Golden sugar maples

The sugar maples down in the ravine forest below the house keep on bringing fall color in golden yellows. Sheltered from frost, they've been late to turn color (and definitely late to lose their leaves).

Sugar maples, in late afternoon light

Late fall color and dog treats

A last blast of fall color with Japanese maples and native maples has been lovely. 

Across the street

 An odd confluence of minimal fall frosts & freezes, combined with warm weather has extended leaf season for natives and non-natives alike. 

I'd never had thought I'd have the door open to cool off the house on November 28, as I'm simmering turkey broth from an "echo" turkey this evening, post-Thanksgiving spent with relatives. (My gardening companion likes "left-over" turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, etc. and this is his birthday week, so....)

 A favorite walk of mine is to loop up and around the historic Grove Park Inn. 

The downward side of the loop comes along Kimberly Avenue.  A dog-lover (I'm imagining in memory of one) has kindly put this up, as a stop along the way, for those of us who have furry friends along on our walks.

Dog treats

Happy Thanksgiving!

The broccoli took for-ev-er to form this little head -- but the green beans are still producing in my community garden plot! How is your garden growing today? Is anything you grew part of your Thanksgiving feast today?

Video Wednesday: Holly Shimizu Talks Trees

Holly Shimizu, former head of the US Botanic Garden, took a break during the recent Trees Matter Symposium 2015 to talk to us about her favorite trees.

Win Garden of Lights Passes in November 2015 Washington Gardener Reader Contest

For our November 2015 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, Washington Gardener Magazine is giving away several passes to the Garden of Lights at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD. Make a new holiday tradition at the Garden of Lights! This walk-through holiday light display features 1 million dazzling, colorful lights shaped into hand-crafted, original art forms of flowers, animals and other natural elements. Enjoy nightly musical performances and visit the conservatory to watch G-scale model trains wind through a seasonal landscape. The event will be open nightly from November 27, 2015, through January 3, 2016 (closed December 24 and 25).
   Stroll from garden to garden, enjoying twinkling tree forms, fountains, sparkling snowflakes overhead, and more. The Garden of Lights celebrates its 18th season as a Baltimore/Washington, DC-area family holiday tradition.
   Warm up in the Visitors Center while you sip hot cocoa and listen to one of the nightly musical performances. Find out more at http://www.montgomeryparks.org/brookside/garden_lights.shtm
   To enter to win a pass that admits one car-load of guests to the Garden of Lights, send an email to WashingtonGardener@rcn.com by 5pm on Monday, November 30, with “Lights Show” in the subject line and in the body of the email. Tell us which was your favorite article in the November 2015 issue of Washington GardenerMmagazine and why. Please also include your full name and mailing address. The pass winners will be announced and notified on December 1.

UPDATE:
Here are the winners chosen at random from the submitted entries. Congratulations and enjoy!

~ Stephanie Richard, Rockville, MD

~ Susanne Wiggins, Germantown MD

~ Stacy Myers, New Windsor, MD

~ Jen Gardiner, Washington, DC

~ Jennifer Whalen, Silver Spring, MD 

~ Anne Hardman, Silver Spring, MD

~ Susan Walker, Takoma Park, MD

~ Sidney Chang, Bethesda, MD  

~ Aldene Ault, Silver Spring, MD   

~ Madeline Caliendo, Washington, DC

~ Katie Rapp, Gaithersburg, MD   

~ Pete Lublin, Silver Spring, MD  

~ Cindy Bertaut, Bethesda MD  

~ Carolyn Leonard 

Writing, connecting, and other thoughts

Spending a day in talks related to writing (at the NC Writers Network Fall Conference) has been interesting.

Considering myself a writer (narrative non-fiction? creative non-fiction?) has been a bit of a leap, but with a lot of professional writing and over 1650 posts on this blog, I suppose I qualify.

There are so many different "genres" of writing represented in participants, from fiction, to creative non-fiction, to memoir, to non-fiction, and poetry.

And it seems like most of us write simply for the experience, pleasure, and joy of expressive writing.

Some of the participants make a living from writing, but my sense is that most of us there simply love to write, in whatever format.

In writing about nature, I enjoy feeling grounded in the natural world, in everyday reflections about gardening and what I've observed.

Writing blog posts focused on something that I did, observed, or experienced -- that's been magic to me over the 8-plus years that I've been writing posts.

Pies, Puppy Love and Forcing Pretty Flower Bulbs

Trust me. You're gonna want to see these bright bloomers, indoors, come February.

Woke to the first truly cold winter morning, and since I have a partially house-trained puppy living with me, we were outdoors, in seconds flat, to prevent an accident that could ruin the day.

