Welcome SPRING at the Philadelphia Flower Show

Sick of Winter? Me too! 

Come join us for a day-trip to a virtual Garden of Delights at the upcoming Philadelphia Flower Show!

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 theme for 2014 is “ARTiculture.”Experience the combination of art and horticulture as the 185th PHS Philadelphia Flower Show celebrates everyone from Michelangelo to Monet, Picasso to Pollock, and da Vinci to Dali. Join us for a visit to magnificent floral and garden exhibits, special programming, and new attractions like the interactive Butterfly Experience. This is not your grandmother’s Flower Show … but she’s going to love it! The Flower Show attracts non-gardeners as well as die-hard green-thumbed people of all ages. Foodies of all tastes will love the Garden to Table Studio. Participate in the Lectures and Demonstrations series, Gardener’s Studio, and new “Make & Take” workshops. First-time and returning riders will enjoy the welcoming, custom details of our coach service.

The two tours are on different days, at different times, from different locations. 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 registration form for more details

 

~ Thursday, March 6 from 8am-7pm, leaving and returning to Behnke Nurseries in Beltsville, MD - includes a lunch and is nearby to public transit - see the registration form for more details

Here are the registration form links:

- 3/5 form: http://issuu.com/washingtongardener/docs/phillyflowershowwgtour2014

- 3/6 form: http://behnkes.com/website/files/2014/PhillyFlowerShow-Behnke2014.pdf

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

If you have any trouble printing them out, please send an email to kathyjentz@gmail.com and I can send the forms directly to you.

Our coaches fill up quickly, so please act fast to reserve your spot with us!

Video Wednesday: Growing Spinach All-Year-Round

Here is an excerpt from the "Growing Greens All-Year-Round" talk by Cindy Brown of Smithsonian Gardens speaking at the Washington Gardener Magazine Seed Exchange 2013 on Saturday, February 2, 2013, at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, VA.

If you missed last year's Seed Exchange, don't fret! Cindy is back again to talk about "Growing Root Vegetables." Join us this Saturday, February 1, 2014, at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, VA! You can register on-site starting at 12noon. See event details at: http://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2013/12/seed-exchanges-2014.html

One Seed Swap Down, Own More to Go for 2014

Thanks to all who came and joined us at Brookside Gardens yesterday for our Seed Exchange! (If you missed it, remember we have a second one THIS Saturday at Green Spring Gardens! See the details below.)

I was going to write a whole wrap-up, but one of our attendees, Terersa Speight who blogs at Cottage int he Court, already wrote up a marvelous recap. You can read it here: http://t.co/1lel7phxUK

Also, many attendees shared their photos from the event on Twitter and other social media using the hashtage #SeedSwapDay. 
Here are a few shares: https://twitter.com/search?src=typd&q=%23seedswapday
Don't miss the fantastic, hand-made origami seed packs!

I put up my own album of photos from yesterday at facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine -- included in that album is a gallery of folks who made their own name badges -- many used seed packets and seed-related materials. HOw creative!
 
Next Seed Exchange details>>

~ Saturday, Feb 1, 2014 from 12:30-4pm

Washington Gardener Seed Exchange - VA/DC - MidAtlantic

Green Spring Gardens, Alexandria, VA

Washington Gardener Magazine, the publication for DC- area gardening enthusiasts, is co-hosting the seventh annual Washington Seed Exchange at Green Spring Gardens. This event includes lectures, face-to-face seed swap, and more. You bring your extra seeds to swap with other gardeners. Everyone will leave with a bag full of seeds, new garden friends and expert planting advice. Fee includes lectures, goody bag and seed swap. Register by calling 703-642-5173 or in-person starting at 12noon.
Fee: $15/person $10 for Washington Gardener subscribers and Friends of Green Spring.

For more information, contact Kathy Jentz, Washington Gardener Magazine, 301-588-6894, WGardenermag@aol.com.

Event details at: http://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2013/12/seed-exchanges-2014.html

Directions: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/greenspring/
<<

UPDATE:
Garden blogger Alison Gillespie attended last Saturday's swap and shared her recap here:
http://whereyouareplanted.com/seed-swapping-order-avoid-neonics/ 

If you have a blog recap to share of your Seed Exchange experience, please let us know!

