Washington Gardener Magazine

16/08/2024

This week's report from our community garden plot is by summer intern Josh Panepento. He shares what he learned growing various tomatoes during this season's very challenging weather. Here are his results:
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/08/fenton-friday-tomato-report.html 🍅

By Josh Panepento Washington Gardener Magazine stood out for many reasons when I was looking for internships. One is that Kathy Jentz takes...

16/08/2024

Garden Tip of the Day: We are declaring this "Fun Plants to Add to Your Garden Week" and sharing profiles of a few that we think are underused. Sixth up is Celosia. See more at https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/11/celosia-plant-profile.html

Celosia Plant Profile Celosia ( Celosia argentea ) is an annual flowering plant in the Amaranth family that is also known as Woolflower or...

16/08/2024

It’s but I’m feeling like sharing one of my prettiest vegetables today. This is ‘Antigua’ eggplant 🍆 - it should get to about 8 inches long and is a beautiful Italian heirloom variety.

16/08/2024

We suffered through a brutal drought and record heat this summer in the Mid-Atlantic US, what native plants came out on top? Find out on the GardenDC Podcast Episode 205: Drought-Tolerant Native Plants with Lourdes Osorio, host of the Native Plant Channel.

Here is a short excerpt:
29:39 Baptisia – Long taproots make it great for drought tolerance
32:04 Wild Petunia – Lourdes shares her experience with the late spring bloom
34:19 Oakleaf Hydrangea – Can grow in the sun or lightly shaded areas
37:00 Bayberry – Grows in the sand along the shore and has shiny leaves

You can see the full show notes and listen to the episode at https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/08/gardendc-podcast-episode-205-drought.html
or at https://youtu.be/eNhZdOKIVDk?si=pvNsnRVaw6jALu5X

15/08/2024

Garden Tip of the Day: We are declaring this "Fun Plants to Add to Your Garden Week" and sharing profiles of a few that we think are underused. Fifth up is Okra. See: https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/09/okra-plant-profile.html

Okra Plant Profile Okra ( Abelmoschus esculentus ) is a fast-growing annual vegetable that loves the heat of summer. It is grown for its e...

15/08/2024

How fun to run into the Garden club of College Gardens at the on Tuesday morning. They were demonstrating making corsages and giving them away. I got one of the last ones and decorated my hat with it and received many compliments.

14/08/2024

amd Show Notes are up for the GardenDC Podcast Episode 204: Natural Tree Care with Basil Camu.

Here is a short excerpt:
17:14 Basil shares where you can get seeds for native saplings
18:50 Kathy shares where to get seeds in the Washington, DC area 19:46 What are the dangers of containerized or balled and burlapped trees?
20:57 Where did the title for Basil’s new book, “Wasteland to Wonder,” come from?
25:53 Growing certain trees is tough because of the rules set by HOA and the city government
27:24 Basil included QR codes in his book to give the readers deeper information
28:45 Basil talks about soil tests. Should it be the first thing you do? 31:19 What can you do if the soil is deficient?
33:58 Kathy and Basil talk about the compost tea debate. Does it do anything?
36:06 What are the benefits of spraying homemade compost tea on foliage?
39:32 What are Pocket Forests and how can you grow them?
41:13 Try to get a mix of trees, not a monoculture
44:03 What do you do when your older trees are starting to decline in health?

You can see the full show notes and listen to the episode at:
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/08/gardendc-podcast-episode-204-natural.html
and at:
https://youtu.be/PLUi_ggmiSg?si=Hl4VGPeUNlbEnCxk

14/08/2024

Garden Tip of the Day: We are declaring this "Fun Plants to Add to Your Garden Week" and sharing profiles of a few that we think are underused. Fourth up is the Chaste Tree aka Vitex. See: https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/07/vitex-plant-profile.html

Vitex Plant Profile Chaste Tree ( Vitex spp.) is a small tree that is native to the Mediterranean and Asia. It has been cultivated for th...

14/08/2024

One of my highlights each year is the demonstration garden area just across from Old McDonald’s Barn. Lots of great ideas and you can bring them your plant questions!

14/08/2024

Show notes are up for GardenDC Podcast Episode 203: Food Safety in the Garden

Here is a short excerpt -
5:35 Kathy shares a tip on deterring groundhogs from your garden
8:04 How to properly wash your fruits and vegetables after harvesting
10:40 Carol explains post-consumer vegetative waste and why it is dangerous
12:05 Compost piles can get hot in the sun, so where should you put them?
13:34 What to look for when buying compost from the store
15:51 What does Carol recommend for cleaning tomatoes before dehydrating?
18:15 Carol breaks down how to safely use different water sources

Listen at https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/07/gardendc-podcast-episode-203-food.html or our YouTube channel https://youtu.be/Plt1yippwk4?si=kc8T8KrzZKmDT7h_

13/08/2024

We won some ribbons at the ! No 1st places but still a decent showing considering the drought and late start we got this year.