Loud crunch of ice beneath my feet. I soaked in the sunlight, dressed in a long coat and hat, to hide the fact that I'm still in my jammies.

And, I intend to stay in those jams for several more hours! Savor a cup of cowgirl coffee and gently ease into the day.

Which is just one more reason why I love winter. (Quiet season for this horse and flower lover.)

I guess if I died and came back as a flower, I'd be a Tulip. Because they only flourish after a prolonged deep freeze. And, I need winter to recharge my batteries.

Or, maybe not. Tulips are weak and I'm a survivor.

So, I'd probably be an Allium bulb.

Forcing Allium bulbs requires 12 weeks in your refrigerator.*

Critters don't eat Allium bulbs. They're aromatic members of the onion family.

Allium Schubertii is a favorite Allium bulb of mine. Though I prefer growing her indoors, where it's easier to appreciate her odd, delicate, flowers and stems.

Plus, my morning hair is almost as crazy looking as the Allium Schubertii bulb before I take a shower.

Well, here it is, a few days before Thanksgiving.

I've spent the week in my hand cast. [Having elected to break that hand by trying to fix the garage door.]

During which time I have not improved any left-hand writing or typing skills.

However! I have wrangled the dictation app on my computer into submission and I'm really enjoying the insanity of talking to my computer and seeing what it types. (As I am doing right now...)

Store Tulip bulbs in the crisper drawer of your 'frig for 8 weeks. They'll bloom indoors in a sunny window.

I'm assigned pies for the big Thanksgiving feast and I absolutely hate making pies. Because it always begins with perceived failure on my part. 

I have never been able to beat Pillsbury at the pie crust game. Their pie crust tastes better. So, no matter what type of pie I'm creating, it goes into a store bought crust and that, somehow, feels wrong when you're preparing for the ultimate, annual feast.

Paperwhites DO NOT require forcing: buy 'em, plant 'em, love 'em.

But, I did go buy the goodies for Maple Pecan, Sweet Potato, and a Sky High Apple Pie. That should teach the powers that be not to assign me Thanksgiving pies. Because nobody is getting pumpkin on my watch.

I've never actually tasted pumpkin pie. It's too brown and gushy, I'm pretty sure I would hate it. Whenever I admit that, some weirdo scoops up some pumpkin pie - onto their fork - shoves it in my face and says: Oh, give it a try.

Like I'm gonna do that. During flu season.

Hyacinth are the easiest bulbs to force and their fragrance is sooo delightful.

So, anyhoo back to those bodacious bulbs.
Now's a good time to tuck some away in your refrigerator.

Not to plant next to year. To enjoy in February when nobody - including me - has an ounce of love for the never-ending winter.

TIPS:
With any luck, the picked over remnants of autumn flower bulbs are marked down to a dollar a bag at your local Home Depot. [Or whatever big box store is near you.] So, buy a few and let's have some fun.

Tulip skin hats on these indoor coming attractions.

* If you get online you'll find a plethora of websites providing laborious detailed instructions on forcing flower bulbs.

Step One: Turn off your computer. Laborious instruction makes me crazy because it is very discouraging to new gardeners.

If you're nervous about forcing bulbs, plant these Mexican Shell Flowers. They do not need forcing and they'll make you look like an indoor gardening rock star!

I force bulbs every winter. Here's what I do and it works like a charm:

• Store bulbs in a paper bag (keeps the light out) - in the crisper drawer of your freezer.
• Remove any fruit from that crisper drawer.
• Ignore those bulbs for 8-12 weeks. 
• Haul 'em out. And, watch 'em go hog wild.
• Easy peasy. 

Uh.. but just to be clear. Don't try forcing peas. :)

Hope you're all having a marvelous weekend!



Follow @Kate_HAGardens

NEW DC-MD-VA Gardening Calendar 2016 from Washington Gardener Magazine

Now available! The Local DC-MD-VA Gardening Task Calendar 2016 from Washington Gardener Magazine. It includes monthly task lists for local DC-MD-VA (zones 6-7) gardening and photos of gorgeous flowers from Washington, DC-area public gardens.

All new photos for 2016!

The calendar is a great gift for yourself and any area gardeners you may know!

Order here at our shop: http://www.cafepress.com/washgardener
or go directly to the item page here: http://www.cafepress.com/washgardener.1436102069

NOTE: Be sure to specify on the initial order page what month you wish to start the calendar with as you can customize it for any 12-month-span you like.

