Washington Gardener Enews February 2012

Welcome to the Washington Gardener Enewsletter!This enewsletter is the sister publication of Washington Gardener Magazine. Both the print magazine and online enewsletter share the same mission and focus — helping DC-MD-VA region gardens grow — but our content is different. In this monthly enewsletter, we address timely seasonal topics and projects; post local gar-den events; and, a monthly list of what you can be doing now in your garden. We encourage you to subscribe to Washington Gardener Magazine as well for in-depth articles, inspirational photos, and great garden resources for the Washington DC area gardener. IMPORTANT NOTE: This enewsletter is only sent out as a PDF via email to current subscribers. Without your support, we can-not continue publishing this enewsletter nor Washington Gar-dener Magazine! Our magazine subscription information is on page 9 of this enewsletter. If you know of any other gardeners in the greater Washington, DC-area, please for-ward this issue to them so that they can subscribe to our print magazine using the form on page 9 of this enewsletter. You can also connect with Washington Gardener online at:• Washington Gardener Blog: www.washingtongardener.blogspot.com• Washington Gardener Discussion Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WashingtonGardener/• Washington Gardener Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/WDCGardener• Washington Gardener Facebook Page:www.facebook.com/washingtongardenermagazine• Washington Gardener Web Site: www.washingtongardener.comSincerely,Kathy JentzEditor/PublisherWashington Gardener Magazine

Reader ContestFor our February 2012 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, Washington Gardener is giving away two sets of four passes each to Orchids Galore! at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens (www.lewisginter.org) in Rich-mond, VA. Orchids Galore! runs from March 10 - April 22. Hundreds of orchids will dazzle the senses with color, fragrance and beauty throughout the Garden’s Conservatory. Discover how orchids traveled from native habitats to become a popular fixture in many homes, including tales of plant explorers who traveled far and wide to collect these enchanting plants. Learn about current issues related to conservation and saving wild orchids threatened with extinction due to habitat loss and over-collection. To enter to win one of the four sets of two passes (valued at $40), send an email to [email protected] by 5:00pm on February 29 with “Orchids Galore” in the subject line and tell us: what is your favorite orchid. In the body of the email, please also include your full name and mailing address. The winner will be announced and notified by March 2.

FEBRUARY 2012

Winter 2011/Early Spring 2012 IssueOur Winter magazine issue is now print-ing and mailing. All subscribers should receive it in the next few weeks. To sub-scribe today and start with this issue, see page 9 of the enewsletter. The cover story is on Green Roofs. The Washington, DC region is a leader in the green building movement and examples of green walls and roofs are all over the city and surrounding sub-urbs. We’ll explore a few of them. You’ll also find in this issue:• A DayTrip to the Rawlings Conserva-tory in Baltimore, MD• Heavenly Heathers (Erica)• Growing and Cooking Winter Radish• Native Hepaticas• Fighting a New Invasive Insect • 10 Top Plant Picks for 2012• A Wrap-Up of Local Gardening Events• And much, much more... To subscribe, see the page 9 of this newsletter for a form to mail in or go to www.washingtongardener.com/index_files/subscribe.htm and use our PayPal credit card link.

ENEWSLETTER

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Green Roofs and Walls

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Quick Links to Recent Washington Gardener Blog Posts • Florist Behind-the-Scenes on Valentine’s Eve • Ira Wallace on Squash Seed Saving • Seed Exchange Recollection• Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day• Seed Starting Tips from Jon Traunfeld of UMD HGIC See more Washington Gardener Blog posts at WashingtonGardener.Blogspot.com.

Spotlight SpecialUrban™ Columnar ApplesNew fruit tree introductions that yield great tasting apples in a tiny space. Urban™ Columnar Apple trees are loaded with fruiting spurs along the main leader, and branches are short and upright, producing straight, upright-growing, cylindrical apple trees. Plant Urban™ Columnar Apples in the ground, or transplant to large containers coordi-nated with home and architecture and enjoy moving them around as desired. Romantic apple blossoms in spring will enchant homeowners, apartment dwellers, condo owners, suburbanites, and those short on space. Urban™ apple trees mature at 8 to 10 feet tall but less than two feet in diameter (!), and are extremely healthy and dis-ease resistant. When grown in full sun expect full-sized fruit the first year from planting, so long as there are two or more varieties for cross pollination. As trees mature, the yield of apples will increase. Be sure to maintain fertility levels for good growth and yields. The Urban™ Columnar Apple Series was developed by Dr. Jaroslav Tupy of the Czech Republic, a member of the Garden Debut® (www.GardenDebut.com) consortium of growers, breeders, retailers, and marketers. Tupy’s choice of four varieties ensures a wide selec-tion of flavor, plus good cross-pollina-tion and fruit set: • Tasty Red™ is a bright red apple with a sweet, juicy flavor• Blushing Delight™ produces a blush of reddish green fruit with a slightly sweeter taste • Golden Treat™ greenish-gold apples are tart in early fall, but get sweeter the longer they are on the tree• Tangy Green™ lime green apples add a crisp, tart flavor to the series.

