Washington Gardener Magazine is the award-winning publication for Mid-Atlantic USA gardeners by local gardeners.
“While technology and industry have their perks, they can lead to a disconnection with our food, with nature, and with the seasons that makes us think time is marked by a watch or a phone. When really, the place time counts most is outside, under the sky, where the garden grows.”
~ Nicole Burke
In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with Peggy Anne Montgomery with Garden Media Group, all about the Ranunculus family. The plant profile is on Fleabane and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events in the What's New segment. We close out with the Last Word on the Robins Reign of Spring from Christy Page of Green Prints.
If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 127: Unusual and Specialty Bulbs
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/11/gardendc-podcast-episode-127-unusual.html
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 43: Galanthus
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/01/gardendc-podcast-episode-43-galanthus.html
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 56: Next Level Containers
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/04/gardendc-podcast-episode-56-next-level.html
See how at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/support.
Visit https://shop.kathyjentz.com/ to browse our new online store!
This episode is archived at: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/episodes/Whats-Up--Buttercups-e30h2sg
This past week has been up and down as far as the weather goes -- some wind, some rain, some heat and sun, then back to typical March temperatures again.
I did cut off the dead foliage from the Asparagus, but didn't get a chance to prune the Thornless Blackberries yet..
A neighbor came by and dug a good-sized section of Garlic Chives and Yarrow from the back section of the plot for her new herb garden. I warned her about their tendenies to spread and she will let them fight it out in a bed with mint and other aggressive growers.
I did a little weeding, but need to do a lot more to stay ahead of the chickweed and henbit! I see it taking over several open plots that are awaiting their newly assigned gardeners.
Fresh wood chips were delivered, so those will be next on our list to spread on the pathways that have gotten a bit bald around our plot.
What are you growing in your edible garden this week?
About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house in zone 7 Mid-Atlantic MD/DC border. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 13th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above (at
The March 2025 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine is out.
It is posted and archived online at:
Inside this 20th anniversary issue:
·
Persian Buttercup
·
Catching Up with Past Profile Subjects
·
Orchids: Masters of Deception
·
Designing Resilient Landscapes
·
Celebrate Tulip Time
·
Better Ways of Removing Ubiquitous Honeysuckle
·
How Gardening Changed My Life
·
New and Improved Fire Ants?!
·
Red-winged Blackbirds
·
Early-spring Native Plants
and much more…
Note that any submissions, event listings, and advertisements for the April 2025 issue are due by April 5.
>> Subscribe to
Washington Gardener Magazine today to have the monthly publication
sent to your inbox as a PDF several days before it is available online. You can
use the PayPal (credit card) online order form here: https://www.washingtongardener.com/index_files/subscribe.htm
Persian buttercup (Ranunculus
hybrid) are beautiful cool-season flowers. The blooms look like a small peony
or rose (without the thorns). The Persian Buttercup was crowned 2025’s Bulb of
the Year. They come in a wide range of colors from pastel pinks and peaches to
deep reds and purples.
Persian buttercups make a great cut-flower and are very
attractive in mixed bouquets.
Ranunculus are cold-hardy in USDA zones 8 to 11 and grown as
annuals in colder zones.
You can purchases Ranunculus tubers In late fall or early
spring. Store them in a cool place (around 50 degrees) until you are ready to
plant them.
Plant them in well-drained soil in full sun.
To give them a bit of head start, soak the tubers in water
for 3 hours and then pot them up in containers about 6 weeks before you plan to put them outside with other cool
season annuals such as primroses, violas, and snapdragons.
Give them a bit of liquid fertilizer and keep them deadheaded
for continual blooming.
Ranunculus: You Can Grow That!
The video was produced
by Washington Gardener Magazine.
Audio, Photos, and Text by Kathy Jentz
Video and Editing by Madison Korman
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If you liked this video, we think you will like these other Plant Profiles:
~ Hardy Cyclamen Plant Profile
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/03/hardy-cyclamen-plant-profile.html
~ Colchicum Plant Profile
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/10/colchicum-plant-profile.html
~ Amur Adonis Plant Profile
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/03/amur-adonis-plant-profile.html
“Spring is coming with a strawberry in the mouth.”
