Interesting news and notes about gardens and gardening

A lot of  interesting garden stories have crossed my desk lately and I wanted to share some of them with you:

University of Maryland Launches Beehive Project in City Cemetery: Just inside the locked gate of Old St. Paul's Cemetery on Martin Luther King Boulevard, honeybees zip in and out of a white hive perched on cinder blocks. They flit past weathered headstones for a signer of the Declaration of Independence, the hero of the 1814 defense of Fort McHenry, a Civil War general and other long-gone luminaries.

The hive, put there by staff and students at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, is one of the latest — and certainly one of the more unusual — installments in the growing pastime of backyard beekeeping. Read More

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Rain Gardens: A Practical Solution for Water Pollution: Rain is basically clean — until it passes along roads, businesses and communities. As water runs off roofs, paved surfaces and chemically treated lawns, it can pick up spilled gasoline, oil, road salt, fertilizer, pet waste and other pollutants.

If the contaminated water flows into ditches and storm drains, there's an increased risk for the pollutants to reach natural waterways. In fact, rainwater runoff has become the fastest-growing source of pollution to the Chesapeake Bay. Read More

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Conservation Garden Blossoms in Wheaton Triangle: The Wheaton Triangle Conservation Landscape Garden, which non-profit GreenWheaton finished in June, serves an important purpose. Organizers designed the garden with soil, flowers and grasses that soak up potentially harmful run-off and prevent excess rain water from flowing into storm drains and a nearby stream. Read More

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Demonstration Herb Garden – University of Maryland Extension (photos and plant list)

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Men Enjoy Their Gardening Club – Gardening isn't just for women, as the Men's Garden Club of Frederick County will assure you.

"Yes, there really is a Men's Garden Club," said Richard Adams, club secretary. "It's Frederick's best-kept secret."

The club, which has 37 members, meets seven times a year to learn about gardening-related topics from guest speakers.

"We usually meet around 7 o'clock at a member's house for cocktails … and then we have a speaker lecture on different modalities of gardening," said Vincent DiFabio, club president. Read More

Washington Youth Garden - 40th Anniversary

Since 1971, the Washington Youth Garden has grown a love of gardening for generations of children in the DC metropolitan area. To commemorate its 40th anniversary, WYG will be hosting a 40th birthday party on Saturday, September 17th at the Washington Youth Garden, on the grounds of the U.S. National Arboretum.

The event will take place from 11am-3pm and is free and open to the public. The day will include fun activities for children and families, music, great local fare, the introduction of WYG's Bee-delicious honey and more! Visit the Washington Youth Garden website over the coming weeks for additional details.

On Labor Day, celebrate those who labor with love

According to the U.S. Department of Labor website, “Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.”
 

In 2011, the “contributions and achievements of American workers” are often much different than they were in 1882, when the holiday was first celebrated. Now, more and more companies are doing their part to help make the planet a better place, not just by contributing money, but by going outside and “getting dirty” in an effort to help make a positive difference.

There are many companies that go “over and above” to contribute to the well-being of the Metro DC area. But because this is a “green” garden blog, I decided to talk about the garden project initiated by D&R International of Silver Spring Maryland, an environmental consulting firm that serves businesses, government, and nonprofits.

In June 2010, to mark their 25th anniversary in business, D&R contacted the Montgomery County Department of Parks with their idea to create a demonstration Xeriscape garden in the park across from their office. Their idea was not only to create a more environmentally friendly garden, but to use it as a way to help teach and inspire others.

Located at the corner of Spring Street and Georgia Avenue, the gateway to the Silver Spring business district, the planned Xeriscape Demonstration Garden at Woodside Urban Park would serve as a teaching tool for educators, school groups and the general public. Xeriscape gardening is a wonderful way to protect the planet because it requires less water and is an environmentally sensitive approach to gardening in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

For five months, D&R worked closely with the Parks Development Division on garden layout, plant selection, and other details. On October 30, 2010, D&R staff and their families joined members of the Parks Department and other Woodside neighbors to plant over 500 low maintenance, drought-tolerant, native plants and shrubs. The resulting 1,200-square-foot garden now features a wide array of native species that require little water, no pesticides or fertilizers, attract wildlife, and beautify this small corner of the world. Bray & Scarff, a local kitchen and appliance retailer, provided financial support for the project. GreenLink, a local landscape company, donated the shrubs.

On May 24, 2011, D&R held a dedication ceremony for the garden, which is the first government-business volunteer garden project in Montgomery County. Speakers included Montgomery County Department of Parks Director Mary Bradford, Montgomery County Department of Recreation Director Gabriel Albornoz, and Maryland State Senator Jamie Raskin.

