February 2016 issue of Washington Gardener MagazineWashingtongardenerfeb16

FEBRUARY 2016 VOL. 10 NO. 12 WWW.WASHINGTONGARDENER.COM

WASHINGTONWWASWASWWASWWASWASHINGTOHINGTOgardenergthe magazine for gardening enthusiasts in the Mid-Atlantic region

Cultivating KaleLocal Gardening Events Calendar

Meet Dr. Cohan UMD’s Green Roof Research ExpertGrowing Native Fraser’s SedgeYour Monthly Garden Tasks

To-Do ListNew Stamps Feature

Vintage Seed Catalog Art

Latest Research Shows Gardening is Good for the Brain8 Exciting Trends

for the 2016 Gardening World

17Award-Winning Garden Photos

2 WASHINGTON GARDENER FEBRUARY 2016

RESOURCESsourc

Barry GlickSunshine Farm and Gardens696 Glicks RoadRenick, WV 24966, USAEmail: [email protected] www.sunfarm.com

RARE AND EXCEPTIONAL PLANTS FOR THE DISCRIMINATING GARDENER AND COLLECTOR

Green Spring GardensA “must visit” for everyone in the met-ropolitan Washington, DC, area. It’s a year-round gold mine 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., Alex-andria, VA. Information: 703-642-5173.

www.greenspring.org

Specializing in Garden Renewals & Renovations

Yard By Yard Makeovers, LLC7304 Carroll Avenue, #229Takoma Park, MD 20912

301-270-4642 [email protected]

www.yardmakeovers.comWe can reshape and beautify

neglected yards.

ooo o

o oNeed a Garden Club Speaker?

Washington Gardener Magazine’s staff and writers are available to speak to groups and garden clubs in the greater DC region. Call 301.588.6894 or email

[email protected] available dates, rates, and topics.

Your Ad HereAre 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 [email protected] 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: [email protected].

FEBRUARY 2016 WASHINGTON GARDENER 3

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INSIDEcontents

FEATURES and COLUMNSBOOKreviews 18-19,22 Garden Design, Good Berry Bad Berry, Bees, What to Plant When, How to Plant a GardenEDIBLEharvest 6-7 Kale GOINGnative 8 Fraser’s Sedge HORThappenings 23 Seed Exchanges, Garden Book Club, AHS Holiday Party, GWU Landscape Meeting, MANTS NEIGHBORnetwork 20-21 Dr. Steven CohanPHILLYflowershow 12 Trip Details and Sign-up FormPHOTOcontestwinners 14-17 Winners of the 2016 Garden Photo ContestTIPStricks 10 Gardening is Good for the Brain, 2016 Garden Trends, Seed Catalog Art Stamps DEPARTMENTSADVERTISINGindex 24BLOGlinks 11EDITORletter 4GARDENcontest 5LOCALevents 13MONTHLYtasklist 11NEXTissue 3RESOURCESsources 2ON THE COVERThe first-place winner in the Garden Creature category of the 10th Annual Washington Gardener Magazine Garden Photo Contest, taken by Mike Whalen. See more winners on pages 14–17 of this issue.

In our March 2016 issue:Low-maintenance

Perennialsand much more...

If your business would like to reach area gardeners, be sure to contact us by March 10 so you can be part

of the next issue of our growing publication!

Be sure you are subscribed!Click on the “subscribe” link

at http://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/

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Dr. Steven Cohan at the Univer-sity of Maryland’s Stamp Student Union green roof. Photo by Daisy-nelly Nji.

According to the Mt. Cuba Center, Fraser’s Sedge is best grown when sited on shady slopes beneath ever-green trees such as Pinus strobus and Tsuga canadensis. It thrives in well-drained, highly organic, and acidic soils in shade. Photo by Barry Glick.

Kale is the king of vegetables now—topping nutritional food lists and restaurant menus. It is available in several different varieties that are easily grown by home gardeners. Pictured here is ‘Red Russian,’ an elegant plant with finely toothed leaves that remain tender after maturity. Vigorous plants will con-tinue growing to produce leaves for successive harvests as the lower leaves are harvested. Photo courtesy of Johnny’s Selected Seeds.


An Unusual DecisionSometimes you get thrown a curve ball and have to adjust your stance and grip. This month’s issue cover is not the grand prize winner of our Garden Photo Contest. That image is, instead, shared above. It is a gorgeous shot of an Allium as it is about to open in the photographer’s own garden. Mike Whalen took it and he also took the first-place shot in the Garden Creature category, of a young fox. I was laying out this issue and placing the grand-prize-winning Allium shot on the front cover as we normally do for the February issue, when I started to have some hesitation about it. We featured Alliums on the cover of our November 2015 issue, and this seemed a bit much onion coverage in such a short timespan. While I was mulling that over, I got a phone call and email from winning photog-rapher Mike Whalen, asking if I would consider not putting his Allium shot on the cover and instead going with the first-place fox photograph. He thought it made a much stronger impact and was more cover-worthy. Talk about relief! I loved the fox image and gladly made the switch and honored his request. I hope you agree with Mike and me that the correct image made the cover. What do you think? Happy gardening (and reading)!

Kathy Jentz, Editor/Publisher, Washington Gardener, [email protected]

EDITORletter

CreditsKathy JentzEditor/Publisher& Advertising SalesWashington Gardener826 Philadelphia Ave.Silver Spring, MD 20910Phone: [email protected]

Call today to place your ad with us!

Ruth E. Thaler-CarterProofreader

Daisy-Nelly NjiSeema VithlaniInterns

Cover price: $4.99Back issues: $6.00Subscription: $20.00

Address corrections should be sent to the address above.

• Washington Gardener Blog:www.washingtongardener.blogspot.com• Washington Gardener Archives:http://issuu.com/washingtongardener• Washington Gardener Discussion Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WashingtonGardener/• Washington Gardener Twitter Feed:www.twitter.com/WDCGardener

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To order reprints, contact Wright’s Reprints at 877.652.5295, ext. 138.

Volume 10, Number 12ISSN 1555-8959© 2016 Washington GardenerAll rights reserved. Published quarterly.No material may be reproduced without prior written permission. This magazine is purchased by the buyer with the under-standing that the information presented is from various sources from which there can be no warranty or responsibility by the pub-lisher as to legality, completeness, or techni-cal accuracy.

All uncredited photos in this issue are © Kathy Jentz.


READERcont t

Caption Contest

Winning Captions: “I swear I just saw that phlox seed pack here a second ago...” ~ RootingDC

“Next year I practice for the free-for-all with my kid’s rugby team.” ~ Jim Caldwell

“Why did I leave my reading glasses at home?! Does that say ‘Full Sun’ or ‘Fern Seeds’?” ~ Sadie Jones

“High Stakes Garden Poker—I’ll see your package of Peony roots and raise you a Tomato ‘Mortgage Lifter.’” ~ Julie Blackwell

“Which one of these will fetch the highest price on Ebay tomorrow?” ~ Kim Feld

“I’m going to need to buy a new house with a much bigger yard to plant all these!” ~ Carin Saldigo

We asked our Facebook page followers to caption this photo. What is going through the head of these attendees of our annual Seed Exchange event ? Look for more monthly caption contests at the Facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine page.

Seed Exchange at Brookside Gardens. Photo by Kathy Jentz.

Local Gardening CalendarEach month includes a list of what to do in the garden for local DC-MD-VA and Mid-Atlantic gardeners, along with a gorgeous photo of a seasonal flower from a local public garden col-lection in our area. Go to http://www.cafepress.com/washgardener to order this new cal-endar for gifts and to treat yourself! Be sure to note on your order what month you want the calen-dar to start with. This calendar is a keeper that you can use for years!

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Reader ContestFor our February 2016 Washington Gar-dener Reader Contest, Washington Gar-dener is giving away five sets of passes to the Maryland Home & Garden Show (including Craft Show) at the Maryland State Fairgrounds (prize value: $24). Trade winter blues for shades of green

at the Spring Maryland Home & Garden Show. Landscaped gardens brimming with bold and beautiful flowers, trees, and shrubs will fill the Maryland State Fair-grounds and—as suggested by this show’s theme, “Art in the Garden”—inspire visi-tors to transform their gardens from blank canvases into creative masterpieces. Showgoers will discover their hidden talents and learn the tricks of the trades at daily seminars, from flower arranging to vegetable gardening. Fun surprises! Every hour, one lucky attendee will receive a beautiful bouquet from Radebaugh Florist. Held over two weekends, the Maryland Home & Garden Show runs Saturday, March 5, and Sunday, March 6, as well as Friday, March 11, through Sunday, March 13. See more details online at www.mdhomeandgarden.com/spring. To enter to win a pair of passes to Maryland Home & Garden Show, send an email to [email protected] by 5:00pm on February 29 with “Maryland Home & Garden Show” in the subject line and in the body of the email. Tell us what your favorite article was in this issue and why. Please also include your full name and mailing address. Winners will be announced and notified on March 1.


