Rooting DC - February 19th

The 4th annual Rooting DC gardening forum is just around the corner. In addition to all types of edible gardening info, this year Rooting DC will be focusing on school and youth gardening. Rooting DC will be held on Saturday, February 19th from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm at Coolidge High School located at 6315 5th Street, NW.

There will also be presentations and workshops on community gardens and food policy, as well as healthy cooking demonstrations , free child care and much
more!

PRE-REGISTRATION IS STRONGLY ENCOURAGED. Please call the America the Beautiful Fund offices at 202.638.1649 to register immediately.

Coolidge HS can be reached by public transportation: From the Takoma Metro Station stop (Red Line) take the 62 bus (Georgia Ave-Petworth) or 52 bus (L'Enfant Plaza). You can also take the 70 bus toward Silver Spring, get off at Georgia and Rittenhouse, NW and walk east.

Visit Rooting DC on the web: http://fieldtoforknetwork.org/rootingdc/

Contributed by Carl Rollins, Farm Coordinator, Common Good City Farm

Meadowscaping in Urban and Suburban Spaces

Monday, February 21st, Brookside Gardens Visitor Center

Catherine Zimmerman, author of the newly released book Urban & Suburban Meadows and sustainable landscape designer, will introduce meadowscaping as a lawn alternative. Do away with pesticide-ridden, manicured, water thirsty, monoculture lawns and restore your land to a beautiful, natural habitat for native plants and wildlife. Join the movement toward making natural landscapes the new landscaping norm!

Catherine Zimmerman is an author and an award-winning director of photography with over 35 years of experience in documentary filmmaking with an emphasis on education and environmental issues. Environmental videos of hers include global warming documentaries for CNN Presents and New York Times Television; Save Rainforest/Save Lives, Fresh Farm Markets, Wildlife Without Borders: Connecting People and Nature in the Americas, and Discovery Creek Children’s Museum.

Catherine is also a certified horticulturist and sustainable landscape designer based in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. She is accredited in organic land care through the Northeast Organic Farmers Association and has designed and taught a course in organic landscaping for the USDA Graduate School Horticulture program.

Free Event Open to the Public WHEN: Monday, February 21 Doors Open at 7:30PM Speaker starts at 8:00PM WHERE: Brookside Gardens Visitors Center, 1800 Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton, Maryland

Information provided by Kathy Jentz, editor of Washington Gardener Magazine

Gardening for hummingbirds

Yesterday I posted a message about creating butterfly gardens, complete with lists of butterfly species for the area. But today, I would like to talk about hummingbirds! I love hummingbirds and I believe that the more people who garden for them, the more we will begin to see hummingbirds hanging around the area! So I hope that I can encourage you to plant a few hummingbird favorites in your garden this Spring.

Although there are more than 338 known species of hummingbirds in the Americas, only about sixteen of those are found in the United States. Of those sixteen, the ruby-throated hummingbird, is the only one that is common in the Mid-Atlantic region and it is the one that you will most likely be able to entice to your yard if you provide a habitat that they find inviting. Avid bird enthusiasts have also reported sightings of additional species in the area, including the Rufous and Allen's hummingbirds.

Hummingbirds begin visiting the Metro DC area in late March or early April and stay till August or September. According to the Virginia Department of Game and Fisheries, they also breed in the area. Like butterflies, if you want to attract these little winged beauties to your yard, your best bet is to plant their favorite plant species.

Catching a glimpse of one of these jeweled acrobats is enough to fill anyone with awe. What other creature can amaze us with feats such as flying backwards or upside down?

The ruby-throated “hummer” is only about 3 inches long and weighs about one-quarter of an ounce (about as much as a penny). For their size, hummingbirds have among the largest appetites in the bird world. Hummingbirds feed about every ten or fifteen minutes from dawn to dusk, consuming more than half their weight in food every day.

Hummingbirds are said to be most drawn to tubular flowers that are either large and showy or in drooping clusters of red, orange and pink. However, there are many other flowers that attract these hungry little scavengers. Therefore, it is best to plant a variety of species, choosing native plants when available for ease of maintenance. Since hummingbirds are very territorial, space your hummingbird plants in separate groupings around your yard and at varying heights, starting at about 18” above the ground.

Nectar feeders can also be used as a supplemental food source for hummingbirds. A simple nectar can be made by combining 1 part granulated sugar to 4 parts water in a saucepan and boiling for two minutes. Let the mixture cool completely before filling feeders. Be sure and replace the mixture every couple of days because heat from the sun can cause rapid bacterial growth in the nectar solution which is potentially fatal to the hummingbirds.

