Changing your relationship with weeds

Dealing with weeds is one of the most troublesome aspects of landscaping and gardening. No matter how hard we work to keep them out, they always seem to find their way back in. They float in on a puff of air, reach over from the neighbor's yard with long, tenuous roots or get dropped there by birds or other animals that think our yard is the perfect pooping ground. It often seems tempting to assault them with herbicides, but that is never the best answer when it comes to eco-friendly gardening. There are many other methods that can be tried for safer weed eradication.

But rather than tackling the weed problem from such an aggressive stance, perhaps we should adopt a more peaceful approach.

Here are my Tips for changing your relationship with weeds

1) Keep your lawn healthy - The best way to keep weeds out is to provide ideal soil and environmental conditions for turf and then maintain a healthy lawn so that the weeds have no room to establish themselves in the first place. Weeds are telling you something about your soil. The reason you have weeds and not turf is because the soil conditions in that spot are more favorable to the weeds than they are to the soil. For example, moss is an indication that your soil is acidic, moist and shaded. To get rid of weeds: You must address the underlying soil conditions. Get a soil test to learn which soil amendments to add. Source

2) Use mulch to suppress weeds- Mulches reduce weed growth by making conditions unfavorable for germination of weed seeds and by providing a physical barrier for emerging weeds. A good mulch layer can save many hours of laborious weeding. A thick layer of organic mulch material is especially effective in reducing the number of annual weeds in the garden, since they have difficulty penetrating such a layer. Some perennial weeds may also be suppressed in this way if they are small, but often dandelions or other tap rooted weeds will eventually find their way through the mulch. Source

3) Learn to appreciate their beauty- Have you ever been driving down the highway in some state, other than your own, and just been blown away by all of the beautiful wildflowers growing by the side of the road? To the residents of that state, those glorious roadside beauties are probably considered weeds. Why? Because any plant that spreads easily enough to flourish along a busy highway probably has no problem making its way into people's landscapes. And if you just let some of the weeds alone in your own yard, you could end up with your own beautiful patches of wildflowers that changes with the seasons. Local Native plant societies are great places to learn about many local species. Maryland Native Plant Society, Virginia Native Plant Society

4) Add them to your salads - Some weedy plants are edible, providing nutritious variety to the regular diet: dandelions, purslane, chickweed, cress, mustards, and lambsquarters all offer greens; blackberries produce sweet fruits; Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes) are the tubers of a native sunflower; and, of course, there is always wild asparagus to stalk. Before attempting to eat wild plants, be sure they are properly identified. Source

5) Leave them for the wildlife - Weeds can provide nectar and pollen for bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects. They also provide seeds for many types of bird species. Learn about the beautiful butterflies in your area by using this map: Butterflies of DC, Butterflies of Maryland, Butterflies of Virginia. You can even use the selection window to find your own county!

How do you treat weeds in your lawn or garden?

• Weed and feed
• Spot treat
• Hand pull
• Other

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Horticulture Internships at National Arboretum

Just got a message about jobs that are available for interns at the U.S. National Arboretum.

Internship opportunities are available in the areas of Floral and Nursery Plant Research, Horticulture Education, and Horticulture. All interns participate in regularly scheduled educational programs and field trips, work on a group or independent project that benefits the arboretum, and are supervised by the arboretum's professional staff. Compensation for the 2011 summer internships is approx. $11.91/hr. Internships will begin at the end of May or early June and will finish in early August. The work week for most interns is Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m, 40 hours a week. Interns are based at the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. with research interns working occasionally in Beltsville, MD. College credit may be arranged by the student and is encouraged. 

