In an effort to encourage people to grow their own herbs and vegetables no matter where they live, Triscuit has again this year joined Home Farming and is distributing herb seeds on its cracker boxes.

Eight million packages of Original and Reduced-Fat Triscuit crackers will include little cardboard squares  infused with basil or dill herb seeds. That's up from four million last year.

The cards can be planted directly into the ground after being soaked in water for a couple of hours. Instructions are on the side of the cracker box.

Triscuit and Urban Farming will also collaborate to create 50 community-based home farms across the U.S. Begining in Los Angeles, gardens will also be planted in Dallas, Detroit, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Tampa, among other cities.

Local residents and community groups can volunteer to maintain the farm and harvest the produce.

Note: You have to provide your own chees slices!

Posted by Susan Reimer at 12:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Vegetable gardening
        

A: How about never?  New woody plants have been fertilized in the nursery, and research shows that adding fertilizer at planting time slows root growth! (The most important thing you must do is keep them sufficiently watered for at least two years until they are established.)

More good reasons to skip fertilizer: pushing plants to grow quickly leads to weak growth susceptible to disease and drought. Weak wood breaks more easily in ice, snow or strong storms. Too lush growth is more apt to attract insects.  Perhaps most surprising--deer will choose a fertilized plant over an unfertilized one, even normally deer-resistant plants.

Bottom line: mature established plants do not need to be fertilized with artificial fertilizers.  Save your money.
 
On the other hand, composted materials are great. Also, when you mulch autumn leaves with your mower and leave them on your lawn or place them in your beds, they decompose and those nutrients feed your trees and shrubs. It’s the same as a forest revitalizing itself with its fallen leaves.

In addition, if you fertilize your lawn, some of the fertilizer reaches down to tree roots under the turf.

Q: My rhododendron has three stalks but it’s bare in the center and tall and leggy. If I cut it down to the ground, will it come back fuller?

A: Technically you can cut it almost to the ground—called a renovation pruning—and it will recover.  However, it would be a tremendous shock to the plant and it may look bad for years.

Extreme weather conditions might knock it out.  Instead, we’d recommend that you remove one trunk each year over a three year period, so that the remaining trunks can continue to carry on photosynthesis and keep the plant strong as it adjusts.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Notice that most of the crops are early spring crops. They will no doubt be replaced by summer crops in late May or June.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 1:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: White House Vegetable Garden
        

Margaret Roach is the blogger behind "A Way to Garden," one of the best and most informative garden blogs out there, and a new book about her flight from life in the New York City fast line to her garden up state.

It is called "And I Shall Have Some Peace There," and I highly recommended it. Even if you are not a gardener, you will recognize her desire to get away from it all.

Margaret talks about her book and her garden in a podcast with Horticulture magazine's Andrew Keys on "Radio Garden."

Give a listen. Those of us who have been reading Margaret for years can now hear her voice!

Posted by Susan Reimer at 11:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Garden books
        

My colleague Frank Roylance reports in The Baltimore Sun today that white nose syndrome has made its way across the Pennsylvania border and is infecting bats sleeping now in Maryland mines.

Dan Feller, a biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, told Frank that affected bats have been found in four of 10 mines in Washington County. Infected bats were found in Maryland's Allegany County last year.

The disease has been spreading west and south from New York state since about 2006, and it kills bats by interrupting their hibernation cycle. The fungus irritates the bats into wakefulness, causing them to leave their caves in seach of food, which is in short supply in winter. The bats either freeze or starve.

The origin of the fungus is unknown, as is a cure.

Bats have a bad rep, but they are a gardener's friend, devouring insects all summer long, especially mosquitos. They are great pollinators, too.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Garden news
        

Baltimore Sun photographer Kim Hairston finds signs of spring in the city.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 8:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Wordless Wednesday
        

Tip-toeing through the tulips proved to be too big a challenge, and Baltimore officials have decided to let the bulbs bloom before attempting to plant the third season of the City Hall vegetable garden this year.

It has been chilly, but the beds around War Memorial Plaza are expected to blossom soon. And when the tulips die back, volunteer members of the Master Gardeners and members of the City Department of Parks and Recreation will begin planting vegetables.

"This is likely the last year for the tulips," said Melissa Grim, acting chief of horticulture. "We decided to let them put on a good show."

It proved difficult -- physically and aesthetically -- for volunteers to plant early spring vegetables around the tulips. "It was a challenge," said Grimm.

That means there won't be as many of the greens and early peas as there have been in past years. The crops that go in -- probably in mid-May -- will be warm weather crops, such as tomatoes and peppers.

All of the food harvested from the City Hall gardens goes to Our Daily Bread, which serves hundreds of meals twice a day in the city. The fresh vegetables have been a welcome addition.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Baltimore's City Hall Garden
        

My colleague Richard Gorelick reports today that Baltimore's immensely popular Farmers' Market and Bazaar under Fallsway will open this weekend -- a month early!

Thank the asparagus, he writes. And the strawberries.

Farmers pushed for an early opening to get their cool weather crops out there for sale. By May (and the farmers' market once opened in June, if you can imagine), those crops are done.

But there will be more than spinach for sale.

