the magazine for gardening enthusiasts in the Mid-Atlantic region
Making Summer Bouquets
A New, Fragrant Shrub Rose Series
Demystifying Cannabis Growing Cuckoo for Cuckoos
Growing a BeeFriendly Lawn
Spotted Lanternfly U pdate
Keeping Ticks at Bay Sunflowers: A Truly American Flower
Garden Book Reviews and Contest
Com post Tips
Meet Alan M Jones, President of Manor View Farm
Beautiful Black Cohosh
Your Ad Here
Are you trying to reach thousands of gardeners in the greater DC region/Mid-Atlantic area? Washington Gardener Magazine goes out on the 15th of every month. Contact KathyJentz@gmail.com or call 301.588-6894 for ad rates (starting from $200) The ad deadline is the 10th of each month. Please submit your ad directly to: KathyJentz@gmail.com
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.
RARE AND EXCEPTIONAL PLANTS FOR THE DISCRIMINATING GARDENER AND COLLECTOR
Barry Glick
Sunshine Farm and Gardens 696 Glicks Road Renick, WV 24966, USA Email: barry@sunfarm.com www.sunfarm.com
www.greenspring.org
Green Spring Gardens
A “must visit” for everyone in the metropolitan Washington, DC, area. It’s a year-round goldmine of information and inspiration for the home gardener. It’s an outdoor classroom for children and their families to learn about plants and wildlife. It’s also a museum, a national historic site that offers glimpses into a long, rich history with colonial origins. Located at 4603 Green Spring Rd., Alexandria, VA. Information: 703-642-5173.
All sunflowers are fairly easy to grow from direct-sown seed. Do not start sunflowers indoors and then transplant to outside. For continuous blooms, start a second group of seeds in mid-summer. These plants will bloom in September and October.
Got a Garden Question?
Send your questions to KathyJentz@gmail.com and use the subject line “Q&A.” Then look for your answered questions in upcoming issues.
Alan M. Jones is president of Manor View Farm in Monkton MD, a 100-acre wholesale nursery growing a wide range of trees and shrubs.
Fozzie, a labrador/golden retriever mix, and his owner, Scott Hurst of Salem, Virginia, search a park bench for evidence of the invasive spotted lanternfly. A new study led by Virginia Tech found that volunteer dog-handler teams can detect the elusive egg masses of the spotted lanternfly, an invasive insect that’s damaging farms and forests across the eastern and central United States.
Photo by Clark DeHart for Virginia Tech.
Re-assessing the Harvest
July has been a busy month for me. From visiting Ball Horticulture’s headquarters in Chicago to hosting a Garlic Fest here in Takoma Park, MD, it has been a whirlwind of garden tours, speaking appearances, writing assignments, and more.
I attended the Cultivate show in Columbus, OH, for the first time. It is the biggest horticultural industry event in the country. I didn’t end up getting to all the booths nor to all the education sessions I wanted to attend, but I soaked up as much knowledge as I could and spent a great deal of time with the new plant trials to share several of them with you in coming issues.
Returning from my Cultivate trip, I received word that I was a runner-up for Best DC Podcaster in the Washington City Paper for the GardenDC Podcast—a big thanks to all who voted for me!
I was also honored to win a Gold Laurel Media Award, along with co-awardee American Meadows, for the Reduce Your Lawn Day campaign and website. The GardenComm Laurel Media Awards are the highest honor for excellence in garden communications.
Because of my heavy travel schedule, I decided to make this month’s issue a combined one with August and promise that the September issue will be back to our regular monthly timing.
Sincerely,
Kathy Jentz, Editor/Publisher, Washington Gardener, KathyJentz@gmail.com
Credits
Kathy Jentz Editor/Publisher
Washington Gardener
826 Philadelphia Ave. Silver Spring, MD 20910
Phone: 301-588-6894
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Ruth E. Thaler-Carter Proofreader
Colin Davan
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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.
Your editor touring urban edible gardens in Columbus, OH. Photo by Jennifer Ott.
Reader Contest
For our July-August 2025 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, we are giving away a Kodiak® Red Diervilla shrub from the Proven Winners ColorChoice Flowering Shrub Collection. The prize value is $24.
This deep-red foliage will draw the eye all throughout the growing season. Kodiak Red 2.0 Diervilla bursts onto the scene in spring with vibrant coloring, produces dramatic warm rougetipped foliage for the entire summer, and lights up in the fall. It’s the kind of constant beauty any garden could benefit from. While the foliage is beautiful, it’s also useful: It feeds pollinator larva.! The equally useful summer-long display of flowers feeds adult pollinators. Knowing that your plant is providing a service to the ecosystem as well as your eyes is a great comfort to any gardener.
To enter to win the Kodiak® Red Diervilla, send an email by 5:00pm on Sunday, August 31, to WashingtonGardenerMagazine@gmail.com with “Kodiak Red Diervilla” in the Subject line and in the body of the email. Tell us what your favorite article was in the July-August 2025 Washington Gardener issue and why. Please include your full name and mailing address. Winners will be announced and notified on/about September 1. Replies might be published. o
Your Ad Here
Are you trying to reach thousands of gardeners in the greater DC region/MidAtlantic area? Washington Gardener Magazine goes out in the middle of every month. Contact KathyJentz@gmail.com or call 301.588.6894 for ad rates (starting from $200). The ad deadline is the 5th of each month. Please submit your ad directly to: KathyJentz@gmail.com.
Plant a Row for the Hungry (PAR) is an easy program to participate in and really does not take any extra resources than what you may have in your garden. In normal times, about 35 million people wonder where their next meal will come from. Most of these are children. That’s where PAR steps in.
PAR is such a simple program: It urges gardeners to Plant A Row (or a container) dedicated to feeding the hungry, and then take the harvest to someplace or someone that needs it. Once you have donated, send an email to KathyJentz@gmail.com with the total (in pounds and ounces) of what you gave. That is all there is to it. Easy. Effective. Adaptable and Helpful.
In the June issue, my favorite article was the first one! The one about Ilana Rubin, because I have always wondered if forest bathing experiences were available in the DC area and I wanted to have more background on the topic. I will definitely contact her in September, once the temps go down a bit!
~ Catherine Vial
I appreciated the reader’s question in the June 2025 issue of Washington Gardener about a native evergreen that can be used as a groundcover under a tall tree. I’m always looking for other groundcover ideas, and using crossvine (Bignonia capreolata) as a groundcover sounds fun, especially if, besides covering the ground, to grows up a tree or fence and flowers.
~ Linus Chen o
Kathy Jentz
“Groundcover Revolution is must-have book for anyone who is interested in having less lawn, fewer weeds, and reduced mulching. The properties charts will save the reader time and money, the pictures provide inspiration, while the detailed plant portraits give the focused information needed for creating beautiful, functional landscapes.”
―C.L. Fornari, GardenLady.com
Alan M. Jones had a knack for gardening from a young age. It was always something that piqued his interest.
“I always enjoyed visiting local nurseries to see what they were growing,” said Jones, President of Manor View Farm in Maryland.
He is originally from England, with its rich world history and strong ties to gardening and nurseries throughout time.
“England has always been a nation of gardeners and the nursery industry,” said Jones. “Garden centers would cater to that interest.”
In high school, he ran the Community Service greenhouse. This was a site that gleaned vegetables from the garden and provided them to elderly people in the community where the school was located.
The London native discussed how England has always had a strong passion for gardening and nursery work, although “I was the only person in the high school who had an interest in gardening and horticulture,” said Jones about working for the Community Service greenhouse.
After high school, he worked at the Royal Gardens, Windsor Castle, and The Savill Gardens, as well as Windsor Great Park. He worked on the same property as English royalty, which was an exciting time.
