Monday, March 18, 2024

Monday Thoughts: “We come and go, but the land is always here. And the people who love it and understand it are the people who own it - for a little while."

“We come and go, but the land is always here. And the people who love it and understand it are the people who own it - for a little while." ~ Willa Cather

Sunday, March 17, 2024

17+ Cherry Blossom Viewing Alternatives in the DC Region

(The 17+ Cherry Blossom Viewing Alternatives in the DC Region listing is one of our most popular and imitated annual blog posts -- we've updated it here for 2024.)

Dumbarton Oaks

It is Cherry Blossom Festival time again in Washington, DC. 

If the crowds are too much for you or you just can't get enough of those fabulous blooms 
-- here are several local alternatives to the Tidal Basin display:

#BlossomCam

The Trust for the National Mall and The National Cherry Blossom Festival hosts the #BloomCam. Go to the live feed here: https://nationalmall.org/bloomcam to view the trees along the Tidal Basin in real time as they bloom.

Petal Porch Parade

Returning this year is the Petal Porch Parade. These are homes decorated to bring the cherry blossom parade feel to your neighborhood. See more about them here and search the map of locations here.

Public Gardens

~ The National Arboretum has a splendid and more varied display and LOTS or parking. Stroll around Fern Valley and the other gardens as well while you are there. Take the Self-Guided Tour: Beyond the Tidal Basin: Introducing Other Great Flowering Cherries to explore the arboretum’s collection of over 2,000 cherry trees representing 600 different cultivars, hybrids, and species of various shapes, sizes, flower colors, and bloom times, including trees that have been created by arboretum scientists. Note: The free self-guided tour covers several miles of arboretum roads, and can be driven, biked, or walked. Pick up a brochure in the Administration Building.

~ The National Gallery of Art on the National Mall in Washington, DC, has an often-overlooked line of cherry trees on the south side of the East Building. They also have cherry blossom artwork on display and programming such as their Flowers After Hours series.

Tudor Place is a lovely place to take a stroll on your own through the spectacular Yoshino Cherry Blossoms during the full bloom. Event and entry fees may apply.

Dumbarton Oaks in Georgetown, WDC, has a marvelous orchard of cherries. There is an admission fee that goes to support the gardens and you will want to make advance reservations. Parking is also a bear in that neighborhood -- I recommend you walk or take the bus. 

Hillwood Estate in NW DC is pleased to celebrate the National Cherry Blossom Festival with short guided tours of Mrs. Post’s Japanese-style garden. Docents will be available to answer questions between the tours. The suggested entry donation to Hillwood is $12 per adult.

Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD, also has beautiful cherry blossom trees and many other flowering trees like plum, apricot, magnolias, and quince in bloom right now, and you don’t have to fight the crowds to see them. The gardens are also full of flowering bulbs like hyacinths, tulips, and hillsides of daffodils.

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, VA, has over 100 cherry trees surrounding a lovely lake that you can stroll around. Admission to the gardens is a mere $5

Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens in Richmond, VA, has a ring of Yoshino cherry trees around their lake and Okame cherry blooms throughout the gardens. There is an entry fee of $10 to visit the gardens.

~  River Farm in Alexandria, VA, is a historic 25-acre site on the banks of the Potomac River. River Farm was once part of George Washington’s original five farms, and currently the headquarters of the American Horticultural Society. The grounds offer spectacular river views, a wildlife garden, and delightful children’s areas. 

Green Spring Gardens near Annandale, VA, has several flowering cherry trees in its collection. There is also a wonderful witch hazel collection there.

Neighborhoods and Other Less-visited Spots

~ The Bethesda, MD, neighborhood of Kenwood for their stunning display. Park and walk in for an immersion in cherry tree lined streets.

~ Sarah Lawler suggests The Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism During World War II is a beautiful spot to see cherry blossoms. It is located near Union Station at the intersection of Louisiana Ave., New Jersey Ave. and D Street, NW, WDC. And across the street is a grove on the U.S. Capitol grounds.

