It’s cold outside but there are still more than 40 gardening events, lectures, workshops in January in the Washington DC Metro Area.
4, Thursday, Webinar: Nonstop Plants — Making a 365-day Garden, 6:30 to 8:00 pm EST. Fee and must register. Presented by Margaret Roach. http://www.awaytogarden.com
4, Thursday, Lecture: Beginning Bonsai by Tim Ohlwiler, Fauquier County Horticulture Extension Agent, free and open to the public, 7:00 pm, Rust Library, 380 Old Waterford Road, NW Leesburg, VA. Sponsored by the Loudoun County Master Gardeners. http://www.loudouncountymastergardeners.org
6, Saturday, first Saturday guided walk 10 to 11:00 am. Free. Adkins Arboretum, 12610 Eveland Road, Ridgely, MD. http://www.adkinsarboretum.org
6, Saturday, Workshop: Beginners Hands on Bonsai Class, 2 to 4 pm, fee and registration required. Behnke Nurseries Garden Center, 11300 Baltimore Road, Beltsville, MD. http://www.behnkes.com/
6, Saturday through Thursday January 18, Exhibit: Bonsai Winter Silhouettes, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm and free. National Bonsai and Penjing Museum Exhibit Gallery at the U.S. National Arboretum, 3501 New York Avenue, NE Washington DC. Also, the current exhibit of bonsai entitled “Viewing Stones: Falling Into Winter” will end on February 3. http://www.usna.usda.gov
8, Monday, Lecture: Microgreens: what are they, why they are so fabulous, and how to grow them, 7-8 pm, free, advance registration requested at mgnv.org. Barrett Branch Library, 717 Queen Street, Alexandria, VA. Presented by Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia, also offered on Saturday, January 13, 10:30 to noon at Westover Branch Library. http://www.mgnv.org
10, Wednesday, registration opens for RootingDC which will be on March 3 in Washington DC. http://www.rootingdc.org
12, Friday, Garden Talk: Fixes for a Tired Garden, 2 to 3 pm. Fee and must register. Green Spring Gardens, 4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria, VA. http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/greenspring
13, Saturday, Lecture: The Very Best Tried and True Houseplants and Their Care, 11:00 am. Free and registration requested, Behnke Nurseries Garden Center, 11300 Baltimore Road, Beltsville, MD. http://www.behnkes.com/
13, Saturday, Lecture: Lessons from Martha’s Farm by head gardener, Ryan McCallister, 10 to 11 am. Free and must register. Homestead Gardens, 743 West Central Avenue, Davidsonville, MD. http://www.homesteadgardens.com
13, Saturday, Lecture: Microgreens: what are they, why they are so fabulous, and how to grow them, 10:30 to noon, free, advance registration requested at mgnv.org. Westover Branch Library, 1644 N. McKinley Road, Arlington, VA. Also offered on Monday, January 8, at Barrett Branch Library. Presented by Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia. http://www.mgnv.org
16, Tuesday, outdoor winter walking tour of Brookside Gardens by staff Phil Normandy, 1-2:30 pm, fee and registration required. Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton, MD. http://www.brooksidegardens.org
17, Wednesday, Landscape Design Basics: DIY Sustainable Yard Series, 7:00 to 8:30 pm, free, advance registration requested at mgnv.org. Beatley Central library, 5005 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA. Also offered on January 30 at the Westover Branch Library. http://www.mgnv.org
17, Wednesday, Webinar: For the Birds, 6:30 to 8:00 pm EST, fee and must register. Presented by Margaret Roach. http://www.awaytogarden.com
19, Friday, Lecture: The Governance and Stewardship of Urban Nature: Forests, Farms and Streetcorners, noon to 1:00 pm, free and must register. U.S. Botanic Garden, 245 First Street, SW, Washington DC. http://www.usbg.gov
20, Saturday, Class: Trees 101, 10 am to 3 pm, free and must register. Provides a foundation in tree anatomy, basic tree identification, and an overview of how trees function to provide the benefit we enjoy in the urban forest. Casey Trees, 3030 12th Street NE Washington DC. http://www.caseytrees.org
20, Saturday, Workshop: Kokodama – the art of crafting living mossballs, 10:00 – 11:30 am, fee and registration required. Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton, MD. http://www.brooksidegardens.org