Eliminate the use of pesticides in your yard if you plan to garden for hummingbirds and keep cats indoors!

For more information about hummingbirds in the DC area, read:

Plants to Attract Hummingbirds

The Natural Capital: Look for Ruby throated Hummingbirds

Hummingbird Tidbits - Virginia Department of Game and Fisheries

The Hummingbird Garden (pdf)- Virginia Cooperative Extension Prince William County

Creating a Wild Backyard: Hummingbirds, Butterflies & Bees, Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources

Hummingbird Handout - Virginia Cooperative Extension

Attracting Hummingbirds - Penn State

Create a butterfly garden ~ easy as 1, 2, 3

 

Providing Habitat for Butterflies (with lists of local species)

Providing habitat for butterflies is as easy as 1, 2, 3!
1) Eliminate chemicals from your landscape
2) Plant plenty of flowers for the adult butterflies
3) Plant host plants for the caterpillars

Nothing brings life to your yard and garden like an abundance of colorful, carefree butterflies! Since there are so many species of butterflies in North America, providing any type of flowering nectar plant will probably attract one or two to stop by your yard from time to time. But if you really want to make your yard something more than a fast-food fueling spot for these beautiful creatures, you must provide both nectar plants for the adult butterflies and host plants for the larval caterpillars. Yes, caterpillars will leave holes in the plant leaves and chew certain species of host plants down to the ground. But the joy and educational experience of being witness to the entire butterfly life-cycle makes it worthwhile to buy some plants specifically for that purpose.

When an adult butterfly lands on a host plant, if you watch closely, you may see them curve their ovipositor up under the leaf to deposit an egg. Although females can produces hundreds of eggs, most are deposited singly or in small clusters, either on or under a leaf of the host plant. The eggs are sometimes as small as the head of a pin, but within a few days a tiny caterpillar emerges and begins pursing its life’s purpose—to eat!!! Caterpillars eat constantly, until they get too big for their own skin. Then, they shed their skin to make room for more food. This process is repeated numerous times until the caterpillar reaches many times its original size. Once fully grown, the larva seeks a safe place to pupate. This can be a branch, a twig or the eave of your house or other structure. It will attach itself with a fine strand of silk-like material and form a chrysalis. This is where the transformation to a butterfly takes place. When the butterfly is ready to hatch, the process happens very quickly, so only the most observant catch a glimpse of this “birth”. However, if you have butterflies in your yard, you will often be able to witness the newly hatched butterfly as it hangs from it’s chrysalis drying its wings in preparation for its first flight. To be able to witness all or part of this wonderful garden miracle, you must select the right plants.

For nectar, choose plants that are brightly colored and fragrant. Large blooms provide a place for the butterfly to land while feeding. Plant a large variety of different flowers and be sure to keep different blooming times in mind so that you can feed the butterflies throughout the garden seasons. Many adult butterflies prefer to feed in full sun.

For larval, or caterpillar plants, most butterflies feed on only a limited number of species of plants. If you are trying to attract a certain type of butterfly, it is important that you plant the larval food for that species. Remember that if you are successful in attracting the caterpillars to your yard, your host plants will be chewed, sometimes down to the bare stems. Therefore, buy your host plants in quantities and intersperse them with your other garden plants to hide the chewed leaves and to give the caterpillars a certain amount of cover from birds and other predators.

Also, it is important to avoid pesticides in your yard if you want butterflies. Both the butterflies and the caterpillars can be harmed by any sort of toxic chemical. Even "benign" insecticides, such as Bacillus thuringiensis, can be lethal to butterflies and caterpillars.

Here is a list of some of the butterflies common to DC, Virginia and Maryland. Complete lists are available here: Butterflies of DC , Butterflies of Maryland , Butterflies of Virginia.

Butterfly	Adult butterfly nectar plant	Host Plant
Zebra Swallowtail	Redbud, lilac, verbena, milkweed	Pawpaw
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail	Flowers of many plants incl. lilac and cherry	Wild cherry, sweet bay, cottonwood, willow
Monarch	Milkweed, lilac, lantana, thistles, others	Milkweed
Red Admiral	Bird droppings, tree sap, fermented fruit	Nettles
Gulf Frittillary	Lantanas, cordias and others	Passion vines, including maypop
Common Buckeye	Aster, chickory, tickseed, peppermint	Snapdragons, ruellias
Painted Lady	Thistles, aster, cosmos, joe-pye weed	Many hosts, incl. thistles, hollyhock, legumes
Giant Swallowtail	Lantana, azalea, goldenrod, milkweed	Citrus, prickly ash, hop tree
Black Swallowtail	Red clover, thistles, milkweed	Parsely, celery, dill
Long tailed skipper	Bougainvillea, lantana, shepherd's needle	Legumes, wisteria, beggar's ticks

Montgomery County Master Gardener Clinic

The Montgomery County Master Gardeners' mini-conference for the public is being held on Saturday, February 26, 2011 from 8am - 3pm at the Montgomery County Extension office in Deerwood, Maryland.