To apply for an internship, please send a cover letter, resume, transcripts, and a completed Supplemental Questionnaire via email or postal mail to:

Internship Office
US National Arboretum
3501 New York Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002

USNA.Internships@ars.usda.gov

Here is a pdf document with more information: 2011 Internship Opportunities at the U.S. National Arboretum

Rules to break in the garden from Washington Gardener Magazine

I know January is the month to set new rules for ourselves, but Kathy Jentz, Editor and Publisher of Washington Gardener Magazine, had some great rules to break in the garden. Read her full newsletter for more great local gardening information, including her suggestion for rules to follow:

5 Old Rules to Break, by Kathy Jentz

1) Turf is King – The green suburban lawn is no longer the ideal or the goal. Turfgrass is one of the most wasteful of our natural resources, not to mention high time-consuming to maintain by the owner. Today’s gardeners are looking at other groundcover choices including expanding shrub borders, installing edible beds, and hardscaping pathways.

2) Spray Away – Chemicals used to be the answer to all of your garden’s ills, but along with killing grubs, they were also taking a toll on your own health and that of the local environment. The key words today are diagnosis first, then exploration of chemical alternatives second. Living with some imperfection is very 21^st Century.

3) Dig and Double Dig – Just a few years ago, we were all urged to dig in that compost and fertilizer to really work it in. Researchers have shown that we are doing far more damage to the soil’s structure than any benefit. In addition, we are turning up new weed seeds that would otherwise be dormant. Stop digging and start layering on organic materials to decompose and work their own way.

4) Fertilize Everything – Fertilizer spreaders are joining the VCR and transistor radio in scrap heaps. Most fertilizer applied on and around plants washes away and into our local streams. Today the word is to feed the soil, not the plants. Healthy soil promotes strong growth. Add your own homemade compost and organic mulch to your beds to provide nutrients.

5) Water Copiously – The oscillating sprinkler is another dinosaur headed for the junkyard. Good gardeners know to group their plants by their watering needs and to use drip irrigation, not overhead sprinklers or hoses.

Washington Gardener magazine is the only gardening magazine published specifically for the local metro area — zones 6-7 — Washington DC and its suburbs.
For more information, visit their blog.

In honor or Martin Luther King Day

All I'm saying is simply this, that all life is interrelated, that somehow we're caught in an inescapable network of mutuality tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. For some strange reason, I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. You can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality. 

— Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr Day. I have to admit, that history was never my favorite subject in school. I liked math and English and anything that allowed me to go outside (science, phys. Ed, photography) but my mind tended to wander when listening to lectures or reading about the events that helped to shape our world, even if the “events” were current ones.

I was a child during the lives and deaths of many great men, and although I heard about their deaths, I knew very little about their lives. I was too busy chasing frogs and fireflies (and eventually boys) to have an interest in much that was going on outside of my own little world.

As an adult, of course, I now realize the magnitude of what these brave and powerful men and women accomplished during their lives: the freedoms and the rights that they fought for and helped ensure for the rest of us. As an adult, I realize how difficult it is to stand up for what one feels is right and fair and just and to not just stand up, but to move forward on those beliefs and to try to make a change and make a difference to the lives of others.

I know. This is a gardening blog. And you may think that it doesn’t really have anything to do with Martin Luther King Jr or any of the great men and women that came before us but it does. Our present world is the result of the convictions and the acts of those who came before us. Just as our future world will be the result of what we do here and now during our time on this earth.

As I like to remind my readers from time to time “ All of Life is Your Garden. Plant something Good.”

For more information about Martin Luther King:

Martin Luther King Day of Service

Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday – Presidential Proclamation

Volunteer Opportunities for Gardeners around DC

I saw a post on a local garden forum asking for volunteer opportunities for gardeners. Just in case one of your resolutions for the New Year is to do a little volunteering, here are some sources for local volunteer opportunities.

Volunteer Opportunities - from the Virginia Cooperative Extension Site.

City Blossoms - Help create urban gardening experiences for children and communities.

United States Botanic Garden - Opportunities are available weekdays or weekends in horticulture, education, and behind-the-scenes activities

University of Maryland Native Garden - help maintain garden, run plant sales, etc.

