Garden workshops, classes and lectures

Here are some upcoming workshops and classes to keep your green thumb in shape during the winter:

Winter Workshops Sponsored by Homestead Gardens

Sunday, January 30
11am: Proper Pruning Techniques($5) – Education Coordinator Gene Sumi provides an informative demonstration on when and how to prune trees and shrubs. Dress warmly as this workshop is outside.
2pm: Proper Pruning Techniques($5) (Severna Park)
2pm: Bird House Workshop($10) – Kids get to decorate their own birdhouse and pinecone feeder to help out their feathered friends during the coldest months of the year.

Saturday, February 5
8:30am: Small Flock Poultry Party ($5) – University of Maryland Cooperative Extensions presents everything you need to know about the fun new trend of raising backyard chickens, including flock health and nutrition.
11am: Orchids for Beginners ($35) – Orchid expert Dr. Clark Riley shares his insights into raising & nurturing these graceful flowers. (Includes a take-home orchid.)
2pm: Orchids for Fanatics ($35) – Feed your orchid addiction with this seminar from Dr. Riley that will educate collectors of these tropical beauties. (Includes a take-home orchid.)

Sunday, February 6
11am: Soil Amendments($5) – Education Coordinator Gene Sumi takes you beyond basic light and water requirements to discuss the process of creating a rich and nutritious mix to get your whole garden in great shape.
2pm: Soil Amendments($5) (Severna Park)
2pm: The Wonderful World of Herbs ($5) – Annuals Manager Kerry Kelly discusses the history, functionality and botany of herbs and their many uses, from culinary additions to aromatherapy to decorative home accents.

For more events, click here for full calendar of Winter Workshops from Homestead Gardens.

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Upcoming Events sponsored by Behnke Nurseries:

Saturday, Jan. 29, 11 a.m. to noon in Beltsville
Talk on “Raising & Cultivating African Violets”by Sonja Behnke Festerling. Sonja grew up at Behnke’s and has worked with African Violets most of her life. She has a wealth of knowledge to share and will discuss how to care and propagate them from home. Everyone attending the talk will go home with an African Violet plant. $10.

Sunday, Jan 30 at 1 p.m. in Beltsville
Workshop on “Building a Terrarium”
Find out why some plants work better than others for terrariums as you build one to take home at the end of class. Learn which plants work best together and how to care for your new micro-garden. Cost: Your cost will depend on the terrarium and plants you choose from our supplies. All other materials for this workshop are free.

Saturday, Feb. 5 at 11 a.m. in Beltsville
Talk: “Attracting Birds to Your Winter Garden” by with Master Gardener Natalie Brewer
During the cold winter months, birds are a sweet reminder of Spring. Natalie will talk about how to attract feathered friends to your yard with supplemental feeding and the right kind of plantings. Free.

Saturday, Feb 5 at 1 p.m. in Beltsville
Children’s Workshop: “Build a Birdhouse” for ages 7 and up.
Build a birdhouse from a kit to hang outdoors for your feathered friends. Then personalize it with paint. All materials included. $25.

For more events, click here for Behnke's full calendar.

Myths About Native Plants

Thomas Rainer, a local landscape architect, recently did a series of posts entitled Myths About Native Plants on his blog, grounded design.

Since native plants can be an environmentally sound choice for many reasons, including ease of care and providing food sources for native wildlife, eliminating the myths about these valuable plants is an important step in encouraging more eco-friendly landscapes.

To me, there are two major Myths about Native Plants. The first major myth about native plants is that ANY native plant will just naturally do well in a landscape. This, of course, isn't true. Plants will only do well in a landscape if their requirements for sun, water and soil type meet your site conditions. In other words, native plants that require a lot of water are not going to do well in a high and dry landscape. Rainer covers this myth in his post: Myth #1: Native plants are more drought-tolerant than their exotic counterparts.

His second post in the series, is entitled: Native Plant Myth #2: Native Plants are Not as Tough as Exotic Plants . And in it he says that there is a common belief "that natives are somehow weaker and more delicate than exotics plants." I've never really run into that belief and, in fact, think that many people believe exactly the opposite - that ANY native plant will survive wherever you put it. Again, I refer to the tenant of Right Plant, Right Place - or choosing plants to match the site conditions of your landscape.

The other thing that I think is a common misconception is that all native landscapes are weedy and unkempt looking. I think that part of the reason for this bad reputation is that certain proponents of native plants like a very natural looking landscape, rather than one that is manicured. They let the wildflowers grow in their yards and they don't prune or trim their plants to keep them neat looking and because of the hap-hazard look of their yard, some people assume that native landscapes=wild and weedy. This is a myth that I always try to dispell. Native landscapes can be kept just as neat and trimmed and manicured looking as a non-native landscape. The look of the landscape is more about the person doing the landscaping than about the plants themselves. Rainer's third post about native plants, Native Plant Myth #3: Native Plants are not as showy or ornamental as exotic plants is somewhat along the same lines. In it he states "The problem is not that native plants are intrinsically less ornamental than exotics; the problem is one of design. Native gardens, for the most part, overly imitate natural plant communities. Native gardens end up looking like some poor imitation of a woodland or meadow. As a result, we have no precedent for natives in man-made landscapes."