“I lived on the castle grounds, which was a unique experience,” said Jones. “You’d see the Queen Mother coming through The Savill Garden when she was out exercising her dogs. She’d
Alan M. Jones: President of Manor View Farm
By Colin Davan
always stop and talk about the plants and ask questions about what you were doing,” said Jones to Nursery Management magazine.
He then attended Pershore College of Horticulture, which is roughly 120 miles northwest of London. He studied nursery stock production, plant identification, business management, and many other subjects relevant to that field.
After graduating and with the advanced knowledge gained from his nursery experience, he moved about 60 miles southeast of London to work at Oakover Nurseries. There, he was in charge of the propagation department. Oakover Nurseries focused on seedling and liner work.
Through family connections in the Northeast of the U.S., he began crisscrossing between the U.S. and the U.K. After some time, he was offered a job at Princeton Nurseries in New Jersey and ultimately left England in 1984.
Princeton Nurseries was one of the largest and most prestigious nurseries in the U.S. during the 1980s. Through their introduction of new trees and shrubs, the nursery was well-respected among many horticulture professionals.
“I stayed with Princeton Nurseries until 1995, when I joined Manor View Farm in Monkton, Maryland, which I later purchased in 2007,” said Jones.
Manor View Farm is a 100-acre wholesale tree nursery with a landscape distribution center. Manor View Farm supplies landscape contractors in the Mid-Atlantic region with trees and shrubs.
The Patterson family, who had owned Manor View Farm prior to 2007, sold the farm to Jones, John Clark, and Dennis Hendrix in 2007. This put Jones in a greater role as president of Manor View Farm. This new responsibility added new opportunities and challenges for the three at the nursery. “No two days at Manor View Farm are
the same. We learn to live with the ever-changing weather and business climate,” said Jones on what a day-inthe-life looks like at Manor View Farm.
However, when asked about what he is most proud of during his time at Manor View Farm, he indirectly alluded to his early work in nurseries back in England. “We have become a more efficient nursery and business, creating a unique loyalty amongst the local landscape and nursery community,” said Jones on his 30 years at Manor View.
“I have been very involved with industry associations and organizations, including the Horticultural Research Institute (HRI) and the International Plant Propagators’ Society (IPPS),” said Jones on the pride he takes in his industry ties. “We have recently established a Horticultural Student Scholarship Fund through HRI. This fund will provide horticulture students with scholarships to help with the cost of their education.”
From his beginnings working in a greenhouse to provide older people with healthy and nutritious food, to now, where he gives back through supporting horticultural education,
so younger people can follow in his footsteps and have a positive impact on the industry, Jones believes in the importance of giving back.
“I believe it is important to give back to the horticulture industry since it has given me so much,” said Jones. “I encourage all Manor View team members to participate in industry organizations so they can also give back to the industry.”
With this involvement and impact, Alan Jones is now looking into shifting gears for the future of Manor View Farm. “We are currently working on a succession plan to guarantee the next generation will continue the legacy that Manor View has established over the past 49 years,” said Jones.
To learn more about Manor View Farm, visit their website at manorview. com. o
Colin Davan is an intern this summer session with Washington Gardener. He is a rising senior at the American University in Washington, DC, studying journalism with a minor in history. He grew up just outside of Boston in two towns (Hopkinton and Framingham), both with backyards always filled with a wide variety of flowers, herbs, vegetables, and fruits
Photos courtesy of Manor View Farms.
Garden Photo Contest Winners’ Show
By Colin Davan
On June 22, the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, VA, hosted the 2025 Washington Gardener Garden Photo Contest opening reception. The winning photos were on display in the Meadowlark Visitor Center lobby where the ceremony took place.
More than 20 guests in attendance were including winners, other contestants, friends, and family members. The show featured all of the winning images. (You can see them in the February 2025 issue of Washington Gardener.) Each of the winning photographers present spoke briefly about their pictures.
“I think I caught the moment,” said Karen Comstock, First Place prize winner in the Small Wonders category. “I choose to enter it when I saw you were looking for photos for ‘Small Wonders’ and a snowdrop is very small.”
The winning photos were taken in a range of locations, from parks in Northern Virginia, to Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, DC, to public gardens around Maryland. Some of the winning photos came from home gardens in the DMV area as well.
The winning photographers used different methods and equipment for taking their photographs. Some just had an iPhone camera, while others used digital cameras.
“I use a macro zoom and it has a one-to-one ratio,” said Jim Seith, who earned an Honorable Mention in the Garden Creatures category. “I happened to see the bee on one of the plants, so I just focused on that one and then I cropped the picture when I get home for composition,”
The different photography and editing techniques amazed the audience. With
a wide array of creative approaches to the shots, the award ceremony was quite a success as attendees admired the photography and voiced their own comments and insights about the other beautiful shots.
The photos were on display at the Meadowlark Visitor Center originally through the end of July—now extended through September 3. The garden prices range from free to $8 tickets. Be sure to check the Meadowlark garden hours so they are open when looking to explore. o
Colin Davan is an intern this summer session with Washington Gardener. He is a rising senior at the American University in Washington, DC, studying journalism. He grew up just outside of Boston with backyards always filled with a wide variety of flowers, herbs, vegetables, and fruits
2025 Garden Photo Contest winners. Photo by Miguel Zarate.
Use Compost in Your Edible Gardens
The U.S. Composting Council (USCC, www.compostingcouncil.org) encourages gardeners to amend their soil with compost, because good plants start with good soil preparation.
The benefits of compost include:
• Improves soil structure, porosity, and density, thus creating a better plant root environment.
• Increases infiltration and permeability of heavy soils, thus reducing erosion and runoff.
• Improves water holding capacity, thus reducing water loss, and leaching in sandy soils.
• Can supply a variety of macro and micronutrients.
• May control or suppress certain soilborne plant pathogens.
• Supplies significant quantities of organic matter.
• Improves cation exchange capacity (CEC) of soils and growing media, thus improving their ability to hold nutrients for plant use.
• Supplies beneficial microorganisms to soils and growing media.
• Improves and stabilizes soil pH.
• Can bind and degrade specific pollutants.
• Reduces costs.
Applying just 2 inches of compost instead of the traditional 6 inches of “topsoil,” which is typically of unknown origin and quality, reduces project material costs by up to two-thirds, costing less to ship and less to move.
In the dog days of summer, compost can also help your garden.
In sandy soils, compost will increase water-holding capacity by absorbing water. In high clay content soils, compost will improve “aggregation,” which allows water to move through soil faster. A University of Illinois study showed that after the second time of applying compost, all water available to plants increased 5% to 45% in comparison to non-compost amended plots.
“All soils should strive for 5% organic matter,” said Frank Franciosi, executive director of the council “Essentially, amending soil with compost enhances the growth of all plant life, because the soil that they live in is improved and healthier!” o
Keep Ticks at Bay with Landscape Modifications
One way to protect yourself from tickborne illnesses is to rethink landscaping choices, from the municipal level down to individual yards, according to a Virginia Tech medical geography expert who studies how Lyme cases are associated with certain land-cover characteristics and configurations.
“We found higher rates of Lyme disease in areas with herbaceous cover, such as meadows and grass, as well as the edges or boundaries between herbaceous land cover and forest patches,” said Korine Kolivras, a professor in the university’s Department of Geography, part of the College of Natural Resources and Environment.
“Many neighborhoods, especially in our region, fit this profile and individuals could take steps to reduce our interaction with tick populations,” she said. She offered these modification tips:
• Rethink how we create our residential neighborhoods. By reducing the number of small forest patches that are interspersed with patches of herbaceous cover and keeping large, forested areas intact, we can probably reduce Lyme disease risk on a broad scale.
• Modify individual yard spaces. If we zoom in on the individual spaces in which many of us live, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has specific recommendations, such as regular mowing, placing a mulch edge around play areas, and clearing brush at the edge of open spaces. We’re still talking about reducing that forestherbaceous edge, but now at the very local backyard edge.
