thank god for the farmer's market

my tomatoes in maryland are non-existant...and still not red in virginIa, but farmer obiers grows amazing fresh produce...the sweet potatoes i bought from him last week turned into incredible gnocci with a a fresh tomato sauce. mmm....

yellow rose of texas

i was just planning on posting this prickly pear flower blooming in my front yard: i saw on some garden show it was known as "the yellow rose of texas". i went to wikipedia to add a garden reference, and was shocked by what i found! i knew the yellow rose of texas was also some random country song, i did not know it was based on a legend of a high yellow hotty (pc for me as i am a high yellow hotty (?) with a very light skinned grandma from texas). wow...you learn something new every day...and, i did not see that coming!

vermicomposting

last year i shot this video for the howard county (maryland) master gardeners. i still havent warmed up to the idea of worms in my kitchen, but a lot of other people have! learn how on youtube or with mary applehof's "worms eat my garbage..."

plant dance party

SANSULA Dominik Eulberg musicvideo from dirk rauscher on vimeo shows plants at a dance party.

south mountain creamery

for those of you trying to live sustainably and buy locally, here is a highly recommended maryland and virginia home delivery dairy farm, south mountain creamery. the artisan cheeses looks delicious and the milk lasts two weeks longer than store bought!

bethesda central farm market

just two-and-a-half weeks old...the bethesda central farm market is all the buzz! with a thursday afternoon set up on bethesda lane and a sunday morning location on elm street, this new farmer's market aims to satisfy your culinary cravings. over 20 farmers, producers and vendors sell fresh produce, meat, poultry, cheese, bread, prepared foods, seafood, baked goods, and more. parking is free! (i'm headed there today!)

color-coordinated hoses

apartment therapy told me to get these great colored hoses from gardener's supply: i am partial to the purple, but disappointed there is no pink. then, lo-and-behold: target has it! garden for the cause with this one!

foraging for mushrooms

it has rained so much lately, mushrooms have popped up everywhere in techno-colors. i took the photos above with my lame iphone camera and then edited them via the color splash app.

verticle gardening with patrick blanc

green roofs are one thing, but vertical walls are crazy...and fantastic! i have started seeing vertical scapes everywhere: from smith and hawken to the landscaping at my doctor's parking garage, but none compare to the grand vision of scientist and designer patrick blanc.

emerald ash borer alert

i have seen a number of billboards along the chesapeake bay watershed in both maryland and virginia asking people not to move firewood away from were it was felled so to not spread the ash borer beetle any further. the beetle itself does little damage but the larvae feast on the inside of ash trees and disrupt the flow of water and nutrients to the tree. 40 million ash trees have been killed so far, with a total of 7.5 billion threatened nationwide in the entire fraxinus genus! educate yourself and others: learn to identify the nasty ash nemesis and distinguish it from other similar-looking native (and good) bugs.

short and sweet

iris verna is gorgeous! a wild flower native to seventeen eastern states, hardy most everywhere: you can find this diminuitive doll at sunshine farm and gardens. short...sweet... and deerproof, too!

front porch

i got some gardening off my to do list today: the front porch looks great! i filled the self-watering flower boxes with chartreuse and black sweet potato vines. the two large concrete containers received miscanthus grass, and a couple of shady pots were filled with gorgeous coleus. the resident succulents on the steps new neighbor(s) are sweet and thai basil combined with spearmint and topped off with chives, all in a strawberry pot.

seed bombs?

according to dvice, "seed bombs" are not a new concept, but these biodegradable shells are on a mission to fight global desertification. cool!

how to get rid of bindweed

bindweed has taken over my front garden...i already dug it up, ripped it out and mulched heavily: twice! but after several weeks of rain they are back in full force! its not all bad though: i made these pretty things from the flowers!

green army

evan dublin is a young environmental designer. i love the concept of his green army modern planter.

my container gardens

i have a few things growing in containers and raised beds. i put 'top hat' blueberries in 12" pots below crook neck yellow squash sitting on the deck of my shed. these huge pots reclaimed from a construction site hold 30 strawberry plants each: some grub-type-thing is eating the berries. i have a bunch of heirloom tomatoes in my raised beds that i started from seed: they look good! my carrots, i dont know...i am not very good with carrots.