February Garden To-Do ListHere is our comprehensive garden task list for gardens in the greater DC metro region for February 16-March 15. Your additions to this list are most welcome:• 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 sign 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 - mot muddy) and work in compost. • Plant or transplant trees or shrubs including berries, roses, and evergreens. • Apply pre-emergent weed control like 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 them if 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 out perennial beds of any dead plant parts and debris. • Clean and organize the garden shed. • Clean, sharpen, and oil the tools. If not done last Fall. • Walk your yard and 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 seedling indoors under grow lights. Some good choices to start early are peppers, artichokes, onions, beets, turnips, cabbage, kale, and leeks.• Put up trellises and tee pees 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 better to let snow melt off on its own.• Have a wonderful 2012 growing season!

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Early Season Bloomers for the Mid-AtlanticBy Kathy Jentz, Editor of Washington Gardener Magazine

It happens every winter. We gardeners hit “the wall” where we need want, need, crave just a little bit of spring. The best way I’ve found to cope with that special brand of cabin fever is to seek out as many early-blooming plants as I can to add to my garden. You can call them pre-spring or late-winter flowers, either way they are the first signs of life and a welcome relief from winter’s dull gray land-scape.

The following is a listing of plants in their order of bloom dates here is the greater Washington, DC region and Mid-Atlantic states. The bloom time may vary by variety, your location, and the local weather patterns. In general though, you can rely on these bloomers coming out well ahead of the traditional start of spring on March 20.

• Fragrant Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox) • Fragrant Viburnum (Viburnum farreri) • Sweet Box (Sarcococca humilisox) • Camellias (Camellia japonica) • Winter Jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) • Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis)• Heather (Erica carnea) • Winter Hazel (Corylopsis) • Lenten Rose (Helleborus orientalis) • Daphne (Daphne odora) • Edgeworthia (Edgeworthia chrysantha)• Common Periwinkle (Vinca minor) • Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica) • Witch Hazel (Hamamelis vernalis) • Winter Aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) • Crocus (Crocus spp.) • Dog Violet (Viola labradorica) • Flowering Apricot (Prunus mume) • Checkered Lily (Fritillaria meleagris) • Glory of the Snow (Chionodoxa forbesii) • Daffodil Rijnveld’s Early Sensation (Narcissus) • Dutch iris (Iris reticulata) • Daffodil ‘February Gold’ (Narcissus) • Redbud (Cercis canadensis) • Forsythia (Forsythia spp.) • Primrose (Primula spp.) • Daffodil ‘Tete a Tete’ (Narcissus) • Flowering Cherry (Prunus ‘Okame’ ) • Bradford Pear (Pyrus calleryana) • Quince (Cydonia oblonga)

While you are planning your garden purchases for the year, be sure to remember to plant a few of these late winter blooming beauties to give you that promise of spring.

Edgeworthia

Daphne


6th Annual Washington Gardener Philadelphia Flower Show TourOrganized by Washington Gardener Magazine

Wednesday, March 7, 2012, 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 2012 is “Hawaii: Islands of Aloha.” Join us for a visit to the beautiful, tropical experience that blends cutting-edge digital technology with the natural beauty and rich culture of the islands, and so much more. This is not your grand-mother’s Flower Show … but she’s going to love it! The Flower Show attracts non-gardeners as well as die-hard green-thumbed people of all ages. Every day, the Show will come to life with hula, music, and fire dancing performances, free wine and spirits tastings, and a Man Cave filled with all the trappings of a happy hideaway. Participate in the Lectures and Demonstrations series, Gardener’s Studio, and All-Star Culinary Presentations. First-time and returning riders will enjoy the personalized and welcoming 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 and 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 which will 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 Jentz10. Surprises and prizes.

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:

$95.00 each $90.00 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

Registration deadline: March 1, 2012

Full refund if canceled by February 6. $40 refunded until February 28. No refunds after March 5.