• Fences and vegetation reduction can keep deer, and the ticks that hang out on them, farther from residential spaces.
• Minimize risk by reducing interactions with ticks when outdoors. The CDC recommends hiking in the center of a trail to minimize the likelihood of brushing against vegetation where ticks could be “questing” or hanging out looking for a host. It’s also recommended to wear long sleeves and pants that are tucked into socks (admittedly difficult on a hot summer hike), and to carefully check for ticks every evening. Insect repellents can further reduce risk. o
Making Summer Garden Bouquets
You can combine flowers in a wide variety of colors for a summer bouquet. For example, create an eye-catching combination by mixing cheerful pink calla lilies or dahlias in different colors with subtly colored lilies. Of course, you can always choose one color family, such as pink, red, or orange flowers. The possibilities are endless. You can also give a natural color palette a summer vibe by adding a bright color accent.
Include one or more fragrant flowers in your summer bouquet and enhance that lovely summer atmosphere in your home. If you like sweet floral scents, the iris is the perfect addition to your summer bouquet. For those who prefer a bit more spice, scented lilies are a must.
A summer bouquet is always beautifully presented in a glass vase, which is also handy for checking whether the flowers still have enough clean water. You could opt for a ceramic vase, but be sure to change the water regularly. For a bit of variety, why not divide your bouquet between several smaller vases? Place them together as a floral collection, or scatter them around the room, or throughout your entire house.
Here are a few more tips and ideas.
• Going to a garden party? Bring a cheerful bouquet of summer flowers to add to the party atmosphere.
• Another great option is a bouquet with one type of flower in different colors; for example, only gladioli or dahlias.
• Don’t put your flowers next to the fruit bowl. Ripening fruit emits ethylene, a gas that causes premature wilting. After all, you’ll want to enjoy your flowers for as long as possible.
Find more information about flower bulbs at www.flowerbulbs.com. o
New Plant Spotlight
Showpiece™
Fragrant Shrub Rose Series
These shrub roses are largebloomed, beautifully fragrant together with an old-world look—but with all the benefits of modern disease resistance. There are several lovely colored varieties in the Showpiece roses, range from Blush (shown above) to Orange (shown below),
According to Anthony Tesselaar, “These roses are bred by Noack Roses in Germany, the same breeder who developed the Flower Carpet series of roses. They spent 20 years developing a new series of T-type roses that are beautifully fragrant, but also have two other distinct attributes as well: They open with T-type buds, but continue to develop and finish with a flower that almost resembles an English-type bloom. Each has a distinctively different and beautiful exotic fragrance. They also have a strong disease resistance.”
This plant introduction is from Tesselaar. For more information, visit https://tesselaar.com/plants/showpiece-roses/. o
Quick Links to Recent Washington Gardener Blog Posts
• Cattail Plant Profile
• Water Garden Plants
• Vines Gone Crazy
See more Washington Gardener blog posts at WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com o
July–August Garden To-Do List
• 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 any yellowed foliage at the bottom of 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, below the root flare.
• 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
The Urban Garden: 101 Ways to Grow Food and Beauty in the City is all about small-space gardening solutions!
By Kathy Jentz and Teresa Speight
Published by Cool Springs Press/Quarto Homes
Order it today at: https://amzn.to/3yiLPKU
GardenDC Podcast
The GardenDC podcast is all about gardening in the greater Washington, DC, and Mid-Atlantic area. The program is hosted by Kathy Jentz, editor of Washington Gardener Magazine, and features guest experts in local and national horticulture. The latest episodes include interviews with experts on Water Gardens, Aging in the Garden, and Gardening Hacks. You can listen online at https:// washingtongardener.blogspot.com/ or on Spotify, Apple, etc o
Classes, Events, and Plant Shows/Sales
• Saturday, August 16, 10:30am–12n Backyard Composting: Principles and Best Practices
Stop feeling guilty about leftover food scraps—learn how to transform your scraps, yard debris, and other organic materials into nutrient-rich soil amendments for your garden. Green Spring Garden staff will provide all the information you need to manage an active compost system. We’ll discuss the basic principles behind the science of composting, why compost benefits the soil, and the compost bins and tools needed for successful composting. Class will begin indoors before moving out to Green Spring’s Compost Station to illustrate examples of composting practices. $19 per person. Register online at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/ parktakes or call Green Spring Gardens at 703-642-5173. Code AER.EDWG.
• Saturday, August 23, 10am–12pm Washington Gardener Tomato Taste Held at the Silver Spring Farmers Market in Silver Spring, MD.
• Monday, August 25 through Saturday, August 30
DC Plant Week 2025
Classes, swaps, and more. See individual event listings at: https://www.dcplantweek.com/
• Friday, September 5, 7–8:30 PM USNA Music in the Meadow: Rock Garden
This year, the National Herb Garden is celebrating the vibrant world of herbs that rock, as well as those that inspire us to rock. The Route 66 Band will play a medley of classic rock songs inspired by plants growing in the Herb Garden, like ‘Purple Rain’ peppers and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ sunflowers. Local musicians will also showcase instruments crafted from plants, and there will even be a “musical instrument petting zoo” to explore. Four local vendors will sell food and beer. Tickets are required to attend this after-hours event at the U.S. National Arboretum. General admission costs $25, or $20 for FONA members when using the coupon code Rosewood25.
• Saturday, September 6
DC State Fair
Online contest entry is now open. Live contests include flower arranging. Held at Bryant Street NE, Washington, DC. Free to attend. See DCstatefair.org.
• Saturday, September 6, 10am Ikebana Demonstration
Ikebana International Chapter 1 presents an Ikebana demonstration by Professor Noritaka Noda, President of the Ikenobo Ikebana, New York City Chapter, at the U.S. National Arboretum. The event begins with a continental breakfast at 10am, followed by the demonstration at 11am. Tickets are available on the Chapter’s website: http://www. iichapter1.com.
• Sunday, September 7, 10am–2pm Cactus and Succulent Society of Maryland (CSSM) Show and Sale
The CSSM 2025 Annual Show & Sale includes rare plants and expert growers Held at the Vollmer Center, Cylburn Arboretum, Baltimore, MD. Free admission and open to the public. See details at https://marylandcactus.org/.
Looking Ahead
•Wednesday, September 17, 9am–4pm Urban Tree Summit Conference
Learn from an outstanding lineup of industry-leading experts on their research and contributions to urban forestry, conservation, and environmental sciences. Held at the Silver Spring Civic Center, 1 Veterans Place, Silver Spring, MD. Register at https://urbantreesummit.org/.
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 August 10 for the September 2025 issue, for events taking place after September 5 o
Grow a BeeFriendly Lawn
By Melinda Myers
Boost the bee and pollinator appeal of your lawn by incorporating microclover, self-heal, creeping thyme, crocus, grape hyacinths, and other bee-friendly flowering plants in your lawn. You’ll create and enjoy a carpet of green with splashes of color that requires less ongoing maintenance. The pollinators will benefit from the nutritious sources of nectar and pollen your bee lawn provides.
Flowering bee lawns include traditional lawn grasses combined with other hardy grasses, like fine fescues and warm-season centipede grass. Kentucky bluegrass and Bermuda grass also combine well with beefriendly plants, but require more ongoing care than fescues and centipede grass. You’ll be creating a more diverse lawn that not only appeals to bees but also is more resilient to pests and environmental stressors than traditional lawn grasses. Consult your local university extension service for help in selecting the best lawn grasses and bee-friendly plants.
Like any new addition to the landscape or garden, this does require some effort, but once it is established, you’ll spend less time with ongoing care like watering, mowing, and fertilization.
Start by evaluating your current lawn situation. If grass is growing well in the area, so will a bee lawn. This is not an all-or-nothing endeavor and like any new undertaking, starting small is always a good strategy.