Local First Friday: Merrifield Garden Center

Guest Blog by Joelle Lang

The History Behind It:

Merrifield Garden Center is a family-owned business that has been serving North Virginia and the DC metro area since 1971. About 44 years ago, founder Bob Warhurst asked his friend and co-founder, Buddy Williams, to help him open a nursery and garden center. The pair scouted out an open patch of land between Lee Highway and Gallows Road and the company grew from there. The shop first opened as a barn, a small store, and with less than an acre of plants. The founders vowed to value customer service, exceptional quality, and superior selection.

While Bob and Buddy have both passed away, their children, spouses, and grandchildren run the shops today.    

What’s It is Like Today:

Merrifield Garden Center has three locations in Virginia: Merrifield, Fairfax, and Gainesville. They offer plants ranging from trees and shrubs to tropical houseplants and vegetables. They provide gardening supplies and planters, home decor and gifts, and landscaping services. The stores also have Plant Clinics, where customers can come in to ask about landscape management and the best products to use for the environment.  

The locations host events every month and around the holidays, such as Ladies Night Out and Wreath workshops.

Dedicated to environmental health, Merrifield Garden Center plants tens of thousands of trees around the area every year, and recycles soil and brush from landscape jobs. They also carry native plants, which are critical for sustaining birds and butterflies.   

Aside from servicing individual gardeners, Merrifield Gardens also provides plants and landscape expertise to local, state, and federal government agencies such as schools, parks, golf courses, and commercial properties.

What Makes It Special:  

Merrifield Garden Center (http://merrifieldgardencenter.com/) states that they have “one of the largest and most complete nurseries in the country.”

Merrifield Garden Center strives to provide the newest and cutting edge varieties that come out each year, along with the tried-and-true varieties that customers will have success with. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable and can help with any questions or problems customers have.

About the Author 

Joelle Lang, a senior at the University of Maryland, College Park, is a multi-platform journalism student in the Philip Merrill College of Journalism. This autumn, she is also an editorial intern for Washington Gardener Magazine.

"Local First Friday" is a weekly blog series profiling independent garden businesses in the greater Washington, DC, and Mid-Atlantic region. Washington Gardener Magazine believes strongly in supporting and sourcing from local businesses first!

ADVERTISER OF THE WEEK: Garden of Lights at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD

Make a new holiday tradition at the Garden of Lights! This walk-through holiday light display features 1 million dazzling, colorful lights shaped into hand-crafted, original art forms of flowers, animals and other natural elements. Enjoy nightly musical performances and visit the conservatory to watch G-scale model trains wind through a seasonal landscape. The event will be open nightly from November 27, 2015, through January 3, 2016 (closed December 24 & 25).
   Stroll from garden to garden, enjoying twinkling tree forms, fountains, sparkling snowflakes overhead, and more. The Garden of Lights celebrates its 18th season as a Baltimore/Washington, DC-area family holiday tradition.
   Warm up in the Visitors Center while you sip hot cocoa and listen to one of the nightly musical performances. Find out more at: http://www.montgomeryparks.org/brookside/garden_lights.shtm.

ADVERTISER OF THE WEEK Details:
Every Thursday on the Washington Gardener Magazine Facebook page, Blog, and Yahoo group list we feature a current advertiser from our monthly digital magazine. To advertise with us, contact wgardenermag@aol.com today.

Video Wednesday: Trees Matter Conference 2015

The fourth annual Trees Matter Symposium, was themed “Trees and the Built Environment.” It took place November 4, 2015, in the Silver Spring Civic Building and was sold out. This year’s event focused on the welfare of trees in developing landscapes, and included six speakers.
   Experts such as Dr. Michael Dirr, founder of Plant Introductions Inc., spoke about the economic and environmental value of trees. Dirr also closed the event with a second talk on top tree selections for surviving in various environments. Keynote speaker and horticulturist Holly Shimizu spoke about how trees change and adapt over time. Dr. Chris Luley, vice president of Urban Forestry in New York, spoke on fungi that affect trees in urban environments. Dr. Kelby Fite, a member of the Barlett Tree Research Lab, covered the importance of root development and proper soil in urban settings.
   The symposium included vendors from places such as the Maryland Native Plant Society, Kelly Landscaping, the Montgomery County Forest Board, and Stadler Native Plants. There was also a speaker book-signing table and door prizes. The event was presented by the Horticulture, Forestry, and Environmental Education Division of Montgomery Parks and Pogo Tree Experts.

A first freeze

We finally had our first "real" freeze of fall last weekend. 

I was distracted by watercolor classes, an art walk through the River Arts District, and planning various upcoming activities, travel, etc. so hadn't done too much aside from running out and harvesting the last tender bok choi leaves, from plants which turned out not to be so tender after all.