Among the vendors ready for this weekend are some new folks selling vegan baked goods (Dirty Carrots), relishes, jellies, ketchups, and jams (Infused Spreads), and quail, pheasants, poussin chicken and chuckers (KCC Natural Farms).

Richard also suggests you look for Red Zebra, a mobile wood-burning pizza oven.

Yum. There is nothing like the smell of pizza in the morning!

Posted by Susan Reimer at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Garden news
        

I recognize the value of both.

Hybrid vegetable plants are more bountiful and more disease resistent.  And if it weren't for their tough hides, we might not have any in winter because they'd never survive shipping.

But I like the idea that someone out there is preserving seeds from plants that our grandparents grew.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Vegetable gardening
        

Rye Grass Basket

Text and photo by Chris McComas

Easter is just around the corner, and you still have plenty of time to sprout a basket of live grass. Use it as a traditional base for the Easter bunny to leave his treats or as an unusual fresh centerpiece. 

Start by finding an interesting basket, such as rustic grapevine or one of the children’s old reed or plastic baskets.  Line the basket with plastic cling wrap or colored cellophane.  Alternatively, you could fit it with a shallow plastic container.

Add a few inches of soil-less potting mix, filling to near the basket rim, then water gently.

Sprinkle annual rye grass seeds thickly, gently pressing them so they make good contact with the soil.  Set on a warm, bright window sill, being sure to keep the seed bed moist with daily misting. Wait about a week and voila!  A natural fresh grass basket.

Should the grass get taller than you like, simply snip it shorter with scissors.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

I tried to take the family to the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., last year -- on a week day, no less -- but we were was beaten back by the traffic.

Kathy Jentz, editor of Washington Gardener, has some alternatives for those of us needing a flower fix but who can't face the crowds.

She has a list  of several public gardens -- including the National Arboretum and Brookside Gardens -- as well as some neighborhoods to visit. And she has all the information you need to get there.

As for Kathy -- she advocates planting your own cherry tree and watching IT bloom!

Posted by Susan Reimer at 4:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Garden tours
        

I was the guest of owner Stephanie Fleming at Behnke's Nursery in Beltsville, Md., this weekend -- giving my talk on "Gardening on the Internet" during their spring open house -- and she was kind enough to give me a history lesson of the family-owned garden center.

The nursery was founded in 1930 by her grandparents, Albert and Rose Behnke, and she grew up in a little house that is still on the property.

Her mother, Sonja Behnke Festerling, was featured on the cover of the Washington Star weekend magazine as a 17-year-old beauty, watering African violets, which was one of the nursery's mainstays.

"We sent violets to every first lady from Bess Truman to Nancy Reagan, and we have all their thank-you notes," said Stephanie.

The office at the nursery is filled with pictures -- overhead shots of the nursery during different times -- and they are a vision of Beltsville in its agricultural prime.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 11:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Garden travel
        

Heliconia bihai
 
Heliconias are prized for their distinctive tropical color, making them a favorite in most exotic arrangements. The actual flowers are small and found inside "bracts," a specialized leaf that protects an inflorescence. These bracts can resemble lobster claws or in this case a beak, giving it the common name of “Firebird” or “Macaw.”

The waxy cups come in shades of red, pink, yellow, and orange, attracting many birds and insects. Besides the brilliant splash of color, they’re perfect for holding water and make a natural water fountain.

This specimen, known as the “Yellow Dancer," grows to a height of 6 to 8 feet and has large, green, banana-shaped leaves. They’re found in the rain forests of South America and the Caribbean.

Heliconias prefer light shade to full sun and a humid environment. They thrive in pots and can bring a tropical paradise to any environment.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Baltimore's Rawlings Conservatory
        

Garden Variety will be at Behnke's Nursery in Beltsville Saturday at 1 p.m. to talk about Gardening on the Internet: How to learn, plan, chat, shop and otherwise garden without getting your hands dirty."

I will be there as part of Behnke's Spring Open House. And I am free!

Valley View Farms, Cockeysville

Saturday

Growing Vegetables from Seed, 9:00 a.m.: Many vegetables can be directly seeded into gardens and containers. Valley View will discuss beans, lettuces, radishes, peas and many other crops that will do well grown from seed instead of transplants, extending the savings of growing edibles.

Herb Gardening Workshop, 11:00 a.m.: Valley View Farm's Herb Lady, Joann Weber, will discuss planning and planting an herb garden. After her discussion, join Joann in a workshop to create your own strawberry jar herb garden with some of your favorite herbs. There will be a $35 charge for the planter, soil and plants to complete the project.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 2:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Garden events
        

It is being called "Stand with Japan Walk," and it is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. (Thursday night) as a show of unity with those suffering from the earthquake and tsunami.

Walkers are asked to meet at the Sylvan Theater at 15th Street and Independence Avenue.

Donations are voluntary and will go directly to the National Cherry Blossom Festival Red Cross fund.

The Cherry Blossom Festival runs through April 10, including the traditional parade on April 9.

For a list of events and other information, visit the festival's website.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 12:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Garden events
        

First lady Michelle Obama will author a book about the White House vegetable garden, which will entered its third year of planting last week.

Just as she had the help of school children in planting and harvesting the garden on the south lawn of the White House, she will have the help of a ghostwriter for this book, to be published by Crown next spring.