~ Foxhall and Reservoir Rds, NW. Washington, DC. The Foxhall Village neighborhood near Georgetown has cherry blossom-lined streets that are known as the best-kept secret among locals.

~ Brenda Lynn shared she always bikes from Arlington, VA, in order to avoid having to park to take metro. It's a beautiful ride, and one could also bike along the GW parkway in VA to view all the blooms along the Potomac River

Oxon Run Park at 1200 Mississippi Ave SE, Washington, DC, has fairly new cherry tree plants and a lot of space to spread out and fly a kite.

National Harbor hosts a Sakura Sunday celebration. See: https://www.nationalharbor.com/events/annual-events/cherry-blossom-festival/

Anacostia Park at 900 Anacostia Drive, SE. Washington, DC. Cherry trees bloom along the Anacostia River at the 1,200-acre park that is one of Washington, DC's largest recreation areas.

~ An anonymous post to my blog, tipped me off that there are several blocks of cherry blossom trees creating an arch above the streets of Garrett Park Estates in Kensington, MD. "Take Strathmore Road near Holy Cross Church, turn onto Flanders and then I think it’s Waycross. The trees span several streets, are lovely, and totally free of crowds!"

~ Adam Bailey let me know that “Stanton Park and Lincoln Park on the Hill — and the Capitol Hill neighborhoods in general — have a good display of blossoms, too.”

~ "Scott Circle, at Massachusetts & 16th, also has some great cherry blossoms," reports John Boggan. 

~ Katie said, "There's a neighborhood off Query Mill in North Potomac, MD, that has streets lined with cherry trees. Not as fantastic as Kenwood, but if you're in the upper Montgomery County, it may be more accessible. Streets include Moran and Bonnie Dale. It blooms a few days later than Kenwood."

~ Casey Trees has an interactive map to find blooming street trees near your location. To try it out, go here: https://caseytrees.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=9e4a0784d72a48a19dc1fdbc9138e2c8

Grow Your Own!

 Ever since getting my weeping ‘Higan’ cherry, I feel no need to rush downtown. I keep a daily watch on my baby tree and celebrate loudly when the buds finally burst open. I highly recommend it. 
   Here is a video we created about growing ornamental cherry trees locally: 
   In addition, in the very first issue of Washington Gardener Magazine, we did a PlantProfile column on the selection and cultivation of cherry trees for our area. 

Got other DC-area Cherry Tree viewing locations? Please share them in the comments below.

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Saturday, March 16, 2024

GardenDC Podcast Episode 186: Planning Your Vegetable Garden


In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with Resh Gala about planning your vegetable garden. The plant profile is on Oxalis and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events and this week's garden tasks in the What's New segment. We close out with the Last Word on My Failing Peach Tree by Christy Page of Green Prints.

If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:

GardenDC Podcast Episode 124: Raised Bed Gardening

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/10/gardendc-podcast-episode-124-raised-bed.html

GardenDC Podcast Episode 68: Summer Vegetables

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/07/gardendc-podcast-episode-68-summer.html


BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month! 

SHOW NOTES will be posted around 3-19-2024.

We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/message Note that we may use these messages on a future episode.

And be sure to leave us a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform plus share us on social media with #GardenDC, so other gardeners can find us too!

Episode Credits:
Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz
Interview Edit and Show Notes: Hannah Zozobrado

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Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Amur Adonis Plant Profile

Amur Adonis Plant Profile

Amur Adonis (Adonis amurensis) is an early season ephemeral plant that appears and disappears in the late-winter garden in a matter of weeks. The plant’s foliage is lacy and ferny.

It is native to China along the Amur River and in other parts of Asia as well as eastern Siberia. Even though it is quite small, it still packs a punch with its bright-yellow flowers in the bleak winter landscape like its cousin in the Ranunculus family Winter Aconite.

It is hardy to USDA zones 4 to 7. It prefers to grow in full- to part-sun and likes fertile, well-drained soils.

It is pollinated by bees, flies, and beetles. It is deer-resistant.