Kale is one of the easiest to grow annual vegetables in a kitchen garden and is known for the cold-hardiness of many of its cultivars. It is closely relat-ed to cabbage and is grown for its deli-cious leaves, which do not form a head. Rather, kale leaves grow openly around a stiff, upright central stalk. Kale is a source of Vitamins A, C, E, and K. Well-grown kale has a fresh and firm texture, with a mild, savory, and sweet flavor. Kale microgreens and baby greens are great in sandwiches and blend well in fresh salads. Mature kale leaves are a popular ingredient in smoothies and are also wonderful in many soup and cooked dishes. See recipes on page 7. The best growing season for kale is late summer through autumn, when the night air promotes deeper col-oration and savory to sweet flavor. However, kale cultivars can be grown with success during cool weather in mid- to late spring. One type of kale—the Portuguese type—is less cold-toler-ant, but is more heat-tolerant and can be grown from mid-spring to as late as mid-summer, if given light shade dur-ing the hot part of the day. Available Portuguese cultivars include the F1

hybrid ‘Beira’ and the open-pollinated ‘Tronchuda.’ The overall appearance of kale ranges quite a bit from one cultivar to another. In particular, leaf colors, tex-tures, and edges create a diversity of styles. For example:• ‘Tuscan’ kale (also called ‘Toscano,’ ‘Lacinato,’ or Dinosaur kale) is a tall heirloom with long, deep blue-green, pebbled leaves that cup under along the edges. It bears a resemblance to a palm tree.• ‘Blue Curled Scotch’ has long, full-sized, blue-green leaves with very ruffled edges. The plant is short. This heirloom cultivar is sometimes listed as ‘Dwarf Blue Curled’ kale. • ‘Red Russian’ is another heirloom. It produces dark-green, relatively smooth leaves with red to purple veins and stems. The edges are serrated, with deeper serration developing as the plant matures. ‘Red Russian’ is an excellent cultivar for microgreens. Mature plant height is medium tall to tall.• ‘Scarlet’ is an open-pollinated cultivar with solid dark-red purplish coloration throughout the tall plant. The leaves have very wide, frilly edges.

‘Scarlet’ is a stunning color accent in a kitchen garden or in a container garden. The leaves turn to dark-green when cooked. Other well-regarded kale cultivars include the F1 hybrids ‘Winterbor’ and ‘Redbor,’ and the open-pollinated ‘Red Ursa’ and ‘White Russian.’ If you only have room for one type of kale, try ‘Tuscan’ kale. It is very reliable, tasty, and cold-hardy. The specimens are especially striking and work well in mixed plantings. Seeds for cultivars that are sold pri-marily for decoration in cool weather are usually labeled as ornamental kale, flowering kale, or even flowering cabbage. Some of these cultivars may have an off-flavor; others taste best when cooked. Plants sold as ornamen-tal kale, flowering kale, and flowering cabbage at garden centers should not be used for any culinary purpose unless they have been grown to food-grade standards.

AvailabilitySeeds for many standard and spe-cialty kale cultivars are available by mail and online order. Garden centers offer seeds for kale cultivars primarily from mid-winter through spring. They also offer seedlings for an increasing number of cultivars in both early to mid-spring for spring to early summer harvest and again in late summer for autumn harvest.

Growing TipsThe scientific name for kale is Brassica olearacea. Many seed companies list cultivars with the addition of acephala group or var. acephala to the spe-cies name. Some cultivars have yet other Brassica species names listed by seed companies. However, all kale cultivars are in the same plant family as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts, and they should be included in the same crop rotation schedule. Growing requirements for kale are very similar to those of cabbage. Gardeners who want to grow kale in spring should either purchase trans-plants in early to mid-spring or start seeds indoors about four to six weeks before the last expected frost date. Seeds for autumn-harvested kale

by Elizabeth Olson

Cultivating Kale ‘B

lue Curled Scotch’ produces ruffled, blue-green, full-sized leaves on a compact plant.. Photo courtesy of B

aker Creek Heirloom

Seeds.


should be started in mid-summer and the plants should be installed in the garden by mid-September. Be sure to harden off young plants before transplanting them to the gar-den and do not crowd them to ensure good air circulation. Space them based on usage (such as harvesting whole young plants or growing them to matu-rity and harvesting leaves as needed) and the recommendations for each cultivar. Kale grows best in full sun. The soil should drain well and be well-worked and amended with compost. Fertilize the plants with an organic vegetable fertilizer. A consistent moisture level in the soil is necessary for the highest-quality leaves; supplement rainfall with a soaker hose that is installed soon after planting. Keep the kitchen garden well-mulched and free of weeds. The plants should be covered with a floating row cover to protect them from flying insects. It is challenging to extract pests that get into the leaves, especially the ruffled ones.

When/How to HarvestKale matures quickly. Plants grown for baby greens can be harvested as soon as 30 days after transplanting. Leaves on plants grown to maturity can be harvested starting 55 to 60 days after transplanting. The entire plant can be harvested at one time, or the older, lower leaves can be harvested as needed and the younger, inner leaves can be allowed to continue to grow. Use sharp, parrot-beaked shears or kitchen shears to harvest leaves or young plants. The leaves of some cultivars may wilt soon after harvest. Remove them from the plant quickly and either set them immediately in a vase with water during the harvest or make fresh stem cuts and place them in water as soon as they are inside. Remove them from the vase when they are refreshed and store them in the refrigerator crisper drawer or prepare them for eating or cooking. o

Elizabeth Olson is a Maryland Certified Professional Horticulturist. She is also an avid home gardener who is fascinated by the stories behind the plants that she grows. She can be contacted through Washington Gardener magazine.

EDIBLEharvt

Baked KaleCourtesy of www.NicholsGardenNursery.com

Ingredients2½ lbs. kale, washed, stripped from ribs, and coarsely chopped1 Tbs. vegetable oil2 Tbs. butter2½ Tbs. flour1½ C chicken or vegetable broth (hot)½ C grated Swiss or Jarlsberg cheese½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg3 – 6 drops hot pepper sauce¾ C fresh breadcrumbs

DirectionsUsing a large nonstick skillet, sauté kale with oil. The wet leaves will quickly cook down as you stir it around, cooking for 7 to 10 minutes. Add a little water to the kale if it becomes dry. It should be slightly moist when cooked. Remove from heat and set aside. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Melt 2 tablespoons but-ter in a medium saucepan set on low heat. Stir in flour and continue stirring for 2 minutes. Vigorously whisk in the hot broth and cook until well thickened. Stir in pepper, nutmeg, and hot pepper sauce and add to kale. Place mixture in a buttered shallow baking dish. Sprinkle bread crumbs over kale and then top with cheese. Bake until mixture is bubbly and lightly browned, 15 to 20 min-utes. Serves 6 to 8.

Sautéed Kale with Pancetta and Cannellini Beans Courtesy of www.KitchenGardenSeeds.com

Ingredients4 oz. finely chopped pancetta (or bacon) Extra virgin olive oil ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional) ½ C finely chopped leeks 2 Tbs. finely chopped shallots 2 garlic cloves, smashed 1 C chicken stock 10 C destemmed, chopped kale 1½ C cooked cannellini beans Coarse sea salt to taste Freshly cracked black pepper to taste

DirectionsCoat the bottom of a medium size soup pot with a drizzle of olive oil. Slowly render the fat from the chopped pancetta (or bacon) over low heat until it is just cooked. Remove the cooked pancetta and set aside. Add a drizzle of olive oil to the pancetta drippings and sauté the leeks, shal-lots, smashed garlic cloves, and red pepper flakes (optional). Once translucent and fragrant, remove the smashed garlic cloves. Remove the stems from the kale. Wash the kale. Roughly chop the kale. Add the kale to the pot, tossing over medium heat until all are wilted and bright-green. Transfer the kale mixture to a bowl. Add the chicken stock to the pot and bring to a boil. Add the beans and heat until warm for several minutes. Return the kale mixture and pancetta to the pot, stirring gently to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

‘Beira’ is a Portuguese style of kale. It is not as cold-hardy as other types, but will tolerate heat better for a longer time in spring. Photo courtesy of Johnny’s Selected Seeds.

‘Scarlet’ adds beautiful color to any kitchen garden, mixed con-tainer garden, or border. Note though that it turns dark green when cooked. Photo courtesy of Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.


