Doug Tallamy to Address Club on April 13

Dr. Douglas W. Tallamy, Chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, will show D.C. gardeners how they can be better stewards of our fragile urban ecosystem in an address to the Capitol Hill Garden Club on April 13, 2010.

Dr. Tallamy is the author of Bringing Nature Home--How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants, Timber Press 2009.

" Everyone with access to a patch of earth can make a significant contribution toward sustaining biodiversity. There is an unbreakable link between native plant species and native wildlife — native insects cannot, or will not, eat alien plants. When native plants disappear, the insects disappear, impoverishing the food source for birds and other animals. In many parts of the world, habitat destruction has been so extensive that local wildlife is in crisis and may be headed toward extinction. Bringing Nature Home has sparked a national conversation about the link between healthy local ecosystems and human well-being, and the new paperback edition — with an expanded resource section and updated photos — will help broaden the movement. By acting on Douglas Tallamy's practical recommendations, everyone can make a difference."

In his address, Tallamy will explain how seemingly innocent and widely popular gardening practices threaten chains of interdependent insects, plants, birds and animals. The future of North American biodiversity is at risk according to Tallamy’s lifetime of research. Because animals, birds and insects depend on plants for their food, the diversity of animals, birds and insects is closely linked to the diversity of plants. When many species of plants die out, so do many species of wild life.

After a dramatic presentation of the vulnerabilities of our living environment, he will suggest better ways to garden.

Admission is FREE to the public. Meeting starts at 7 p.m. at the Church of the Brethren, corner of North Carolina Avenue, SE at 4^th Street, SE. Enter basement meeting room from 4^th Street door. Blue or orange line to Eastern Market Metro.

Club Receives Community Project Award

March 23, 2010: Capitol Hill Garden Club today received The Beatrice M. Coiner Award for Community Projects for its annual bulb giveaway during annual award ceremonies for National Capital Area Garden Clubs, Inc. The award is memorialized in a certificate and a cash award of $100.

Janice McKenney received the award on behalf of Capitol Hill Garden Club form NCAGC Awards Chair Babs McClendon.
Janice (2d from left) is shown with District I Director David Healy, Margaret McKnew of New Carrollton Garden Club, Julie Harrison of Mount Airy Clay Breakers Garden Club and Poss Tarpley of Tanta-Cove Garden Club.

The club also was recognized for Outstanding Garden Club Achievement (60 or more members).

For more on the NCAGC awards, go here.

Philadelphia Flower Show 2010

Photographs of this year's Philadelphia Flower Show are here.

Vegetable Gardening 101

March 9, 2010: Master gardeners Dave and Casey Kneipp, founders of the Cheverly Community Vegetable Garden, presented an informative program on the basics for starting a vegetable garden. They discussed site, soil, seeds and sustaining. Casey said the only topic not covered was the "no work garden."

President Vira Sisolak (r) shows off Tony Pontorno's vegetable centerpiece.

Casey stressed soil testing and, in the following discussion, lead and arsenic were raised as two concerns in Capitol Hill gardens. Raised beds with new soil would avoid these concerns.

Dave demonstrated the mobility of a salad box:

From left to right, the containers contain standard yard soil, artificial growing medium and organic soil amendments (l); Tony Pontorno's vegetable centerpiece anchored the refreshment's table:

More information on many of the topics discussed can be found here.

Member Gardens

February 23, 2010: We had a good turnout for the snow delayed monthly meeting.

Charles McMillion discussed the green house he built into the dog leg of his house; Michele Bogdanovich discussed the transformation of her front yard garden; and Alex Belano discussed the front yard landscapes of his row of condominiums.
Margaret Missiaen gave a presentation on what not to do to snow-bound plants and discussed pruning snow damage to trees and shrubs.

February 9 Meeting Rescheduled to February 23

February 9, 2010: Our hardy members had hoped to go ahead with tonight's regularly scheduled meeting despite the snow and ice and forecast of even more. But alas, the Church of the Brethren will be closed!

So, the perennially popular Members Talking About Their Own Gardens--the Good, the Bad and the Ugly has been rescheduled for 7 p.m., Tuesday, February 23, 2010, at 337 North Carolina Avenue SE.

Winter Interest

January 12, 2009: Member Lynne Church presented an informative program on Trees and Shrubs with Winter Interest. After a career as an energy attorney and energy executive, Church pursued a degree in landscape design and now operates Lynne Church Landscape Design.

She divided winter horticulture into berries, peeling or mottled bark, unusual forms, colorful foliage and early flowers. [Almost all the photos in the following slideshow were taken by Lynne Church of specimens on Capitol Hill. If you put your cursor over the lefthand bottom of the slideshow and click on the square dialog box, you can see the caption of each photo OR, if you click on a slideshow photo, you can view all of Lynne's photos and captions in the Picasa Web Album.]

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Margaret Missiaen gave a short talk on transplanting small trees and shrubs. She advised taking a spade and cutting the roots 6 to 10 inches from the trunk to create a root ball, then leaving the rootball in place to encourage new root growth before moving the rootball to a new planting location. For most small trees she suggesting beginning in September and leaving the root ball in place until after a month or so of growth in the spring. For shrubs she advised preparing the rootball shortly after bloom but still allowing time for new root growth before relocating the plant. Missiaen warned that crepe myrtle should be transplanted early in the summer as they needed to be established in the new location in time to winter over.