20, Saturday, Lecture: Thoreau and the language of trees, 10:30 to noon, free but must register. U.S. Botanic Garden, 245 First Street, SW, Washington DC. http://www.usbg.gov
20, Saturday, and 21, Sunday, Garden Tool Sharpening, 1:00 to 3:00 pm, bring in up to two garden hand tools per person and have them sharpened. Fee and cash only. Proceeds will be donated to Emmanuel United Methodist Church Foodbank. Also offered on January 27 and 28. Behnke Nurseries Garden Center, 11300 Baltimore Road, Beltsville, MD. http://www.behnkes.com/
20, Saturday and 21, Sunday, Orchid Diagnostic and Repotting Clinic, 9:30 to 4:30 pm. Free but if want orchid to be repotted will be done for a fee. Behnke Nurseries Garden Center, 11300 Baltimore Road, Beltsville, MD. http://www.behnkes.com/
21, Sunday, Winter Lecture Series: Trees Find Their Voice, 1:30 to 2:30 pm, Green Spring Historian Debbie Waugh reveals what trees can tell us through the science of dendrochronology. Fee and must register. Green Spring Gardens, 4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria, VA. http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/greenspring
25, Thursday, Webinar: A Striking Sustainable Flower Garden, 2:00 pm EST. Fee and must register. Presented by Kerry Ann Mendez, owner of Perennially Yours. http://www.pyours.com
25, Thursday, Vegetable Gardening Part 1: Seed Selection, Starting and Saving, 7:00 to 8:30 pm, free and advance registration requested at mgnv.org. Burke Branch Library, 4701 Seminary Road, Alexandria, VA. Also offered on January 27 at the Westover Branch Library. http://www.mgnv.org
25, Thursday, Webinar: Garden Writing for Everyone, 6:30 to 8:00 pm EST, fee and must register, Presented by Margaret Roach, http://www.awaytogarden.com
27, Saturday, Class: Pruning 101 Workshop, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, free and must register. Learn how to prune trees with manual tools such as hand pruners and pole saws. Hosted by Casey Trees. Workshop will be held at the American Elm Nursery, 50 Marina Drive, Alexandria. http://www.caseytrees.org
27, Saturday, Vegetable Gardening Part 1: Seed Selection, Starting and Saving, 10:30 am to noon, free advance registration requested at mgnv.org. Westover Branch Library, 1644 N. McKinley Road, Arlington VA. Also offered on January 25 at the Burke Branch Library. http://www.mgnv.org
27, Saturday, Gardener’s Focus: Holly and False Holly, 10:00 am to noon, fee and registration required. Is an inside lecture and will do outside walking tour if weather permits. Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton, MD. http://www.brooksidegardens.org
27, Saturday, Washington Gardener Magazine seed exchange, 12:30 to 4:00 pm. Fee and must register. Event will be at Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton, MD, but must register via brownpapertickets.com. Also offered at Green Spring Garden on February 10. WGSeedExchange-brookside.brownpapertickets.com http://www.brooksidegardens.org
27, Saturday, Lecture: Rock Gardens: Natural and Designed, 10:30 to noon, free and must register. U.S. Botanic Garden, 245 First Street, SW, Washington DC. http://www.usbg.gov
27, Saturday, Lecture: Snake Oil Revisited: Plant Medicine in American History, 2-3:30 pm, free and must register. U.S. Botanic Garden, 245 First Street, SW, Washington DC. http://www.usbg.gov
27, Saturday, 8th Annual Seed Exchange, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, free. Hosted by the Northern Shenandoah Valley Master Gardeners at the Blandy Experimental Farm Library, Blandy Farm, 400 Blandy Lane, Boyce, VA. http://www.nsvmga.org/projects/blandy-seed-exchange/
27, Saturday, Seed Swap, 10 to 3, free. Hosted by Central Rappahannock Extension Master Gardeners. Central Rappahannock Regional Library, 1201 Caroline Street (theater), Fredericksburg, VA http://www.mgacra.org/seed-swap-event.html
27, Saturday, Lecture: Squirrels, Groundhogs and Rabbits — Oh My! 11:00 am, free and registration requested. Behnke Nurseries Garden Center, 11300 Baltimore Road, Beltsville, MD. http://www.behnkes.com/
27, Saturday, and 28, Sunday, Garden Tool Sharpening, 1:00 to 3:00 pm, bring in up to two garden hand tools per person and have them sharpened. Fee and cash only. Proceeds will be donated to Emmanuel United Methodist Church Foodbank. Also offered on January 20 and 21. Behnke Nurseries Garden Center, 11300 Baltimore Road, Beltsville, MD. http://www.behnkes.com/