Consider converting just lesser-used spaces. This allows bees and butterflies to forage in peace. Even though native bees are docile and typically don’t sting, neither the kids nor bees want to share the same space.
Keep your neighbors in mind when selecting a space for your bee lawn. Those neighbors with pristine lawns may be less tolerant of your bee lawn. Selecting areas surrounded by walks and drives will also help keep aggressive plants in bounds.
Consider starting your bee lawn by overseeding white microclover into
Boost the bee and pollinator appeal of your lawn by incorporating a microclover, like this Miniclover, found to attract and support a diverse group of native bees. Photo credit: Outsidepride.
your existing lawn. Clover is adaptable, tolerates foot traffic and drought, and blooms for a long period, providing bees with high-sugar-content nectar and protein-rich pollen. Microclover can also be combined with other beefriendly plants. You can seed these at the same time or add them later as you expand your bee lawn.
Sow microclover seed in late winter, early spring, or late summer in the south and early spring or late summer in the north. Outsidepride’s Miniclover® with Nitro-Coat (outsidepride.com) aids in establishment and allows you to use no-till, minimum-till, and broadcast seeding techniques. Even though it is not native, research found that clover attracts and supports a diverse group of native bees.
Once your bee lawn is established, mow high, at least 3 inches, so the flowering plants can bloom and support the bees and other visiting pollinators. Leave the grass clippings on the lawn. This is a good practice for both traditional and bee lawns. Short clippings break down quickly, adding moisture and nutrients back to the soil. Once established, you’ll only need to water during extended dry periods, and do seldom if any, fertilization. Skip the pesticides that can harm the pollinators you are trying to attract.
Increase your landscape’s pollinator appeal further by growing more bee- and pollinator-friendly plants in your gardens. Helping these important members of our community is good for the environment and all of us. o
Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including the Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” instant video series and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and was commissioned by Outsidepride for her expertise to write this article. Myers’ website is www.MelindaMyers.com.
Is it Legal to Grow Marijuana? Local Cannabis Growing Laws
By Ian Ferris
Cannabis possession, growing, and distribution have been a point of contention in state governments for years. Many states throughout the U.S. have started to legalize different aspects of the drug, whether medically or recreationally, while other states have taken a stance against marijuana. With the many different laws in each state, the home gardener may be wondering whether the marijuana plant is legal to grow at their home. Here is your guide to marijuana home-growing laws in our region.
• Maryland
Adults are permitted to grow up to two marijuana plants without any sort of license. The plants must be secured and out of public view so they cannot be accessed by those under 21. These plants must be for personal use.
It’s important to note that only two marijuana plants are allowed per residence, regardless of the number of adults in that residence. Also, the legal owner of the property must give permission to grow, so if you’re renting, be sure to ask your landlord or suffer the repercussions.
• Washington, DC
Without a license, you can grow up to six marijuana plants if you are over the age of 21. However, only three of these plants at any given time can be mature. If there are two or more adults in your residence, you can grow up to 12 marijuana plants, with a maximum of six being mature. These plants must be for personal use.
Just as in Maryland, you must keep these plants out of public view, and you must have the permission of your landlord to grow it, if you don’t own the land. Also, if you live within 1,000 feet of a school, day care center, youth center, swimming pool, library, or other public building, you are not permitted to grow cannabis.
While DC is quite liberal in its marijuana laws, it is still illegal federally, so don’t risk possession or growing on federal land.
• Pennsylvania
To grow marijuana in Pennsylvania, a cultivation license is required. Without it, home growing is illegal and subject to punishment. A license can only be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. A growing license is combined with a processor license and allows licensed individuals to grow and process medical marijuana. Marijuana is only medically legal in Pennsylvania.
• Virginia
Adults 21 years or older can cultivate up to four marijuana plants in Virginia without a license. These plants must be for personal use. Only four plants are allowed in each residence, no matter the number of people living there. Each plant must be tagged with the grower’s name and ID number. Sharing up to 1 ounce of marijuana with another adult is permitted as long as it isn’t in exchange for anything.
• Delaware
According to Delaware law, adults 21 and over are permitted to possess and use recreational marijuana within specified limits. However, the law does not allow for the home cultivation of marijuana plants.
In Delaware, all marijuana plant production is restricted to licensed cultivation centers. Cultivating marijuana for personal use is explicitly prohibited.
• West Virginia
Only licensed growers in approved locations are allowed to cultivate marijuana plants. All other cultivation, even by registered medical marijuana patients, is illegal. West Virginia’s Bureau for Public Health is the only organization the state allows to grant these licenses. o
Ian Ferris is an intern this summer session with Washington Gardener. He is a rising senior at the University of Maryland studying journalism and sustainable agriculture. He worked on a garden farm near Annapolis, MD, called Maidstone Harvest for two summers, where he learned a lot about growing vegetables in a sustainable and efficient fashion.
Demystifying Cannabis Growing
By Miguel Zarate
Now that the laws have been covered, it’s time to talk about the actual growing of cannabis. Even for beginners, this is an easy plant because the plant is largely considered to be a “weed.”
First, before you grow, you need to pick the seeds with the genetics you desire, which mostly comes down to whether you prefer Cannabis indica, C. sativa, or a hybrid of the two. There are mold-resistant strains, but there aren’t a ton of pest- or fungus-resistant strains because research and development still have to be done to bring the plant to that stage.
If you live in an area with a shorter growing season, you may want to consider a fast-flowering form of cannabis. Each strain of cannabis will also have a different terpene profile, which influences the flavor of the flower when used. Another thing you will need to decide is whether you are growing indoors or outdoors. Both come with considerations, benefits, and risks that can affect the growth process. Here are the main considerations.
• Outdoors: If you have the yard space for it, outdoors cannabis is a great option because natural light and rainwater can make management a little easier. You will need to contend with certain pests and weather, depending on your area, and to comply with whatever laws or regulations your state has on cannabis being screened from public view. Since you aren’t as restricted on space, yields might be higher.
• Indoors: Inside, you have the potential to create a much more consistent and stable growing environment, but you will be limited by the amount of space you can make for a growing station or tent. Since you’re inside, privacy is an advantage, especially if certain laws prevent your plants from being visible from outdoors. Depending on the amount of space you have, yields might be lower than outdoors.
Once you have your seeds, you can get them planted for germination. C.L. Fornari, a garden writer, speaker, radio host, and garden consultant, said you should have them seeded, then taken outside at the same time as your tomatoes; they come from similar climates and have similar needs. “If you start tomato seeds in your area in February, under lights indoors, that’s when you start cannabis seeds as well. You’d use heat mats under the seedlings as you would for tomatoes, and set the lights about 3 to 4 inches above the growing seedlings,” advises Fornari.
When starting your plants, make sure you pick a large pot and plant them in a good potting mix—no need to add mulch or stones for drainage. When growing indoors, make sure the plant has good air circulation to maintain good health and prevent mold on the plants.
After the seedling stage, the plant enters a vegetative growth stage. This is where it grows most of its leaves—but no flowers yet. In this stage, you will want 70 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit with 40 to 60 percent humidity.
To decide when to take your plants outside, look at your tomatoes. Both of them should only be taken outside
when night temperatures are above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Cannabis typically thrives in warm climates.
When your plants are outdoors, you will want them to get around 8 hours of full sunlight. For indoors, you will want 12 to 18 hours of grow lights, depending on the stage your plants are in.
When watering your outdoor plants, make sure the ground is fully saturated, wait for a few minutes, then water again to ensure the roots have the necessary water they need. For indoor plants, water until it comes out the bottom drainage holes.
Depending on the conditions and the size of the yield you desire, it could take anywhere from 10 to 32 weeks to grow your plants.