There are many great sessions scheduled including: Landscaping for Pollinators, Community Gardens, Growing Herbs, Rejuvenation Pruning and Maintenance Pruning and more.

Click here to download brochure in pdf format: Random Acts of Gardening : Montgomery County Master Gardener Spring Mini-Conference

February Garden Tips from Maryland Extension

Here are some Garden Tips for February from the Maryland Extension System Home and Garden Center.

Lawns

• Late February through the end of March is the second best time (the optimum time is late August through mid-October) to over-seed your lawn to make it thicker or to cover bare areas. The freezing and thawing of the soil this time of the year helps the seed to get good soil contact. Read HG 102.  

Woody Ornamentals

• Trees and shrubs can still be pruned now. You may notice excessive sap bleeding from pruning cuts on elm maple, birch, dogwood, beech, walnut, magnolia, tulip poplar and redbud. This bleeding is harmless to the tree.  

Ornamental Plants

• Avoid the temptation to start seeds too early. Check seed packets for detailed information on starting various types of flowers.

• Spring bulbs are slowly emerging this month. Exposed leaves may be burned a little by very cold temperatures, but the spring flower display will not be diminished.  

Vegetable and Herb gardening

• If starting seeds indoors, set up florescent grow lights, and gather needed materials: pots, trays, soil less mix.

• Consider purchasing some floating row cover material to protect crops against insects and promote early growth. A floating row cover is a light weight spun fabric that permits light and water to enter, traps the soils natural heat and keep out pest insects.

• Fresh tarragon, rosemary, and mint sprigs can be purchased in food markets and rooted indoors in a soil less mix to be grown under cool white fluorescent bulbs. The new plants can then be set outdoors in pots or garden beds in May. Wildlife

• Continue to feed wild birds through the remaining winter weeks. Black oil sunflower seeds and suet cakes are a good choice for a wide variety of birds. Keep bird feeders clean and provide your wild birds with fresh water.

For more February Tips for the garden and other practical information, download the complete newsletter.

Casey Trees Launches Arbor Kids

Casey Trees’ has launched a new webpage, Arbor Kids to get kids outdoors to learn about trees and their many environmental, social and economic benefits.

Although created for kids, Arbor Kids is a great resource for educators, caregivers and parents, too.

Downloadable activities include:

• Name that Tree! Learn how to identify some of the most commonly found trees in the District.
• Tree Benefits Scavenger Hunt. Challenge yourself and friends to find all the listed tree benefits in the shortest amount of time.
• How Tall Is That Tree? In four easy steps, you can determine the height of any tree.
• My Trees: A Home Inventory. Name, count and map the trees at and in front of your home.

Schools and other learning centers can also request a tree planting through Casey Trees’ Community Tree Planting program. Casey Trees provides the trees, tools and technical assistance free of charge. Students participate in a tree rally and follow up care activities, complementing existing classroom instruction.

For more information, visit the Casey Trees website.

About Casey Trees:
Casey Trees is a Washington, DC-based not-fot-profit, established in 2001, dedicated to restoring, enhancing and protecting the tree canopy of the Nation's Capital.
For more information, visit www.caseytrees.org.

Don't forget tomorrow's seed swap!

Washington Gardener Magazine 2011 Seed Exchange  

Saturday, January 29 12:30-4pm  


On-site Registration opens at 12:00noon

($15 for general public or $10 if a Washington Gardener NMagazine subscriber of a member of Friends of Brookside Gardens)

For more information, check out this post on the Washington Gardener Magazine Blog

Please! Stop me before I kill again!

Blame it on the cold, dreary winter. I get trapped inside for too long and eventually something inside me just snaps and I end up going out and killing something. I don't mean to do it. I'm just trying to shape up some of the useless, dregs of the earth but I end up going too far and before I know it, I add another victim to my hit list.

But don't worry. Unless you are a bit of struggling winter foliage, you are safe.

It's one of the big ironies of my gardening style. In the spring and summer, I am horrible about pruning. My plants get all scraggly and covered with bare branches and spent flowers. But in the winter, I just can't tolerate all of those bare branches sticking up in the yard, and I head out with my pruners.

