of several novels; visit her website at ericahsmith.wordpress.com.

Micro Food Gardening: Project Plans and Plants for Growing Fruits and Veggies in Tiny Spaces Author: Jennifer McGuinness Publisher: Cool Springs Press List Price: $26.99 Order Link: https://amzn.to/2UdfLJR Reviewer: Stacey Evers When schools and offices closed last spring, I spent a fair amount of time packing strawberry plants and tomato and herb seeds, then delivering them with pots and bags of soil to students who live in apartments. I felt bad that my offerings were so puny and that the resulting food would be scant (if it came into being at all). If only Jen McGuinness’ Micro Food Gardening: Project Plans and Plants for Growing Fruits and Veggies in Tiny Spaces had been around then.

I could have maximized the food the

students grew by making micro food fountains of nested terra cotta pots that host greens, bush beans, marigolds, and peppers in the ascending layers. Cucumber towers of pots and PVC would have fit beautifully into slender spaces. And for my student who couldn’t get enough of radishes, I would have created a basket root garden: a small, deep basket lined with coconut coir, filled with soil, and then planted with radishes (or carrots or beets).

McGuinness, who started blogging as Frau Zinnie in 2011, is on to something. As she points out in her introduction, growing food in small spaces “is a trend that is not going away.” Space is increasingly at a premium and, by 2050, more than two-thirds of people in the world are expected to be living in cities.

Micro food gardening isn’t the same as container gardening. It focuses on crops that don’t have grand ambitions, but that will remain compact. Each of the project instructions includes recommended plants that are well-suited to the design: bush beans for the rainwater collector with a living wreath, dwarf eggplant and mini-peppers for the “Taste of Italy” urn, a window box of fingerling potatoes. Some of the 30 projects are more whimsical, like the greens or chives grown in a decorative head planter, a thyme chessboard, and kale sprouting from a doll bed.

Every plan is designated as an indoor or outdoor project, or both. Many of the indoor projects are for microgreens.

McGuinness reveals that she started growing basil microgreens year-round in a muffin pan because she loves fresh herbs and wants easy access to them while cooking, but doesn’t have much counter space. Similarly, she keeps a caddy of six wide-mouth mason jars in the kitchen for growing herbs that can be snipped as needed.

In-between the well-laid-out project instructions, each introduced with a highlighted materials list, McGuinness dispenses gardening advice about growing specific types of plants and about direct-seeding. She also provides plans for creating your own grow light (PVC again!) and an indoor worm bungalow from craft-store-style wooden crates.

Throughout, McGuinness encour-

ages readers to be adventurous and resourceful, calling on them to look around their homes and think about what could be reused as a container.

How about that holiday cookie tin? Or the aquarium languishing in the basement? She wants readers to use this book as a starting point, not an end in itself, as they consider how to increase their access to fresh food in even the smallest of spaces. o Stacey Evers is an environmental educator at Belvedere ES in Falls Church, VA, and the director of Grow a Row FC, a community initiative supporting gardeners who grow food for donation.

Lilies: Beautiful Varieties for Home and Garden Author: Naomi Slade Photos: Georgianna Lane Publisher: Gibbs Smith List Price: $21,99 Order Link: https://amzn.to/2THbqy3 Reviewer: Jim Dronenburg This is a coffee table book. It has a section about the history, structure of lilies, and how lilies are classified, and a little bit of information about how to read the listings; then 60 varieties/species of lily by my quick count. Then there is a glittering generality guide to buying, planting, and propagation, and a glossary of terms in the back.

The book falls short on a list of items. The lilies mentioned are grouped

by Elegant and Dainty; Wild and Wonderful; Fiery and Fabulous; an Majestic and Magnificent. Within the groupings, there is no sense of organiJUNE 2021

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BOOKreviews point that cheap bulbs in the box stores aren’t worth it—they have been pawed over and probably damaged, and usually if they have sprouted, they aren’t worth your money. She recommends going to a reputable lily supplier.

Buy the book for the pictures. They provide great eye candy. o Jim Dronenburg is a retired accountant and now gardens full-time in Knoxville, MD.

zation, whether by species, by cultivar, by color, whether things are species or hybrids. This does ensure that you read every page, but is highly irritating if you would ever want to look anything up.

The book is chock-full of photographs. I have to admit the photos are stunning, but so many of the photos—for example, spotted in the text as “section breaks” and elsewere—are not captioned, not labeled. Lilies are shown that are not mentioned in the text.

The varieties that are mentioned have anywhere from one to three full-page shots, and one suspects the varieties were chosen by the availability of photographs rather than anything else.

There is far too little text for the space used. Information is… spotty…for the varieties. Not all are labeled as for sun/shade. I noticed no hardiness zones, even when in the case of Lilium candidum, the Madonna lily, the author mentions that this lily is “less hardy than some.” Height is given, but when each lily has not only an “in the garden” bullet point, but an “as a cut flower” point, you wonder if the emphasis is on growing the things or buying them at a florist’s to arrange.

There are, however, some nice points.