how to grow 100lbs. of potatoes in 4 square feet

i love potatoes and as i found out two years ago: nothing beats home grown, organic ones! i start my plants on valentine's day in the sandy loam of my virginia field garden: they got rained on, then it froze and they rotted. not to worry: i replanted and all is well! but, there is only so much dirt to be mounded up on the tubers, and potatoes exposed to sunlight turn green and green potatoes are toxic. what to do? i have seen the potato boxes in various garden supply catalogs, but here is a diy box anyone can handle. one additional note: i would recommend putting the finest, strongest metal screen possible on the bottom to prevent moles from stealing your yukon golds! happy french fries!

dandelions: the new arugula?

i just read this article in the wall street journal about the unbelievable increase in sales of dandelions and other weed-type plants. i have been saying for years "i should eat these.." but never have other than a bite in the yard. i keep seeing them at whole foods, but...maybe next year: they are apparently too bitter once the flower has bloomed. in the "comments" after the article russ cohen passes on interesting info about dandelions and other wild edibles: he is the author of a book entitled "Wild Plants I Have Known...and Eaten". oh, by the way: i took the photo above with my iphone and used the color splash app (on the phone!) to manipulate the image.

my vegetable garden

i am determined to grow all of my fruits and vegetables! ok: that's a bit lofty: i am trying to grow some of my fruits and vegetables. this is the third year working my plot in virginia. the first year, i staked out 50 feet by 50 feet of sandy loam, put a strawberry pyramid in the center and central paths forming a cross with a round about the strawberries. i lined the paths with a thick mulch of loblolly pine needles. i plotted out on paper my plan and inserted all of the seedlings. the first potatoes were fantastic! then we got 11" of rain that drowned my pink and blue popcorn. the deer ate my tomato and pepper plants. i was away for a couple of weekends, and the weeds took over the strawberries: i never found them! so i abandoned it. last year, i started potatoes on valentine's day, followed up with seedlings later and the farmer came and plowed everything under, including the strawberry pyramid. so, i abandoned it. this year will be different though: i can tell! i started seeds early. we bought a walk behind tiller to help with the weeds; there are still a lot, though! i have walking onions, leeks and sweet onions. the tomatoes havent been touched by the deer yet. the potatoes had a lot of bugs, but i smacked them off and they werent around this week. the mustard is still kicking. the cabbages are growing, but i am not really sure how they are supposed to look. the swiss chard looks amazing! my moon and stars watermelon looks a bit anemic, but is still alive! some of the sweet potatoes dried up, but most are sprouting. the arugula and italian parsley have past: i need to replant them. the radishes (which were delicious) went to seed: i am going to save it for next year. the carrots didnt make it.

native plants of matyland

this past thursday, i attended maryland master gardener annual training day held at the university of maryland's college park campus. it was awesome to meet all 600+ attendees from all over the state! the volunteers from the native plants of maryland group were so wonderful and had gorgeous specimens! you can get all their info and their, i mean "our" plants, too.

keyhole gardening

i had never heard of a keyhole garden before stumbling upon the awesome site organicgarden.org.uk. a keyhole garden is a raised bed garden design developed by the send-a-cow organization to teach african children to grow food all year round for their families in a small space. it is a fantastic concept!

eco-art

urban eco-artist edina tokodi paints the town green with her moss graffiti.

guerilla gardener

i walk by this stump everyday...this is what i saw today. sad irony though: as i bent down to take the photo, i noticed a little carolina wren, dead:(

invasive species alert!

has anyone else noticed some weird looking bugs invading their houses and garages? they look like miniature rhinoceros with wings and antennae. i had first noticed these exotic bugs last fall 2005, but didn't think much about them as i put them back out the window. then i ran across a blurb in a gardening magazine (www.GardenGateMagazine.com) with a photograph of the beast. what i had seen was a brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) or bmsb, which gets it’s name from the nasty odor it emits when disturbed.