There is an invasive look-a-like: Lesser Celandine (Ficaria verna). However, that plant blooms later in the season and does not have the ferny foliage that Amur Adonis does.

Amur Adonis is a popular rock garden plant and several cultivars have been bred in Japan.

Amur Adonis: You Can Grow That!

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Audio, Photos, and Text by Kathy Jentz

Editing by Cassie Peo

Videos by Cassie Peo, Kathy Jentz, and Jonathan Gazarek

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Saturday, March 09, 2024

GardenDC Podcast Episode 185: Birdscaping


In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with Tim Mack about birdscaping. The plant profile is on Wind Anemone and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events and this week's garden tasks in the What's New segment. We close out with the Last Word on Garden Escape by Christy Page of Green Prints.

If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:

GardenDC Podcast Episode 174: Wildscaping

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/11/gardendc-podcast-episode-174-wildscaping.html

GardenDC Podcast Episode 36: Gardening for Wildlife

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/11/gardendc-podcast-episode-36-gardening.html

This episode is archived at: 

BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month! 

SHOW NOTES: 0:54 Get to know Tim Mack, founder of Birdscaping Industries Inc. 3:22 How Tim got the idea for a birdscaping company 4:50 Tim defines “birdscaping” 5:49 “Why should we support birds?” host Kathy Jentz asks Tim 6:00 “...they just bring so much joy to the environment, so they're just super-important and plus they're really good on pest control too” – Tim 8:29 Tim’s talks about his favorite bird 9:03 “Are there any birds from your childhood or in your region that you’re no longer seeing anymore?” – Kathy asks Tim 10:10 Kathy and Tim talk about identifying birds 12:05 How can we support birds in our landscape? 13:47 Tim says to use organic materials like twigs, straw, or milkweed fibers for nested materials rather than indoor materials like dryer lint 16:16 Using nests to identify the bird 17:56 “Any tips for placing that birdhouse in your landscape to attract birds so they'll actually use it?” – Kathy asks Tim 21:08 Providing water sources for the birds 21:42 Tim advises to change the water every other day, with rain water if possible 25:17 Tim talks about feeding the birds and setting up a bird feeder 29:31 “Don't feel guilty putting the feeder up. They’re not going to…depend on you. They didn't evolve with the feeder…” – Tim 32:14 What can we grow as gardeners to support birds? 33:29 Tim’s favorites are black elderberry, high and lowbush blueberry, river birches, and the red, gray, and silver twig dogwoods. 36:10 “Some home gardeners, they want each little plant to have its own separate world with a bed of mulch around it, and that's not going to be as supportive for the wildlife” – Kathy 36:44 Seed-producing native plants 39:24 “Are there any plants that you would advise against growing for a birdscaping backyard?” – Kathy asks Tim 42:35 The fun in gardening 44:11 You can reach out to Tim via email at tim@birdscapingindustries.com and through his website birdscapingindustries.com 44:45 Tim’s last thoughts on birds and gardens 46:43 Plant Profile: Wind Anemone 48:05 What’s new in the garden this week? Saucer Magnolia and Dutch Hyacinth Bulbs 49:31 Register for Potomac Rose Society’s virtual talk on Sun. March 17 at 2PM 49:58 Learn more about Silver Spring Garden Club’s free event Knockout Natives on Mon. March 18 at Brookside Gardens 50:35 Learn more about Takoma Horticultural Club’s free event Gardening with Rocks on Wed. March 20 7:30-9PM 51:26 Kathy Jentz’s book “The Urban Garden” 52:26 Kathy Jentz’s book “Groundcover Revolution” 53:47 Christy Page reading Laurel Radomski’s “Garden Escape, A Week in the Greenery Wonder” 58:08 How to support the GardenDC Podcast

We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/message Note that we may use these messages on a future episode.

And be sure to leave us a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform plus share us on social media with #GardenDC, so other gardeners can find us too!

Episode Credits:
Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz
Interview Edit and Show Notes: Hannah Zozobrado

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