The book will have recipes and stories from the first family. Mrs. Obama received no advance for writing the book and all proceeds will be donated to a charity. It will be published as a hardback, but also an Ebook and an enhanced multi-media E book.

Mrs. Obama has brought a tremendous amount of attention to children, healthy eating and obesity issues through the garden, and the produce itself has been used to feed the first family, White House guests as well as visitors to a nearby soup kitchen.

Mrs. Obama and her helpers planted this years crops in new raised beds.

Photo courtesy of Obamafoodorama

Posted by Susan Reimer at 11:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: White House Vegetable Garden
        

Q: What varieties of asparagus should I plant?  Are they attacked by stinkbugs?

A: Stinkbugs get on the ferny summer growth that comes out after the harvest time, so happily you can enjoy your spring asparagus spears stinkbug free.

Check our publication, Recommended Vegetable Cultivars for Maryland Home Gardens, available on our website or by calling us. For asparagus, we recommend Jersey Giant, Jersey King, and Jersey Knight.  These male hybrids offer high production and disease resistance.

Asparagus plants produce for 12 to 15 years, so prepare their sunny bed well, incorporating lots of compost prior to planting. Asparagus can be started by seed but most gardeners start with asparagus crowns that have roots attached.

Inspect your asparagus roots before planting for insects or disease symptoms The crowns and roots should be fleshy with visible buds.  Roots that are totally dry or black and soggy are not satisfactory.  You can begin to harvest spears the second year.  For more detail, see the asparagus profile on our Grow It Eat It website:  www.growit.umd.edu. 

Photo credit: Baltimore Sun/Algerina Perna

Q: We recently purchased a home with various trees and shrubs. Someone told me that there may be a county arborist or similar person who would come out and identify them for us, so we can properly care for them.

A: Here at the Home and Garden Information Center we identify plants over the phone or through our website. Plus, you can attach digital photos of plants, using the Send A Question feature on our website menu. This feature has proven to be vastly popular. It’s handy for sending photos of weeds, plant diseases, or insects, too.

We’re extremely familiar with diagnosing and identifying things over the phone or in emails, but if you’re anxious to deal with someone in person, take a sample of the plant, when it's leafed out, to a knowledgeable nursery or Master Gardener plant clinic for identification. You can call your local extension office for plant clinic schedules.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Photo credit: Baltimore Sun/Susan Reimer

A postscript to The Philadelphia Flower Show: 265,000 visitors attended the show, up 12 percent from last year.

“Springtime in Paris” featured highly styled French gardens, over-the-top floral displays, cutting-edge landscape designs, new plant introductions, more than 150 gardening presentations by experts from around the world, fine wines and celebrity chefs, and an illuminated Eiffel Tower, and it drew visitors from every state in the nation, according to show officials.

Popular guests included singer Patti LaBelle. After a guided tour, Ms. LaBelle declared: “I’m in wonderland.”

U.S. News & World Report, which covered the appearance of White House florist Laura Dowling, said: “The Philadelphia International Flower Show is no longer Philly's little secret. It has become a national phenomenon that is creating jobs, generating $61 million in economic impact, and is now drawing the praise and input from Washington.” AAA World recommended a visit to “the premier gardening event of its kind in the world.” CNN touted the show nationally as one of the “12 places to see beautiful blooms.”

Internationally, the China-based Epoch Times said: “This show is the nation’s premier horticultural event with acres of gardens, parks and floral displays. …This year’s show offered the casual visitor or the die-hard floral designer a flower fix extraordinaire with French flair.”

Flower Show revenues support the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s greening efforts, including the innovative City Harvest program. PHS brings together an alliance of urban farmers who grow fresh organic produce and supply a portion of their harvest to local food cupboards.

The program also provides job-readiness training to offenders in the Philadelphia Prison System. Participants in the program provide a steady supply of seedlings to the local City Harvest growers. More than 77,000 pounds of produce have been contributed to food cupboards serving more than 1,000 families each week during the growing season.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Flower Shows
        

My

Photo credit: Baltimore Sun/Kim Hairston 

My Baltimore Sun colleague Jean Marbella writes today that the ivy covered-walls in the outfield of Camden Yards are ivy-covered no more.

Some kind of soil pathogen attacked the ivy, and Nicole Sherry, head groundskeeper for the baseball yard, had to tear it all out. The wall that attractes the batter's eye will be painted "Camden green," until Sherry can get a new variety of ivy going.

Although Jean's account is delightful, I have to say, I tear ivy out of my gardens by the fistful and my neighbors battle it back off tree trunks where it can suck the life out of trees.

Baseball has its own rules for the ivy that catches a batter's eye, Jean reports. It has to be uniform in color and it can't lose its leaves in fall or have blossoms.

And it isn't allowed to be dead.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Garden news
        

Photo credit: Baltimore Sun/Susan Reimer

It is time to drag your garden pots and bird baths out of storage for the season.

But not so fast.

Your flower pots could contain fungus, molds and disease from last season. At the very least, they are dirty. Veteran gardeners advise you to take a few minutes to scrub them with a pot brush and then soak them in a solution of 10 percent bleach for 15 minutes.

Clean your bird baths as well, but rinse them well after the bleach soak so that nothing is left to harm the birds. Bird baths are a perfect breeding ground for avian diseases.