Many years ago, when I was just getting my nursery off the ground, there was buzz about a very rare, very mystical, very difficult to grow sedge. A sedge like no other sedge, so different that sometime in the 1940s, it was removed from the genus Carex and given its own monotypic genus — Cymophyllus! Somewhere along the line, I was fortu-nate enough to barter with a colleague for 10 one-quart plants. They were immediately bumped up into gallon’s placed out in the woods, and forgotten about. Yes, I forgot about these “difficult” to grow, really rare plants. I forgot about them, not just for a week or two, or a month or two, or even a growing sea-son. I forgot about them for 10 years! Now, in that decade of neglect, they didn’t put on much growth, what with no one providing any additional water during dry spells, no fertilization, no weeding, etc., but, they did survive! Imagine my joy at rediscovering these precious sedges and at their still being alive.

I immediately rescued them from their life of despair and repotted my treasures in fresh soil. A hearty meal of 21-7-7 Peters Acid Special Fertilizer was much appreciated, I’m sure. They were very happy. I was very happy. My wayward little plants soon filled their new home with roots, and, it being spring, found a permanent home in one of my woodland trial beds. Boy, were they excited to get their feet into the earth with real soil instead of that com-mercial potting mix. In the following year, they doubled their size and flowered profusely in early spring. I collected the seeds, sowed them immediately, and was rewarded with nearly 100% germination. The young seedlings filled 2" pots in one growing season and 4" pots the next. Meantime, many years later, the par-ent plants have octupled in size and are now surrounded by seed beds of many subsequent generations. Average size at maturity is about 24–36" and I’ve seen some individual leaf blades attain

lengths of up to 24" long and up to 2" wide. The unique white flowers last for weeks and the entire plant is evergreen. I’m sharing this story with you to illus-trate how easy Cymophyllus fraserianus is to grow and to save you from being intimidated when you hear that a par-ticular plant is “difficult.” Cymophyllus fraserianus is the per-fect Hosta replacement for any native plant garden or shade garden, espe-cially if you have a deer problem, as this is one plant that isn’t on Bambi’s menu or wish list. o

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

Fraser’s Sedge

GOINGnative

by Barry Glick


Using Brookside Gardens’ recent Garden Gateway project as a springboard, the 2016 Green Matters Symposium will focus on elements of a successful, environmentally friendly landscape construction. From thorough planning and design to the use of hardscape materials, native plants, and local artistry, the symposium will inspire and offer practical suggestions on how you can design and construct a unique, beautiful and sustainable landscape.

www.BrooksideGreen.org

R EG I STER O N LI N ECourse #14881 at ActiveMONTGOMERY.orgOr call 301-962-1451 Fee: $85 through February 29, then $99

CEUs available for APLD, CPH, and Master Gardeners

FEATU R ED SPEAKERS

Lori Arguelles,Executive Director of the Alice Ferguson Foundation

Gennadyi Gurman,Head of Interpretation at Queens Botanical Garden

Mary Pat Matheson,Director of Atlanta Botanical Garden

Stephanie Oberle,Director, Brookside Gardens (M-NCPPC)

Thomas Rainer,Landscape Architect and Author of Planting in a Post-Wild World

G R EEN MAT TERS SYM POSI U M 2016

a GardenG A T E W A Y

Environmentally friendly landscape design and construction

Friday, April 8 �� 8:30am - 4pm


TIPStricksResearch Shows Gardening is Good for the BrainA group of researchers from the University of Florida found a link between gardening and good mental health. Preliminary findings from a study of 23 healthy women showed women who participated in group gardening activi-ties twice a week reported profoundly reduced stress, anxiety, anger, confu-sion, and fatigue. They also reported significant more vigor and friendliness than the women in the control group who did not participate in regular group gardening. Dr. Charles Guy, who led the study, cautioned that the findings are still being analyzed, but he describes the early results as “huge.” “The fact we could measure anything (in such a small study) in a statistically robust way is surprising,” said Guy. The findings are also being hailed in the garden industry. Gardener’s Supply spokeswoman Claudia Marshall said, “We’ve said for years that gardening is good for the body and the spirit. The fact this may be borne out by brain scans is great news.” The women in the study were asked to participate in gardening activities twice a week for six weeks, including seed and bulb planting, plant propaga-tion, and tasting herbs. Brain scans and other psychological observation before and after the gardening program revealed the gardeners were significant-ly less stressed than the control group, but Guy pointed out that not all garden-ing activities will lead to increased men-tal health. “Preparing a garden is fundamentally different from going out and picking tomatoes on a 100 degree day,” said Guy. Guy said the research owes much to horticultural therapy, but it differs sig-nificantly because the subjects of this study were healthy. “What we found in the gardening group was a significant impact,” Guy said. He hopes to have the research published later this year. o

Complied by Seema Vithlani, a Washington Gardener intern for spring 2016. She is a junior multi-platform journalism major and French minor at the University of Maryland.

8 Exciting Trends for the 2016 Gardening World Wholesale plant grower Monrovia shared the following new trends.• Accessible TechnologyMore homeowners growing edibles and interested in health and food security have ready access to technology, creat-ing a surge in sharing of excess back-yard-grown crops. Apps like RipeNearMe allow gardeners to interact one-on-one to give away extras. • All White NowA toned-down palette with a focus on calm and harmony is the latest color trend, particularly shades of white, from crisp to snowy, ivory to “dirty whites.”• Granny GardensNostalgia plants in delicate blush tones and pale shades from earlier garden eras — Foxgloves, Begonias, Peonies, Gardenias — are flying off nursery shelves. Fueling this trend is part two of the edible gardening wave of the last decade, adding old-fashioned flowers to food crops and lush, locally grown bou-quets of romantic florals.• LightingThere’s a surge of interest in outdoor lighting, with new innovations such as brighter and more efficient LED bulbs and lighting systems controlled by mobile apps. Homeowners are using café lights, pinpoint lasers, wall wash-ers, and LEDs to enhance gardens.• Mini-MeGardeners are turning to compact and dwarf versions of beloved plants. Look for new and more compact hydrangeas and shrub roses.• Scalene, Rhombus, PrismThe geometric shape trend doesn’t appear to be slowing. In fact, it has expanded beyond sculpted plants like sheared topiaries to garden beds in geometric forms with plenty of right angles.• “FOMO Flora”Pinterest and Instagram have created demand for plants with super-sized assets: bigger and bolder blooms, blooms that come two or three times per year, multi-colored flowers, and shrubs with colorful stems or foliage.• Five New Plants to Watch‘Double Shot Grape’ Azalea, ‘Mountain’ Pepper, ‘Golden Duchess’ Eastern Hemlock, ‘Emerald Colonnade’ Holly, and ‘Starburst Red Evergreen’ Daylily. o

Stamps Feature Vintage Seed Catalog ArtThe U.S. Postal Service continued its tradition of floral-themed stamps by dedicating the Botanical Art Forever stamps, featuring vintage illustrations from 19th- and early 20th-century plant and seed catalogs. The official First-Day-of-Issue cer-emony took place January 29 as part of the American Philatelic Society’s AmeriStamp Expo. “Featuring Mother Nature at her best … these beautiful images will travel on letters and packages to millions of homes and businesses throughout America,” said Kristin Seaver, vice president of the Postal Service’s capital metro area operations, who dedicated the stamps. The stamp art features 10 individual designs, each a detail of an illustration from an American nursery catalog from 1891 to 1912. The catalogs are part of the New York Botanical Garden’s nurs-ery and seed catalog collection, one of the largest collections in the U.S. The collection and similar collections pro-vide historical information for scholars and scientists studying a wide range of subjects, including botany, horticulture, commercial agriculture, landscape design, plant exploration, graphic arts, and publishing. The artists of the works from the early nursery catalogs are mostly unknown. In the later 15th century, intrepid Europeans discovered new plants in the Americas and other areas of the world. Botanical illustrators produced meticulous and highly detailed works; the years from 1750 to 1850 are con-sidered the height of the botanical illustrator’s art. In the mid-19th century, nurseries created colorful catalogs illustrated with beautiful blossoms and lush foliage to entice buyers. The illustrations were idealized, romantic versions of what plants could look like, but they fueled many a garden dream. o


Quick Links to Recent Washington Gardener Blog Posts• Indoor Blooms for Winter Blues• Arugula: You Can Grow That!• Top 3 New Cars for Gardeners

See more Washington Gardener blog posts at: WashingtonGardener.Blogspot.com o

New Plant SpotlightYellow Fringed Orchid ‘Orange Plume’A lover of wetlands, moist meadows, and woods. Yellow Fringed Orchid (Platanthera cillaris), also known as Orange Plume, is a perfect fit for gar-dens or areas that are never dry. This native plant is a magnet for butterflies, given its showy orange flowers during the summer months. Native American tribes in the Eastern United States used the yellow-fringed orchid for medicinal and other purposes. The native ‘Yellow Fringed Orchid’ Orange Plume reaches a mature height of 40 inches and is an herbaceous perennial. The Crested Yellow Orchid (Platanthera cristata) is similar, but the flowers are smaller; the spur and the racemes, especially more compact.