the insect was first identified in this country in allentown, pennsylvania in fall 2001. the extent of it’s range is unknown, but it has since been documented on plant materials in new jersey and on buildings in western maryland as well as in several western pennsylvania counties and parts of west virginia. originally known as a fruit tree and legume pest in its native china, south korea, japan and taiwan, the bmsb eats more than 70 types of ornamental plants and trees such as burdock, empress tree, butterfly bush, catalpa, rosa rugosa, and honeysuckle. also soybeans and the fruit of many pear, cherry, peach, apricot, apple, mulberry, fig and persimmon trees are on the bug’s menu. the list of host plants continues to expand as awareness of the stink bug spreads. the bmsb’s range continues to increase as it flies or hitch hikes on vehicles moving from place to place. because of its diverse appetite and ability to expand both it’s population and range, the potential impact on agricultural crops could be devastating. the stink bug initially feeds on the more common landscape ornamentals, therefore making the home gardener the first to spot new infestations.

the bmsb adults can become a nuisance when large numbers try to over winter in side of houses or other protected areas. they will emerge in april when the weather warms up, and from june to august females lay clusters of 20-30 light green, barrel shaped eggs on the underside of leaves. newly hatched nymphs are yellowish mottled with black and red. the adult insect is about 1/2” long and shaped like a shield with mottled brown coloring. it’s long antennae are banded with alternating light and dark brown. specimens should be positively identified before action is taken, as the bmsb does bear a resemblance to our native Brochymena, a grey-brown stink bug variety without banded antennae.

rutgers university’s cooperative extension is currently conducting a study to determine the bmsb’s rate of infestations in the tri-state area of new jersey, pennsylvania and new york, and is taking reports from anyone in every state who has seen one of the stink bugs. they would love to have a specimen if possible. their stink bug identification information is helpful and can be located at here.

for more info and photographs, visit here.

allium

the alliums are really rocking my garden, like delicious inedible lollipops!

robin's egg blue

a robin has nested in the overgrown variegated euonymus next to my porch. i scare her every time i open and close the gate, so i am trying not to do that!

ABOUT ME

after completing the montgomery county master gardener program in 2004, i accidently launched a garden design business! many beautified landscapes later, the rusty hoe is ready to make your garden grow! gardening is an obsession for me, but my gardening business is really side work, as i am also an award winning jeweler, painter, designer, interior architect and blogger. find out more about me on my website. or my blog...shop for my high contrast enamalled jewelry on etsy or on dawanda and my herban elements line featuring native species also on etsy.

garden design services:
my initial visit with you will address discovering your vision for your garden, and how we can accomplish it together.
approximately one week after our first meeting, (this may be longer during my busy seasons of april through june and september through november), you will receive a written proposal from me detailing the implementation of your garden design and the estimated costs associated with fulfilling your plans. with the acceptance of my proposal, there is a minimum charge paid as a retainer of $500 to begin design work. we will meet again to review my preliminary design for your garden and work out final details to the plan. following our review and agreement on the draft design, we will meet once more to go over the final schematic design, which will show architectural and decorative additions, exactly where each plant should be planted in your garden, as well as a list and count of each plant specified for you to take to the nursery. a detailed cost estimate will also be presented. plants and trees will be selected to suit your aesthetic needs, living requirements, garden micro-climate(s), soil type and sun exposure. Recommendations concerning existing plant/tree removal(s) and/or relocation or preservation, soil amendments and future plant care will be presented as well.
the charge for my design services will be mutually agreed upon prior to the presentation of this final schematic design.

garden consulting services:
sometimes, a client may not want a detailed design plan, but rather advice about their garden. my advice on existing spaces, new additions and plants that will be beautiful and meet your garden’s growing conditions as well as your needs is billed at $80/hour.

garden installation services:
many clients want to install their new garden themselves with some professional assistance from myself as well as instruction on how to maintain the garden once it is planted. the charge for this service is $80/hour.
i can install your new garden for you or simply assist you in installing it yourself for a charge of $45/hour.
alternately, if you have a landscape maintenance crew who you would like to perform the installation, but would like me to oversee the work, the charge for this service would be $80/hour.
finally all purchases made by me on your behalf will be billed to you at the wholesale cost plus 20% to cover the costs of my research and travel time, as well as fuel.
garden maintenance services:
my hourly charge for maintaining your garden is $45/hour.
i also offer monthly, seasonal or yearly maintenance packages, as well as one shot clean ups and “curb appeal” plantings for a party weekend or house showing.