Here in the Mid-Atlantic, it will be weeks until it is safe to put out most annuals in pots, but if you are using your pots to grow lettuces or spinaches, that can happen now. Just sprinkle some seeds!

And the birds will be returning. Make sure they have plenty to eat and drink after their long flight!

Posted by Susan Reimer at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Weekend Chores
        

Baltimore Sun photographer Amy Davis "steals" pictures of magnolias in bloom.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Wordless Wednesday
        

Dieffenbachia maculata

Text and photo by Christine McComas

You can’t beat houseplants to enliven a room.  Dieffenbachia makes a big statement with its large, deep green leaves and attractive white markings.

The fleshy 10-inch leaves are borne on long stalks rising from a thick, cane-like stem.  They grow well in bright, indirect light, needing no direct sun except in the winter. Normal room temperatures above 60 degrees keep them happy, as does placing their pot on a tray of damp pebbles to increase humidity.

Actively growing dumb canes will appreciate a standard liquid fertilizer every two weeks. With time, they can grow to ceiling-scraping heights, but can easily be propagated down to a tip cutting  of six inches in spring or early summer.

Cutting just below a node, dip the cut end in rooting hormone and plant it in a soil based potting mixture, keeping it warm and well-watered.

Dieffenbachia is also known as Dumb Cane, because the poisonous sap can cause an temporary (and painful) loss of speech if it gets in the mouth.  Be sure to wash your hands after handling this plant.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 5:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Photo credit: Michael Lemmon

Callistemon citrinus
 
The crimson bottlebrush is an easily grown shrub with spectacular crimson flowers that have a distinctive “bottlebrush” shape.

At the Rawlings Conservatory in Baltimore's Druid Hill Park they can be found in the Mediterranean House and are now in full bloom. They are native to Australia and were introduced to Britain by naturalist Joseph Banks in 1789.
 
This woody plant reaches a height of 8 to 10 feet. Flowers grow from 1 to 6 inches in length and generally blooms n spring.

It does best in full sun and likes regular watering. Recommended for USDA zones 8-10. Can tolerate low temperatures but prefers a warm climate. They can be grown in pots but a greenhouse is best where freezing occurs.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 4:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Baltimore's Rawlings Conservatory
        

Photo credit: Baltimore Sun/Gene Sweeney

Valley View Farms in Cockeysville

Saturday

Perennial Gardening Calendar, 9:00 a.m.: Perennials benefit from seasonal maintenance to keep them coming back beautifully year after year. Learn proper timing for all sorts of tasks like dividing daylilies and hostas, adding organics into the garden, dead-heading various plants for continual bloom and much more. The speaker will be our own Jan Gannon.

Cool Weather Vegetables and Herbs, 11 a.m.: It's official; spring arrives tomorrow! Cold hardy and perennial vegetables can be planted now. Learn where to place plants and seeds in the garden for optimal harvest come summer. Free Herb and Vegetable Planting Guides will be available at today's seminar. Carrie Engel and Joann Weber will lead today's class.

Homestead Gardens in Davidsonville

Saturday

Tree Care with Master Arborist: Bradley Seay of Bartlett Trees, 10 a.m.

Landscaping for the Average Joe, Noon: Scott Daly, Merchandising Manager and Landscape Designer, discusses the basic necessities for any landscape.

Fairy Gardens, 2 p.m.: Learn how to create these small scale gardens

Sunday

Cool Weather Vegetables 11 a.m.

Cooking with Mediterranean Herbs, noon: Demonstration and tasting with Local Foodie and Homestead Gardens blogger, Rita Calvert.

Care of Statuary and Fountains, 2 p.m.; With Susan Betts of Campania Garden Decor.

Behnkes in Beltsville

Saturday

11 a.m. Garden Rant's Susan Harris, founder of the Lawn Reform Coalition, talks about lawn reform, with a photo history of the conversion of her lawn to a garden. She will also discuss natural lawn care, more sustainable types of turfgrasses

Posted by Susan Reimer at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Garden events
        

Q: I'm planning to purchase some bare root fruit plants (strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries). What is the best time in spring to plant them? Should I wait until the last frost?

A: The best time to plant most small fruit plants is as soon as the soil is not frozen and is workable in the spring (dry enough that it crumbles easily and doesn’t stick together).

However, wait until after the last frost for tissue-cultured strawberries and brambles i.e. blackberries and raspberries.

For more information refer to our publication, HG 68: Getting Started with Small Fruit, available on our website or by calling us.

Q: I found old-timey white sweet potatoes (not yams) for the first time ever in the store. I would like to grow plants from some of the potatoes I purchased.  I have no idea how to do this. Any information on this?

A: Grocery store potatoes are usually treated with a chemical to suppress budding, so the potatoes keep longer in the store but their “slips” won’t grow well in your vegetable garden.

In addition, they often carry disease that not only would affect a resulting plant, but could spread to the rest of your garden and be very difficult to eradicate.

The Anne Arundel County Farmers Coop is proud to sell white sweet potato (Hayman variety) slips—it’s a specialty of the county.  Their number is 410-766-8400.  Also Calvert County extension should be able to direct you to some local growers.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Photo credit: Chicago Tribune

The Wall Street Journal is writing about the role of houseplants in cleaning our increasingly polluted indoor air.