Plant InformationZones: 4–10Light Requirements: Full sun to part sunEstimated Mature Spread : 12–18" wideBloom Time: Early to late summerPlanting Depth: Plant so the top of the root is 1" below the soil line.Planting Time: Spring / SummerSoil Type: Loamy Soil, Moist/Wet Soil, Acidic SoilSoil Moisture: Moist/WetAdvantages: Attracts butterflies

Now available through American Meadows, an industry leader in sustain-able gardening (http://www.american-meadows.com). o

GARDENnews

February-March Garden To-Do List• Cut some branches (Forsythia, Quince, Bittersweet, Redbud, Willow, etc.) for forcing indoors. • Put suet out for birds. • Keep bird feeders filled and provide a source of water. • Check outside plants and trees for animal (deer) damage. • Mist indoor plants and set up pebble trays to increase humidity. • Rejuvenate Holly bushes and Boxwood with a hard pruning. • Plan landscape design projects. • Check evergreens for signs of desiccation. • Start seeds of cool-season vegetables and flowers. • Keep ice-melting chemicals away from garden beds. Use coarse sand instead.• Prune any dead or diseased wood off trees and shrubs. • Fertilize trees, shrubs, and evergreens. • Prune roses. • Begin tilling beds (when the earth is dry enough to work, but not muddy) and work in compost. • Plant or transplant trees or shrubs, including berries, roses, and evergreens. • Apply pre-emergent weed control such as corn gluten. • Protect tender plants by covering them with some type of cloth material, if an unusually cold day or night is forecast. Be sure to uncover when it warms up. • Weed. • Trim ornamental grasses such as Liriope, Mondo, and Pampas. • Divide overgrown or crowded perennials such as Daylily and Shasta Daisy. • Scan houseplants for insect activity. • Dust your house plants with a slightly damp cloth. • Clear perennial beds of any dead plant parts and debris. • Clean and organize the garden shed. • Clean, sharpen, and oil tools, if not already done last fall. • Walk your yard to check plants and bulbs for heaving and place them back into the ground. Cover with more mulch to prevent further heaving. • Apply dormant oil spray to ornamentals and fruit trees before dormancy breaks. • Check and tune-up power equipment (mowers and trimmers). • Build garden furniture. • Spread new gravel on paths. • Mulch bare areas. • Design new beds and gardens. • Pick up new gardening books and magazines for inspiration.• Start seedlings indoors under grow lights. Some good choices to start early are Peppers, Artichokes, Onions, Beets, Turnips, Cabbage, Kale, and Leeks.• Put up trellises and teepees for peas and beans to climb on.• Direct-sow early, cool-season crops as soon as ground soil can be worked. Good choices are Peas, Lettuces, Mustards, Onion sets, Kale, and Cabbages.• Start or turn your compost pile.• Do an annual soil test and amend soils as recommended.• Check for snow damage. Gently brush off snow weight, if you must, but it’s better to let snow melt off on its own. o

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http://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2009/07/open-letter-to-leggett.html

http://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2015/12/video-wednesday-wreath-care-and.html

http://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2016/02/indoor-flowers-for-garden-bloggers.html

http://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2009/07/open-letter-to-leggett.html

http://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2016/02/arugula-you-can-grow-that.html

http://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2016/02/arugula-you-can-grow-that.html

http://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2009/07/someones-chomping-my-bronze-fennel.html

http://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2016/01/top-3-new-cars-for-gardeners.html

http://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/


10th Annual Washington Gardener Philadelphia Flower Show TourOrganized by Washington Gardener Magazine

Wednesday, March 9, 2016, 10:00AM-10:00PMLeaving and returning from downtown Silver Spring, MD

The Philadelphia Flower Show is the oldest and largest indoor flower show in the world. The theme for 2016 is “Explore America.” It will celebrate the centennial of the National Park Service and our country’s majestic landscapes, rich history, cherished monuments, and vibrant culture. From Acadia to Yellowstone, the beauty and glory of American parks will serve as inspiration for exhibits created by the nation’s premier floral and garden designers. Join us for a visit to magnificent displays, special programming, and newer attractions such as the interactive Butterfly Experience and a huge Train Garden. The Flower Show attracts non-gardeners as well as die-hard green-thumbed people of all ages. Foodies of all tastes will love the Garden to Table Studio. Participate in the Lectures and Demonstrations series, Gardener’s Studio, and the “Make & Take” workshops. First-time and returning riders will enjoy the welcoming, custom details of our coach service.

Schedule for the day: • 10:00AM Coach leaves downtown Silver Spring with lunch, games, and DVD viewing en route• 12:45-7:15PM Explore Philadelphia Flower Show ~ dinner on your own• 7:30PM Coach departs Philadelphia Convention Center with snacks, games, and DVD showing onboard • 10:00PM Coach arrives at downtown Silver Spring

This tour package includes: 1. Charter Passenger Coach ~ reserved seating, storage under the bus 2. Choice of Gourmet Box Lunch on the way up to the show3. Snacks for the return trip4. Listing of nearby restaurants for dinner on your own at the show 5. Information package on the show to assist in prioritizing your day6. Two Garden DVD showings 7. Admission to the show & driver tip8. Convenient drop-off and pick-up at downtown Silver Spring, MD 9. Lively show and garden discussions led by Washington Gardener’s Kathy Jentz

To register, please use the form below. (One form per person.) Name _______________________________________________________________ Address______________________________________________________________ Phone number________________________________________________________ Email________________________________________________________________ Name of seatmate_____________________________________________________ We will try to seat groups together, but cannot guarantee group seating. Name of group _______________________________________________________

If you’ve never been to the Philadelphia Flower Show, this is your opportunity to escape from the last of winter’s cold winds and experience a garden paradise. Walk through floral wonderlands, take notes at one of

the many workshops, enjoy new plants on display, and shop the vendors’ tempting array of goodies.

Brought to you by:

$100.00 each $95.00 each for Washington Gardener Magazine subscribersCheck/money order #_______ ~ Please make payable to “Washington Gardener”Send this registration form along with your payment to: Washington Gardener, 826 Philadelphia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910

Fee:

Co

de 3/9 Silver Spring

Registration deadline: March 1, 2016

Full refund if canceled by February 7. $40 refunded until February 28. No refunds after March 3.

Questions? Kathy [email protected]


DC-Area Gardening Calendar ~ Upcoming Events ~ February 16–March 10, 2016

TOP AREA GARDENING EVENTS

• February 18–October 2Flora of the National ParksIn celebration of the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, this art exhibit at the U.S. Botanic Garden will showcase some of the plant species and communities found throughout the more than 400 national parks. The national parks contain a diverse repre-sentation of North American flora. Illus-trations, paintings, and photography will take you on a tour of the beauty and importance of American flora. See more at https://www.usbg.gov/.

• Saturday, February 20, 16th Annual Spring Gardening Con-ference, hosted by the Montgomery County Master Gardeners and entitled “Exploding the Myths: Fascinating Facts to Help You Avoid Common Gardening Mythstakes!” The event will offer gar-dening workshops at the University of Maryland Extension Montgomery Coun-ty Office, 18410 Muncaster Road, Der-wood, MD. The registration fee for the conference is $55 ($50 each for groups of 2 or more). The price covers coffee and refreshments, bag lunch, presenta-tions, handouts, door prizes, access to speakers, and online reference for presentations. For more information, go to https://www.extension.umd.edu/mg/locations/spring-miniconference.

• Saturday, February 20, 9am–4pmCreating Rain Gardens that Delight Your Customers and Your Bottomline Held at Colmar Manor Community Center, 3701 Lawrence Street, Colmar Manor, MD. Sponsored by the Port Towns Community Health Partnership and the Town of Colmar Manor, this class is being taught by three experts: Mike Clar, Kit Reed, and Jenny Reed. The morning will be devoted to the basics of residential rain gardens while the afternoon will be spent doing actual work on a rain garden to get hands-on experience. Workshop cost is $20 per person. To register, go to http://tinyurl.com/howtoinstallrain-garden. For more information, contact [email protected] or call 240-366-7542.