With cannabis, you want to prevent pollination. This might sound unorthodox for those used to growing other plants, but since the flower is the main product of cannabis, you want it to grow as large as possible. Some recommend pruning lower leaves in later stages to allow for the growth to be focused in the upper canopy and create larger flowers. This also means careful watching of the sex of your plants—if a male is too close, the wind will pollinate the female
plants for you. Male plants also generally have a lower cannabinoid content when compared to females.
Cannabis is a photoperiod plant. The flowering stage occurs when the amount of time the plant is under light is less than the time it is in darkness. This typically occurs toward the end of the summer when days are shorter. Usually, the flowering stage begins two months before harvest.
The ideal temperatures during the flowering phase are 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit and 40 to 50 percent humidity.
In the end, growing this plant is still an evolving science because the stigma surrounding growing it and federal regulations make researching it difficult. In time, more strategies and information will become available to the home gardener. o
Miguel Zarate is an intern this summer session with Washington Gardener. He is majoring in journalism with a minor in sustainability. His favorite thing to grow in his mother’s garden, where he helps out, is mint, because it is so plentiful.
Cannabis sativa. Credit: Bogdan, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Spotted Lanternfly State of the Union — Where Are We Now?
By Carol Allen
As most of us know, spotted lanternfly (SLF) became a household word in 2018. State departments of agriculture in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania quickly declared restrictions on movement of nursery stock, firewood, landscape waste, and garden center goods in an attempt to reduce this invasive species’ distribution.
Currently, 56 counties in Pennsylvania are under quarantine and reporting is required. In Maryland, 20 counties are currently under quarantine and reporting is required. The SLF quarantine in Virginia was just lifted in June 2025. No reporting is necessary in the Commonwealth because the pest has become too widespread.
Fortunately, some of our native predators have caught on to the epicurean delights of spotted lanternfly for lunch. At Rutgers University, researchers discovered bat guano that contained traces of SLF DNA. It is hypothesized that bats have been snacking on the invasive pest.
Researchers at Virginia Tech found that certain species of ants can be used to detect colonies of SLF. Ants feed on the spotted lanternfly excrement aka honeydew. The ants retain
SLF DNA, and through analysis and knowing how far the ants have roamed, previously undetected colonies can be found.
Spotted lanternfly are being described by authorities as a nuisance insect in a home landscape and unlikely to cause any permanent damage in home gardens. Those words are not very comforting to homeowners whose gardens are overrun with the pests.
Paula Shrewsbury, Professor of Entomology and Extension Specialist at the University of Maryland, recently stated to not panic and that this too shall pass. She pointed out that, as with the deluge of brown marmorated stinkbugs a few years ago, pest populations rise to high numbers for a few years, then start to diminish or even crash. That is her prediction for this invasive species as well.
Shrewsbury and researchers at Penn State are looking into the potential impact of natural predators. They have found that spined soldier bugs and both Carolina and Chinese mantises were effective predators of SLF. Earlier calls for community science initiatives in Pennsylvania brought nearly 2,000 reports of birds and insects feeding
on the SLF. These findings are critical in developing an integrated pest management program. The success of using such a program would depend on curtailing the use of pesticides and having sufficient habitat to support the predators.
Spotted lanternfly populations in a couple of areas in Pennsylvania were observed to have crashed due to the presence of Beauveria bassiana, an insect-killing fungus. The Shrewsbury lab at UMD will be looking into using this naturally occurring fungus as a possible biocontrol for the future.
Spotted lanternfly, like the brown marmorated stink bug, are serious pests of agricultural crops. Heavily hit are grapevines, where SLF can cause reduced yields, and after a couple of years, kill the vines. Feeding damage can also kill black walnut and the pest’s preferred host: tree of heaven. SLF can be found feeding on a wide range of hosts, but generally do not stay on any particular plant for long. In high numbers, they can damage home gardens where cucumber, basil, horseradish, raspberries, and asparagus are grown. Tree hosts include red and silver maples, and weeping and black willows.
Advice for the home gardener: Don’t panic over a few. Home grape vines and young fruit trees can be protected by fine mesh bags and sheets, as were used during the cicada outbreak. Do not use pesticides.
Remove the invasive SLF’s favorite host, tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima), where possible.
The SLF nymphs, in either the black spotted with white stage or the red spotted stage, are very fast moving. Hand-held vacuums can be effective in reducing numbers. Put the bag in the freezer to kill the insects and dispose. Do not use home remedies because those sprays can harm people and pets, damage plants, or be a total waste of time.
The insects can also be removed with a strong spray of water. They feed with a straw-like stylet mouthpart, so it is hoped the mouthpart gets damaged during the removal.
Screen-covered sticky traps can be placed around trees to trap the nymphs as they move up and down trees. Watch
Spotted lanternfly egg mass hides in plain sight (left). Photo courtesy of Sally Dickinson.
Mature spotted lanternfly (right). Photo by Theresa Dellinger for Virginia Tech.
a Penn State tutorial here: https:// extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternflybanding-2020.
Instructions for building a circle trap can be found here: https://extension. psu.edu/how-to-build-a-spotted-lanternfly-circle-trap.
Large infestations can bring a rain of honeydew down on whatever and whoever is below. Those secretions can be washed off with soap and warm water.
Sooty mold can also be removed with soap and water or a spray of horticultural oil, followed by a spray of soapy water. Diluted dishwashing liquid is all that is required and can be applied as a strong spray.
The egg masses can be scraped off the bark of trees or outdoor furniture and structures. Be thorough in your inspection and accurate in your identification. Kill the eggs by crushing or dropping into a container of rubbing alcohol. Do not use pesticides. Generalist pesticides, such as neem, herbal oils, or pyrethroids, will kill beneficial insects (butterflies, bees, natural predators, lightening bugs, etc.) and may not be effective on the rapidly moving SLF.
Resources:
• Maryland Department of Agriculture information page: https://mda.maryland.gov/plants-pests/Pages/spottedlantern-fly.aspx.
• Penn State, Spotted Lanternfly Management Guide, https://extension.psu. edu/spotted-lanternfly-managementguide.
• University of Maryland Extension publication, Spotted Lanternfly in Home Gardens, https://extension.umd.edu/ resource/spotted-lanternfly-home-gardens/
• New study from Virginia Tech evaluating the effectiveness of participatory science dog teams to detect devitalized SLF egg masses: https://peerj.com/ articles/19656/ 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.
Sunflowers: A Truly American Flower
Some seed varieties are nearly always planted too early and therefore encounter problems that they otherwise should not have. These seed varieties are summer squash, winter squash, pumpkins, melons, watermelons, sunflowers, and zinnias.
Sunflowers can be planted as soon as the danger of frost is gone, but they can also be planted once the soil has warmed above 75 degrees—in mid- to late-June. They can also be planted (now) in midsummer for blossoms in the fall. Sunflowers love warm soil and produce healthier plants and larger blossoms when they have not been challenged by cold.
Sunflowers should be the American National Flower, but alas, that honor goes to the rose, another noble flower to be sure, but not a uniquely American flower as is the sunflower. The sunflower is native to the United States, but eons ago, it made its way to South America, where it became an important staple crop of the Incans, who grew the plant for its seeds and for oil. Native Americans ground the seeds to make meal cakes, a source of protein that sustained them through the winters, and made dyes from some purpleflowered varieties.
The Spanish introduced the sunflower into Europe in the 16th century, and by 1596, the famous English herbalist, John Gerard, was extorting the virtues of this wonderful plant. Gerard wrote
By Barbara Melera
that he ate the flowerbuds like globe artichokes and he found them to be “surpassing the artichoke far in procuring bodily lust.”
Native Sunflowers grew in many sizes, shapes, and colors. According to Tovah Martin, in her book, Heirloom Flowers, “The single-stemmed feature that we’ve come to associate with the mammoth sunflowers…was probably a mutation, encouraged by Native Americans for the largest seedheads.”