We spent about 90 percent of our time indoors, where the level of pollutants can be five times greater than outside, the Journal writes, especially as we try to conserve energy with more insulation and tighter windows.

Researchers are trying to determine which plants do the best job of cleaning our air and if plants can be bred to be better at it.

Makes you want to go out and buy a philodendron...

Posted by Susan Reimer at 3:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Houseplants
        

Baltimore Sun photographer Amy Davis tiptoes through the spring garden after the rain. 

Posted by Susan Reimer at 1:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Wordless Wednesday
        

The Art League of Ocean City is sponsoring an all-day bus trip to Longwood Gardens and the Brandywine Museum in Pennsylvania on Monday, April 11.

The bus will depart from the Superfresh parking lot on 94th Street and Coastal Highway at 8:30 a.m. The cost of the bus trip and admission to the gardens and museum is $47 for ALOC members and $57 for non-members. Call the Art League at 410-524-9433.

Reservations will be accepted on a first come, first served basis.

Garden Variety would be delighted to post your bus trips to regional gardens. Just email the information to susan.reimer@baltsun.com at least a month in advance of the trip.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Garden travel
        

Euphorbia  ‘Diamond Frost’       
Euphorbia  graminea ‘Diamond Frost’

Text by Christine McComas
Photo courtesy of Proven Winners-www.provenwinners.com

Before long we will happily bid glittering frost good-bye, but when planting your containers this year be sure to consider Euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’®.

In sun or part sun, this attractive annual covers itself in delicate, airy white flowers which hover above the greenery.   Deer, drought and heat resistant, it tends to mound and form a billowy cloud, quite beautiful in urns and containers.

It is a great low maintenance plant, neat, which needs no dead-head flower removal. If you find you need to trim it, it will grow right back. Water requirements are low to moderate.

No fertilizer is necessary.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Photo credit: Michael Lemmon

Prostanthera phylicifolia
 
The Mediterranean House at the Rawlings Conservatory and Botanic Gardens is beginning its annual display of spectacular and fragrant blooms.

One of the true gems is the Prostanthera phylicifolia or the Spiked Mint-bush, a large evergreen shrub that is now bursting with small purple flowers.

Native to Australia, this member of the Lamiaceae family grows to a height of 5 to 6 feet with a 3 to 4 foot spread. The narrow dark green foliage resembles rosemary and has a strong mint aroma.

According to the Australian aborigines, the leaves can be used as a remedy for headaches and colds. The plant does well in full sun to part shade and likes a well-drained soil. Best in USDA zones 9-10.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 2:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Baltimore's Rawlings Conservatory
        

It is the last weekend for both the Philadelphia Flower Show and the Maryland Home & Garden Show, but it is also the first weekend for the Homestead Gardens flower show.

Philadelphia closes the 8-day stand of "Springtime in Paris" on Sunday. If you didn't make it up I-95, we have a photo gallery for your viewing pleasure.

Likewise, the Maryland Home & Garden Show at the state fairgrounds in Timonium concludes its "Symphony in Spring" on Sunday, and Dennis Hockman writes about judging the best landscapes in the At Home section of The Baltimore Sun. We have a photo gallery from the show as well.

The good news is, Homestead Gardens in Davidsonville opens its two-week flower show, "Meditteranean Retreat," this weekend with lots of displays and seminars.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 2:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Flower Shows
        

Valley View Farms in Cockeysville.

Gardening for a Healthier Planet, Saturday, 9 a.m. - As gardeners, we are stewards of our environment. Today we will use a checklist provided by the University of Maryland Extension as a guide to determine the best practices to use in gardening to protect our planet and our region.

Your's truly, Garden Variety blog mistress Susan Reimer, will be speaking at 11 a.m. on Gardening on the Internet. I'll take you on a brief tour of the websites that can be a real resource for gardeners. And I am free!

U.S. Botanic Garden, Washington, DC

Saturday:

Production Facility Open House: Only once each year does the USBG invite the public to see its growing facility, the largest greenhouse complex supporting a public garden in the United States.

The site, completed in 1994, includes 85,000 square-feet under glass, divided into 34 greenhouse bays and 16 environmental zones. In addition to foliage and nursery crops, participants will see all of the USBG collection not currently on display, including orchids, medicinal plants, insectivorous plants and rare and endangered species.

Register for one of the tour times to meet the growers, ask questions and wander through this working wonderland of plants.

Tour Times: 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1 p.m. or 1:30 p.m.

Location: USBG Production Facility (directions provided after registration)

Friends: FREE; Non-members: $5

Pre-registration required, visit www.usbg.gov or call (202) 225-1116

Behnke's Nursery (for location, see description)

Saturday:

Building a Terrarium in Beltsville, 9 a.m.; Cost: Your cost will depend on the terrarium and plants you choose from our supplies. All other materials for this workshop are free.
Find out why some plants work better than others for terrariums as you build one to take home at
the end of class. Learn which plants work best together and how to care for your new micro-garden.

Create a Hypertufa Planter in Beltsville ($35); 11 a.m. Learn how to make your own planters for the garden or patio. Hypertufa planters are rustic stonelike pots or troughs made of simple materials that are relatively lightweight and easy to handle. Though you will create your planter during this class it will need time to cure. Staff will let you know when you may pick it up. All materials will be provided.