• Saturday, February 20, 9am–12pmDesigning a Sustainable YardVCE Master Gardeners of Northern Vir-ginia (Arlington/Alexandria) will present a program on “Designing a Sustainable, Manageable Yard” at Fairlington Com-munity Center, 3308 S. Stafford St., Arlington, VA. The program will focus on the best management practices of sustainable landscapes—using native plants, making the most of available water, building soil health, and reducing maintenance. Master Gardeners will also answer questions about individual garden management challenges. The program is free and open to the pub-lic. Advance registration is requested. Register at mgnv.org. Questions? Call 703-228-6414 or send an email to mgarlalex.org.

•Saturday, February 27, 9am–4:30pm Rooting DC Conference60 workshop sessions, from pest iden-tification to herbalism to food politics, plus 60 local nonprofits, businesses, and government agencies at the infor-mation fair. See http://rootingdc.org.

• February 27–April 17Orchids in FocusThis exhibit at the U.S. Botanic Gar-den, in partnership with Smithsonian Gardens, highlights the world’s larg-est plant family and the USBG’s most extensive plant collection. Found on every continent except Antarctica, orchids amaze with their diversity of forms and colors. Come see for yourself why these exotic beauties have inspired artists and photographers for centuries. Immerse yourself in a floral paradise of orchids from the forest canopy down to the ground, and focus your own camera on these unique and beautiful plants. See more at: http://www.usbg.gov/.

• Saturday, March 5, 9am–5:30pmGrow Your Health Festival: Gardening, Local Food & Wellness EventThis fourth annual event has grown to a larger venue with more exhibitors offer-ing more to see, hear, taste, and do. Meet local farmers; learn about organic gardening and food, and healthy options; see a film; buy local food prod-ucts, and more. Admission includes

classes and demonstrations on topics of beginning and advanced gardening, finding local food sources, different approaches to healthy eating, and how holistic health differs from conventional health care. Tickets are available for $10 online in advance; $15 at the door. Admission is free for children 16 and under. Fairfax High School, 3501 Rebel Run, Fairfax, VA. More details at www.GrowYourHealthnova.com.

• Philadelphia Flower Show Trips with Washington Gardener Magazine• March 9, 2016, depart from down-town Silver Spring, MD• March 10, 2016, depart from Behnke Nurseries in Beltsville, MDSee: http://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2016/01/explore-ameri-ca-at-philadelphia-flower.html.

• Saturday, March 12, 9am–5pm7th Annual “Let’s Get Growing” Gardening SymposiumPresented by Loudoun County Master Gardener Association, the symposium features a lineup of nationally known garden speakers: Rick Darke, Craig LeHoullier, and Virginia Tech’s own Tim McCoy. Online registration at http://loudouncountymastergardeners.org/events/annual-symposium/.

Save These Future Dates:• Friday, April 8, 8:30am–4pmBrookside Gardens 13th Annual Green Matters SymposiumLearn about the importance of envi-ronmentally friendly landscapes from experts in the field of horticulture. For details, go to www.BrooksideGreen.org

Still More Event Listings See even more event listings on the Washington Gardener Yahoo discussion list. Join the list at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WashingtonGardener/.

How to Submit Local Garden Events To submit an event for this listing, contact: [email protected]—put “Event” in the subject line. Our next deadline is March 10 for the March 15 issue and events taking place from March 16–April 15. o

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WashingtonGardener/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WashingtonGardener/


Congratulations to our Photo Contest Winners! Photo entries must have been taken during the 2015 calendar year in a garden located within a 150-mile radius of the Capitol Building in Washington, DC. Be sure to take photos all year long and gather the best of your images. We urge you to enter next year’s contest when the entry period opens up again this winter. Your photos could be winners, too!

Honorable MentionWendy Niemi Kremer, Herndon, VA “Autumn Gold” Wendy wrote: “Clematis ‘Princess Diana’ grows along the top of my fence, and this seedhead caught the first rays of light at golden hour in October.” Taken with an Olympus OM-D E-M10 and Olympus 60mm macro lens at f/8.0, 1/100 in natural light.

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First PlaceDan Girard, Springfield, VA “Purple-and-white Dahlia”This photo was taken at Longwood Gardens with a Nikon D7100 DSLR, Sigma 105 Macro at f/32, 1/3 second, ISO 100 in natural light. Dan is an amateur photographer with just three years’ experience.

Third PlaceDeneen Stambone, Springfield, VA “Lotus” This is a close-up of a Kenilworth Gardens lotus. Taken with a Nikon D5200 using an 18-270 zoom lens on manual settings f11, ISO 100, 1/60 second (available natural lighting). Deneen has 33 years of photography experience.

Second PlaceRon Taylor, Fairfax Station, VA “Black-and-white Seed Pod”This image was shot at Kenilworth Gardens in Washington, DC, with a Nikon D750, 70-200 mm lens, ISO 560 f9, 1/200. Ron is an amateur photographer with just three years’ experience.


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First PlaceHung Vu, Vienna, VA “Washington, DC, Cherry Blossom at the Jefferson Memorial”Hung is a semi-professional photographer with 20 years’ experience. This was taken with an Olympus OMD-EM1 (Micro 3/4) with Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 Pros, no flash, in daylight, ISO400, f4.

Third PlaceDan Girard, Springfield, VA“McKee-Beshers”Dan wrote, “McKee-Beshers WMA sunflowers before a storm came rolling in. To get above the sunflowers, I prefocused, set the 10-second timer, and then extended my arms com-pletely with my tripod extended completely.”

Second PlaceSteven Silverman, Ijamsville MD“Tulip Garden” This image was taken at Sherwood Gardens in Baltimore, MD, with a Nikon D800, 144mm, 1/25@f22 ISO 640. Steven is a past contest winner and his grand-prize-winning photo of a barred owl graced our cover last February,

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Beautiful, dramatic, or unusual perspectives of a garden landscape, including wide shots showing the setting.

Honorable MentionRuth Frock, Manassas Park, VA “Meadowlark Garden Gazebo” Taken at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in natural light with a Canon 5D Mark III with a Canon 70-200mm lens. Ruth is a past contest winner with seven years’ experi-ence as an amateur photographer.

A special thank you to our contest prize sponsors Capital Photography Center, LLC, Corona Tools., and Washington Photo Safari. Be sure to take photos all year long and gather the best of your images. We urge you to enter next year’s contest when the entry period opens up again this winter. Your photos could be winners, too!


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Third PlaceWendy Niemi Kremer, Herndon, VA “Dragonfly’s Repose” Wendy wrote, “This is a female whitetail resting on the little garden statue in my home garden.” It was taken with an Olympus OM-D E-M10 with Olympus 60mm lens, f/5.6, 1/125, in natural light.

Second PlaceTom Stovall, Centreville, VA “In Flight”Tom wrote, “This is a photograph of a Tree Swallow taken at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens. I grabbed this shot of a swallow returning to its nest with a captured dragonfly using my Nikon D4s handheld with the 80-400 lens. Settings were 1/1250 sec, f/11, ISO 1400.”

First PlaceMike Whalen, Fairfax Station, VA “Young Fox”Mike wrote, “A juvenile red fox posing for a photo in my backyard garden.” Taken hand-held in late July in mid-afternoon light with a Canon 5D-Mark III; Canon EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM. Camera Settings: ISO=1600; 400mm; f/5.6; 1/400 sec.

Images of insects, birds, frogs, domestic pets, wild animals, etc., in a private or public garden setting.

Honorable MentionSteven Silverman, Ijamsville MD“Caterpillar” This was taken at Brookside Gardens with a Nikon D4, 300mm f2.8 lens, 1/30 @ f14 ISO 12800. Steven has eight years of photography experience as an amateur..

Winning photographs from this year’s Washington Gardener Magazine photo contest will be on display at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens this summer. You are invited to the Washington Gardener Magazine Photo Exhibit Opening Reception; details will be announced this spring.


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First PlaceAmyBeth Feder, Annandale VA “Lotus Flower among Leaves”This image was taken at Green Spring Gardens with a Fuji X-T1, 55-200mm, 1/500, f/9.0, ISO 2500. AmyBeth is an amateur photographer with less than four years’ experience.

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Third PlaceWendy Niemi Kremer, Herndon, VA “Sunset on Switchgrass” Wendy wrote, “The rain ended and the sun came out right before sunset, just in time to illuminate the water drops on Panicum ‘Heavy Metal’ in my home garden.” Taken with an Olympus OM-D E-M10 with Olympus 75mm lens, f/1.8, 1/4000, in natural light.

Second PlaceMerry Plocki, Silver Spring, MD“Dogwood Branch with Flowers”This image was taken at Brookside Gardens with a Canon 6D 100 mm Macro lens. Merry is an amateur photographer with “many years” of experience.