There are several lily species and—my personal favorites—L. martagon hybrids included. Height is always given, and usually, soil preferences, which is often critical when trying to grow species.

(Hybrids are often more forgiving.)

The author does make the very good 20

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Forage: Wild Plants to Gather, Cook, and Eat Author: Liz Knight Illustrator: Rachel Pedder-Smith Publisher: Laurence King Publishing List Price: $24.99 Order Link: https://amzn.to/3vBInJE Reviewer: Jackie DiBartolomeo Whether you are an expert forager or a total beginner, Forage by Liz Knight is a one-stop-shop into all of the different possibilities that can come out of stepping into the forest and searching for your next meal. The book details 50 different wild plants that can be foraged, from trees to weeds.

Each section of this book details characteristics of each plant, such as its distribution, habitat, and gathering season. Knight uses a great deal of imagery to get the reader to picture themselves out there with the plant, foraging for it. Although I was familiar with many of the 50 plants in this book before I read it, there was a wealth of information about even the mostcommon of plants that I got to learn.

(For instance, there are records of humans eating dandelions dating back thousands of years.)

Perhaps more exciting than the plants themselves is what the book teaches you to do with them. Along with their descriptions, each plant section contains delicious recipes to recreate with what you’ve foraged—everything from chili jam to rice pudding to lemon linguine. With about 150 recipes to try out, the cooking possibilities are endless. Almost all of the recipes listed contain 10 ingredients or fewer, making them easy to make for even a novice cook, as well.

However, the real highlight of the book is the beautiful illustrations by Rachel-Pedder Smith. Each plant section comes with an illustration more

stunning than the last, both lifelike and yet with artistic liberty. Perhaps the most-important part of foraging is being able to identify your plants correctly, and Pedder-Smith’s illustrations make this a possibility. As I stared at her drawings, it was easy for me to picture each plant jumping right off the page and into the forest. Her illustrations are also labeled like a diagram

by Knight, showing which parts of the plant to eat, and which to leave behind.

As a beginner forager, I was nervous before opening this book that I was going to have nothing to say about its contents. However, as I continued to read, I realized that many plants within the pages that also existed right in my own backyard. Childhood favorites like Japanese honeysuckle and crab apple trees can be used to create some amazing recipes that I hadn’t previously considered making.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by Forage. I went into the book expecting to be entertained, but came out well enough informed to want to do some venturing of my own for my next meal.

The illustrations by Pedder-Smith only added to the experience of learning more about the ingredients I can get without stepping foot in the grocery store. I would recommend this book to readers who want to learn not only a bit more about foraging, but a bit more about the natural world around them, too. o Jackie DiBartolomeo is a journalism major at the University of Maryland, College Park, and an intern this summer with Washington Gardener. She is also a staff reporter with The Campus Trainer.

BOOKreviews

Herbal Houseplants Author: Susan Betz Publisher: The Quarto Group List Price: $24.95 Link: https://amzn.to/2SG8MbJ Reviewer: Amanda Cash You may think you need a yard or small outdoor garden to grow beautiful and delicious herbs, but author and master gardener Susan Betz proves that herbs can flourish inside. You no longer have to worry about tending to your herbs in the sweltering heat or rainy days, but instead can enjoy them in the comfort of your home.

In her book Herbal Houseplants, Betz shares her tips and tricks for growing every herb you can think of, not only successfully, but also indoors.

She breaks down each component necessary to grow and take care of the herbs, such as how much light is needed, their preferred moisture levels, and their soil plus fertilizer needs.

The herb owner should be, as Betz puts it, “pruned” so they understand each component necessary in preparing their herbs to have a place in their home.

Successfully growing the herbs is only one aspect of taking care of them.

Betz also provides a section about how to prune and propagate your herbs.

Don’t worry about pesky fungicide or bugs, because the book outlines how to take care of a plant that may have these problems. Drawings even show the reader how to detect whether these pests are attacking your plants.

The bulk of the book is filled with beautiful photography and there is a listing of the different types of herbs, from chives to sage to cardamon to

bloody dock. Each plant is explained in its entirety from its Latin name to the uses in your daily life, whether it be for fragrance, lotions, cooking, or adding a touch of color to your home.

Some herbs, such as basil, have a plethora of varieties, and Betz includes each type of this popular herb. She even goes a step farther to share great recipes that can be created using these varieties.

Growing herbs indoors can lead you to create a delicious rose geranium cake, a five-cheese herb spread, or even herb-infused vinegar. If you want to successfully grow beautiful herbs in your home or learn more about them in general, this book is a must-read. o Amanda Cash is a journalism major at the University of Maryland, College Park, and an intern this summer with Washington Gardener. She is also interning at WBAL-TV11 in Baltimore, MD.

Tiny Plants: Discover the Joys of Growing and Collecting Itty-bitty Houseplants Author: Leslie F. Halleck Publisher: Cool Springs Press List Price: $24.99 Link: https://amzn.to/3guHdLO Reviewer: Molly Cuddy For those who want to care for plants but don’t have much room, or prefer a smaller houseplant, Leslie F. Halleck has all the tips and tricks in her book Tiny Plants. Her own fascination and love of miniscule plants inspired her to write this book for anyone who may share her obsession.