Questions? Kathy [email protected]

Fee:


DC-Area Gardening Calendar ~ Upcoming Events ~ February 16 - March 15, 2012

TOP AREA GARDENING EVENTS

• Sunday, February 18 to April 29Orchid Mystique: Nature’s Triumph The U.S. Botanic Garden presents this annual orchid exhibit, in collaboration with Smithsonian Gardens, features orchids from around the globe. Orchid Mystique: Nature’s Triumph observes the 100th anniversary of Japan’s gift of the cherry blossom trees to Wash-ington, D.C., by presenting our orchids around the Conservatory in serene settings evocative of Japanese gardens to comple-ment the thousands of orchids on display. The tranquility of the Japanese aesthetic invites appreciation of the beauty, form and exquisite floral complexity of nature’s most diverse plant family. In addition, pictures of North American Japanese gardens from award-winning pho-tographer David Cobb and a selection of native orchids from photographer Hal Hor-witz will be featured. Also on display is an exhibit about a new national effort to restore and conserve native orchids between the U.S. Botanic Garden and the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. During Orchid Mystique: Nature’s Triumph, the U.S. Botanic Garden will offer orchid-themed activities for adults and children. Please see www.usbg.gov for a calendar of events. The U.S. Botanic Garden Conservatory is open to the public every day of the year from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., free of charge. The Conservatory is located at 100 Maryland Avenue, SW, on the west side of the U.S. Capitol. Visitors are encouraged to take Metrobus and Metrorail. Please visit www.usbg.gov or call (202) 225-8333 for more information.

• Saturday February 18, 9:30amExtra Dry, On the Rocks: Tour the JC Raulston Arboretum’s Xeric Gardenswith Garden Leader, Charlie KidderPotomac Valley Chapter Rock Garden Soci-ety meeting at Brookside Gardens Visitor Center Auditorium, Wheaton, MD http://www.montgomeryparks.org/brookside/ “The JC Raulston Arboretum (JCRA) has long believed that since plants don’t read, and know nothing of the cultural require-ments we ascribe to them, almost any plant is fair game for trialing in the arboretum’s North Carolina Piedmont gardens,” explains Charlie Kidder. The Garden Leader of the xeric gardens at JCRA, Charlie will show us where this open-door plant philosophy has led in the xeric gardens, and tell us about some of its history.

Early attempts with xeric plants met with mixed success; even so, some specimens have persisted for more than twenty years. Beginning in late 2006, the JCRA began an expansion of its xeric gardens, with an emphasis on proper bed preparation to improve long-term plant survival. Several years later, a wide variety of plants from the U.S. Southwest, the Mediterranean, South America and Australia have thrived, provid-ing blooms during every season, as well as structural interest throughout the year. Charlie says, “We’ll see the many success-es-- along with an unshrinking examination of a few of our duds-- as we take a warts-and-all photographic tour.” Event details: www.pvcnargs.org.

• Wednesday, February 22, 7:30pmGrowing and Showing VegetablesThe Beltsville Garden Club will hold a gen-eral meeting in the cafeteria of the James E. Duckworth School, 11201 Evans Trail, and Beltsville, MD. The speaker for this month will be Miriam Mahowald; her topic will be “GROWING AND SHOWING VEGETABLES”. In her talk she will cover starting, growing conditions and timing for showing. She will also share secrets of showmanship that can lead to champion ribbons. Vegetables can be grown in flower beds or flower pots, as well as in large or small gardens. Miriam teaches horticulture classes for Howard Community College continuing edu-cation programs and also does consulting for her business “ASK MIRIAM”. She is also the superintendent of vegetables at the Howard County Fair. Please join us to hear this informative speaker. Refreshments will be served after the meeting. Bring a plant or a plant related material for the door prize table.The public is welcomed and admission is free. For more information, visit our web site: www.beltsvillegardenclub.org

• Friday, February 24, 8:30am-4:00pGreen Matters: Urban Farming PioneersJoin Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD, for Green Matters: Urban Farming Pio-neers, a symposium highlighting innova-tive approaches to feeding the world’s population. Featuring Dickson Despommier, Columbia University professor and author of The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century and Darrin Nordahl, landscape architect and author of Public Produce, this year’s Green Matters will kindle your inner urban farmer and entice you to think about food production in wholly different ways. Visit www.BrooksideGreen.org for more

information or call 301-962-1400. Course number 159849; Fee: $89 includes lunch. Join us for a Happy Hour immediately follow-ing the symposium for just $15 more. This is a great opportunity to continue mingling with other like-minded folks. Registration required at www.ParkPASS.org; Brookside Gardens Visitors Center Audi-torium Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton, MD 20902.

