Video Wednesday: MANTS Report

Garden writer pal, Doug Oster of the Digging with Doug blog and the Pittsburgh Gazette newspaper, explores the Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show (MANTS) in Baltimore, MD. This gives you a good overview of the show, but it is so vast that he could only share a bit of what you would see there. It is a trade-only event that tales place each winter for the garden centers, designers, and landscapers to see what is new, shop for their customers, place retail orders, and to network.

Washington Gardener Magazine Book Club - Winter 2014 Selection

For our first 2014 selection of the Washington Gardener Magazine Book Club, we will be reading: Flower Confidential: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful in the Business of Flowers by Amy Stewart.

I have reserving a meeting room at the Takoma Park* DC Neighborhood Library in the downstairs meeting room on Thursday, February 13 from 6:00-7:30pm. 

The room allows food and drink and you may bring your dinner and/or snacks to share.

The book club meetings are FREE and open to anyone who would like to attend.

Please RSVP to "WG Book Club" at WashingtonGardener@rcn.com. I will be limiting attendance to 20. If you need to cancel, let me know ASAP so we can give your spot to someone else, should we have a wait-list. 

From AmyStewart.com, here is a bit about the book selection:

Does it matter that a bouquet of roses travels halfway around the world before it arrives at your supermarket or florist? Or that growers force tulips to bloom in December? Are we being tricked when a scientist engineers a lily that doesn't shed pollen?

For over a century, hybridizers, geneticists, farmers, and florists around the world have worked to invent, manufacture, and sell flowers that are bigger, brighter, and sturdier than anything nature could provide. Almost any flower, in any color, is for sale at any time of the year.

Amy Stewart travels the globe to take us inside this dazzling world. She tracks down scientists intent on developing the first genetically modified blue rose; an eccentric horticultural legend who created the world's most popular lily (the 'Star Gazer'); a breeder of gerberas of every color imaginable; and an Ecuadorian farmer growing exquisite, high-end organic roses that are the floral equivalent of a Tiffany diamond. She sees firsthand how flowers are grown and harvested on farms in Latin America, California, and Holland. (It isn't always pretty.)

What has been gained-and what has been lost-in tinkering with Mother Nature? Should we care that roses have lost their scent? Or that most flowers are sprayed with pesticides? In a global marketplace, is there such a thing as a socially responsible flower? At every turn, Stewart discovers a fascinating intersection of nature and technology, of sentiment and commerce.

You'll never look at a cut flower the same way again.

In case you like to read ahead, the other book club selections for 2014 are:

~ American Green: The Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Lawn by Ted Steinberg

~ Into the Garden with Charles by Clyde PhillipWachsberger
~ The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert

I will announce the date for the next book club meetings after each previous meeting. We will meet roughly once each quarter.

*Note that there is also a Takoma Park, MD town library. This meeting will take place at the library in Takoma, DC at 416 Cedar Street, NW, WDC. It is just a couple blocks from the Takoma metro station and is near several bus lines. Street parking is available.

UPDATE:
Anyone considering joining us to discuss "Flower Confidential" this Thursday evening at the Takoma DC library - there is a storm watch for Thursday, we MAY have to reschedule our Garden Book Club to a new meeting date and/or location. Check this post on Thursday around Noon for an update.

Seed Exchange 2014 Speakers Announced

Here are the speakers for the upcoming Washington Gardener Seed Exchanges 2014. Seed Exchange attendees trade seeds, exchange planting tips, hear expert speakers, and collect goody bags full of gardening treats. For more information on the exchanges and how to register, go here.

Saturday, January 25 at Brookside Gardens, MD

“Year-Round Bounty for the Home Gardener”

Crisp winter salads, rainbow carrots, fresh kimchee, and sweet braised greens are just a few of the fresh from the garden delights awaiting food gardeners in the southeast in winter. Covers practical information for planning, planting, and producing a garden all year where summer heat is more of an issue than winter lows. Learn techniques for using shade in summer, starting fall seedlings in the "dog days of summer" as well as planning and planting enough in our fall garden for harvesting until spring. Ira Wallace, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (VA)
Speaker: Ira Wallace, author of The Timber Press Guide to Vegetable Gardening in the Southeast, is a Central Virginia Master Gardener and a worker/owner of the cooperatively managed Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. Ira serves on the boards of Organic Seed Alliance, Virginia Association for Biological Farming(VABF)  and  the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association(OSGATA) , the lead plaintiffs in OSGATA ET AL v Montsanto. Ira was one of nine cooperators with the Southern SARE-sponsored Saving Our Seeds Project.  She co-organizes the Heritage Harvest Festival at Monticello and speaks throughout the southeast.  She blogs at www.Motherearthnews.com  and www.southernexposure.com

AND

“Mighty Microgreens”

Not simply a garnish, microgreens are highly nutritious and fun to grow.  Learn why gourmet chefs and nutritionists alike love these tiny and beautiful greens.  Participants will learn how to grow microgreens and how to use them in the kitchen.  Anyone can be successful with microgreens, from a child with a little handful of seeds to a city dweller with merely a windowsill.
Speaker: Wendy Kiang-Spray is a speaker and freelance writer whose articles about gardening and food have appeared in local and national publications.  She loves to write about growing and cooking the vegetables of other countries.  By day, she is a high school counselor and in her free time, she volunteers as a DC Master Gardener and blogs about family and garden at www.greenishthumb.net.  Learn about her garden happenings and food projects by following her on Facebook.  