I think that we are all in the learning stages when it comes to creating environmentally friendly landscapes. And when it comes to native plants, many of us still have a lot to learn. Check out Rainer's blog, grounded design, to get his views on landscaping with natives. And then to learn even more about native plants, visit the native plant information on our Resources page.

I can resist everything except temptation

With the current condition of our winter gardens, it is easy to be seduced by photos of all of the colorful, exotic beauties that are gracing the pages of our seed and garden catalogs and websites. But before we pull out our credit cards and start placing our orders for spring planting, perhaps we should revisit our post from way back in July 2010 called the 12 Relationship Rules for Gardeners.

Several of the "Relationship Rules" mentioned in that post remind us of the importance of choosing plants that are appropriate to our planting zone and site conditions. Choosing plants that don't fit our site conditions is a waste of money and usually leads to disappointment. Or as I said in that previous post:

"If you want to be in a relationship with sweet things that you aren’t really compatible with just because they are beautiful, it might work but it is going to require a lot of effort. Probably neither one of you will ever be completely happy." 

The problem is, if you haven't already taken a site survey and gotten to know your landscape on a personal level, winter is not really the best time to do so. Sun, shade and water conditions are all different now then they will be a few months from now. However, this post Work With Mother Nature, Not Against Her, provides some guidelines for getting started. And you can also go ahead and learn a little bit more about your site by getting a pre-season soil test.

Are there other steps that can be taken to insure that you aren't seduced into unhappy or unhealthy gardening relationships? Sure! There are hundreds of on-line dating sites that allow people to learn a lot about their prospective partners before they ever meet them face to face. And there are just as many websites that help you to get to know your plants before you invest too much time and money in them.

Most seed and garden catalogs (and websites) provide some level of information about the needs of the species that they have for sale. The information can be as limited as just the USDA hardiness zone or it can contain uncertain terms such as "partial sun". Neither of these limited bits of information is really that useful. After all, Albuquerque, New Mexico and Washington, DC are in the same USDA hardiness zone. That doesn't mean that the same plants will necessarily thrive in both locations.

Other companies provide very detailed information about the plants, including light, moisture and soil conditions, as well as whether they attract certain forms of wildlife, such as hummingbirds or butterflies.

In any case, cold winter nights are the perfect time to do a little research about plant choices for your yard. So here are some gardening resources for learning about local plants. Think of them as dating sites for your garden - the perfect places to find your Perfect Plant Match and create more Harmony in the garden.

Recommended Plants for the Washington DC Area
Native Plant Resources for Maryland
Wildflowers Native to Maryland
Recommended Native Plant Species - select your region
National Gardening Association PlantFinder
Plant Information Online

Get your soil tested

If you are looking for something proactive to do to prepare for your spring time landscaping, now is a good time to get your soil tested. Testing your soil now gives you plenty of time to make any adjustments necessary to get your landscape in prime planting condition.

A soil test can provide a great deal of information about the pH and nutrients of your soil. Knowing what is already in your soil will allow you to apply the proper amount of lime and fertilizer, minimizing the water polluting nutrient runoff which can be caused by overfertilization.

Scott Reiter, an Extension agent with the Prince George County office of Virginia Cooperative Extension, provides these steps for getting a good soil sample:

First, you need to select the right tools for the job. A soil probe is the best tool for taking a sample because it is fast and collects the soil evenly from top to bottom. A soil probe is essentially a sharpened pipe with a handle on top. These probes can be purchased at some farm supply and hardware stores. For those of you that only need to take 1 or 2 samples a garden trowel or small shovel will work just fine. Next, find a clean plastic bucket to collect your soil in. Do not use galvanized buckets or tools because the zinc in the coating will affect your test results. 

I usually recommend that at least 10 subsamples be collected from the area you are testing. The more subsamples you collect from an area the more accurate your results will be. In lawns, landscape beds, pastures, or hay fields collect soil to a 4-6 inch depth. This is where most plant roots are found and soil amendments are easily added to this depth. Vegetable gardens and crop fields should be sampled to the tilling or plowing depth. Be sure you sample the same depth throughout the entire area. Once you have collected the soil, thoroughly mix it and remove any large roots or gravel. Fill your sample box with the mixed soil and you are done with this sample. 

You may need to take multiple samples around your home or farm. The vegetable garden, front lawn, flower beds, or newly cleared areas are examples of separate sampling areas. If you have an area where plants do not grow well, sample that area separately too. 

Once you have completed taking your samples you are now ready to submit them to a reliable laboratory. Virginia Tech has a soil testing laboratory for use by citizens of the Commonwealth. Homeowners can submit samples for a $7 per sample fee. There are also private soil testing laboratories that charge comparable fees. You should receive your soil test results 1-2 weeks after mailing them. I caution people with relying on the do-it-yourself testing kits. There is more chance for error when running the test yourself and relying on color matching charts to determine nutrient levels. A soil testing laboratory uses a standard procedure and runs test samples to make sure the results are accurate.

For more information about soil testing, read:
Preparing soil in winter for a successful spring
Soil Sampling for the Home Gardener

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!