Thankfully, I'd already harvested all the peppers, so just needed to clean up the droopy carcasses this week.  The greens, herbs, sugar snap peas, parsley, etc. all look just fine, of course.

1 Arm Bandit

Tip: Soak your orchids, once a week, for 30 minutes, with a tsp of basic fertilizer - they'll happily re-bloom.

I wake, wincing in pain. Pop two of the killer pills, fall back onto the bed. Awaiting a miracle and marveling, once again, at how effective painkilling drugs can be.

"I'm all busted up.

Broken bones & nasty cuts.

Accidents will happen,

But, this time I can't get up."

- Green Day

How do those pills know where to go? And, if they are so adept at racing through your body to fix painful problems... why can't we invent one for my badly damaged pride?

Death Bed Tulips from my darling daughter.

Spent the better part of Thursday in the ER. Stitches, pins & needles galore. All because my garage door broke. And, Little Miss Independence, here, thought she could fix it! You know, skip that dang repairman! Save a buck.

Instead, the panels of the garage door snapped together wrecking a perfectly good right hand in the process.

It's Cactus Time! I love this peach color...

Ever been in shock?

I think this was my first time. Panic. Terror. Staring at the bloody mess that used to be my hand. But, the weird thing is I didn't feel any pain. So, I think that's shock but I don't know for sure.

Super fond of the traditional hot pink variety, too.

Thankfully, there is an emergency room two blocks from my house.

I can do this. I said to myself.

I can do this. Repeated it several times. As if talking to myself is some kind reassurance? Words to make this cowardly lioness a wee bit braver?

But, I did it. I wrapped the hand, got in the car, and drove myself to the emergency room, where I stood there shaking and crying and covered in blood.

And, then.

Wait for it.... {and enjoy the massive concern my wee pup feels for my condition.}

Wait... for... it.... {and observe the guilt trip from the lazy arse cat who sleeps 23.5 hours per day.}

The [alleged] doctor took one look at my bloody appendage and says: Oh, this is way too serious for us! You should go to the hospital! Do you know where it is?

WHAT???

Tip: Photograph your groovy flowers in front of a turned off t.v. Makes a great, reflective background.

So much for that Hippocratic Oath.

But, nothin' drags you back into the real world quicker than a lazy, uncaring, unfeeling, medical professional.

Shock be damned, off I went to the real ER where they stitched me back together and told me I'd be as good as new... in another 6 months.

Until then it's just me and the iPad. And, my 4-legged nurse.

Here's hoping you all had a better weekend than me. :)




Follow @Kate_HAGardens

Washington Gardener Magazine ~ November 2015 issue ~ Ornamental Alliums, Mammal Pests, Easy Landscape Fixes, Local Manure Sources, and much more.

  

The November 2015 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine is now out and posted online at: http://issuu.com/washingtongardener/docs/washingtongardenernovember15/1

This issue includes: 

~ Alliums: Starpower in the Garden

~ Dealing with Mammal Pests
~ Your Garden Tasks To-Do List
~ How to Attract Resident Birds
~ Local Garden Events Calendar
~ Meet Artist/ Plantswoman Karen Rexrode
~ Easy Landscape Fixes
~ The Scoop on Poop: Locally Sourced Manure
~ and much more...


Note that any submissions, event listings, and advertisements for the December 2015 issue are due by December 10.

Subscribe to Washington Gardener Magazine today to have the monthly publication sent to your inbox as a PDF several days before it is available online. You can use the PayPal (credit card) online order form here: http://www.washingtongardener.com/index_files/subscribe.htm

Trees and mountains

I was in a watercolor class today, with a favorite teacher, Elizabeth Ellison, in a class that's about really about learning watercolor techniques and "tools to use." 

I was so delighted to somehow produce a couple of pleasing studies, one of mountains, channeling (again) the Rockies of my childhood, not the smooth mountains of the Southern Appalachians where I live now, and feel at home, and the other, following Elizabeth's mention of a beech, turned into a remembrance of a sycamore.

mountains

tree study

Local First Friday: Meadows Farms

Guest Blog by Joelle Lang

The History Behind It:

Meadows Farms have been supplying the Washington, DC, region with plants since 1960. Farmer Bill Meadows, who founded the company 55 years ago, began by selling tomatoes in a broken-down van door-to-door with his high school students. The nursery business began when a grower asked Farmer Bill to sell his distressed plants after another nursery closed. Farmer Bill found a permanent shop, one without wheels, in which to sell the plants and the company grew from there. Farmer Bill has since retired, but his son, Jay Meadows, now serves as Meadows Farms’ president.