• February 24-26 The Capital Home & Garden Show The show at the Dulles Expo Center has long been a destination for homeowners looking for advice both inside and outside the home. The inspiration and ideas con-tinue. This year the Show will bring together hundreds of local design, renovation and landscaping experts offering advice and affordable DIY solutions to problems, no matter where they are in a home. The Show will feature “Idea Gardens” created by the region’s top landscapers utilizing the latest gardening techniques in standout styles for any taste. Celebrity guests include Kimberly Lacy of HGTV’s Curb Appeal: The Block.Details at: www.marketplaceevents.com.

• Saturday, February 25PPA MidAtlantic Regional SymposiumJoin The Perennial Plant Association & The Horticultural Society of Maryland, Inc. to be. . .Perennially Inspired. Held at the Con-ference Center at Sheppard Pratt, 6501 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD. Details: perennialplant.org.

• Sunday, February 26, 1:30-3pm Design in the Natural WorldNature is the perfect design. Steve Robin-son, of Axios Architecture in Atlanta, shares a reverence for nature and creates struc-tures that have conversations with their natural surroundings. Nature inspires great design. Steve will share design process, actual projects (including the acclaimed 600’ long canopy walk at the Atlanta Botani-cal Garden) and ideas for the future. Held at Green Spring Gardens, 4603 Green Spring Rd., Alexandria, VA. Register on-line at www.greenspring.org under educational programs or call Green Spring Gardens at 703-642-5173. Code: 290 182 4701. Fee: $10.

• Tuesday, February 28, 8:30-12Community Gardening Startup WorkshopThis workshop is free and open to the pub-lic but is especially aimed at non-profits, churches, neighborhood associations, and similar groups who are interested in learning


DC-Area Gardening Calendar ~ Upcoming Events ~ February 16 - March 15, 2012

TOP AREA GARDENING EVENTS

Your Ad HereAre you trying to reach gardeners in the greater DC region/Mid-Atlantic area? Washington Gardener Enews goes out on the 15th of every month and is a free sister publication to Washington Gardener magazine. The ad rate is $250 per issue or $1,000 for five (5) issues within one calendar year. The ad deadline is the 10th of each month. Please submit your ad directly to: [email protected].

more about the nuts and bolts of starting up their own community garden. Sponsors are Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Partnership for a Healthier Alexandria. Fair-lington Community Center 3308 S. Stafford St. Arlington VA 22206. For more informa-tion and to register please call the VCE Help Desk at 703-228-6414

• Saturday, March 3, 9:30-11:30amTools Workshop Get your tools and equipment ready for the coming gardening season. Learn to sharpen pruners, shovels and hoes. See how easy it is to repair a hose. Bring your tools and a sharpening stone. Held at Green Spring Gar-dens, 4603 Green Spring Rd., Alexandria, VA. Register on-line at www.greenspring.org under educational programs or call Green Spring Gardens at 703-642-5173. Code: 290 182 3401, Fee: $30.

• Saturday, March 3, 10am-12:30pmRainbarrel WorkshopCollecting and reusing rainwater can benefit the environment and your bank account, lessening the impact of runoff on our waterways and lowering your water bill. Join Jennifer Willoughby of the Interstate Com-mission on the Potomac River Basin (ICPRB ) to learn more about rain barrel installa-tion, maintenance, and integration into your landscape. During an optional second hour, Jennifer will discuss two popular ways for watershed-wise homeowners to “green” their backyards: pollinator gardens and “xeriscapes,” or landscapes that reduce the need for supplemental watering.Pre-registration is required. Free (purchase of a rainbarrel is $90). Held at 3400 Bryan Point Road, Accokeek, MD 20607. Accokeek Foundation, visit the web site at www.acco-keek.org/events for details.

• Sunday, March 4, 1:30-4:30pmA Grafting Symposium for the Potomac Bonsai Association (PBA) Members The grafting session is scheduled at the Walter Reed Community Center, Arlington VA. The Purpose of this Grafting Symposium is to show PBA members, Master Gardeners, Rock Gardeners, and fellow plant lovers how they can reproduce rare and choice trees or add a branch or branches to improve ones bonsai. Several self-taught PBA Members that graft have agreed to share their grafting techniques that they use to produce choice and unique trees. During this symposium we will also discuss how one prepares for graft-ing, some do’s and some don’t. Addition-ally, we hope to make this an annual event where members can share scion woods,

rootstock and other items one can use for grafting. If you are interested in attending this Grafting Symposium Please let your club President know so he/she can let me know how many from each club are interested in learning more about grafting. This is a FREE Symposium, however dona-tions will be greatly appreciated so we can offer more hands on activities next years.

