Pieris japonica Plant Profile Japanese Andromeda (Pieris japonica) is a landscape shrub that has clusters of delicate white or pink blossoms that drip from the branches in early spring and are visited by a number of pollinators such as the native Mason Bee. It is also known as the Lily-of-the-Valley Shrub. It has thick, glossy leaves that start off in shades of red that turn a deep green as they mature. This evergreen is deer-resistant and attractive in all seasons. It is native to Asia and is a member of the Ericaceae family, which includes rhododendrons. It is hardy to USDA Zones 5 to ..read more

  “We see birds, they come and eat lunch with us. It’s a cute  little circle of life.” - Grace Curl ..read more

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk all about dogwoods with George Waters, a horticulturist with the U.S. National Arboretum. The plant profile is on Loropetalum 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 Stalking My Local Nursery by Christy Page of Green Prints. If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to: ~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 144 ..read more

As you can see in the above photo, I was away last week so the Asparagus spears have gotten a bit tall. I went ahead and cut them in hopes that the tops are tender enough to still eat for dinner tonight. We had more rain this week and fierce winds. I took down the old, faded items from our bulletin board and next week I will laminate replacements as well as a new sign at our pollinator garden strip. The pathways are freshly chipped and the community garden is looking great overall! We planted the white onion sets and weeded a bit. The radish, arugula, and spinach seeds have emerged ..read more

Flowering Almond Plant Profile Dwarf Flowering Almond (Prunus glandulosa) is a multi-stemmed shrub with beautiful light pink or white flowers in early spring. It can reach 3 to 5 feet wide and high. It prefers full to part-sun and is tolerant of a range of soil types. It also does well in urban conditions. However, it cannot stand to sit in wet soil for long periods. Once established, it is quite drought-tolerant. It is a rose relative and is native to Asia. Despite the common name of “Flowering Almond,” it does not produce almonds (that is a different tree entirely). Butterflies and other po ..read more

"The single greatest lesson the garden teaches is that our relationship to the planet need not be zero-sum... as long as the sun still shines and people still can plan and plant, think and do, we can, if we bother to try, find ways to provide for ourselves without diminishing the world.” - Michael Pollan ..read more

This will be a quick note this week as I was away for most of it at the Azalea Society of America annual meeting. I did manage to get the parsley seedling planted that I has bought at the Valley View Farms garden center.  I also grabbed a few more asparagus spears to eat and weeded a little in the plot and around the front-corner pollinator garden. Fellow plot gardeners tell me we had several days of rain while I was away and fairly seasonal (cool) temps, so that is good to know. I didn't even bother arranging to have someone else come and water as I knew we had rains in the f ..read more

  Ipheion Plant Profile Ipheion (Ipheion uniflorum) is a flowering bulb that blooms in early spring. The flowers are typically pale blue, white, or pink. It is also known as Starflower, Mexican Star, Springstar, and Starlikes. It is a South American native -- where it is used as a groundcover plant.  Ipheion grows to about 10 inches high. The Latin name and classification have changed several times for Ipheion. Pollinators are crazy for it. The flowers are sweetly-scented, but the grass-like foliage smells like garlic when crushed -- which makes it deer- and rabbit-resistant. It is ..read more

“Gardens grow more than vegetables; they grow character.” ~ Philip Gulley ..read more

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with renowned lecturer and garden book author Ken Druse about making more plants*. The plant profile is on Ipheion 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 Sharing is Caring by Christy Page of Green Prints. If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to: ~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 58: Grafting Fruit Trees  ..read more