What's dead and what's dormant?

I'm sure that, over the years, I have yanked up or mutilated many plants that could have survived the winter if I had just left them alone. So before you go out and start trying to clean up the winter garden, here are a few things I've learned along the way.

• Many plants that look dead in the winter are just dormant. Dormancy is like a form of hibernation for plants. There are different degrees of dormancy, with some plants shutting down all but the most basic biological processes needed for survival. Others may only go semi-dormant. When in doubt about a plant, look it up online to see if it is the kind that goes dormant.
• A good way to tell if a woody plant is dormant is to take your thumb nail and scratch a branch or the bark of the plant and see if it's green underneath. If you scratch the plant on an outer branch and find it brown underneath, try scratching closer to the base of the plant. Sometimes, outer parts of the plant may die, though the rest of it lives.
• Woody plants should be pruned according to the pruning calendars below.
• Cold hardy perennials should survive the winter. Don't get frustrated and pull them up. Winter mulching should help them through the cold. Mulch should be applied after several hard freezes and removed as new growth begins in spring.
• Perennials can be damaged during the winter if their soil is too wet. To help plants through winter cold, dig organic matter and grit into the garden, improving drainage. Well-drained soils will also warm faster in spring.
• Leaving dead growth on the perennials can be beneficial for several reasons. It can provide frost protection, and the seed heads will provide winter food sources for birds.
• Most annuals will not survive the winter. You can remove their seed heads for sowing indoors, save them for the spring, or leave them for visiting birds to dine on.
• Some plants cannot survive cold soil, even when dormant. You may be able to protect them if you put them in pots and store them in a frost free spot until spring.
• If you still can't tell for certain if a plant is living or dead, simply wait for spring. If you don't see any new growth several months into the spring, add your plant to the compost pile.

And remember, just in case you are looking for something productive to do this time of year -- it is a great time to sharpen your axe and your chainsaw.

 

For more information about when to prune, check these resources:

Pruning Trees and Shrubs in Late Winter
Managing Winter Injury to Trees and Shrubs
Shrub Pruning Calendar
Deciduous Tree Pruning Calendar
Evergreen Tree Pruning Calendar

Indoor plants help reduce VOCs

When I learn something new and cool about plants, I like to share it. So here is some info I learned about indoor plants recently.

Most of us know that one of the benefits of houseplants is that they remove carbon dioxide from the air and replace it with oxygen. But I didn't realize that some plants can actually help remove Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from the air.

Volatile organic compounds are gases released as materials age and degrade over time. VOCs are found in everything from paints and coatings to underarm deodorant and cleaning fluids and they are thought to cause allergic reactions such as asthma, headaches, upper respiratory infections, rashes and even cancer.

Nearly 25 years ago, Dr. Wolverton, a retired NASA scientist and author of How to Grow Fresh Air, published a study touting the benefits of houseplants as air purifiers. In November 2002, Dr. Wolverton confirmed the results of further researchers and added “there is now sufficient evidence to support the concept of using interior plants to provide good IAQ (Indoor Air Quality)”

Here are some common toxins and the plants that can help remove them:  

BENZENE BASED TOXINS

 Source of Toxins:

Detergents, Inks and Dyes, Plastics, Rubber Products, Petroleum Products, Synthetic Fibers, Tobacco Smoke  

Plants Associated with the Removal of those Toxins:

Spathiphyllum (Peace Lily), Dracaena spp., Gerbera (Gerber Daisy), Hedera spp. (Ivy), Chrysanthemum (mum), Aglaonema (Chinese Evergreen)  

FORMALDEHYDE BASED TOXINS 

Source of Toxins:

Carpeting, Cleaners, Foam Insulation, Furniture, Paper Products, Plywood and Particle Board

Plants Associated with the Removal of those Toxins:

Ficus spp. (Weeping Fig), Philodendron spp., Chlorophytum (Spider Plant), Sansevieria (Snake Plant), Chamaedorea (Bamboo Palm), Hedera spp.(Ivy), Epipremnum (Golden Pothos)

TRICHLOROETHLENE TOXINS 

Source of Toxins:

Adhesives, Dry cleaning, Inks and Dyes, Lacquers and Paints, Paper Products, Varnishes

Plants Associated with the Removal of those Toxins:

Dracaena spp., Gerbera (Gerber Daisy), Spathiphyllum (Peace Lily), Chrysanthemum (mum)

For more information:

15 Houseplants You Can Use as Air Purifiers

15 Houseplants for Improving Indoor Air Quality