Peg’s Picks for June Gardening Events in the Washington DC Metro Area

Peg’s Picks for June 2015 Gardening Events in the Washington DC Metro Area, with an emphasis on edibles

3, Wednesday, 10:00 to 11:30 am or 4, Thursday, 10:00 to 11:30 am, Herb Container Garden, fee and must register, Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton, MD 20902; http://www.brooksidegardens.org

6, Saturday, 10:00 am to noon, Saturdays in the Garden: Keep Your Garden Growing Strong, presented by the VCE Loudoun County Master Gardeners, free. Outside at the Loudoun County Master Gardeners demo garden, Ida Lee Park, Leesburg, VA. http://www.loudouncountymastergardeners.org

6, Saturday, Joe Yonan, food/dining editor at the Washington Post and author of “Eat Your Vegetables,” will talk on eating and growing vegetables, 2-3 pm. The U.S. Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington DC; (202) 225-8333; free but must register. There are many more events and exhibits; check out the USBG’s calendar on their web site, http://www.usbg.gov

6, Saturday, Behnke Nurseries’ Annual Garden Party, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, Behnkes, 11300 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD; (301) 937-1100. http://www.behnkes.com

6 & 7, Saturday and Sunday, Virginia Herb Festival, hosted by the Sunflower Cottage Garden Center; admission fee required.150 Ridgemont Road, Middletown, VA 22645; (540) 869-8482. http://www.virginiaherbfestival.com

12, Friday, 8:00 am to 2:00 pm, A Permaculture Homestead, spend a summer morning at local author and permaculture expert Michael Judd’s homestead. Fee and must register, meet at Wheaton Regional Park, 11715 Orebaugh Avenue, Wheaton, MD, for van transportation, register via http://www.parkPASS.org

13, Saturday, 9:00 am to noon, Saturday in the Garden: A Walk Through the Native Bed and tips and tricks used in the Drought Tolerant Bed. Taught by VCE Prince William Master Gardeners at the teaching garden at St. Benedict Monastery, 9535 Linton Hall Road, Bristow, VA 20136. Free but must register. E-mail master_gardener@pwcgov.org or call 703 792-7747

13, Saturday, 11:00 am, 8^th annual DC plant swap hosted by The Washington Gardener at the U.S. National Arboretum, R Street parking lot, Washington, DC 20002. For more information & instructions on how to do a plant swap, check out “events” on http://www.usna.usda.gov

18, Thursday, 7:00 to 8:30 pm, “Managing Pests and Diseases in the Landscape.” Presented by the Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia at the Fairlington Community Center, 3308 S. Stafford Street, Arlington, VA 22206. Offered again on Saturday, June 20, 10:30 to noon at Burke Branch Library, 4701 Seminary Road, Alexandria. Free but must register. http://www.mgnv.org

19, Friday, Todd Brethauer, USBG science education volunteer, will talk about “The Right Soil and Fertilizers,” noon to 1:00 pm. The U.S. Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington DC; (202) 225-8333; free but must register. http://www.usbg.gov

27, Saturday, Under the Arbor: In Love with Lavender, at the National Arboretum’s National Herb Garden, presented by the Potomac Unit of the Herb Society of America, 1:00 to 4:00 pm, free. 3501 New York Avenue, NE, Washington DC 20002. http://www.usna.usda.gov

The Arlington Central Library hosts the “Garden Talks” series of free, one-hour presentations every Wednesday evening from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm starting in mid-March through the end of October. The web site lists the topics and also serves as a resource for gardening in the area. 1015 N. Quincy Street, Arlington, VA; (703) 228-5990. http://library.arlingtonva.us/events/garden-talks/

• June 3:             Insect pests & beneficiaries
• June 10:           Weeds, mulches, tillage
• June 17:           to be determined
• June 24:           Pollination, pollinators, and perennials

The DC Department of Parks and Recreation is offering over 50 free garden workshops from May through September, taught by the leaders of DC’s urban garden movement. Each class is 2 hours long, on Monday or Wednesday evening, and there are various Saturday field trips. Free but must register online at http://www.dcdpr.asapconnected.com. For a full list of classes and locations, check out http://dpr.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dpr/publication/attachments/SummerGardenWorkshopSeries2015.pdf

For further questions, contact the DPR community garden specialist, Joshua Singer, e-mail: Joshua.singer@dc.gov. Here is a sample of June topics:

• medicinal and edible plant walk
• garden pests and diseases
• edible annuals tour
• native and invasive identification walk
• garden leadership course
• urban fruit tree management