Search results from Volunteer.org - keyword garden, location Washington, DC

Search results from VolunteerMatch.org - keyword garden, location Washington, DC

Become a Master Gardener - University of Maryland Extension, Virginia Master Gardener Program

Look What's Blooming in this Virginia Garden

Back in February 2007, fellow garden blogger, Carol, decided to start keeping track of what was blooming in her garden from year to year by posting garden photos in her blog, May Dreams Garden, on the 15th of each month and inviting other gardeners to add their photos. Since then, the popularity of Garden Bloggers Bloom Day has grown!

Although you wouldn't think that many local gardeners would still be able to find enough beauty in their yards to share, local Virginia gardener Jan participated yesterday by adding photos of all of the beautiful color that is filling her yard this winter. Jan is still surrounded by reds, yellows, oranges and blues. Check out her blog post, What's Blooming in January 2011, to find out her secret!

Different Zodiac Signs? How does that affect our gardens?

I love reading my horoscope every day and I have to tell you, they are usually spot on. So when I saw the reports that announced that because of something to do with astrology, our zodiac signs are all messed up, I didn’t really pay much attention. In case you are interested, here is a link about how the whole thing got started: Astrology Story Soars Like a Comet

But then I started thinking, hey, maybe all of that astrological misalignment is why my garden doesn’t always do what I think it should, when it should.

In case you have missed the reports, our zodiac signs have to do with which constellation the sun rises in at the time we were born. But because the earth has “wobbled” on its axis over the last 2000 years, the sun rises in a different constellation than it did back when astrology and zodiac signs were conceived. So our astrological signs are all off by about one sign. Here’s a brief explanation by Bill Nye the Science Guy that I found on Zap2It.com.

But what does all of that have to do with gardening? Well, along with all of the other things that the zodiac signs are supposed to influence, many people believe that planting by the signs of the zodiac can affect your garden.

Here is some information I found on Gardening by the Moon:

The fertile water signs are Cancer, Pisces, and Scorpio, and are best for planting above ground, leafy annuals. Air signs work well for some plants, but are generally barren and dry. Libra is an exception to that rule, and is semi-fertile and good for blooming flowers and herbs. Flowers are the part of the plant associated with air signs. Melons like Gemini, and onions respond well in Aquarius. When the Moon is in an air sign it is a good time to harvest and cultivate. 

The fire signs of Aries, Leo and Sagittarius are very barren and dry, but may be used for crops grown for their seed. Because it is barren, Leo is a good sign for weeding and cultivation, so seeds won't sprout. It is also good to harvest during a fire sign.

So, now that we know the astrological signs are wrong, how does that affect our gardening schedule? Are the periods which we considered fertile times no longer fertile? Are the barren times we have always associated with Leo no longer barren? And what the heck are we supposed to do with the new astrological sign, Ophiuchus? Sow, reap, weed or cultivate?

To find the answer, I consulted what most gardeners consider the ultimate source for when and where and what in the garden, The Farmer’s Almanac. I found this blog post by Jaime McLeod, entitled Is Your Sign Wrong that seems to indicate that, since most gardening lore has to do with the moon rather than the sun, as far as our gardens go (and grow) things haven’t changed.

Astronomy is the scientific interpretation of matter in space. Astronomers don’t try to interpret the meaning of the Moon or Sun’s position in the sky, only to describe it as accurately as possible.” 

Astrologers simply sliced the sky up into 12 equal sections, each of which was named after the most prominent constellation in that slice. As you can see from the timeline above, the astronomical position of the Moon can’t really be sliced up evenly. The Moon rests in each constellation anywhere from a few days (Scorpio) to a month and a half (Virgo).

Thankfully, its winter and most of us aren’t out gardening right now anyway. I’m sure the scientists will get everything figured out for us before we pick up our trowels in the Spring.

New Year's Resolutions for Going Green

It's hard to feel the urgency to work on New Year's Gardening resolutions during the cold winter months. After all, it may be awhile before we can put most of them into practice.

But eventually, we will be able to walk outside in our shirt sleeves and start digging in the dirt again. So why not get a little head start on learning the whys and hows of going green in the garden?

Below are some suggestions for topics to dig a little deeper into for your green gardening resolutions.