• Sunday, March 4, 2-5 pm.GROW. BLOOM. TEACelebrate the early Spring flower season with FRESHFARM Markets at the Embassy Circle Guest House. Join hosts, Laura and Raymond Saba, for a presentation by Dave Dowling of Farmhouse Flowers and Ellen Frost of Local Color Flowers. Learn about Dave’s farm, arranging his spring blooms and Ellen’s delightful table scapes, all created with local blossoms. Tasteful samplings of savory bites and sweets will be provided by Atwaters Bakery and Pastry Chef Tiffany MacIsaac of Neigh-borhood Restaurant Group. Sip Rooibos tea sangria created by Katie Nelson of the Columbia Room. Tea and cof-fee service will be provided by our hosts. Where: Embassy Circle Guest House, Dupont Circle, 2224 R Street, NW, Washing-ton, DC 20008. RSVP required to info@freshfarmmarkets. org. $25 suggested donation at the door.NO FARMS, NO FLOWERS!

• Sunday, March 4, 1:30-3pmDesigning with Conifers: Wise Choices Learn how to make better choices when selecting conifers for your landscape from Dr. Richard Bitner, author of Designing with Conifers. He will challenge your thinking about conifers and inspire you with sumptu-ous images of conifers used in imaginative and practical ways. Book signing. Held at Green Spring Gardens, 4603 Green Spring Rd., Alexandria, VA. Register on-line at www.greenspring.org under educational programs or call Green Spring Gardens at 703-642-5173. Code: 290 182 210. Fee: $10

• March 9-11The all new Washington Home & Garden Show will be held at the Walter E. Wash-ington Convention Center on March 9-11, 2012, under new management. Market-place Events acquired the Show in 2011, and it will be bigger and better than ever. New products in home décor, kitchen, bath and outdoor living will highlight a collection of the best and brightest professionals from around the mid-Atlantic. Celebrity guests will include Todd Davis of HGTV’s Room Crash-

ers, along with a special appearance by a celebrated guest headliner, Ty Pennington of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edi-tion and, soon-to-be-aired, The Revolution. Details at: www.marketplaceevents.com.

• March 14, 6:30pmTO MAKE A FARM (Canada, 2011, 80 min.) Washington, D.C. Premiere Here are people who have decided to put their money where their mouths are, turning their environmental idealism from theory into practice as they set out to establish their own local-supply food sources using sustainable means. We see trials, tribula-tions and triumph: livestock illness, soil irrigation catastrophe, social isolation and more, but at the end of the day, a strong sense of satisfaction and optimism. The film gets personal, too, giving us a close-range view of humanity along with a detailed por-trayal of the nuts and bolts of agriculture. Directed by Steve Suderman. Edited by Jack-ie Dzuba. FREE. For reservations, please call Hillwood at 202-686-5807. Walk-ins permit-ted depending on availability.Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, 4155 Linnean Ave., NW (Metro: Van Ness/UDC)Part of the Environmental Film Festival from March 13-25.

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

Event Listing Submissions To submit an event for this listing, please contact: [email protected] and put “Event” in the email sub-ject head. Our next deadline is March 12 for the March 15 edition of this enewsletter featuring events taking place from March 16-April 15.

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Coming Soon!Washington Gardener Magazine’s

DayTrip columns compiled into one handy publication — available soon in both paper

and e-book versions. Great gift idea!

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Love Reading?We are looking for a few additional volun-teers 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 publication and its gardening mission.

A Special Visit to the National Ag LibraryWashington Gardener Magazine is hosting a tour day of the National Agricultural Library in Beltsville, MD, for local garden clubs and select guests on Sunday, February 26 from 1:00-4:00PM. The National Agricultural Library is normally open to the public only dur-ing regular business hours, so this is a special opportunity for those who work full-time or those who are not in the DC area to travel to town for it. The tour will include a behind-the-scenes look at the library’s special collections. From actual specimens brought back by USDA explorers to vintage seed catalogs, this library is a treasure-trove of garden history. If any local gardeners would like to attend this event, they should contact Kathy Jentz at [email protected] by Friday, February 24.