What’s It is Like Today:

There are 22 Meadows Farms located around DC in Maryland and Virginia. They offer outdoor trees and shrubs, annuals and perennials, mulch, soil, fertilizer, and garden accessories. The company also has an additional location that handles landscape and employs over 30 designers. Their landscape service, in which they design and install things such as plants, decks, and ponds, spans all around the beltway. While the locations vary in their hours, most locations run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and all but two nurseries close for the months of January and February.   

What Makes It Special:  

With regards to the retail division, Meadows Farms has a tremendous plant selection and still offers reasonable prices well under many other nurseries.

With regards to the landscape division, Meadows Farms has a lifetime guarantee for any plants they install. If a plant dies, Meadows Farms will cover the cost of the plant so you can purchase a new one.   

About the Author 

Joelle Lang, a senior at the University of Maryland, College Park, is a multi-platform journalism student in the Philip Merrill College of Journalism. This autumn, she is also an editorial intern for Washington Gardener Magazine.

"Local First Friday" is a weekly blog series profiling independent garden businesses in the greater Washington, DC, and Mid-Atlantic region. Washington Gardener Magazine believes strongly in supporting and sourcing from local businesses first!

ADVERTISER OF THE WEEK: DCGardens.com

What is DCGardens.com?

   • Images and videos of DC-area gardens by month, enticing people to visit year-
    round (see DCGardens.com for examples).
   • Deep local resources for turning more residents into gardeners.
   • Digital images donated by volunteers, so DC Gardens is inexpensive.
    managed and funded independently from the gardens; nimble and very useful! 

Why Gardens (and Gardening) Matter
The Washington, DC, area is blessed with fabulous gardens that are open to the public, most of them free. Sadly, many are largely unknown and lack the funds to get the word out. If people could just see what they look like throughout the year, more would visit, and that matters because:

    • Gardens bring visitors close to plants and to all of nature, which benefits them
     mentally, spiritually, and physically.
    • Visiting gardens is a gateway experience to taking up gardening at home and in
     the community.
    • Public gardens are the primary teaching facilities for turning residents into
     gardeners, with classes and workshops on growing food, providing for wildlife,
     protecting our waterways from polluting runoff, and creating beauty in our home
     gardens or balconies.
    • Turning people on to gardening results in more beauty for all of us to enjoy and
     better stewardship of our land — without nagging.

ADVERTISER OF THE WEEK Details:
Every Thursday on the Washington Gardener Magazine Facebook page, Blog, and Yahoo group list we feature a current advertiser from our monthly digital magazine. To advertise with us, contact wgardenermag@aol.com today.

Video Wednesday: UDC Urban Agricultural Symposium

A short overview of the UDC Urban Agricultural Symposium, October 2015.

Native Spotlight: Fothergilla

Guest Blog by Rachel Shaw 

I like to advocate for plants that are native to our region, by which I generally mean the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and the closer to home the better. But today I’m going to talk about one that falls outside of the Mid-Atlantic region. This is Fothergilla, a lovely shrub for all seasons. According to the USDA Plants Database, its native range is limited to a handful of states to the south of us, of which North Carolina is the closest.  Not only is this sweet little shrub not native to our immediate area, most (including mine) are probably hybrids. But I would love to see this genus replace the ubiquitous Nandina, favored by the nursery trade and many landscapers, which to my mind it is both unattractive and invasive.

Before reading a very thorough and informative article by Rick Darke on Fothergilla, I knew little about this plant except what I had seen: beautiful fall color, attractive and fragrant spring flowers, and am upright habit. From Darke’s article, I learned that it is in the witch hazel family and that there are two species, both native to the southeastern U.S.: Fothergilla gardenii,or Dwarf Fothergilla, and Fothergilla majoror Large Fothergilla. The dwarf form is a low growing coastal species, the larger form is found in more mountainous areas. In recent years the two have apparently hybridized when grown in proximity in the nursery trade, creating Fothergilla x intermedia, which now has numerous cultivars.

Fothergilla was growing close to my front door when we moved into the house. Its tallest stems are about six feet; it has never gotten much taller or spread, and has been quite well behaved. Its biggest vice is that following heavy rains, some of the exterior stems tend to droop over our walkway and need to be trimmed back. Other than that, it has required no care. The bottlebrush-like flowers are a delight in spring, the leaves are a pleasing shape, and the fall color is reliably attractive. Sometimes what I’d call a near-native, even a likely cultivar, is just too good to be overlooked!

About the author:

Rachel Shaw focuses on vegetable gardening and growing native plants in her small yard in Rockville, MD. She blogs at http://hummingbirdway.blogspot.com/

This guest blog post is part of a monthly Native Plants series posted around the 10th of each month. \