DC Urban Gardeners

Welcome!

2009-06-03T17:35:13-07:00

DC Urban Gardeners is a network of hundreds of people working to make greening and growing projects happen, and teaching DC-area residents to grow plants - both edible and nonedible. All are welcome!

How to get involved

Join our 400+ member Yahoo email group, then follow the discussion or post a message yourself. (Ask a gardening question, look for a volunteer opportunity, call for volunteers for a project you start.)

Check out the resources here

In the right-hand sidebar you'll find:

Categories of stories on this website
Longer articles, many of them compiling survey results from many in DC's gardening and greening community
Links to more great information online, gardening and greening groups in DC, and more.

Contact

Email our webmaster and press contact: Susan@Sustainable-Gardening.com.

Casey Trees Blogs!

2009-04-05T17:17:26-07:00

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DC Urban Gardeners welcome our friends at Casey to the blogosphere, and have already subscribed to their feed. The blog's aptly called Tree Speak. Check it out here.

Oehme on Bringing American Plants to America Corcoran Gallery of Art Mon 3/30

2009-03-27T09:30:46-07:00

Photo by Roger Foley

Sure, it's the Federal Reserve building in D.C. but I promise no alarming news about the economy, just visions of the stunning landscape by the world-famous firm of Oehme van Sweden Landscape Architects. (Here's their page about the project.) This two-acre garden on top of the Reserve's parking lot is not just gorgeous but a great example of the "New American Garden" style created by this team. And as Oehme mentions in this short interview, the garden uses American plants that were popular in Europe but not here, until they brought them here and popularized them. Like what? Most famously, Rudbeckia.

Don't miss the residential landscape by Oehme van Sweden in this month's Garden Design Magazine. And if you're in the DC area, Wolfgang Oehme is speaking about "Bringing the American Garden Home" at the Corcoran Gallery of Art next Monday evening, March 30.

Photos by Roger Foley.

Posted by Susan Harris

How to Plant and Care for Shade Trees April 4, 10-noon

2009-03-25T15:28:05-07:00

WHEN: April 4^th, 10:00- 12:00
WHERE: Columbia Heights Recreation Center, 1480 Girard Street, N.W.

WHAT: Gardeners and homeowners will learn how to plant and/or care for their shade trees. Participants will gain an understanding of the proper environmental conditions that promote tree health and minimize the trees susceptibility to pests and stress. Ultimately we want to reduce chemical use and improper fertilization on trees. We also want to reduce stormwater run-off from properties, and will discuss how shade trees reduce pollution.

This is one of an ongoing series of workshops on the first Saturday of every month - a joint project of the DC Park and Recreation Department and the Department of the Environment.

For more information contact Kelly Anne Melsted, (202 ) 671-0396 or (202) 258-5337 or kelly.melsted@dc.gov.

Photo by CWalker71. Posted by Susan Harris

How people in other cities are finding more land for urban gardens

2009-03-24T15:41:00-07:00

Must be a hot topic - finally - coz three stories have popped up recently on this subject.

First, in Flint, Michigan

Next, in Phildelphia, PA

And in Cincinnatti, OH.

DC Urban Gardening Events at Historical Society

2009-03-17T17:51:40-07:00

Presented by the Historical Society of Washington, DC Urban Gardeners and Washington Gardener Magazine. The talks all take place at the Historical Society auditorium, 8801 K Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. Check the Historical Society website for more details.

The events are from 1 pm to 2:30 except where noted with an asterisk.

All events are FREE and open to the general public.

March 28: Urban Tree Care and Tree Giveaway Program by Jim Woodworth, Casey Trees

April 18: The Best Vegetables to Grow in DC by Cindy Brown, Green Spring Gardens

May 30*: Landscaping with Natives by Cheval Force Opp, Garden Tours

(*10:00-11:30)

June 27: Growing the Perfect Tomato by Elizabeth Olson, Maryland Certified Professional Horticulturist

July 11: Rain Barrels and Water Management by Barry Chenkin, Aquabarrels

August 22: Canning Your Harvest Bounty by Liz Falk, 7^th Street Gardens

September 19*:Raising Winter Greens by Brett Grohsgal, Even Star Organic Farm CSA (*2:30-4)

October 3: Building a School Garden by Grace Manubay, DC Schoolyard Greening

November 7: Putting Your Garden to Bed for Winter by Kathy Jentz, Washington Gardener Magazine

December - None

Directory of Community Gardens

2009-03-17T07:14:29-07:00

Thanks to Kathy Jentz of Washington Gardener Magazine for the updated directory, which now includes suburban Maryland and Virginia, too.

Free Events about Sustainable Gardening at Homestead Gardens

2009-03-11T15:47:41-07:00

(Looks like a great bunch of speakers this year, and it's all free. Homestead is only 15 minutes east of the beltway off Route 50 (Directions here). Susan)

Homestead Gardens will host their annual spring garden show entitled, "Homesteading…the Sustainable Garden.

March 14 - 22, 2009

In these times of economic uncertainties, Americans turn inward, and their homes and gardens become their refuge. This year’s Garden Show addresses this trend by placing emphasis on gardening in the Chesapeake Watershed, sustainable techniques, and growing edibles in the garden and landscape.

An incredible roster of speakers has been assembled for this event, including leading horticulturalist, author, and lecturer Allan Armitage; American Horticultural President Emeritus Katy Moss Warner; and organic gardening guru Mike McGrath. Homestead Gardens' experts will be available throughout the Garden Show to provide gardening advice, ideas, and inspiration. The schedule of special activities is as follows:

Friday, 3/13 6-8 pm

Preview Party

Be the first to explore our new Garden Show layout, while enjoying wine and cheese and live music. Be one of the first to arrive and receive a free pansy (while supplies last).