Starting from Seed in Beltsville ($20); 1 p.m. Learn the best techniques for starting your garden from seed — Which seeds should be started early in trays and which grow best when planted directly in the ground. Then you will plant some seeds to get the hang of it. You will also be sent home with a seed starting tray, soil and seeds.

Orchid Diagnostic and Repotting Clinic in Potomac; 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Host: Carol Allen
Have an orchid question — Ask Carol! Her vast knowledge of orchids comes from many years of
hands-on experience. She would love to answer your questions and, for a minimal fee, she will
expertly repot your orchid.

Sunday

Raised Gardens - Maximizing Your Space in Beltsville (Free); 1 p.m. Tired of plowing up the back yard every spring. Learn how to create easy to work in gardens especially for your vegetable crops. The soil in raised beds stays loose since you do not need to walk through it, and the plants sit a little higher making them easier to work with. Also, visit some alternative ways to create raised beds.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Garden events
        

Immerse yourself in the classic elements of the Mediterranean garden as it has been cultivated for centuries in France, Italy and Greece. Fragrant herbs are seamlessly blended with bright, brilliant flowers and accented by bubbling fountains to create a tranquil retreat that appeals to all the senses. Patios and trellises provide cool refuge from the intense sun and, when accented by vegetables and citrus in beautifully traditional pottery creates a space that becomes an extension of your home for entertaining.

There is lots to learn this weekend, too.

Saturday, 8 am-11 am: "In the Garden" with Andre Viette (Live Remote)

11 am: You Bet Your Tomatoes: Radio personality Mike McGrath discusses organic methods of gardening.

1 pm: Viette’s Top Tips for Having a Beautiful Garden with Andre Viette

Sunday, 10 am: Vitamin C: Learn about citrus plants with Homestead Gardens’ Education Coordinator Gene Sumi.

12 pm: Organic Answers to Your Gardening Questions with Radio Personality Mike McGrath

2 pm: Container Gardening: Moving beyond the patio: Kerry Kelly, annuals manager and container guru takes you off the patio and guides you to using containers in your garden.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 2:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Flower Shows
        

Q: I was told I must use something called mycorrhizae when I plant my trees.  What is it and is it necessary?

A: The ability of mycorrhizal fungi to extend the root system of plants to an astounding degree is undisputed.  These microscopic fungi are essential to most plants. Mycorrhizal fungi form a symbiotic relationship both inside and outside roots which helps to increase the root network for better access to water and nutrients.

In healthy soil, mycorrhizal fungi are already present. There are many species of these fungi and different plants require different micorrhizae. The question is whether commercial products deliver the same results as mycorrhizae in its natural environment.

Homeowners may derive the most benefit from commercial products when planting in soils which have been rendered lifeless during earth-moving and construction or whose microorganisms have been killed by heavy fertilizer and pesticide use.

However, organic amendments, such as compost, teem with microorganisms including mycorrhizae and can be incorporated into your soil to renew lifeless soils. 

Q: Our house sits close to the road and I would love to put in an evergreen hedge and fence around it. Yaupon Holly hedges look beautiful in Williamsburg. I want to sheer it to a formal look, as our home is an old style. Will that work?

A: Yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria) is not reliably hardy in Maryland. Being near the road would stress it further with road salt and pollution. Japanese holly and yews are both listed as being more salt tolerant, and they can be sheared and maintained as a formal hedge.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 1:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

The Mid-Atlantic is under stormy skies this week and while you are checking your basement for flooding, check your storm drains for clogging.

More than a half inch of rain had fallen by Thursday morning and more was expected. Flood warnings have been issued for creeks and streams.

Debris from the recent wind storms may have collected on the streets and washed into the drains, causing the kinds of serious back-ups that can flood streets and yards.

In addition, there is no reason to let that debris wash into the already-compromised Chesapeake Bay.

I installed a rain garden to catch run-off from my roof and from the yard, but it is not nearly big enough to catch the rain from this event. It is relatively clean water that is leaving the rain garden for the storm drains, but it is still plenty of water.

And the low-lying section of my street collects so much rainwater that you could stock it with trout.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 1:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Weather
        

I will be at Valley View Farms in Cockeysville, MD, Saturday at 11 a.m. to talk about all the Internet resources for gardeners.

Please join me! It is free, and, I confess, I will be soooo embarrassed of nobody shows up!

Posted by Susan Reimer at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Garden events
        

But hurry, because you only have until March 15 to apply and the plots will be assigned on a first-come, first-granted basis.

There are some forms to fill out with the application and the plots rent for $40. There will be a community work day in the garden on April 2.

I stumbled on these gardens last summer while strolling around downtown, and they were doing beautifully. Compost had been donated, a water supply opened from the closed Rec Center building and straw was donated used to mulch the gardens.

If you don't have a place for your vegetable garden, consider this one!

Posted by Susan Reimer at 2:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Vegetable gardening
        

Photo credit: Baltimore Sun/Susan Reimer

If you can't get enough of the Philadelphia Flower Show, visit Ginny Smith on her Philadelphia Inquirer blog, Kiss the Earth.

Ginny, who is a first-class reporter,  has some wonderful behind-the-scenes vignettes from the show, including one about the popularity of the bar on the show floor and the fact that the "Ask a Gardener" booth typically fields 13,000 garden questions during the show.