Also, at the 1/25 Seed Exchange during the break period will be Pam Rowe from the Montgomery County Watershed Management Division Rainscapes Rewards Rebate program.  The RainScapes Rewards Rebate Program offers financial incentives in the form of rebates to property owners who install RainScapes techniques.

Saturday, February 1 at Green Spring Gardens, VA:

"Growing Underground – How  to Grow Root Crops"

Find out how to collect seeds, direct sow, and grow various root crops through-out the year in the Mid-Atlantic. From carrots to beets, an up-close view of our underground edibles.

Speaker: Cindy Brown, Smithsonian Gardens

AND 

“Cool Season Cover Crops”

Where to source cover crop seeds, when/why to use them, and what varieties do best here in the Mid-Atlantic.

 Speaker: Elizabeth Olson, Prince George's County Master Gardener and "EdibleHarvest" columnist for Washington Gardener Magazine 

We hope to see you at one or both of the upcoming Washington Gardener Seed Exchanges. Please send in your registration today as space is limited and spots fill fast. Print out the details and registration form here.

Video Wednesday: Philadelphia Flower Show 2014 ARTiculture

Experience the combination of art and horticulture as the 184th PHS Philadelphia Flower Show celebrates everyone from Michelangelo to Monet, Picasso to Pollock, and da Vinci to Dali.

Washington Gardener Magazine has two tours this year going up to the Philadelphia Flower Show. The Philadelphia Flower Show is the oldest and largest indoor flower show in the world. The show video above says it all. the Philly Flower Show is fabulous and fantastic way to greet spring. This is not your grandmother’s Flower Show … but she’s going to love it too! The Flower Show attracts non-gardeners as well as die-hard green-thumbed people of all ages. Participate in the Lectures and Demonstrations series, Gardener’s Studio, and All-Star Culinary Presentations. First-time and returning riders will enjoy the personalized and welcoming details of our coach service.

The two tours are on different days and from different locations, so make sure you are signing up for the one that fits you best! 

Here are the details:

~ Wednesday, March 5 from 10am-10pm, leaving and returning to downtown Silver Spring, MD - includes a lunch and is nearby to public transit - see the 3/5 registration form for more details

~ Thursday, March 6 from 10am-10pm, leaving and returning to Behnke Nurseries in Beltsville, MD - includes a lunch and free parking at the nursery - see the 3/6 registration form for more details

(Note: The forms are for printing and mailing along with your payment. They are not interactive online forms.)

UPDATE:

Looks like they took down the original video a couple days ago and  re-posted with a better version - here it is: http://youtu.be/FhUMnflemDA.

Seed Exchange Sponsors Sought

Seed Exchange swag has been coming in my door. (And my living room becomes a bigger mess than normal!) 

I've been tweeting out photos and links to the sponsors as new items arrive. You can follow me @WDCGardener to see what wonderful garden goodies await our Seed Exchange attendees and drool along with the other seed-heads. Most items are inserted into the bags each attendee receives as they check-in and the larger items are reserved for door prizes.

Here are just a few of the items that have come in so far:

~ Homemade Soaps by Diane -- soaps made from Jewelweed said to be great for Poison Ivy

~ D. Landreth Seeds - heirloom seed varieties from America's oldest seedhouse

~ Herbanatur -- a natural herbicide that is a safe for pets and phosphorous-free

If YOU would like to donate items for the Washington Gardener Seed Exchanges, please contact wgardenermag (at) aol (dot) com. The deadline for sponsorships is January 22.

For full Seed Exchange information and registration see the post here.

   We also welcome sponsors for the annual Garden Photo Contest prizes. Our winning entrants welcome getting prize items both garden-related and of interest to avid photographers. To be a contest prize sponsor, email DCGardenPhotos (at) aol (dot) com by January 28.

UPDATE:

Thanks to American Meadows for contributing thousands of seed packs and to
Authentic Haven Brand Natural Brew for donating packs of premium soil conditioner for our swap!

Washington Gardener Magazine PHOTO CONTEST Kicks Off!

The 8th Annual Washington Gardener Magazine Photo Contest kicks off now! Time to start sorting and picking out your best 2013 garden shots. The entry period is January 1-21, 2014.

Note that eligible entries must have been taken in the 2013 calendar year in a garden setting within 150-mile radius of Washington, DC.

We have four major entry categories:

~ Garden Views (landscape scenes)

~ Garden Vignettes (groupings of plants in beds or containers, unusual color or texture combinations, garden focal points, and still scenes)

~ Small Wonders (flower or plant part close-ups)

~ Garden Creatures (any living creature in a garden setting)

Remember that garden photos need not all be taken during the first week of May nor should they all be tight close-ups of a red rose. Look for the unusual and for beauty in the off-season too. Our judges give equal weight to the following criteria when evaluating the entries: technical merit, composition, impact, and creativity.

Anyone can enter: professional or amateur, adult or student, local area gardener or visiting DC tourist. Past winners have included teenagers entering their first-ever photo contest and home gardeners trying out their new digital cameras. Our next Grand Prize Winner could be YOU!

See this PDF for full contest details:

http://issuu.com/washingtongardener/docs/wgphotocontestrules_1129d3b0fb35bd

Video Wednesday: Time-Lapse of a Year in the Washington Youth Garden

Every day from March- December at 4pm a time-lapse camera mounted to the deer fence at the Washington Youth Garden took a single picture. Here are the results.

See more about the Washington Youth Garden in a recent guest blog by Anna Benfield posted here.