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Groupings of plants in beds or containers, unusual color or texture combinations, garden focal points, and still scenes. This is a new category this year.

Honorable MentionChung S. Kim, Ellicott City, MD “My Delight” Various gorgeous flowers at Chanticleer Garden in Wayne, PA. Taken with a Canon EOS 5D Mark III, F8, 1/50s, ISO-100, 100 mm lens. Chung has eight years of photography experience as an amateur.

Our expert panel of judges, Patty Hankins of Beautiful Flower Pictures and Katherine Lambert of Katherine Lambert Photography, had a mighty struggle again this year to select the best from among such stiff competition.


ently can make or break a gardener’s vision. I recommend this book not just because the photos are absolutely stunning, but because the content, from cover to cover provides easy-to-understand, worthwhile information that one can use, no matter the level of gardening experience. Whether you are designing a new garden or enhancing a familiar one, this is a great book to have on the reference shelf.

Good Berry Bad Berry: Who’s Edible, Who’s Toxic, and How to Tell the Dif-ference By Helen Yoest Publisher: St. Lynn’s PressList Price: $18.95Reviewer: Teresa SpeightForaging in the wild will never be the same for me after reading this short, but informative, book. Helen Yoest has given us a short course in what we should perhaps partake of when wan-dering in the wild and definitely what not to. Berries provide food for wildlife, beauty in the garden, and can even be used in cooking. I can now consider some creative options for my Mahonia aquifolium berries—after conditions are right, of course. Choosing 40 familiar berries we might see in the wild, Yoest has provided pictures, descriptions, when they can be found by season, habitat, and a little berrilicious information. Ever so helpful, she includes a few recipes and additional lists of berries that were not included in her top 40, but should or should not be considered for human consumption. I can see my Callicarpa americana as a resource not only for its beauty, but as a great jelly for some homemade bread and perhaps some Myrica cer-

BOOKreviews

Garden Design: A Book of Ideas By Heidi Howcroft and Marianne MajerusPublisher: Firefly BooksList Price: $49.95Reviewer: Teresa SpeightThe use of our common sense and internal instincts provides us with an opportunity to become more aware of what we want our personal green spaces to say about us and how we gar-den. The authors of this essential book provide solid content, as well as visual inspiration, to suggest a style of garden that represents our individual tastes. Leaving no stone unturned, the basic aspects of true garden design are touched upon in what I would call a “garden journey” book. Heidi Howcroft and Marianne Majerus give the reader absolutely superb visual content on the options available when considering crafting your personal space. Two chapters of this book caught my attention more than the others and offered relevant content and ideas on how I garden. My style of gardening is considered “The New Country Look.” The authors describe this style as a combination of artistry, plant knowl-edge, and curiosity—a piece of delicate needlework, full of nuances and details. This is the look I wanted to achieve. The other chapter that captivated my attention was “Difficult Plots and Tricks of the Trade.” From rooftops to seasides to colorfully creative containers—using some of the suggested tricks for chal-lenging areas can turn a problem into a possibility. Creating illusions for making spaces—large or small—appear differ-

ifera tea….oh, the options are endless. I would recommend this book as a great resource before wandering in the wil-derness to forage for berries.

Teresa Speight is a native Washingto-nian, who resides in District Heights, MD. She owns Cottage in the Court Land-scape Consulting. She can be reached at [email protected].

The Bees In Your Backyard: A Guide to North America’s BeesBy Joseph S. Wilson and Olivia Mess-inger CarrilPublisher: Princeton University Press List Price: $29.95Reviewer: Erica H. SmithDid you know that bees in the genus Colletes line their nests with a varnish-like secretion that scientists are study-ing with synthetic manufacture in mind? That Melitta americana is the primary native pollinator of cranberries? That carpenter bees (Xylocopa genus) pol-linate tomatoes in greenhouses, pro-ducing larger fruit than other insects? That the genus Nomada (and several others) are known as “cuckoo bees” because they lay their eggs in the nests of other species? That bees like Osmia and Augochloropsis are shiny blue and green? And that Lasioglossum bees drink human sweat and tears? These are just some of the fascinat-ing stories to be found in The Bees In Your Backyard. All the bees I mention can be found here in the Mid-Atlantic region—I know this thanks to the handy range maps for every genus entry in this encyclopedic book, written by two biologists—but altogether more than 4,000 species of bees live in North America, so the topic is huge, though well-covered here in under 300 pages. If you are already fascinated by bees, or if you are aware of none of them beyond honey, bumble, and carpenter bees boring holes in your deck, you should take a look at this guide. Don’t think of it as a field guide—it’s too heavy for that—but more as an identification resource once you’ve seen a bee out in the garden or the wild (and hopefully photographed it or captured it for fur-ther study). After a long and useful introduction, which covers how to tell bees from other close insect relatives, the bee life-


cycle, where bees live, different levels of sociality in bee species, food, preda-tors, anatomy, and basic identification (as well as techniques for collection), the book discusses how to promote bees in your neighborhood (habitat and bee-attracting plants). Then it’s on to a list of bee families, subdivided by prominent subfamilies, tribes, and gen-era—the majority of the book. Each fam-ily entry includes general distinguishing and behavioral information, and each genus sub-entry covers range, descrip-tion, diet and pollination services, and biological notes, as well as details about some major species within the genus. The book is filled with beautiful pho-tographs of bees in action, as well as drawings that illustrate anatomy in detail. It could almost serve as a cof-fee-table book, as well as a useful refer-ence. The only danger to owning it is that you’ll be tempted to acquire insect net, hand lens, high-quality camera, collecting cabinet, and maybe even microscope to start studying bees on your own. And no, you’re not likely to get stung, because the book will tell you which bee species are most aggres-sive—not many. This book is great for introducing you to bees in their wide variety and also burrowing down to the specifics like a bee going head-down in a flower to find nectar. I know I’ll explore my garden with different eyes because of it.

Erica is a Montgomery County Master Gardener, runs the Grow It Eat It blog for the University of Maryland Extension, and

BOOKreviewsgrows vegetables in her own community garden plot and in the MG Demonstration Garden in Derwood, MD. She is the author of several novels; visit her web site at ericahsmith.wordpress.com.

How to Plant a Garden: Design Tricks, Ideas, and Planting Schemes for Year-round Interest By Matt James Publisher: Mitchell Beazley List Price: $34.99Reviewer: Daisy-nelly NjiMatt James’ book, How to Plant a Garden, is surprisingly enjoyable and detailed. The book takes readers step-by-step through how to grow an abun-dant and flourishing garden. The pages are filled with vibrant and beautiful photos that show various flowers, trees, and bushes. James shows not only well-known flowers in the book, but also lesser-known species. The book provides insightful tips and tricks to getting a grip on your garden and handling it in any situation. Some of the tips include how climate and microclimate affect gardens and some ways you can manipulate the microcli-mate to help your garden grow. James’ book doesn’t overlook any topic about gardening, no matter how simple or insignificant one may think it is. Topics ranges from what soil is made out of, the different types of it, differ-ent textures, and determining the pH of different soils. Charts diagram the information listed above and present it in a way that is easier to process for the readers. The book supplies readers with

different purposes of gardening: for pri-vacy and screen, security, noise control, weed control, air cleansing. Readers are then able to make informed decisions on how they want to use the gardens they plant. Finally, this book gives realistic ways gardeners can cut down on the upkeep of gardening, making it affordable for more people to do. This reassures read-ers that you don’t have to have a huge budget to have a beautiful garden. As someone new to gardening, I had mini-mal knowledge of the do’s and don’t’s before reading this book. I didn’t know where to begin and lacked basic infor-mation that was necessary. But after reading James’ book, I can honestly say I learned general information that is useful, and I stayed engage throughout the read. This book is a great find for beginning gardeners in the Washington region.

Daisy-Nelly Nji is a senior journalism student at the University of Maryland. She is a multi-platform journalism major at the Philip Mer-rill College of Journalism. This spring, she is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener Magazine.

What Plant When (previously published as Plants for Every Season)By American Horticultural SocietyPublisher: DK PublishingList Price: $14.95Reviewer Seema VithlaniEven a novice gardener like myself can appreciate What Plant When, a great

Book Reviews continued on next page


Dr. Steven Cohan combines his passion for teaching and love of the environment by being a coordinator of the Landscape Management program at the University of Maryland (UMD). As a professor, he has worked with students so they can be connected with green industry lead-ers in the classroom and through intern-ships that provide real-life experiences. As a result of his devotion to his work as a teacher and mentor, Cohan has won the Excellence in Teaching and Advis-ing Award in both 2009 and 2013 from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Cohan also has a primary inter-est in green roof establishment and sustainability research. He is the coor-dinator of a multi-disciplinary team of specialists who are addressing issues with green roof substrates and wireless monitoring of green roof systems. He also served as a moderator for a green roof research panel in 2013 and was chair of the Mid-Atlantic Green Roof Sci-ence and Technology Symposium at the University of Maryland in 2012. We caught up with him during his

busy schedule to hear his thoughts on gardening and green roofs.