MARCH/APRIL 2005• Landscape DIY vs. Pro• Prevent Gardener’s Back• Ladew Topiary Gardens• Cherry TreesMAY/JUNE 2005• Stunning Plant Combinations• Turning Clay into Rich Soil• Wild Garlic• StrawberriesJULY/AUGUST 2005• Water Gardens• Poison Ivy• Disguising a Sloping Yard• Kenilworth Aquatic GardensSEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005• Container Gardens• Clematis Vines• Sponge Gardening/Rain Gardens• 5 Insect Enemies of GardenersNOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2005• Backyard Bird Habitats• Hellebores• Building a Coldframe• Bulb Planting BasicsJANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006• Garden Decor Principles• Primroses• Tasty Heirloom Veggies• U.S. Botanic GardenMARCH/APRIL 2006• Top 10 Small Trees and Large Shrubs• Azaleas• Figs, Berries, & Persimmons• Basic Pruning PrinciplesMAY/JUNE 2006• Using Native Plants in Your Landscape• Crabgrass• Peppers• Secret Sources for Free PlantsJULY/AUGUST 2006• Hydrangeas• Theme Gardens• Agave• Find Garden Space by Growing UpSEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2006• Shade Gardening• Hosta Care Guide• Fig-growing Tips and Recipes• Oatlands PlantationNOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2006• Horticultural Careers• Juniper Care Guide• Winter Squash Growing Tips and Recipes• Weed-free Beds with Layer/Lasagna GardeningJANUARY/FEBRUARY 2007• Indoor Gardening• Daphne Care Guide• Asparagus Growing Tips and Recipes• Houseplant PropagationMARCH/APRIL 2007• Stormwater Management• Dogwood Selection & Care Guide• Early Spring Vegetable Growing Tips• Franciscan Monastery Bulb GardensMAY/JUNE 2007• Roses: Easy Care Tips• Native Roses & Heirloom Roses• Edible Flowers• How to Plant a Bare-root RoseJULY/AUGUST 2007• Groundcovers: Alternatives to Turfgrass• How to Pinch, Prune, & Dead-head • A Trip to the William Paca House & Gardens• Hardy GeraniumsSEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2007• Succulents: Hardy to our Region• Drought-tolerant Natives• Southern Vegetables• Seed Saving Savvy TipsNOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2007• Gardening with Children• Kid-Friendly Vegetables• Indoor Bulb Forcing Basics• National Museum of the American Indian• Versatile ViburnumsJANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008• Dealing with Deer• Our Favorite Garden Tools• Indoor Bulb Forcing Basics• Delightful Daffodils

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Magazine Excerpt: Radiant Radishes by Elizabeth OlsonSmall, red, globe-shaped radishes are a favorite selection among school teachers who are tasked with engaging young students with the wonders of vegetable gardening. Unlike the most popular vegetables (tomatoes and sweet corn) these radishes can be planted and quickly grown to harvesting size within the academic year. In fact, they can be grown with great success in both the fall and spring semesters. These small radishes are also called spring radishes and can be harvested in as little as 21 days. They are routinely recommended for use as garnishes and as ingredients in fresh salads. They have been the standard radish for decades in American markets. However, gardeners are not confined by such a narrow definition. Seed companies now offer an expanded color palette and variety of radishes. Radishes that are grown for their roots come in many shapes, sizes, and colors. Root colors include white, pink, red, green, purple, yellow, black, and bicolors — and some rad-ishes have white skins and dark pink or green flesh. Radishes are versatile garden vegetables. Different types of radishes can be grown for sprouts, micro-greens, and regular leafy greens, as well as roots. Roots can be consumed fresh or cooked. ‘Munchener Bier’ and ‘Salad Rose’ radishes are also recommended as accompaniments to drinking beer. The large roots of Asian-style cultivars, also known as daikon, can be made into pickles. (Daikon radishes need about 60 days to reach harvesting size.) Radishes originated in Asia, have the classification Raphanus sativus, and are a part of the Brassica family of vegetables. They have been widely grown in Europe for many centuries and were prominent in early American gardens. Barbara Melera of the D. Landreth Seed Company says that radishes in general are too often ignored by modern American gardeners, even though they are among the easiest and least-expensive vegetables to grow. Melera emphasizes the prominence of radishes as a nutritional mainstay in the 1700s and 1800s. Her personal favorite radish is the heirloom ‘French Breakfast,’... Want to learn more about growing and cooking radishes? Read the rest of this EdibleHarvest column in the Winter 2011 - Early Spring 2012 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine. See the subscription information below.

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Washington Gardener Enews February 2012