“The Xeriscape Demonstration Garden at Woodside Urban Park is a living symbol of how cultivating change together can create a more beautiful environment and a healthier community,” said D&R President David Steiner. “This project allows us to connect to the local community and highlight the importance of resource conservation on a larger scale. We also hope this effort will serve as a model for other companies looking to give back to the community.”

Senator Raskin also commented about the value of companies partnering with government. “In cultivating this magnificent garden, D&R is turning back to the community to make it more beautiful, more green, and more peaceful. This is a model of what a real public-private partnership should be.”

After the first year, the plants will require very little water, which is appropriate for a region that experiences frequent droughts. D&R planted the garden, developed educational signage, and will provide ongoing maintenance. Most of the maintenance for the Demonstration Garden is weeding, which D&R staff carry out on their lunch hours or before work about once a week. Less weeding will be required next year as the garden fills in.

This Friday, September 9th, at 6:30 p.m., there will be a tour of D&R’s demonstration Xeriscape garden. Landscape Architect Ching-Fang Chen will be on hand to talk about xeriscaping techniques, including plant selection, garden design, and maintenance. The tour is sponsored by D&R International.

Why not stop by and say thank you to some of the people that are helping to make the area a little more environmentally friendly. Perhaps their labor of love will help to inspire one of your own.

To attend, RSVP to Susan Conbere at sconbere@drintl.com. To learn more about the garden, you can visit their Facebook page, here.

Sunday Session with my Shrink

I just spent a great session with my shrink. Together, we uncovered all sorts of problems that I have a tendency to try to ignore, bury or allow to run rampant. But by calming me down and giving me the time to look at each thing separately, my shrink helped me eliminate some of the bad and uncover more of the good in my life. My shrink, in case you didn’t already know, is my garden.

I often talk about the therapeutic qualities of my garden and on Sundays, I seem to do a little more “deep thinking” in the dirt than I do throughout the rest of the week. My garden-time often becomes as therapeutic as any session I have ever spent with a real counselor. I get to carry out just as much introspective thinking and soul-searching and I save myself a whole lot of money in the process.

One of my best therapies in the garden is weeding. For every weed I pull up, I think about some negative aspect that I am trying to eliminate from my life. Insecurities are probably the most pervasive weeds in my fertile mind. Self-doubt, fear and anxiety all pop up on their own and, if left unattended can soon grow to completely overshadow all of the beauty in my life. As I gently pull the weeds from my garden, I think about how easy they are to keep under control if I just work at them on a regular basis, rather than letting them keep growing and take over.

Some people I know resort to chemicals to keep the unpleasant things in their life under control. Not me. I choose to go the natural route, with my garden and with my psyche. Sitting down. Getting dirty. Confronting my demons face to face. Pulling weeds one by one is easy, calming and it doesn’t pollute the rest of the body of land that surrounds my garden.

My mind does tend to drift while I am doing my weeding. But my shrink gently gets me back in focus. Just as I am about to walk away and get side-tracked by some task that feels more important, a swirl of butterflies circles around me, reminding me of the beauty of a healthy garden and I begin reaching again in the dirt, finding the roots, and pulling another weed.

When I’m done, I sit for awhile and survey my work. My garden and my mind both feel clean and refreshed. I have removed so many of the things that were troubling me and causing ugliness in my life. And in the process I have created new spaces for beauty. A whole new blank canvas sits before me. I feel excited by the prospects. What shall I plant?

Growing Native! Share seeds to protect local water - Program kicks off Sept. 17th

I hate to see seeds or seedlings go to waste. When I find oak seedlings in my yard, which are typically the result of acorns being "planted" by squirrels, I always dig them up, nurture them to a height of a few feet, and give them to friends or family. The photo at the left is a "couple of six-packs" that I gave to friends when they bought their new home. Those trees are now well over 15 feet tall.

If you, too, hate to see a seed go to waste, you may be interested in Growing Native: Get Nuts for Clean Water, a program managed by the Potomac Conservancy. I learned about the program last year by reading this great article called Help with the Harvest by Kelly Senser of the National Wildlife Federation.

Growing Native engages thousands of volunteers in the Potomac River region each year to collect native hardwood and shrub seeds. The seeds are donated to state nurseries in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, where they are planted and used to restore streamside forests throughout the 15,000 square mile watershed.

