Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia

Rhus aromatica ‘Gro-Low’ (Fragrant Sumac)

Posted on October 30, 2020 by MGNV Webmaster

Rhus aromatica ‘Gro-Low’ (Fragrant Sumac) flower buds in February.
Photo © Elaine Mills

Rhus aromatica ‘Gro-Low’ (Fragrant Sumac) detail of female flower buds in March.
Photo © Elaine Mills

Rhus aromatica ‘Gro-Low’ (Fragrant Sumac) flowers and leaves in April.
Photo © Elaine Mills

Rhus aromatica ‘Gro-Low’ on slope in May.
Photo © Elaine Mills

Rhus aromatica ‘Gro-Low’ (Fragrant Sumac) leaf detail in May.
Photo © Elaine Mills

Rhus aromatica ‘Gro-Low’ (Fragrant Sumac) fruit detail in June.
Photo © Elaine Mills

Rhus aromatica ‘Gro-Low’ (Fragrant Sumac) in June.
Photo © Elaine Mills

Fall leaves of Rhus aromatica ‘Gro-Low’ (Fragrant Sumac).

Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic

This vigorous, ground-hugging shrub makes an excellent ground cover, suckering and filling in areas quickly. Its glossy foliage turns brilliant reds, oranges, yellows and purples in fall. At first glance, it may look like poison ivy (Rhus radicans), but Fragrant Sumac is not poisonous. It occurs more commonly in the mountains of the Mid-Atlantic Region than in the Piedmont.

More information . . .

Garden Musings: The Cardinal’s Harem

Posted on October 28, 2020 by MGNV Webmaster

These trees, where three pairs
Of cardinals
Feast on berries through the fall
Twitter today with a veritable harem,
It seems, of lady cardinals.

Front and center, on a branch with water view
Sits one lone male
Bright red, puffed with pride.
How did he get all these chicks
I wonder
Where are the other guys?

At home I check the bird book.
The good cardinal,
It turns out
Is no scarlet polygamist.
The crested congregation
Sharing his high perch
Are not his wives at all
But a flock of Cedar Waxwings
On the move.

Next day, his flock fled,
The red-robed prelate rules his tree alone.

Christa Watters

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Posted in Garden Musings

New Videos Added to the Website

Posted on October 27, 2020 by MGNV Webmaster

Public Education Classes

Best Management Practices	Sustainable Landscaping
Putting the Garden to Bed Joan McIntyre & Molly Newling	Native Plants for Winter Interest Elaine Mills

NEW! Glencarlyn Library Community Garden Educational Videos

Photo by Mary Free

Herbal Sachets with Judy Funderburk
Israeli Salad with Wendy Mills
Identifying Plants with Elaine Mills
Three Native Vines with Alyssa Ford Morel
Elaine Mills’ Horticultural Matchmaking Services

Posted in Public Education, Video

Invasive Plant Factsheet: Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia)

Posted on October 26, 2020 by MGNV Webmaster

Also known as Moneywort, this European native was introduced to the United States as an ornamental ground cover, and it is widely available in the nursery trade. Many states now list the plant as invasive as it can spread aggressively into sensitive wetlands. It is posing a threat to national parks in Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. It is listed as an invasive species in Arlington, Virginia.