But Ginny also does a wonderful job of explaining one of my favorite displays at the show, Michael Bruce's "Urban Graffiti Shadow Art."

He used found objects and just plain junk, put it together so that is resembles absolutely nothing, shines a light on it and it throws a shadow on a white screen that looks like a lady with a hat and shopping bags and a poddle on a leash, or a can-can dancer or a lady in a tub. It is wild!

There is plenty more on Ginny's blog for the Flower Show Fanatic!

Posted by Susan Reimer at 2:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Flower Shows
        

Live Broadcast by Ustream.TV

Posted by Susan Reimer at 1:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Flower Shows
        

Fava bean

Vicia faba

Text by Bob Orazi
Photo by Jon Traunfeld

Want something to plant in early spring besides peas? Try fava or broad beans.

Fava bean is a cool season vegetable, germinating in 40-degree soil temperatures. Plant them as soon as you can work the soil. They grow best in the 60 to 65 degree range of early spring. If planted too late, they may fall to form pods.

In soil amended with organic matter, place seeds 1 inch deep at 4- to 6-inch intervals in rows 18 to 36 inches apart.

Being a legume with the capability of fixing atmospheric nitrogen, no fertilizer is necessary. Compost is the only nutrition they need.

Though grown primarily for the bean, the young upper leaves are also edible like spinach.  Pods begin forming when plants reach 18 to 24 inches high.  If temperatures get too hot, prune the top off to encourage pods to mature. Harvest pods when the beans inside are plump like a lima bean.

The variety Windsor works well in this area, taking only 76 days to mature.  To follow with a second crop, choose a brassica. Do not plant another legume.

Fava beans are tasty, nutritious and a good source of fiber. They have been grown in Mediterranean and Eastern countries historically and are gaining popularity in the US, as evidenced by their presence at local farmers markets. Go online for many ways to prepare and cook this versatile bean.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The Philadelphia Flower Show, which hinted that it might be moving toward a kind of edginess last year, swung back to its roots with an opulent, romantic vision of Paris at the turn of the 20th century this year: "Springtime in Paris."

The show, which runs March 6 through 13 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in downtown Philadelphia, chose as its centerpiece, of course, the Eiffel Tower.

A 37-foot tall replica of the base of the Tower provides the archway into the show, and it is surrounded by six gardens which convey a magical time in Paris history just before World War I.

The Tower is surrounded by six showcase gardens and each evokes an element of Paris during "La Belle Epogue," including a carousel, the parlor of an aristocrat's wife, a wedding at Notre Dame, an even the dark and gloomy catacombs beneath the city.

Every aspect of the show says Paris, from the tiny patisserie, the artist's cottage, the hair designs, the shop windows, and, of course, haute couture. All of it either embellished with flowers or made of floral material.

(Visit the first installment on my photo gallery of the show. on Flickr.com

Photo credit: Baltimore Sun/Susan Reimer

A couple of favorite moments for me....

It would not be a Philadelphia Flower Show without a wedding -- it wouldn't be a wedding without flowers -- and this year's wedding scene leads to, of course, a bedroom scene where marriage is what it may never be again...a bed of roses.

All the displays are romantic with a capital "R" except Underground Paris, with crypts and sewers the way you have never seen them: Skulls, broken bikes, wine bottles and spray paint cans mixed with floral material in a darkly magical way.

And finally, I love the "tablescapes" at the show each year, where floral designers attempt to evoke the show's theme over a romantic dinner.

Was that Charles Lindbergh's flower-covered plane that is about to land near the picnickers? And the floor beneath Picasso's table, where he has prepared a rough supper for one of his lovers, looks exactly like one of his paintings. And, of course, "Let them eat cake" is the theme for a more elegant repast.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 8:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Flower Shows
        

Photo credit: Baltimore Sun/Susan Reimer

We have a winner!

Dennis Hockman of Chesapeake Home magazine was kind enough to ask me along while he judged the landscape designs at the Maryland Home & Garden Show, and I am delighted to say that I liked best when he liked best!

This design by newcomer Arbor Ridge Services of Kingsville, Md., won the magazine's top honors. All sorts of other awards will be given by different judges at the show, but from the buzz around this one, it could be the surprise big winner this year.

It faces a small and delightful brook constructed on a small incline, and planted with a rich but modest selection of shrubs, perennials, bulbs and small trees. The design is the perfect size for a townhouse or a city garden.

My pictures do not do it justice, so make sure you visit this garden spot at the Maryland Home & Garden Show at the Timonium Fairgrounds.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Flower Shows
        

Oh, the places a press pass will get you.

I got an early look at the landscape designs at the Maryland Home & Garden Show at the state fairgrounds in Timonium, which opens to the public Saturday March 5 and runs the following weekend, too.

 Need tickets? I have three pairs, one each for the first three Garden Variety readers to post a comment.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 2:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Flower Shows
        

Photo credit: Reuters

Q: Your vegetable planting chart says I can start planting seeds (cabbage) in the ground starting in March. Lots of other vegetables can be planted at the end of the month. Anything I should know about planting so early when the soil is usually wet?