Saturday, 3/14

10 am: Maintaining a safe and organic lawn, Paul Tukey, Safelawns,

12pm: Top Practices for your Sustainable Garden, Katy Moss Warner

2pm:: Grow the Best Tasting Tomato Ever, Mike McGrath

Sunday, 3/15

11.30am: Top Practices for your Sustainable Garden, Katy Moss Warner

1pm: Kitchen Gardening A-Z, Mike McGrath

3pm: The Seven Secrets of Successful Organic Gardeners, Mike McGrath

Monday 3/16 – Wednesday 3/18

Inspired by Nature Art Show featuring local watercolorists

Wednesday 3/18

5.30pm: Green Drink Annapolis Event

Friday, 3/20

6pm: Ladies Night at Homestead Gardens

Saturday, 3/21

11am: Crazy Plants for Crazy Gardeners, Allan Armitage

12.15pm: Book-signing and Meet and Greet with Allan Armitage

2pm: Straw Bale and Green Roofs: Using plant materials in Greenbuilding, Polly Bart, Owner of Greenbuilders, Inc. Straw bale and green roofs have become reasonably familiar ways to use plant materials in building. Dr. Bart will describe these techniques and will comment on other ways plant materials may be used in environmentally friendly building construction.

Sunday, 3/22

12pm: Smoked Tomato demonstration, Rita Calvert of Buy Fresh Buy Local

2pm: Regionally-Grown, Sustainable and Organic Gardening, Panel Discussion moderated by Renee Catacalos, editor of Edible Chesapeake magazine

The Garden Show is free and open to the public. For hours, visit Homestead Gardens.com

Tabard Inn's Green Roof:A Garden of Edibles and Roses

2009-03-05T14:54:12-08:00

by Guest Blogger Sarah Murphy of Canopy

For over 25 years the Tabard Inn, near Dupont Circle, has attracted Washingtonians and visitors alike for its garden courtyard, quirky interior and amazing food fare. The menu changes with the season with a majority of the food coming from the Tabard Inn’s nearby farm. Always interested in staying ahead of trends, Irene Mayer, the Inn’s in-house designer, started looking into putting vegetation on their numerous roofs in 2007. She approached Canopy, a company that specializes in restoring the urban canopy through green roofs and city gardens, about incorporating green roofs onto their buildings.

The Inn had decided to add a small roof over their outdoor serving area, and asked Canopy if it was feasible to put an herb garden green roof on it. Canopy suggested building the roof to be strong enough to hold the 12-18 inches necessary to support the specialty herbs. They also installed a skylight hatch with a pull-down ladder to simplify the short trip from the kitchen to the rooftop. A hose bib was also added for water access.

Once the roof installation was complete, an EPDM membrane was applied. EPDM is a common waterproofing membrane that stands for ethylene propylene diene M-class rubber. Next, Canopy installed a root barrier made of high-density polyethelene. To create the look of a traditional herb garden, Canopy constructed numerous wooden boxes out of rot-resistant cedar in varying depths to accommodate a variety of herbs and other herbaceous plants. Each of the wooden boxes was filled with a specially blended growth medium comprised of 60% lightweight aggregate, 10% aggregate fines, and 30% organic matter.

The 150 square foot roof was then planted with Lemon verbena, 2 varieties of bush blueberry, rosemary, chives, thyme, sage, annual basil, and 2 varieties of climbing roses. The roses were requested by The Tabard’s owner, Jeremiah Cohen, who has an office that overlooks the new roof top herb garden.

Overwhelmingly pleased with the roof top herb garden, the Tabard approached Canopy again in the spring of 2008 to 2 create more green roofs on roofs in need of new waterproofing. Canopy eagerly accepted the new projects, but there were a few challenges along the way.

The first challenge with the new roofs was that they both have a 5/12 pitch, meaning each roof is angled nearly 45%. Erosion and soil slumping become an issue at only a 2/12 pitch, so Canopy had to utilize special materials to prevent any soil slipping off of the deeply pitched roofs. They decided to employ a technique used by German Manufactures at Optigrun, plastic “bananas” that latch onto a geo-textile mat also installed on the roof.

The plastic “bananas” are approximately 2 inches deep, so they hold 2 inches of soil in place while they also have spikes emerging from them that hold pre-vegetated mats in place. The mats, similar to sod, were grown at a nursery in Stevensburg, Virginia with a variety of sedums.

The installation of the soil and pre-vegetated mats was a slow and laborious task exacerbated by the fact that the restaurant wanted to stay open for outdoor dining. Canopy coordinated the installation between meals. The roughly 350 square foot installation took about 2 weeks total.

Now the 3 green roofs offer verdant view for guests. Additionally, the green roofs are offering insulation benefits, reducing energy bills and helping reduce storm water run off. The kitchen has also noted a reduced need to by expensive specialty herbs.

Rooting DC Forum a HUGE Success!

2009-03-04T13:58:24-08:00

In only its second year, the Rooting DC Forum expanded in so many ways:

It FILLED its new venue, the glorious Carnegie library headquarters of the Historical Society of Washington, D.C.
It was an all-day event, with workshops, talks and panel discussions going on on three different tracks.
Over 350 Washington-area residents attended this free event.
Nonprofits and green for-profits were tabling their causes and winning converts.

And lots more people were involved in making the forum a success and I'll fail to mention some but everyone's thanks and praise go especially to Katie Rehwaldt at America the Beautiful Fund, Bea Trickett of the Neighborhood Farm Initiative, Kathy Jentz of Washington Gardener Magazine and Mandie Yanasak individually.