Czar Peter the Great played a key role in expanding the popularity of the sunflower. While on a trip to Holland, he discovered the plant and brought seeds back to Russia. He began to cultivate sunflowers and encouraged his Russian people to do the same. His efforts launched one of the largest-scale agricultural production programs of the 18th century. By the early 19th century, more than 2 million Russian acres were under cultivation with Sunflowers.
Today, Sunflowers are grown around the world. The Italians adore them, as do the Spanish and Russians. They are grown on the Indian subcontinent and in parts of Asia and in Africa, South and Central America, and throughout Europe. o
Barbara Melera is president of Harvesting History (www.harvesting-history.com), a company that sells horticultural and agricultural products, largely of the heirloom variety, along with garden tools and equipment.
Cuckoo for Cuckoos
By Rick Borchelt
If the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions “cuckoo” is that ersatz little bird popping in and out of its namesake clock face, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this isn’t something you’re likely to see in a local garden, yard, or park. And you’d be right—the Old World birds that grace Bavarian cuckoo clocks don’t normally venture across the Atlantic.
But we do have cuckoos. Two kinds, in fact.
Like their European cousins, our cuckoos—yellow-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) and black-billed cuckoo, (Coccyzus erythropthalmus)— are more likely to be seen than heard, but they won’t be chiming out the hours.
Instead, if folklore holds true, they’re more likely to be signalling the approach of a thunderstorm.
The yellow-billed cuckoo, in fact, is better known in much of rural America by the common name of raincrow. It’s not a very reliable weather forecaster, however, because it vocalizes regularly during the day and evening. As with many folk beliefs, though, there is a measure of truth to the tale of its predictive acumen. It turns out that these cuckoos often call in response to loud noises, and it’s possible they hear subsonic frequencies of thunder long before human ears can detect them.
The most common song—if one can call it that—of yellow-billed cuckoos is
a loud series of knocking or frog-like croaking sounds unlikely to be mistaken for the melody of any other songbird in North America. The typical loud, long, drawn-out series starts out with rapidfire ka-ka-ka-kow-kow-kow-kow-kow and ends with a slower, more deliberate kowlp-kowlp-kowlp. The call most associated with the cuckoo’s persona as the raincrow is a version of the knocking kow-kow-kow.
Black-billed cuckoos, by contrast, repeat a soft cu-cu-cu several times over that doesn’t carry nearly as far as the yellow-billed’s harsh call. In our area, you’re much more likely to hear yellow-billed cuckoos; they’re summer residents who breed here, while blackbilled cuckoos are a more northern species that we see only as they migrate and in the mountain counties in Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia along the Appalachian spine.
Both of our cuckoos are fairly large birds, about the size of a mourning dove but considerably slimmer and more streamlined. They have long wings that give them an almost falcon-like appearance in flight and a very long tail with large white spots. The long tails serve as rudders as the flying birds negotiate woodland terrain.
As evidenced by their common names, adults of the two cuckoo species can be told apart fairly easily by their bills—the lower bill of the yellowbilled cuckoo is bright yellow, while the
bill of the black-billed cuckoo is (wait for it!) all black. The genus name of Coccyzus is a variation of the Ancient Greek kokkuzo, which is how the Greeks rendered the bird’s call in writing and also gives us the common word cuckoo. The species name for black-billed cuckoo, erythropthalmus, means red-eyed, and in fact, adults of this species have bright-red eyes. Yellow-billed cuckoos have dark eyes.
While they are often heard, both cuckoo species have secretive habits that make them hard to see. Their incredibly odd nesting and feeding behaviors, combined with their furtive natures, make cuckoo biology and ecology something of an enigma.
Unlike European cuckoos, both yellow-billed and black-billed cuckoos build nests, lay their own eggs in them, and incubate and raise their own young. But they will also drop eggs in other birds’ nests from time to time, just as European cuckoos do.
The youngsters also grow very fast, faster than any other songbird, and can leave the nest at about 10 days old, even before they are capable of flying. They clamber and scramble with agility among shrubs and small trees. Everything about them is precocious: They can go from covered with quill-like pin feathers to fully feathered out in two hours!
As the name implies, the all-dark bill of black-billed cuckoo distinguishes it from its yellow-billed cousin. Photo credit: Rhododendrites.
The dark eye and bright-yellow bottom half of the beak confirms this as a yellow-billed cuckoo. Photo
Credit: Andy Reago and Chrissy McClarren.
Black Cohosh
By Kathy Jentz
Our cuckoos are supremely adapted to eating caterpillars other birds leave alone—large, hairy species like spongy moth (formerly called gypsy moth) and tent caterpillars. Cuckoos initiate nesting whenever an outbreak of these caterpillars occurs, and in our area, that could be as early as May or as late as September. The more abundant the food, the more likely the cuckoos are to both build nests and parasitize other birds’ nests, including other cuckoos’.
After nabbing a hairy caterpillar, a cuckoo will bash it about on a branch to knock off some of the hairs or spines before swallowing it. The stomach lining of cuckoos is resistant to the hairs, and when enough of the hairs accumulate, the cuckoo simply sheds the lining of its stomach, hairs and all, and coughs it up as a pellet.
Our cuckoos are long-distance migrants, and their long wings have evolved for travel. Both species winter in South America and migrate through Central America or by island-hopping across the Caribbean.
While yellow-billed cuckoos are still a fairly common sight in our local parks and gardens, the species appears to be in some trouble, with populations declining across its range. The caterpillars it feeds on need extensive canopies of oak and other large forest trees, so keeping these raincrows in the weather forecasting business will depend on replenishing the DMV’s urban and suburban trees. o
Rick Borchelt is a botanist and science writer who gardens and writes about natural history at his home in College Park, MD. Reach him with questions about this column at rborchelt@gmail.com.
Black Cohosh (Actaea racemosa, formerly Cimicifuga racemosa) is a perennial plant with a base of dark-green foliage that sends up tall white blooms in the early summer. It can grow from 3 to 8 feet tall and about 3 feet wide.
It is also known as Bugbane, Fairy Candle, and Black snakeroot. It is a member of the Buttercup family.
It is native to the eastern half of the U.S., where it grows naturally in moist, deciduous woodlands. It is hardy to USDA Zones 3 to 8.
Black Cohosh prefers to grow in full to part shade in rich soils, yet is fairly drought-tolerant once established.
Black Cohosh is a good choice for filling in the spaces when spring ephemerals have gone dormant.
Native Americans used Black Cohosh for a variety of medicinal purposes and it is used today in menopause treatments.
Pollinators love it. It is also the larval host for the Appalachian Azure butterfly. It is deer- and rabbit-resistant.
Black Cohosh can be started easily from seed. The seeds should be collected in the fall and planted immediately. It will take a couple years for the plants to flower. You can also divide the plants in the early spring or late fall. o
Kathy Jentz is the editor of Washington Gardener
Densely hairy spongy moth caterpillars (aka gypsy moths) are a favorite food of both our cuckoos.
Photo credit: Rick Borchelt.
The Curious Kitchen Gardener: Uncommon Plants and How to Eat Them
Author: Linda Ziedrich
Publisher: Timber Press
List Price: $24,99
Order Links: https://amzn.to/4lHM7Ed and https://bookshop.org/ a/79479/9781643262314
Reviewer: Colin Davan
If you’re looking for a way to use some of the more uncommon plants from your garden in the kitchen, The Curious Kitchen Gardener: Uncommon Plants and How to Eat Them by Linda Ziedrich is the perfect book. Through a variety of different plants that Ziedrich and other kitchen gardeners experimented on, this book has everything you may be looking for when turning to the kitchen with some uncommon plants. It details when the best time is to use the garden goods, while explaining how many can be used in a culinary sense. It is not a normal cookbook, but instead, more of an informational guide to the unique ways to use your uncommon plants.
