Great Day Trip: River Farm and Mount Vernon
For out-of-town visitors or just for yourself, a fabulous day trip from anywhere in the DC area is River Farm, headquarters of the American Horticultural Society and former home of George Washington...
View ArticleThe First New-Garden Report!
I moved from Takoma Park to Old Greenbelt almost five months ago and though my house and back yard are still messy, dirty construction sites, I finally have something to show off – the front* garden....
View ArticleMiri’s Butterfly and Hummingbird Tips
Behnkes buyer and well known native-lover Miri Talabac has lots of tips for people who want butterflies and hummingbirds in their gardens. In her recent talk about these popular critters she started...
View ArticleMiri’s 12 Favorite Shrubs (11 are Natives!)
by Behnkes Woodies Buyer Miri Talabac Have enough Azaleas? Roses? Bored with yews? I always yearn for the different when it comes to my garden, and these shrubs are some of my favorites. Ninebark...
View ArticleBees! And Hummingbirds, too.
The butterflies are mostly gone for the season, but bees are still going strong. And nowhere do I see more evidence of that than in the Perennials Department at Behnkes, where I took these photos and...
View ArticleFall Color in the Smithsonian Gardens
Another installment in what’s turning out to be a series of articles about fall color in the garden, this one the result of my trip to the Mall over the weekend. So what better place to start admiring...
View ArticleHow to Put your Garden Away for the Winter
Horticulturist Carol Allen gave another of her extremely helpful talks the other day at our Beltsville store, and below is an expanded version of what she said. Vegetable Garden Remove and deeply...
View ArticleThe Cicadas are Coming!
by Larry Hurley As you probably have read, Brood II of the 17-year cicada is due to emerge from the ground this year. There seems to be some undue panic associated with this. Here is the story. Cicadas...
View ArticleGarden Ideas from the High Line
I recently traveled to New York City for the sole purpose of seeing the now-world-famous High Line Park - a mile-long elevated park on what was once a freight rail line running along the West Side from...
View ArticleButterfly/Pollinator Gardening Made Easy
A newbie butterfly gardener in Greenbelt recently asked the local email group for their plant suggestions for her new garden, and local gardeners had some to offer. But my top tip would be for her to...
View ArticlePlant Ahead for Summer Color
We are approaching a transitional period in the perennial garden. Late spring color is bursting forth, with terrific plants such as Siberian Iris and Peonies. It seems now that color abounds in gardens...
View ArticleThe Cool New Heat Loving Annual: Gomphrena ‘Pink Zazzle’
by Marian Parsley, Behnke’s Annual Buyer There is a new fuzzy, funky Gomphrena on the block. Gomphrena ‘Pink Zazzle’ has it all! This attention grabber has 3” bright pink blooms that range from pink...
View ArticleGoldfinches and Monarchs, a Perfect Pair
Hardly do we ever think of these two creatures together, and yet, by planting Black-eyed Susans and Milkweed we are inviting the two to co-mingle. (Don’t fret, Goldfinches are seed eaters.) Really,...
View ArticleMonths without an “R”: No Oysters, Great Gardens
The other day, while searching for seafood to make a celebratory dinner, the saying pertaining to oysters came to mind– are you familiar with it? Basically, it says we shouldn’t expect fresh oysters...
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