1) Get to know the natives - Native plants are often an excellent choice for your landscape. Plants that are native to an area are adapted to deal with the local conditions. However, it is still important to keep in mind the principles of "right plant, right place." In other words, if you have a wet site, choose plants that like a little extra water. If your landscape is dry, choose plants accordingly. This post lists resources to provide information on local native plants.

2) Conserve Water - It is estimated that more than half of residential water use occurs outdoors. By making changes to some of our landscaping practices, we can all make a difference in water conservation. Group plants by their water requirements. Use drought tolerant plants . Cut down on the amount of lawn in the landscape since turfgrass is a water hog. Use rain barrels.

3) Cut out the chemicals - Chemicals used in a landscape are harmful to children, pets and local waterways. Learn to deal with weeds and pests in a more environmentally friendly way. Hand pull weeds, attract beneficial insects and create your own compost as a natural soil amendment.

4) Protect the groundwater - Everything that goes into the ground around your home has the potential of finding its way into local water supplies. Not just the chemicals listed above, but also pet waste and the chemicals we use to wash our cars. We can learn to eliminate chemicals, clean up after our pets, and direct downspouts into garden areas which can absorb the runoff. And never leave clippings or fertilizer on sidewalks, driveways or roads.

5) Garden for wildlife - Providing the four basic needs for wildlife - food, water, shelter and places to raise young - is a wonderful way to turn your landscape into a protective spot for local birds, bees and butterflies.

Should anyone else be able to tell you how you "should" garden?

I was reading a lawn and garden post called Green Yard Care Tips written by Alisa Gilbert this morning and this was the first sentence:

One responsibility of being a homeowner is keeping a clean, well-manicured yard.

I had to read that line a few times to see if I agreed with it in any way, and I have to say, I just don’t. (Although I do agree with some of the writer’s other tips, which I have listed below).

My personal opinion is that landscapes should NOT be forced into being well-manicured. In fact, I don’t believe that anyone else should try to tell a person what their yard should or shouldn’t look like at all, unless it is just a dangerous eyesore.

I think that leaves should be allowed to lay where they fall to provide nutrients to the soil and cover for crawling critters. I think that plants should be allowed to go to seed to provide food for passing birds. I think piles of rotting compost should be perfectly acceptable in any yard. And like the wild, uninhibited residents of DC who participated in the 4^th Annual No Pants Metro Ride this year, I think that native plants should be allowed to do their own thing in the garden.

If there is any “should-ing” to be done when it comes to gardens, I think that people should pay a little bit more attention to keeping poisons out of their yard and not wasting water and protecting our waterways. But when it comes to how you manicure your share of the earth, and what you wear when you do it, there really shouldn’t be any shoulding about it.

Excerpts from Green Yard Care Tips with my links added.

1) The author suggests that you ditch the lawn crew. Instead, I suggest that you find an eco-friendly one.

2) Use natural fertilizers and weed killers. Use natural pesticides and other insect prevention methods.

3) Make your own compost.

4) Do you use a gasoline lawnmower? If so, consider ways to offset that carbon footprint.

5) Understand the climate and what is best, naturally, for your yard.

Anyone can compost

Many people think that they can't compost because they don't have the room for it. However, there are new, smaller compost tumblers which make composting easy for everyone.

Composting is, of course, the process of turning food and plant wastes into valuable organic soil amendments.

This video, which I first saw on VOANews.com, shows local resident Christiana Aretta creating compost on her small apartment porch in Washington, D.C.



Aretta explains that no matter how big or small your garden is, you can still help keep waste out of the landfill by creating compost.

For those that don't have ANY backyard, Compost Cab can still help you to create compost.

Compost Cab is a new business which was started in March of 2010 to help more DC residents create compost.

They provide you with a container and instructions and then pick up your compost and deliver it to a nearby not-for-profit urban farm, where they’re transformed into the fertile soil needed to grow good, nutritious food for the local community. Everybody wins.

For more information about Compost Cab, visit their website.

And here is a link to the full article on Voice of America.

For links to many more articles on creating compost, see our resources page.