A: Don’t dig in soggy soil, especially soil high in clay.  It makes it set up almost like cement. One trick is to sow seeds on the wet soil and sprinkle with ¼” potting soil.  Or wait until the soil is dryer. When a ball of soil bounced in your palm crumbles easily, the soil is considered workable, i.e. ready to use.  Also, incorporating organic amendments into your garden each year will help it drain and dry sooner in the spring.

Q: A cardinal is dive bombing our house. He slams into our living room window all day long. We chase him off, but in a few minutes he's back. How can we stop this bird?  He doesn’t have a nest, he just perches in his shrub and drives us crazy!

A: It’s all about territory. He sees a bird reflected in the glass, chases the trespasser off his territory, and can’t figure out why it keeps coming back.  Cardinals are notorious for this behavior, but other birds do it, too, especially in spring when territories are being established.

Try to make your window less reflective by pulling drapes or taping a sheet of newspaper over the spot temporarily. Pruning back the branch where the bird perches may be enough to change the angle and eliminate the bird’s reflection.

A great help for bird and wildlife problems is the Wildlife/ Natural Resources hotline at 877-463-6497.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 3:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

For years, the Philadelphia Flower Show has been the unofficial first day of spring for gardeners up and down the Mid-Atlantic.

Again this year, I will be driving the two hours up Interstate 95 on Saturday, the show's media day before its official opening on Sunday, and I will be sending photos on Facebook and Twitter so Garden Variety readers can come along for the ride!

The theme for this year's show is "Springtime in Paris," and the centerpiece will be, of course, and Eiffel Tower!

The show is in its 182nd year and it generates about $61 million in tourist money for the area around the city during its 8-day run, March 6 to 13.

More than 250,000 attend and, indeed, if you don't pick the time of your visit carefully (after 4 p.m. on a weekday), it can feel like they are all there with you.

It costs the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, and its co-sponsors, about $8 million to stage the show, and the proceeds from the tickets -- about $1 million -- go to greening programs in Philadelphia.

There are 10 acres of displays inside Philadelphia's Convention Center -- plus 170 high-quality vendors.

The Flower Show is to Philadelphia what the Kentucky Derby is to Louisville -- a high profile event with a national reputation.

It can cost $20 to park near the mid-town convention center and another $25 for a ticket to get in. And you are sure to spend money at The Marketplace.

But in the gray of winter, it is worth every penny.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 1:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Flower Shows
        

Today, the Maryland Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee will hear testimony on legislation that would allow public schools to plant and maintain vegetable gardens on school grounds.

According to Democratic Jamie Raskin, who introduced the bill in the Senate, it would require county boards of education to encourage the use of open space on school property for gardens. Groups interested in planting or maintaining a garden would have to submit a plan to the superintendent.
 
School gardens are not without controversy.

School district officials in some states have expressed concern about rodents and insects or about time spent in the gardens that might be better spent in the classroom. 

Supporters of school gardens have argued that planting gardens requires tools from a variety of subject areas. In addition, they have been useful in promoting healthy eating habits and in bringing communities together.

In addition, first lady Michelle Obama has been a strong supporter of school gardens as a way to combat childhood obesity.

“While we're growing healthy and smart kids in Maryland, we can teach them to grow healthy fruits and vegetables,” said Raskin. “It's an essential part of a balanced curriculum.”
 
 
 
 

Posted by Susan Reimer at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Garden news
        

Is there a cure for the stink bugs that are plaguing Mid-Atlantic farmers and homeowners alike?

My colleague at The Sun, Mary McCauley, writes today that USDA researchers are working with a tiny "imported" wasp that lays its eggs inside the eggs of stink bugs. The wasp babies then eat their way out of the stink bug eggs, destroying the baby stink bugs in the process.

It is a fascinating story, but a happy ending is a couple of years off and farmers don't know if they can survive until then. Stink bugs, which have no native predators, are destroying crops like mad.

I wonder if we have learned any lessons about using one species to control another? I have no doubt that the imported wasps will destroy the sting bugs. But what will be needed to keep the wasps in check?

Posted by Susan Reimer at 12:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Insects
        

Leek
Allium ampeloprasum

Text by Bob Orazi

For a vegetable that deer won’t eat and few diseases or insects bother, plant leeks.

A member of the onion family, leeks are considered a gourmet vegetable for soups, casseroles and other dishes desiring a mild onion flavor. They are a long season crop, needing 120 days to reach maturity. For this reason, start them indoors in February or early March. They also can be direct seeded in early spring, but this extends their maturity date 30 days.

Leeks prefer soil with a pH of 6.0 to 6.8, rich in organic matter.  Transplant the young seedlings into a 6” deep furrow, spacing 4”to to 6” apart. Clip the fibrous root system with scissors to make handling easier.

To avoid planting the seedling too deep, use a gentle stream of water to wash soil over the root system. As the plants grow, gradually fill the furrow with soil to blanch the stem. The stem’s white portion is its edible part.

Fertilize with a starter solution at half strength at planting time. In midsummer, side dress with a complete fertilizer at one cup per 10-foot row. Harvest leeks when the white fleshy part of the stem gets about 1” in diameter.  Leeks tolerate frost and cold temperatures, so harvest can continue well into the fall. If mulched with a thick layer of chopped leaves, leeks will resume growth in the spring, extending harvest even further.

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