Category Archives: MG in the Garden

SHRUB: Clethra alnifolia (Sweet Pepperbush, Summersweet)

Posted on July 28, 2017 by

Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic Summer sweet and spicy is the pleasant fragrance of this pollinator magnate. This tall shrub, common in the Coastal Plain of the Mid-Atlantic Region, naturalizes readily in shady, damp places as well as coastal landscapes. Though … Continue reading →

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PERENNIAL: Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed)

Posted on July 21, 2017 by

Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic Butterfly Weed is one of the showiest native* wildflowers. Summer waves of orange blossoms brighten open fields, woods, and waysides. Later, spindle-shaped seed pods pierce the air in shades of green, yellow, brown. When pods split … Continue reading →

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Regional Gardens: Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens

Posted on July 15, 2017 by

By Elaine Mills, Certified Master Gardener Photos by Elaine Mills, Bob Kline & Jennifer Kline Summer is the perfect time to visit Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens, the only national park dedicated especially to aquatic plants.  The site, located in … Continue reading →

Posted in MG in the Garden, Regional Gardens

SHRUB: Itea virginica (Virginia Sweetspire)

Posted on July 14, 2017 by

Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic Fragrant, showy four-inch spires of white blossoms fall from arching stems in late spring. In autumn, the leaves of Virginia Sweetspire turn a vibrant red to orange. This native* favorite has graceful open growth habit and … Continue reading →

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GROUND COVER: Opuntia humifusa (Eastern Prickly Pear)

Posted on July 7, 2017 by

Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus (formerly O. compressa) is unique. Its natural habitat is in scattered pockets from Ontario, Canada, to Florida and Louisiana, rather than the Southwest. Though infrequent throughout Virginia,* it is native to Fairfax … Continue reading →

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June 2017 in the Organic Vegetable Garden

Posted on June 30, 2017 by

Potomac Overlook Regional Park, Arlington, VA By Nancy Dowling, Certified Master Gardener Walking into the Organic Vegetable Garden (OVG) in early June after having been gone for nearly a month, I was amazed by the changes that had taken place … Continue reading →

Posted in MG in the Garden

TREE: Chionanthus virginicus (White Fringetree)

Posted on June 30, 2017 by

An appealing addition to the landscape, this native is rare in Pennsylvania and historical in Delaware’s Piedmont, but frequent to common elsewhere in the Mid-Atlantic Region. The Virginia Native Plant Society named White Fringetree as Wildflower of the Year in 1997. Be aware though, it also appeals to deer! Continue reading →

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Lessons from the Garden

Posted on June 29, 2017 by

by Judy Funderburk, Certified Master Gardener Judy Funderburk, Emeritus Coordinator of the Glencarlyn Library Community Garden,  shared her wisdom at the MGNV Membership Meeting, on June 21, 2017. For those who could not attend and those who want to ponder … Continue reading →

Posted in Glencarlyn, MG in the Garden

Sunny Garden Leaves No Stones Unturned

Posted on June 26, 2017 by

by Joe Kelly, Certified Master Gardener Although we’ll never stop adding new plants and moving others, the Sunny Garden’s multi-year renovation is finally coming to a close. Right now, the late-spring bloom peak has brought a burst of colors, thanks … Continue reading →

Posted in MG in the Garden, Sunny Garden

PERENNIAL: Baptisia australis, Blue Wild Indigo

Posted on June 23, 2017 by

Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic Baptisia is a bold plant that in early spring produces multiple stems of beautiful gray-green foliage.  By mid-spring the foliage is topped by 1- to 2-foot flowering spikes that are a magnificent blue … Continue reading →

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