Ziedrich is an experienced gardener and writer who is a kitchen gardener herself. She has more than 45 years of gardening experience and kitchen experiments in different locations across the U.S., such as California, Massachusetts, and now Oregon. Ziedrich is the author of four books to date (The Joy of Pickling; The Joy of Jams, Jellies, and Other Sweet Preserves; First Fruits: The Lewellings; and The Birth of the Pacific Coast Fruit Industry), all of which revolve around culinary garden techniques.
She divides this book into more than 30 chapters that each profiles a different uncommon plant that you may be growing
in your garden. Each chapter is unique to the uncommon plant and provides a brief insight. Ziedrich typically discusses methods of growing the plants, personal connection, interesting history or information, and, of course, methods of use in the kitchen. However, that is not all. Each chapter concludes with a recipe for spreads, meals, snacks, treats, and drinks. There are even some tasty cocktail recipes for readers over 21.
As a new kitchen gardener, I found this book to be very thought-provoking. In the past, I had not thought that deeply about using some uncommon plants mentioned in the book for my snacks, meals, and drinks. However, this book changed the game for me. I now have a whole plethora of new plants that I can try to grow, but also some tasty culinary ways to use them when they produce. For many of us kitchen gardeners, this can open some new doors to the endless possibilities in both the garden and the kitchen. I highly recommend giving this book a read to gain some inspiration of your own o
Colin Davan is an intern this summer session with Washington Gardener. He is a rising senior at the American University in Washington, DC, studying journalism with a minor in history. He grew up just outside of Boston in two towns (Hopkinton and Framingham), both with backyards always filled with a wide variety of flowers, herbs, vegetables, and fruits
Lavender for All Seasons: A Gardener’s Guide to Growing and Creating with Lavender Year-Round
Author: Paola Legarre
Publisher: Timber Press
Order Link: https://amzn.to/4o5u6Bv and https://bookshop.org/ a/79479/9781643261867
List Price: $24.99
Reviewer: Miguel Zárate
Lavender for All Seasons by Paola Legarre chronicles the best ways for someone interested in the flower to get started. Legarre is an expert when it comes to growing lavender, as shown by her career of farming it, but her advice is aimed at growers of all scales and skill levels.
Legarre started her own farm in Colorado, Sage Creations, where she first planted lavender in 2006. She has been trialing different species and cultivars on her more than 6 acres of lavender fields.
With beautiful photos by Kenneth Redding, the book is great even just to flip through at your leisure. There are also plenty of visual diagrams that can give an idea of which variety of lavender you might choose for your garden or farm.
The varieties in the book truly are comprehensive—44 different types of lavender are listed in the “selecting your plants” section of the book. Each flower has the information you’d expect from a guide like this, such as scent, hardiness, height when fully grown, and more.
The author discusses lavender’s many uses other than just looking nice. The scent is strong and has scientifically documented calming effects, but the plant also can be used in cooking to add a unique floral flavor to tea, cookies, lemonade, and much more. The book provides 21 recipes for homegrown lavenders, as well as 11 lavender craft recipes. Each recipe comes with visual instructions, as well as additional information if you feel inspired to try your own creations.
Overall, this book is great for any gardener who wishes to add lavender to their spaces, but needs a bit of guiding. It’s also a wonderful coffee table book with its beautiful pictures. The organization of the book makes it incredibly easy to understand and find exactly what you are looking for. I highly recommend it o
Miguel Zarate is an intern this summer session with Washington Gardener. He is majoring in journalism with a minor in sustainability. His favorite thing to grow in his mother’s garden, where he helps out, is mint, because it is so plentiful.
The Accidental Seed Heroes: Growing a Delicious Food Future for All
Author: Adam Alexander
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing List Price: $29.95
Order Links: https://amzn.to/3UslhE7 and https://bookshop.org/ a/79479/9781915294432
Reviewer: Ian Ferris
The Accidental Seed Heroes explores a lesser-known side of agriculture—the diverse places untouched by industrial farming that have preserved traditional methods steeped in history and culture. Adam Alexander argues that the key to future food preservation in a shifting climate lies in these communities. He explains that their agriculture is strengthened by plant diversity. By avoiding monoculture, these varieties have developed greater resistance to climate change, pests, and disease through centuries of selective breeding.
Alexander also tells the stories of the people and histories that made these agricultural wonders possible.
He explores “seed heroes” from many regions, with a focus on the Global South. Rajasthan, India; Wales; southern Albania; and Ethiopia’s Great Rift Valley are all places where Alexander researches seeds and taste-tests unique vegetables.
I may be a bit biased because I love bread, but my favorite story was Alexander’s experience with wheat and baking to find his favorite loaf. He explores the history of wheat and its central role in human civilization—how it became a staple food and was eventually modernized and mass-produced. He then focuses on specific farmers and
communities working to preserve traditional wheat varieties and growing practices in places such as Scotland, Denmark, Wales, and Ethiopia.
This is the format of most chapters: an introduction to Alexander’s interest in a specific crop, followed by a dive into its history, and finally, a look at modern examples of how traditional roots are being kept alive. This book is great for anyone interested in seed breeding and niche agricultural practices. Alexander tends to jump between topics within each crop and uses a fair amount of technical language, so some prior agricultural knowledge is helpful. It’s best to be familiar with terms related to plant varieties before reading.
After finishing the book, I felt I had learned a great deal about agriculture that isn’t taught in the classroom, but instead preserved in the small communities Alexander visits. It’s a fascinating collection of stories about crops and their complex histories. Alexander also makes a compelling argument for returning to more traditional agricultural methods—and why they may benefit us in the future just as they did in the past. o
Ian Ferris is an intern this summer session with Washington Gardener. He is a rising senior at the University of Maryland studying journalism and sustainable agriculture. He worked on a garden farm near Annapolis, MD, called Maidstone Harvest for two summers, where he learned a lot about growing vegetables in a sustainable and efficient fashion.
Fences for Home and Garden: A Complete Guide to Selecting and Installing Wood, Masonry, Metal, and Living Fence
Author: Jeff Beneke
Publisher: Storey Publishing
List Price: $29.99
Order Links: https://amzn.to/40zG4Ju and https://bookshop.org/ a/79479/9781635869163
Reviewer: Andrea Siegel
What makes a fence a good fence for you? How do you decide what type of fence you want to build?
Jeff Beneke’s book, Fences for Home and Garden: A Complete Guide to Selecting and Installing Wood, Masonry, Metal, and Living Fences, helps readers seeking to build a fence answer these questions and more.
His 272-page book offers guidance and
practical advice in a methodical way, making it a worthwhile resource for do-it-yourselfers, as well as others interested in adding a fence to their property.
It is a clear and accessible read, and it covers a lot of territory. Beneke is a home improvement writer and editor.
The book shines as it guides readers through the many things to consider in ultimately deciding on a fence. What’s the purpose of the fence? To keep deer out of the vegetable garden? To encircle the property? To provide privacy? What’s an appropriate style, height, material? What are the rules, regulations, required plans, permits? Can you do the construction?
Beneke can’t answer the questions for you, but he can tell you what you should consider.
Chapters detail design, layout, and aesthetics, and the various kinds of fences. They provide useful information for building fences of wood, masonry, and metal; living fences are included. Beneke provides a significant amount of explanation regarding materials. Gates, maintenance, and repairs are represented.
The sections on each type of fence feature instructions and drawings of portions of the work that fence-building can entail, such as cutting stone and installing posts, which helps DIYers decide whether this is a fence they want to build.
The author advises DIYers to assess their skills and abilities. A consideration for DIY projects is whether the DIYer has the skills to do the work. And it was nice to see the author include ready-made lattice and prefab fence panels, noting that they Book Reviews continued on page 22
can simplify building a fence. Of particular interest are the tips and recommendations. Also, I found Beneke’s brief history of fences thought-provoking, even for a person not planning to build a fence.