13/08/2024

Garden Tip of the Day: We are declaring this "Fun Plants to Add to Your Garden Week" and sharing profiles of a few that we think are underused. Third up is Prickly Pear. See https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/09/prickly-pear-plant-profile.html

The Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus ( Opuntia humifusa or Opuntia compressa ) is the only cactus native to the Mid-Atlantic and, though it loo...

12/08/2024

“A little studied negligence is becoming to a garden”
~ Eleanor Perenyi

12/08/2024

Garden Tip of the Day: We are declaring this "Fun Plants to Add to Your Garden Week" and sharing profiles of a few that we think are underused. Second up is Snapdragon. See: https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/03/snapdragon-plant-profile.html

Snapdragon Plant Profile Snapdragon ( Antirrhinum majus ) are a cool season annual (sometimes a tender perennial) like pansies and viola...

12/08/2024

My Rhus ‘Tiger Eyes’ cutleaf sumac is producing a nice crop of berries this year, despite the drought.

11/08/2024

Garden Tip of the Day: We are declaring this "Fun Plants to Add to Your Garden Week" and sharing profiles of a few that we think are underused. First up is Monkey Balls (Gomphocarpus physocarpus). See: https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/11/plant-profile-monkey-balls-gomphocarpus.html

Gomphocarpus physocarpus a member of the Milkweed family that has many common names including Hairy Balls, Giant Swan Plant, Goose Plant, F...

11/08/2024

The Silver Spring Garden Club had a terrific summer potluck picnic at yesterday. We really enjoyed the hayride through the creek and seeing their growing operations.

11/08/2024

Garden Tip of the Day: A plant's death is not a failure - it is a learning experience. The late, great JC Raulston said, “If you’re not killing plants, you’re not growing as a gardener.”

10/08/2024

We put in 23 entries today at the - cannot wait to see how they do and all the other entries next week.

10/08/2024

Lourdes Osorio, host of the Native Plant Channel, chats with the GardenDC Podcast all about drought-tolerant natives. The plant profile is on Devil's Trumpet (Datura) and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events and this week's garden tasks in the What's New segment. We close out with the Last Word on the Little Shopkeeper from Christy Page of Green Prints.
You can listen at:
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/08/gardendc-podcast-episode-205-drought.html
or wherever you get your great gardening podcasts.

In this episode, we talk with Lourdes Osorio, host of the Native Plant Channel , about drought-tolerant natives . The plant profile is on De...

09/08/2024

We finally pulled the ugly trap crop from our plot. What is a trap crop?
Check that out and more in this week's community garden report...

Broccoli as a trap crop. Photo by Josh Panepento. This week I pulled the plug on the Broccoli plants there acting as a trap crop at the back...

09/08/2024

Garden Tip of the Day: Cut back (to 6-8 inches) and divide iris plants now through September. Re-plant them with the rhizome just at or above the soil level. Discard any diseased or damaged plants.
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09/08/2024

Monarch on zinnias at

08/08/2024

Garden tip of the Day: Divide crowded daylilies in late summer/early fall by digging up a clump and separating them into 6- to 8-inch clumps and replanting them about 2 feet apart.

08/08/2024

The fairy garden at is one of my fave parts of it. Lots of plants are planted among the various scenes.

08/08/2024

Thanks for being a top engager and making it on to our weekly engagement list! 🎉

Patrick Kelly, Hugh Sprott, Sylvia Hertzler Saunders, Debbie Morgan Nisson, Sara Wagschal

07/08/2024

Check out "Why Your Basil Plant Is Wilting—and How to Fix It, According to Experts" at https://www.marthastewart.com/why-is-my-basil-plant-wilting-8687854?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=shareurlbuttons via

Troubleshoot your basil's wilting problem by exploring these possible causes and how to avoid them, according to gardening experts.

07/08/2024

Save the date for Washington Gardener Magazine’s 14th Annual Tomato Tasting at the Market on Sat 8/17 10am-12n
Details: washingtongardener.blogspot.com or on our Facebook event tab. #🍅

07/08/2024

Garden Tip of the Day: Hollyhocks are a biennial plant. Biennials usually form a basal rosette in their first year, gathering energy to allow them to flower and produce seeds in their second. Other examples of biennials include Honesty (Lunaria) and Foxgloves (Digitalis).