Tell us about yourself and your personal background. How did you get into gar-dening?

I started gardening at the age of 10 under the mentorship of a neighbor, who was an avid gardener. My source of income for my gardening supplies was fulfilled through seed packet sales via a mail order seed company. I was also involved in outdoor nature activi-ties with a local nature center that had the tag line “The Park that Kids Built.” These experiences directed me toward a college education in horticulture at Iowa State University and subsequently a Ph.D. in plant genetics at Pennsylva-nia State University.

Can you explain to our readers what green roof establishment is?

Green roofs are biologically engineered systems that mitigate stormwater run-off. The plant palettes are one compo-nent of the system. The plants absorb

water and also release it into the atmo-sphere through evapotranspiration.

What made you interested in green roof establishment and sustainability, and why do you find this issue important?

My first exposure to green roofs was in Culpeper, VA, on the film archive build-ing. I was fascinated by the concept and wanted to pursue research that would enhance the performance of these systems. Another incentive was to contribute to reducing stormwater runoff volume and thereby decrease the incidence of raw sewer surges into the Chesapeake Bay.

How did you become the coordinator of the multidisciplinary team of specialist addressing the issue of green roof?

I developed a network of colleagues within the university and the private sector who would provide a team of expertise for developing a research pro-gram. We collectively decided that the focus for the UMD program would be to advance the science and technology

NEIGHBORn work

Interview and Photos by Daisy-Nelly Nji

Meet Steven Cohan


of green roofs from the perspectives of enhancing storm water management performance. The outcomes of the UMD program to date include the development of a low carbon-footprint substrate, wireless monitoring of green roof performance, evaluation of native plant species as green roof candidates, and the impact of various organic matter sources on the growth and development of green roof plants. Grants were obtained to support those projects, which were con-ducted by both master of science and Ph.D. graduate students.

What is the typical workday like for you?

Networking with academic colleagues; meeting with students for curricu-lum advising; mentoring students for careers, which includes providing con-tacts for internships and job opportuni-ties, course instruction, and administra-tive meetings; and coordinating on-cam-pus landscape projects.

What advice would you give to begin-ner/amateur gardeners in the greater DC area?

Enroll in courses at botanic gardens, e.g., the National Arboretum, U.S. Botanic Garden, Brookside Gardens. Each of those institutions also has vol-unteer opportunities. They could also become involved in their local Master Gardener Program.

What plants are your favorites to use in the greater DC area?

Spring-flowering bulbs, Sasanqua Camellias, perennials, ‘October Glory’ and ‘Red Sunset’ Maples, River Birch.

Looking back at your career, what has been the most rewarding experience?

Being a professor at the University of Maryland and having the opportunity to affect young lives. Exposing them to new experiences, e.g., via Study Abroad programs to Costa Rica and New Zea-land. Providing them with resources for networking with national green indus-try leaders. Mentoring and educating future leaders of the green industry. Being able to network with academic colleagues nationally and internation-ally.

NEIGHBORnwork

Final thoughts?

I have had a varied career, ranging from a biologist with Monsanto Company to a director of public gardens (including the Memphis Botanic Garden and Descanso Gardens) and, along the way, owned a nursery, had a TV and radio show, and wrote a textbook. I have always had a passion for nature and have been fortu-

Visit DCGardens.com for:Photos of 16 Major Public Gardens by Month

andWhere to Buy Plants Where to Connect

Local Garden Media Where to Volunteer

Youth Gardens Where to Find Designers

Tours and Events Where to Learn to Garden

nate to have developed a career around my passion. o

Daisy-Nelly Nji is a senior journalism stu-dent at the University of Maryland. She is a multi-platform journalism major in the Philip Merrill College of Journalism. This spring, she will be an editorial intern at Washington Gardener Magazine.


Y ou Can Make a Difference. . .

Plant an extra row in your garden and deliver the harvest to a local food bank or shelter. The need is great!

With your help, PAR can continue to make a difference for America’s most vulnerable.

Call our toll-free number (877.GWAA.PAR) or visit our website at www.gardenwriters.org/par for more information.

by Sharing Your Harvest

guide for gardeners across the country to determine—you guessed it—which plants to grow during which seasons. The book divides the year into six parts—early spring, late spring, early summer, later summer, fall, and win-ter—and includes a chapter for “all seasons,” a section dedicated to less-demanding plants that can add struc-ture to the garden. Within each chapter, plants are sorted by color to facilitate decorative decision-making. The book is a way to plan for con-tinual flower display, so the gardens will see plants in bloom throughout the year. For instance, the book provides information about hardiness and heat, or the minimum cold and maximum heat tolerance, for each plant. The book has maps of “hardiness” and plant heat zones in the United States on the first and last pages. For the coming early spring, the book recommends gardeners use fleece and newspapers to prevent the cold from damaging certain flowers, such as Magnolias and Camellias. I skipped right past the gorgeous white plants to the more colorful flowers, a stark con-trast from the bland tones of winter. My favorites were ‘Queen of the Pinks,’ a pretty Hyacinth that should be planted in the fall, and Narcissus ‘Ambergate,’ a daffodil with yellow petals. In the late spring, the book suggests using a pond to attract birds, toads, and hedgehogs as one way to control pests like slugs and snails that come about in wet conditions. (The hedgehog line is one big clue that this book was origi-nally published for a British audience.) The book is instructive and inspira-tional for amateurs and experienced gardeners alike, and a great tool to have on hand. o

Seema Vithlani is a Washington Gardener intern for spring 2016. She is a junior multi-platform journalism major and French minor at the University of Maryland.

BOOKreviewsBook Reviews continued from page 19

Your Ad HereContact [email protected] or call 301.588.6894 for ad rates.

The ad deadline is the 10th of each month. Please submit your ad directly

to: [email protected].

Love Reading?These books were reviewed by vol-unteer members of the Washington Gardener Reader Panel. We are looking for a few additional vol-unteers who live in the greater Washington, DC, region to serve on our Reader Panel. This will consist of about two email exchanges per month. Reader Panelists may also be asked to review new garden-ing books and test out new garden plants, tools, and seeds. To join the Washington Gardener Volunteer Reader Panel, please send an email with your name and address to: [email protected]. We look forward to having you be a vital part of our local publica-tion and its gardening mission. o

Garden Book Club For our Washington Gardener Garden Book Club Spring Meeting, we will discuss The Rambunctious Garden: Saving Nature in a Post-Wild World by Emma Marris.Please join us on Thursday, April 7, from 6:30–8pm at Soupergirl, located right next to the Takoma Metro stop. RSVP to [email protected]. “Rambunctious Garden is short on gloom and long on interesting theories and fasci-nating narratives, all of which bring home the idea that we must give up our romantic notions of pristine wilderness and replace them with the concept of a global, half-wild rambunctious garden planet, tended by us.” Here are the rest of our 2016 selections for the Washington Gardener Magazine’s Garden Book Club:• SUMMER — Planting in a Post-Wild World: Designing Plant Communities for Resilient Landscapes by Thomas Rainer and Claudia West• FALL — Paradise Under Glass: An Amateur Creates a Conservatory Garden by Ruth Kassinger The Washington Gardener Magazine’s Garden Book Club is free and open to all. We meet quarterly on a weekday evening near a Metro-accessible location in the DC-area. We will announce the details of each upcoming meeting about two months in advance. o


Orchid Society AuctionThe National Capital Orchid Society held its annual Orchid Auction on February 7 in Beltsville, MD. There were 100 reg-istered bidders, an increase from 80 bid-ders last year. The club bought around 150 plants from Woodstream Orchids, Sunset Valley Orchids, and Carmela Orchids, and more than 300 plants were donat-ed to the event. Most of the plants were auctioned off, and some were sold directly in the “Buy It Now” area. The highest bid, at $85, was for the Cattleya Tiffin Bells ‘Orchidglade,’ donated by Pete Ma, and at least 30 other plants sold for $50 or more. “All in all, I would say this year’s auc-tion was a resounding success,” said Dan Gillespie, NCOS auction chair.