Since 2001, nearly 56,000 volunteers in 4 states and the District of Columbia have collected more than 164,000 pounds of acorns, walnuts and other hardwood tree and shrub seeds for Growing Native. These seeds have generated seedlings that will be used to restore sensitive streamside lands.

September 17th kicks off the Growing Native Campaign this year. For more information, visit the Growing Native website.

Here is some great information from their site about the importance of trees:

Trees provide many community benefits. 

Healthy trees are critical to human well being and wildlife prosperity. Trees cool our cities, filter the air we breathe, provide homes and food for wildlife, and better water-related recreational activities. Their leaves produce life-giving oxygen, and their roots reduce soil erosion and absorb pollutants that would otherwise foul our rivers and streams. Their branches and trunks are home to a bird watcher’s premier list including the great blue heron and American bald eagle. 

Native trees are important. 

Native trees are especially important because they are adapted to local soil, rainfall, and temperature conditions, and have developed natural defenses to withstand many types of insects and diseases. Because of these traits, native plants will thrive with a minimal amount of maintenance. Wildlife species depend on native plant communities for their habitat, so the use of native trees helps preserve the balance of nature. Plants and trees that are imported from other parts of the nation and the world can actually bring unintended harm, resulting in diminished wildlife and plant diversity. 

Our communities have a tree shortage. 

You may not know it, but according to American Forests, America’s cities have a deficit of 634 million trees. In this region, the overall tree cover continues to decline and at the same time, areas with little or no tree cover continue to increase. Replanting trees and reforestation is the answer and you can help! 

Trees address the problems of nonpoint-source pollution.

In the heavily urbanized counties of the Washington, DC, metropolitan area, nonpoint-source pollution from runoff of sediment, nutrients, and other toxins poses the greatest threat to water quality. Moreover, high-volume storm flow into stream valleys is a prime contributor to accelerated erosion of stream banks contributing to decline of in-stream habitat and extensive sedimentation into the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay. A significant amount of this runoff originates from individual yards and homes. 

Growing Native provides future forests for healthy rivers and streams. 

In response, Growing Native engages volunteers of all ages and backgrounds in an effort to restore degraded riverside lands. Restoring sensitive streamside habitats will provide a front-line defense for the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay.

Man Finds $150,000 In Garden

Here's a Friday Funday story to pass along. Found it on the WBALTV website.

An unemployed man in northern Illinois was working in his garden when he came across some serious green — bags filled with $150,000 cash.

 Wayne Sabaj went to pick some broccoli to go with a roast he was cooking when he spotted several bags. He thought it was garbage, but instead discovered stacks of $20 bills that added up to about $150,000, Chicago's WLS-TV reported.

You can read the rest of the story here: http://www.wbaltv.com/news/29048843/detail.html#ixzz1WnqFfspv

I don't know about you, but that would be enough motivation to keep ME gardening for awhile.

$65K in Grant Money available to support community gardens

I just saw this in the most recent issue of Organic Gardening Magazine and thought I would pass it along to the Community Gardeners in the area.

Nature's Path and Organic Gardening Magazine are teaming up "to give $65,000 in grant money to 3 deserving non-profits who demonstrate a passion and vision for what organic gardening can achieve for their community."

I skimmed the rules and, basically, they say "By entering each Eligible Non-Profit Participant agrees that the prize shall only be used by the winning Eligible Non-Profit Participants for the expenses of establishing an organic garden in 2011 to provide food for a feeding program to serve low income adults, children, or families, in the form of a soup kitchen, food bank, emergency pantry, before or after school feeding program, shelter or similar type program. "

You can enter through Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/naturespath

Winner Selection: It looks like to get into the final round, you need to get people to vote for your project. So if anyone in the area enters, be sure and let us know so we can try to stir up some votes for you.

In addition to the number of votes, entries are judged on: "(1) their compelling, empowering and inspirational nature in describing how the Prize would be used to help support a feeding program, such, as a soup kitchen, food bank, emergency pantry, before or after school feeding program, shelter, or similar type of program, to assist low income adults, children or families and describe the number of people that will be served, the size of the population in need, and the Eligible Non-Profit Participant's ability to establish and maintain a garden; and (2) the effective expression of ideas and/or description of personal challenges (the "Judging Criteria")."

Here's a link to the full rules: Nature's Path Gardens for Good Contest

Good luck!