28, Saturday, Lecture: The art of planting Terrariums and Dish Gardens, noon, free and registration requested. Then, from 2 to 4 pm, there will be a workshop, a potting party with terrariums and dish gardens for a fee plus cost of materials. Registration required. Behnke Nurseries Garden Center, 11300 Baltimore Road, Beltsville, MD. http://www.behnkes.com/
28, Saturday, Workshop: Potting Party with Terrariums and Dish Gardens, 2:00 to 4:00 pm, fee plus cost of materials, registration required. Behnke Nurseries Garden Center, 11300 Baltimore Road, Beltsville, MD. http://www.behnkes.com/
28, Sunday, Winter Lecture Series: The Humane Gardener, 1:30 to 2:30 pm. Fee and must register. Author Nancy Lawson describes how and why you should welcome wildlife to your backyard. Green Spring Gardens, 4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria, VA. http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/greenspring
29, Monday, Lecture: Starting Seeds Indoors … Getting a head start on your garden, 1-3 pm. Free. Walter Reed Community and Senior Center, 2909 S. 16th Street, Arlington. For more information and for registration go to http://bit.ly/VCESenior or contact LeeAnne Kaniut (703) 228-0955.
30, Tuesday, Landscape Design Basics: DIY Sustainable Yard Series, 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm, free and advance registration requested at mgnv.org. Westover Branch Library, 1644 N. McKinley Road, Arlington, VA. Also offered on January 17 at the Beatley Central Library, 5005 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA. http://www.mgnv.org
February 1, Webinar: Foodscaping Gardening, 7-8:30 pm EST. Fee and must register. Presented by Charlie Nardozzi. http://www.gardeningwithcharlie.com
The Fairfax County Soil and Water Conservation District’s annual native seedling sale selections are available for viewing at their website. Orders can be placed in the beginning of February and seedlings are picked up in April. This is your chance to plant native shrubs and trees for a nominal fee. https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/soil-water-conservation/native-seedling-sale
The Neighborhood Farm Initiative (NFI) has a kitchen garden education program that is a comprehensive, hands-on growing program at Fort Totten, one block from the Fort Totten Metro Station, Washington DC, NE. The program is intended for new and aspiring urban gardeners, whether you are an absolute beginner, or someone who is ready to take to it to the next level with cool weather crops. You will receive your own garden plot, along with a year of instruction & guidance, and enough help & support to get you growing. We provide all the necessary supplies and materials, and access to the community tool shed, you just bring your commitment to grow! Program cost is $600. The NFI offers tuition assistance, on a sliding scale, for qualified applicants. For more information, check their website at http://www.neighborhoodfarminitiative.org
Merrifield Garden Center’s 2018 classes and workshops will begin again on January 20. Check out their website for the list or even better get on their mailing list so you receive the flyer in the mail because it always has coupons. http://www.merrifieldgardencenter.com.
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It’s that time of year again — seed swaps! National Seed Swap Day is this Saturday, January 27, the last Saturday in January. Seed swaps are a great way to obtain new seeds, share your favorite seeds, and attend a fun event. A seed swap can be as simple as friends getting together to share seeds they saved from the previous gardening season to an all-day planned event with speakers, door prizes, and refreshments. Seed swaps can be a vehicle to teach others how to save seed, the importance of seed diversity, heirloom seeds, and other aspects of gardening. Some organizations exchange more than seeds, tables may be set up to collect used gardening books, magazines, tools, pots, and nursery catalogs. Some may expand their definition of seeds to allow bulbs, rhizomes, and cuttings. Others include related activities such as learning to make handmade seed envelopes.