AHS Holiday PartyThe American Horticulture Society (AHS) held its annual Holiday Recep-tion December 3, 2015, from 6–8pm. They invited their local volunteers and supporters to join them at the event, with over 100 people attending the fes-tive evening. Chair of the AHS board of directors Amy Bolton and executive director Tom Underwood thanked the people at the reception for their help in supporting AHS make America a nation of gardeners, a land of gardens. The reception was held at the 25-acre AHS garden headquarters, River Farm, just south of Old Town Alexandria, overlook-ing the Potomac River.

Garden Book Club MeetingWashington Gardener Magazine’s Garden Book Club held its winter meet-ing on Thursday, February 11, from 6:30–8pm at Soupergirl, located right next to the Takoma Metro stop. The book club discussed Andrea Wulf’s latest book, The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt’s New World. The book reveals the forgotten life of Alexander von Humboldt, the vision-ary German naturalist whose ideas changed the way we see the natural world and, in the process, created mod-ern environmentalism.

HORThaenings

MANTS 2016More than 11,000 horticultural enthu-siasts from around the world attended the 46th annual Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show (MANTS), which covered more than 300,000 sq. feet at the Bal-timore Convention Center with greenery and blooms from January 6—8. The 966 exhibiting companies filled over 1,536 booths displaying everything from flowers, trees, and plants to decks, fountains, pots, and innovative techno-logical solutions for the gardening and landscape industries. Also, 3,379 non-exhibiting/buying companies were in attendance. Among those in attendance were the Young Nursery Professionals and Emer-gent Group, two groups providing net-working opportunities for green industry professionals. They hosted booths and gathered at an associated networking event at MANTS. In 2017, MANTS will take place from January 11–13 at the Baltimore Con-vention Center. o

Compiled by Seema Vithlani, a Washington Gardener intern for spring 2016 and a junior multi-platform journalism major and French minor at the University of Maryland, and Daisy-Nelly Nji, a senior journalism student at the University of Maryland. She is a multi-platform journalism major in the Philip Mer-rill College of Journalism. This spring, she is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener Magazine.

GWU Holds Landscape Design SymposiumGeorge Washington University held its annual Landscape Design and Sustainable Landscapes 2016 Winter Symposium on Saturday, January 30. Approximately 46 people, including alumni, employers, and students, came to the event. The program opened up with an alumni panel discussing their specific industry niches, project bud-gets, and ways of managing clients and develop sales. After the panel, there were role-playing sessions, which highlighted challenges that landscape designers could face when working with clients. The session gave designers the opportunity to test their client manage-ment skills and strategies to manage challenging clients, develop sales, and get clients to commit, all the while remaining true to oneself and one’s business.

Successful Seed SwapsThe 11th Annual Washington Gardener Seed Exchanges, hosted by the Wash-ington Gardener Magazine, were held January 30 at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD, and February 6 at Green Spring Gardens in Fairfax, VA. Attend-ees traded seeds, exchanged planting tips, heard from experts, and collected goody bags full of gardening treats. The event also included such “green” features as the garden book and cata-log swap. Any leftover publications at the end of the swap were donated to the National Agriculture Library in Belts-ville, Maryland. Since the inception of the exchange in 2006, seed swaps in other cities across the nation have joined in celebrating National Seed Swap Day each year on the last Saturday in January.


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

MAY/JUNE 2005• Stunning Plant Combinations• Turning Clay into Rich Soil• Wild Garlic• Strawberries

JULY/AUGUST 2005• Water Gardens• Poison Ivy• Disguising a Sloping Yard• Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005• Container Gardens• Clematis Vines• Sponge Gardening/Rain Gardens• 5 Insect Enemies of Gardeners

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2005• Backyard Bird Habitats• Hellebores• Building a Coldframe• Bulb Planting Basics

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006• Garden Decor Principles• Primroses• Tasty Heirloom Veggies• U.S. Botanic Garden

MARCH/APRIL 2006• Top 10 Small Trees and Large Shrubs• Azaleas• Figs, Berries, & Persimmons• Basic Pruning Principles

MAY/JUNE 2006• Using Native Plants in Your Landscape• Crabgrass• Peppers• Secret Sources for Free Plants

JULY/AUGUST 2006• Hydrangeas• Theme Gardens• Agave• Find Garden Space by Growing Up

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2006• Shade Gardening• Hosta Care Guide• Fig-growing Tips and Recipes

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2006• Horticultural Careers• Juniper Care Guide• Winter Squash Growing Tips and Recipes• Layer/Lasagna Gardening

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2007• Indoor Gardening• Daphne Care Guide• Asparagus Growing Tips and Recipes• Houseplant Propagation

MARCH/APRIL 2007• Stormwater Management• Dogwood Selection & Care Guide• Early Spring Vegetable Growing Tips• Franciscan Monastery Bulb Gardens

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

WASHINGTON GARDENER, 826 PHILADELPHIA AVE., SILVER SPRING, MD 20910MAY/JUNE 2007• Roses: Easy Care Tips• Native Roses & Heirloom Roses• Edible Flowers• How to Plant a Bare-root Rose

JULY/AUGUST 2007• Groundcovers: Alternatives to Turfgrass• How to Pinch, Prune, & Dead-head • William Paca House & Gardens• Hardy Geraniums

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2007• Succulents: Hardy to our Region• Drought-Tolerant Natives• Southern Vegetables• Seed Saving Savvy Tips

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2007• Gardening with Children• Indoor Bulb-Forcing Basics• National Museum of the American Indian• Versatile Viburnums

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008• Dealing with Deer• Our Favorite Garden Tools• Delightful Daffodils

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

MAY/JUNE 2008 — ALMOST SOLD OUT!• Growing Great Tomatoes• Glamorous Gladiolus• Seed-Starting Basics• Flavorful Fruiting Natives

JULY/AUGUST 2008• Landscaping with Ornamental Grasses• Edible Grasses to Graze On• Slug and Snail Control• Sage Advice: Sun-Loving Salvias

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008• Autumn Edibles — What to Plant Now• Beguiling Barrenworts (Epimediums)• Best Time to Plant Spring-blooming Bulbs• 14 Dry Shade Plants Too Good to Overlook

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008• Outdoor Lighting Essentials• How to Prune Fruiting Trees, Shrubs, Vines• 5 Top Tips for Overwintering Tender Bulbs• Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2009• Compost Happens: Nature’s Free Fertilizer• Managing Stormwater with a Rain Garden• Visiting Virginia’s State Arboretum• Grow Winter Hazel for Winter Color

MARCH/APRIL 2009• 40+ Free and Low-cost Local Garden Tips• Spring Edibles Planting Guide • Testing Your Soil for a Fresh Start• Redbud Tree Selection and Care• Best Viewing Spots for Virginia Bluebells

MAY/JUNE 2009• Top Easy Summer Annuals for DC Heat• Salad Table Project• Grow and Enjoy Eggplant• How to Chuck a Woodchuck

YOU CAN REQUEST A

SUMMER 2009• Grow Grapes in the Mid-Atlantic• Passionflowers• Mulching Basics• Growing Hops

FALL 2009• Apples• How to Save Tomato Seeds• Persimmons

WINTER 2009• Battling Garden Thugs• How to Start Seeds Indoors• Red Twig Dogwoods• Unusual Edibles to Grow in Our Region

SPRING 2010• Community Gardens• Building a Raised Bed• Dwarf Iris• Broccoli

SUMMER 2010• Fragrance Gardens• Watering Without Waste• Lavender• Potatoes

FALL 2010• Vines and Climbers• Battling Stink Bugs• Russian Sage• Garlic

WINTER 2010• Paths and Walkways• Edgeworthia• Kohlrabi

SPRING 2011• Cutting-Edge Gardens• Final Frost Dates and When to Plant• Bleeding Hearts• Onions

SUMMER 2011• Ornamental Edibles• Urban Foraging• Amsonia/Arkansas Blue Star• Growing Corn in the Mid-Atlantic

FALL 2011• Herb Gardens• Toad Lilies• Sweet Potatoes• Cool Weather Cover Crops

WINTER 2011/EARLY SPRING 2012• Green Roofs and Walls• Heaths and Heathers• Radishes

SPRING 2012• Pollinator Gardens• Brunnera: Perennial of the Year• Growing Yacon

SUMMER 2012• Tropical Gardens• Captivating Canna• Icebox Watermelons

SPRING 2013• Great Garden Soil• All About Asters• Squash Vine Borer

SUMMER/FALL 2013• Miniature/Faerie Gardens• Beguiling Abelias• Growing Great Carrots

WINTER/EARLY SPRING 2014• Ferns for the Mid-Atlantic• Chanticleer Gardens• Beet Growing Basics

SOLD OUT! SOLD OUT! SOLD OUT!

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Documents

February 2016 issue of Washington Gardener MagazineWashingtongardenerfeb16