Seed Exchange Update: Still Spaces Left, No Seeds Required!

We still have some spaces left, so you may register on-site at the Washington Gardener Magazine 2014 Seed Exchange on Saturday, January 25 12:30-4pm at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD.

On-site Registration opens at 12:00noon.
The program begins promptly at 12:30pm.

We recommend that you print out the registration form and fill it in and bring it along with a check made out to "Washington Gardener" in order to speed things up and keep the registration line moving quickly.

For the registration form and event details go here.
To read about the speaker program, go here.
To prepare your seeds and yourself for the swap, go here.

We also still have spaces left for the Seed Exchange on February 1 at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, VA. You can still mail in your registration for that, please ensure that it will arrive by January 30.

And yes, you can attend and participate, even if you have no seeds to swap. We always have plenty of extra to share with new and beginning seed starters!

Win Passes to the Washington Gardener Seed Exchanges

For our January 2014 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, Washington Gardener is giving away two passes to either of the Washington Gardener Seed Exchanges (prize value $30).

   The 9th Annual Washington Gardener Seed Exchanges, hosted by Washington Gardener Magazine, takes place on January 25, 2014 at the Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD AND on February 1, 2014 at Green Spring Gardens in Fairfax, VA. You have a choice on which side of the DC beltway you want to attend! Seed Exchange attendees trade seeds, exchange planting tips, hear expert speakers, and collect goody bags full of gardening treats. The event also includes such “green” features as the garden book and catalog swap. Everyone will leave with a bag full of seeds and gardening inspiration!  To sign up for this year's Seed Exchanges, go to this form and print it out. If you want to attend the one in MD on 1/25, there are some spots still left -- print it out and bring it with you to register onsite at 12noon. Be sure to mail it in soon if you want to attend the VA one on 2/1, space is limited!

   To enter to win a Seed Exchange Passes, send an email to WashingtonGardener@rcn.com by 5:00pm on January 23 with “Seed Swap” in the subject line and in the body of the email, please also include your full name and mailing address. The pass winners will be announced and notified on January 24.

UPDATE:

We have selected a winner at random from among the submitted entries. Congratulations, Michael Kelley of
Berwyn Heights, MD!

If you entered and did not win, we encourage you to still join us. To sign up for this year's Seed Exchanges, go to this form and print it out. If you want to attend the one in MD on 1/25, there are some spots still left -- print it out and bring it with you to register onsite at 12noon. Be sure to mail it in soon if you want to attend the VA one on 2/1 as space is limited!

Video Wednesday: Think Green at the Seed Exchange

This video was taken at our Washington Gardener Seed Exchange five years as part of the "ThinkGreen" show and it aired multiple times on Montgomery County, MD cable television.

To sign up for this year's Seed Exchanges, go to this form and print it out. If you want to attend the one in MD on 1/25, there are some spots still left -- print it out and bring it with you to register onsite at 12noon. Be sure to mail it in soon if you want to attend the VA one on 2/1, space is limited!

A BIG thank to to Phil Shapiro of self-described "public geek" of Takoma Park, MD for his assistance in ripping and uploading this file online.

12 Hot Garden Trends ~ Washington Gardener Enews ~ January 2014

The Washington Gardener Enews ~ January 2014 issue is now out. It is also posted and archived online at: http://issuu.com/washingtongardener/docs/wgenews-jan14.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

• Back Issue Sale

• 12 Hottest Garden Trends for 2014

• Garden To-Do List

• Latest Blog Links

• Local Garden Events Listings

• Magazine Excerpt: Tree Planting Commemorates Civil War Dead

• New 'Green Tiger' Squash

• Photo Contest Details - Deadline for Entry is 1/21!

• Reader Contest to Win Passes to the Washington Gardener Seed Exchanges

• Seed Exchange 2014 Details and RegistrationForm

• Philly Flower Show Trip Details and RegistrationForm

Subscribe to Washington Gardener Magazine today to have the monthly enewsletter sent to your inbox as a PDF.