Tiny plants have different needs from normal houseplants, and their care practices may be more tedious.

Fear not, because Halleck gives all the knowledge you could possibly need for every small plant under the sun. Your tiny plants are sure to flourish with the detailed descriptions and pictures on every page. She includes plenty of information about what containers to store them in, how to water them, appropriate lighting for the plants, how to propagate them, and more.

Halleck also gives examples of different types of tiny plants, with a size reference in every picture, so you can tell just how tiny some of them are. She covers foliage, flowering, succulents,

cacti, carnivorous, and semi-aquatic plants.

Some of them are extra-itty-bitty, like the living stone succulent, which is comparable to the size of a healing crystal (or a rock, considering its name) or a thimble—it only grows to about 4 centimeters. Others are a bit larger, like the Bull Eye’s begonia, which can have a height of up to 20 centimeters; however, it’s still tiny enough to earn a spot in this book.

Each plant profile page includes a picture, as well as all the information about how to take care of that specific plant and the skill level needed to keep the plant thriving (an awesome addition for any amateur gardeners who don’t want a plant that is too difficult to keep alive).

Of course, an important part of having plants is displaying them in the most aesthetically pleasing ways in your home for guests and yourself to enjoy. The good thing about tiny plants is that there are plenty of ways to display them, and Halleck gives many great recommendations for that.

This book is perfect for anyone looking for a tiny plant as an adorable addition to their home. Although it’s filled with information and facts, the photos and casual tone make it a pleasant and interesting read. o Molly Cuddy is a journalism major at the University of Maryland, College Park, and an intern this summer with Washington Gardener. She is also a campus tour guide and will be a teaching assistant for a professional writing class next semester.

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KNOWitall

Ask the Expert

By Debra Ricigliano

Identifying Good Bugs

Q: I am a newbie gardener. Lately, I am finding creatures on my vegetable plants that look like tiny dragons. I am interested in identifying the insects that I find on my plants because I read about good and bad insects. Can you tell me what this is and if I should do anything about it?

A: Is this what you are seeing (photo at right)? If so, they are the larvae of ladybird beetles (ladybugs). Finding them in your garden is a sign of natural pest control. Ladybug larvae consume many soft-bodied pests, such as aphids and spider mites.

You are wise to identify what you find in your garden before doing anything because in many cases, being too aggressive can do more harm than good. Insecticide sprays can kill these beneficial insects. Where large aphid populations are devastating vegetable plants, you can spray horticultural oil or insecticidal soap, which are less harmful to ladybird beetles than many other insecticides.

Massive Cicada Activity

Q: There is massive cicada activity in my neighborhood. I live surrounded by mature trees with limbs that hang over into my backyard. I have many shrubs, mostly natives planted in my yard. After the female cicadas lay their eggs in the trees and when the larvae drop to the ground into my yard, will my shrubs be

Periodical cicada photo by Kathy Jentz.

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Ladybug larvae photo by Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org.

damaged by cicadas that feed on plant roots?

A: Periodical cicada nymphs feed underground on roots, but the feeding is so insignificant that it does not damage trees or shrubs. You have no cause for concern.

Dripping Ficus Tree

Q: My ficus tree has grown beautifully for years. Now the leaves are covered with a sticky liquid that drips onto the floor underneath. I moved the plant from inside to my screened-in porch, away from my other indoor plants. What is going on?

A: What you describe is most likely a scale or mealybug infestation. Both of these insects suck on plant sap and excrete a “sticky liquid” called honeydew. It is good that you moved the plant away from your other indoor plants.

Both of these insects are difficult to treat.

Scales look like tiny brown bumps on leaves, typically found along the veins.

Mealybugs are covered with white, powdery wax and are commonly found where leaves meet the stem (leaf axils).

Look for a horticultural oil insecticide labeled for houseplants and treat according to the label

directions. Multiple applications will be necessary. An alternative is a systemic indoor plant insecticide applied as a soil drench.

Damage on Maple Tree

Q: My maple tree is under attack. There are holes about 6" in diameter and probably 6–8" deep on some of the older limbs. I did not see this damage last year and it seems to have happened suddenly. What can be causing this and what should I do to stop it from happening?

A: This sounds like the work of a pileated woodpecker. These impressivelooking birds drum on and drill holes in trees as they search for insects, mark territories, prepare nesting sites, and call to attract mates.

Typically, holes are rectangular and their size can look alarming. They also can be a sign that the limbs are dead or dying. If the is tree poses any danger to people or property, it should be evaluated by a licensed arborist. o Debra Ricigliano is a Certified Professional Horticulturist, who has worked as a horticulture consultant for the University of Maryland Extension Home and Garden Information Center since 1997. She is a graduate of the Institute of Applied Agriculture at UMCP. To ask a gardening question, go to http://extension.umd.edu/hgic and click on “Get Help.” Digital photos can be attached.

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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!

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