Chesapeake Ecology Center Open House & Native Plant Sale

What: Chesapeake Ecologoy Center (CEC) Garden Open House & Native Plant Sale

When: Saturday, September 24th, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Where: 245 Clay Street, Annapolis, Maryland 21401

All are invited to this free event at the Chesapeake Ecology Center (CEC). Please mark your calendar and join us for refreshments, garden tours led by Master Gardeners, and great rainscaping information and handouts. The CEC is located at Adams Academy at Adams Park Middle School, in Annapolis, Maryland, just two blocks from the Naval Academy Stadium. Visit http://www.chesapeakeecologycenter.org/ for directions to the CEC, and for a plant list of available species for sale.

Great prices on a variety of native plants, and 2 for the price of 1 for the following:

• Orange Coneflower (Rudbeckia fulgida)
• Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
• Blue-Eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium)
• Little Blue Stem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
• Blue Sedge (Carex glaucodea)

Sales from our annual fundraiser help support on-going maintenance and improvement of the 30 Native Plant Demonstration Gardens and Sites at the CEC–which are a public resource for all! We can't do it without your support!

Information submitted by: Zora Lathan zoralathan@earthlink.net

Lessons from a hurricane, part deux - what goes in the ground, comes around

And then the sky broke up
And then the rain came down
And it washed away everything on the ground
Wash it away, wash it away, wash it away.
Lyrics from Ghost Train, by Marc Cohn

 
I remember watching the news after a hurricane a few years ago, and there were children on inner tubes playing in the water from the flooding caused by the storm. All I could think about were the chemicals and pollutants that were probably in that water.

While hurricane  Irene was making her way up the east coast, I watched several online discussions on local gardening message boards about gardeners using roundup and other poisonous weed control products.

Sure, I can understand the children not realizing how many chemicals and how much dog poo and probably septic tank seepage is  in that stormwater. But I found it a little troubling that the adult gardeners didn't seem to realize the connection between garden chemicals and the torrential rains that were expected from the hurricane.

An article in the Green column of the New York Times this week talked about the pollutants from hurricane Irene:

Beyond flooding and destruction, Hurricane Irene is likely to have caused less visible environmental damage by dumping sewage, pesticides and other contaminants into waterways along the East Coast, federal officials said.

Officials are just beginning to assess the condition of seven rivers, including the Hudson River in New York. The United States Geological Survey said it sent out crews beginning on Sunday to follow the path of the hurricane between Washington D.C. and Massachusetts and test for pesticides, bacteria and nutrients flushed into rivers by heavy rains.

“What typically happens is that you get a significant amount of rainfall that leads to a significant amount of runoff,” said Charles Crawford, sampling coordinator for the agency. 

That runoff, he said, carries pesticides from farmland, gardens and lawns like those used for termites around the foundation of homes. The agency is also on the lookout for higher levels of bacteria and nutrients from sewer discharges. 

Excessive amounts of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, Mr. Crawford said, could cause algae blooms that can threaten aquatic life and fisheries.

In typical weather conditions, chemicals used in a landscape might have time to soak into the ground and dissipate, not allowing strong concentrations to find their way into the waterways. But during periods of heavy flooding, the products that are in the ground around your home can seep up and wash away. In areas where the flooding is severe, any chemicals that are stored on the floor of sheds or garages might  also find their way into local stormwater drains.

Water quality scientist Beth McGee, of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, voiced her concern about this problem as the storm approached. McGee said that much of the flooding that occurs during storms is a result of runoff from streets, lawns, farms and other areas, as well as tides that bring water up the bay. Preserving wetlands, creating buffer areas and landscaping areas to allow stormwater to trickle into the ground instead of running off into nearby waterways can help reduce flooding.

So in my opinion, if you want to "round up" anything, you should round up the chemicals that you have been using in your landscape and dispose of them properly:

Household Hazardous Waste Disposal, DC
Household Hazardous Waste, Montgomery County
Household Hazardous Waste, Frederick County
Household Hazardous Waste, Fairfax County
Household Hazardous Waste, Loudon County
Household HazMat Program, Arlington
STOP Throwing Out Pollutants, Prince William County

Azalea Society of America Northern Virginia Chapter Plant sale Sept 11

Uncommon Evergreen and Deciduous Azaleas 4th Annual Public Auction

Conducted by the Northern Virginia Chapter of the Azalea Society of America (ASA-NV)

Sunday, September 11th
Silent Auction at 1:00 PM
Live Auction at 2:00 PM

Merrifield Garden Center
6895 Wellington Road
Gainesville, Virginia 20156
(703) 368-1919

For additional questions, please call ASA-NV officers
Rick Bauer (757) 833-7737
Carolyn Beck (703) 860-5676