~ Elana Lopez
In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with Jeff Beneke, author of Fences for Home and Garden: A Complete Guide to Selecting and Installing Wood, Masonry, Metal, and Living Fences*, all about fencing your garden. The plant profile is on Persian Buttercups and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events in the What's New segment. We close out with the Last Word on Creating Multi-fruit Lemon Trees from Christy Page of Green Prints.
Note that this is a Special AD-FREE Podcasthon episode of our podcast and we urge listeners to donate as they are able to the World Central Kitchen.
If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 177: New Plants and Products
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/01/gardendc-podcast-episode-177-new-plants.html
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 124: Raised Bed Gardening
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/10/gardendc-podcast-episode-124-raised-bed.html
See how at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/support.
Visit https://shop.kathyjentz.com/ to browse our new online store!
This episode is archived at: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/episodes/Good-Garden-Fences----A-Special-Podcasthon-Edition-e306fb0
Since our last post (December 2024) about the garden plot we maintain at the Fenton Street Community Garden, we have not been back to the plot. This winter was a real booger - cold, nasty, and just windy as all get out.
So, when we visited yesterday, I was pleasantly surprised to see the Garlic is up and things are looking "okay." The brassicas we left in the ground and under cover cloths are all dead, except for one of the Brussels Sprouts. The Calendula that have over-wintered well the last several years are all gone - basically dust. The Garlic Chives, Yarrow, and Chickweed are already roaring back.
We are starting off the new growing season a bit later than we did the last few years -- nevertheless, we have high hopes!
This week, I'll need to prune out the old/dead cames from the thornless Blackberry bushes and I'll cut off the dead foliage from the Asparagus.
Next week, I plan to plant some more cool-season crops and get a start on the weeding.
About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house in zone 7 Mid-Atlantic MD/DC border. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 13th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above (at the top, left on this blog)
Hardy Cyclamen are flowering perennials that typically bloom from fall to spring. The blooms range in color from white, pink, magenta, red, or lavender. They are members of the primrose family. Cyclamen are native to Europe and the Mediterranean, where they typically grow on rocky slopes. Hardy cylcamen species can grow in USDA zones 4 to 9.The garden-hardy species include Cyclamen hederifolium, Cyclamen cilicium, and Cyclamen coum. They prefer to grow among the root zones of trees or shrubs and because they are often small in size, should be placed on the edges of pathways or on shaded slopes so you can see and enjoy them. Their leaves are heart- or kidney-shaped with marbled variegations. Many collect them just for the attractive foliage. Cyclamen go dormant in the summer. The plants grow from a round tuber and should be placed in soil with good drainage so they don’t rot. It is especially important that they stay relatively dry during the summer months. Common names for hardy cyclamen include Alpine Violet and Persian Violet, though they are neither a violet nor from Persia. Another common name for them is Sowbread. because, pigs like to dig up and eat the tubers. Interestingly, hardy cyclamen are considered deer-resistant. Hardy Cyclamen are bee-pollinated and can be propagated by division or freshly collected seeds. Hardy Cyclamen: You Can Grow That! The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine. Audio, Video, Photos, and Text by Kathy Jentz Editing by Madison Korman ➤ If you enjoy this video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our Youtube channel (thank you!) ➤Remember to TURN ON notifications to know when our new videos are out ➤ FIND Washington Gardener Magazine ONLINE ~ WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com ~ http://twitter.com/WDCGardener ~ https://www.instagram.com/wdcgardener/ ~ Facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine ~ Podcast: GardenDC If you liked this video, we think you will like these other Plant Profiles: ~ Florist's Cyclamen Plant Profile https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/03/florists-cyclamen-plant-profile.html ~ Colchicum Plant Profile https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/10/colchicum-plant-profile.html ~ Amur Adonis Plant Profile https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/03/amur-adonis-plant-profile.html
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The holiday season is here and I bet you have a gardener on your gift list, so we've updated our annual a Holiday Gifts for Gardener...