Beautiful photos depict how fences combine with gardens to define a landscape. A reader can see the way a rustic fence can enhance a country setting and flowering shrubs soften the lines of a picket fence.
The book updates Beneke’s 2005 book, The Fence Bible: How to plan, install, and build fences and gates to meet every home style and property need, no matter what size your yard. Most of the content is the same, with text updated for more current language, and images and references are updated as well, according to a spokesperson for the publisher.
The 2025 book, Fences for Home and Garden, is illuminating, also geared for people who want to building their own fences. but it is also valuable for the homeowner who will hire someone to build a fence. o
Andrea Siegel is a master gardener in Maryland.
The Land Gardeners: Cut Flowers
Authors: Bridget Elworthy and Henrietta Courtauld
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
List Price: $34.95
Order Links: https://amzn.to/3H2fv9e and https://bookshop.org/ a/79479/9781760762889
Reviewer: Teri Speight
What a delightful book, as well as an interesting story: two women with a deep love of gardening and the gift of commencing a partnership that embraces cut flowers. Both of the authors dreamt of working with the land. The goal was to work with nature, thereby allowing it to be unrestrained, while gently reviving a historic garden along the way.
This books shares the separate journeys of the authors and how they decided to combine their passion in a shared design business. A local florist yearned for the opportunity to offer flowers that no one else was providing locally. Seizing this opportunity, the Land Gardeners considered this an opportunity and the rest is detailed in this book. The historic Wardington Manor and grounds, which Bridget Elworthy moved into with her family, set the stage. It used to be known for the flowers it produced. Wardington chose the Land Gardeners to restore and revive the
gardens, and more. With the help of saved documents, excellent records, the memory of former gardeners, and the local community, these two women currently provide a resource for cut flowers throughout the year.
The Land Gardeners invite the reader to accompany them for 12 months in their business. From spring branches collected from flowering shrubs to the flowers gathered for summer bouquets, each season has something for the reader to enjoy. The photographer captures each season in the garden, offering the reader a virtual escape.
This is not a how-to book; it offers the reader a bit more. The authors share tips, flower lists by season, and the types of plants they use in their arrangements. I highly recommend this book for the resources and the inspiration of what can happen when flowers become a passion enjoyed by friends. o
Quiet Beauty:
The Japanese Gardens of North America
Author: Kendall H. Brown
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
List Price: $24.99
Order Links: https://amzn.to/46Kv93J and https://bookshop.org/ a/79479/9784805318652
Reviewer: Teri Speight
There is no guessing about the content of this book. The author describes and enlightens the reader on a bit of history through the journey and appreciation of Japanese gardens, as well as how they are considered an art form.
Well-known garden historian, Makoto Suzuki, discovered there were five periods of these types of gardens in North America. Using this research, author Kendall H. Brown escorts the reader on a visit to 26 welldesigned Japanese-style display gardens that are easily accessible to visitors.
There is a quiet simplicity that Japanesestyle gardens typically share. The author notes that the Brooklyn Botanic Garden has the only surviving pre-World War I Japanesestyle garden in the U.S.
The evolution of a typical Japanese-style garden to what we see today is beautifully captured in the photos throughout the book. Water, bridges, statuary, moss, and natural stones protruding out of hillsides are all found in these gardens, from coast to coast.
Careful placement of water treatments— ponds or waterfalls—is used to reflect the surroundings, adding a sense of peace throughout these types of gardens. Uses of the many shades of green leaves also keeps the spirit of the place calm, visible, and soothing.
The photographer, David M. Cobb, shows how minimal use of colorful borders can be just as exciting with textures and a simple pop of intentional color. Seeing how many different variations each element is used in different perspectives by each landscape designer explains why they are referred to as Japanese-style gardens.
This book is a great resource for the gardener who is seeking to visit a calming landscape when traveling in North America. It is also a terrific book for creating your own space that symbolizes a peaceful, calming, and tranquil environment. o
Teresa J. Speight is a native Washingtonian, mother, grandmother, steward of our land, and history lover. She is the author of Black Flora: Profiles of Inspiring Black Flower Farmers + Florists and co-author of The Urban Garden: 101 Ways to Grow Food and Beauty in the City.
Note: The books for these reviews were provided free from their publishers. These book reviews include links to Amazon.com and BookShop.org for ordering them. Washington Gardener Magazine might receive a few cents from each order placed after you click on these links
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• Landscape DIY vs. Pro
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• Ladew Topiary Gardens
• Cherry Trees
2005
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JULY/AUGUST 2005
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MARCH/APRIL 2007
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MAY/JUNE 2007
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JULY/AUGUST 2007
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• How to Pinch, Prune, & Dead-head
• William Paca House & Gardens
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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2007
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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2007
• Gardening with Children
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• National Museum of the American Indian
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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008
• Dealing with Deer
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MARCH/APRIL 2008
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• Our Favorite Garden Tools
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MAY/JUNE 2008
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SUMMER 2009
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FALL 2009
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WINTER 2009
• Battling Garden Thugs
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• Unusual Edibles to Grow in Our Region
SPRING 2010
• Community Gardens
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SUMMER 2010
• Fragrance Gardens
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FALL 2010
• Vines and Climbers
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WINTER 2010
• Paths and Walkways
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SPRING 2011
• Cutting-Edge Gardens
• Final Frost Dates and When to Plant
• Bleeding Hearts
• Onions
• Flavorful Fruiting Natives
JULY/AUGUST 2008
• Landscaping with Ornamental Grasses
• Edible Grasses to Graze On
• Slug and Snail Control
• Sage Advice: Sun-Loving Salvias
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008
• Autumn Edibles — What to Plant Now
• Beguiling Barrenworts (Epimediums)
• Best Time to Plant Spring-blooming Bulbs
• 14 Dry Shade Plants Too Good to Overlook
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008
• Outdoor Lighting Essentials
• How to Prune Fruiting Trees, Shrubs, Vines
• 5 Top Tips for Overwintering Tender Bulbs
• Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2009
• Compost Happens: Nature’s Free Fertilizer
• Managing Stormwater with a Rain Garden
• Visiting Virginia’s State Arboretum
• Grow Winter Hazel for Winter Color
MARCH/APRIL 2009
SUMMER 2011
• Ornamental Edibles
• Urban Foraging
• Amsonia/Arkansas Blue Star
• Growing Corn in the Mid-Atlantic
FALL 2011
• Herb Gardens
• Toad Lilies
• Sweet Potatoes
• Cool Weather Cover Crops
WINTER 2011/EARLY SPRING 2012
• Green Roofs and Walls
• Heaths and Heathers
• Radishes
SPRING 2012
• Pollinator Gardens
• Brunnera: Perennial of the Year
• Growing Yacon
SUMMER 2012
• Tropical Gardens
• Captivating Canna
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SPRING 2013
• Great Garden Soil
• All About Asters
• 40+ Free and Low-cost Local Garden Tips
• Spring Edibles Planting Guide
• Testing Your Soil for a Fresh Start
• Redbud Tree Selection and Care
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• Squash Vine Borer
SUMMER/FALL 2013
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• Best Viewing Spots for Virginia Bluebells
MAY/JUNE 2009
• Top Easy Summer Annuals for DC Heat
• Salad Table Project
• Grow and Enjoy Eggplant
• How to Chuck a Woodchuck
• Growing Great Carrots
WINTER/EARLY SPRING 2014
• Ferns for the Mid-Atlantic
• Chanticleer Gardens
• Beet Growing Basics
Antique Botanical Prints for the decorator, collector, connoisseur, and art lover.
Jentz Prints can be purchased most weekends (weather-dependent) at the world-famous Eastern Market.
Antique prints are affordable—most in the $10-$30 range—and they are the perfect gift idea for that plant lover in your life. And don’t forget to buy a few for yourself!
For more information or to get a detailed show schedule, please contact Jentz Prints by email at UllrichJ@aol.com.
