Garden Love

Hester Garden; Photo from The Garden Conservancy

Nothing helps gives the soul peace like a well-tended garden-- your home's best fashion accessory. On Saturday, Sept. 25, we have a chance to tour four of the area's premier gardens in D.C. and Silver Spring when the Garden Conservancy's Open Days program comes to town. No reservations necessary. Admission is $5; children under 12 are free. For directions and more info about the program click here.

My MoCo Tomato

Drumroll please! My first Black Krim (or Crim) tomato of the season, grown just on the edge of a landscaped bed. And, from a plant I grew from a baby given to me from my good friends' wondrous garden in Gaithersburg ... (which you WILL read about one day soon, promise). Anyway, it's perfect. The color and deep green top are all part of its natural beauty. Now, the point of this tomato is to harvest the seeds to plant for NEXT year - NOT to go buy plants, but to make my own by harvesting the seeds and planting them in little peat pots next year. Why am I writing about tomatoes on MoCo Scene you might ask? This tomato's roots are entirely MoCo. It came from a seed harvested from a plant grown locally last year. This tomato was grown sans chemicals, sprays or anything more than benign neglect and some water. That's how we roll around here. And, I've been super busy with travels and work and what not. Now, I've got to go get a knife and some salt.

Ladies Night Out for Garden Junkies

Color me garden-nerd crazy, but this kind of shopping night at Homestead Gardens this Friday sounds  just dreamy to me: a chance to get a free crape myrtle, myrtle bucks and to run amuck doing some late-night nursery shopping with local jazz band Project Natale playing live for my musical pleasure. A great chance to preview how that white, moon garden may actually look at night as well as a way to brighten up July's tired midsummer garden with a fresh blast of color. The Crape Myrtle festivities continue all weekend.

Weekend Update

This is a great weekend to be in town looking for something to do. Whether you're into shopping, gardening or art, there's something fantastic for everyone.

The Nature Conservancy chooses several display-worthy gardens each year to open to the public during their "Open Days" garden tours. Saturday the Bethesda area is host to four of those gardens, including the Chevy Chase garden of Kathleen Williams, which I profiled in the January issue of Bethesda Magazine. The 97-year-old artist was a true inspiration for me. Artworks of her own creation are sprinkled throughout her garden. (They have also sat in the Corcoran and Smithsonian museums.) Her creative force and lively spirit are qualities I try to emulate in my own life. I will be going back for another visit.

Photographer Daniel Schreiber will be displaying his work along with 24 other local artists at the Bethesda Artist Market tomorrow at Bethesda Place Plaza. I know Daniel's work firsthand; he took the lovely photographs of Kathleen and her garden for my story, and also had recent shows of his photos at Discovery Gallery and Glen Echo.


Swedish home store Klaradal in Olney (voted "Best Store" by Bethesda Magazine in January) is having a Midsummer sale complete with food, fiddlers and a midsummer pole Saturday from 11-4. Klaradal, located in a quaint little house, frequently hosts fun events. Owner Sue Kopperman makes a phenomenal "Klaradini" (but you didn't hear that from me).


On a bookish note, check out the author event tonight at 7:30 at the Bethesda Barnes & Noble when writer Ali Sethi discusses his book, The Wishmaker. Don't miss author Wheeler del Torro talk about making vegan ice cream, The Vegan Scoop, at the Rockville location (in Montrose Crossing shopping center) Saturday at 3:30.