Howerton Horticulture

Howerton Horticulture Gardens that work for nature and you. Serving the DC area.

I share educational content, pictures of my work, and will soon share details on upcoming educational workshops.

08/04/2026

What a roller coaster. Invasive plants, some major shade thrown at cinder blocks, and feeding wildlife. Is this format helpful? People seem to like these so far. Easy for me, I just go for a walk and turn the camera on when I see something I feel like talking about. For advice on managing invasive plants, I recommend consulting your local extension website to find a solution that works for you. Chemical treatment is sometimes the most effective option, and you need to carefully time any treatment to maximize effectiveness and minimize how much chemical is needed.

07/31/2026

Cheap and fast isn’t necessarily cheap and fast when it comes to clearing overgrown areas in your yard. Listen to see what I mean and see a specific example I see a lot. Most of the time you are better served identifying the plants that are CAUSING the overgrown look, considering the most effective approach to control those specific plants first, and only then do you get your tools out. When you start cutting or spraying or digging first, you often waste time (or money, if you’ve hired help), and you might be harming existing plants that would actually help you manage the space better. Comment if this was helpful or if anything is unclear!

Appreciation post for a few native trouble makers I see in the neighborhood. Plants that say “oh you’re not using this s...
07/23/2026

Appreciation post for a few native trouble makers I see in the neighborhood. Plants that say “oh you’re not using this space? Be a shame if someone snuck in here and… supported local wildlife.”
First two pictures are Catalpas, one in a semi abandoned back yard and the other a young one popping up against a sidewalk. Then a redbud that popped up way too close to someone’s house. And finally some pokeweed and horseweed in an alley. Those two honestly aren’t going to hurt anything but eventually someone will probably find them to be messy and remove them. In the meantime, many thousands of native insects and birds will enjoy all these rebellious plants and depend on them for food and shelter.

Catalpa causin’ trouble again

A baby Catalpa dreaming of causing trouble

Redbud tree inches from a house and beginning to hang into an alley. Beautiful tree when planted a safe distance from structures.

Pokeweed and horseweed staking their claim in cracks between bricks next to this utility pole

Found a couple of these neat bolete mushrooms in a wooded area. I’m not a mycologist so can’t confirm the exact species ...
07/21/2026

Found a couple of these neat bolete mushrooms in a wooded area. I’m not a mycologist so can’t confirm the exact species of bolete, but I can tell you that they are a mycorrhizal fungus that forms a mutually beneficial relationship with the root systems of nearby native trees! Healthy ecosystems with a diverse mix of native trees and other plants are more able to support mushrooms like this, so it makes me happy to see these little guys here. Also, some kinds of boletes change color when you scratch them!

06/11/2026

GRWM to not get poison ivy

For those of you who remember my video about May apples, here’s a follow up! I took a walk through the same area and her...
06/11/2026

For those of you who remember my video about May apples, here’s a follow up! I took a walk through the same area and here they are with fruit on them. They fade as the weather gets hotter and goes dormant. They seem to stay up longer the more shade they get. And they’re right next to everyone’s favorite native plant, poison ivy. And a couple other not so native things.

05/28/2026

Spotted lanternfly nymphs are out and about! They’re like 5x this size at maturity and way nastier. Squish em while they’re still small. Not only is this fun and helps (BARELY) reduce their numbers, it has another little known benefit.

05/26/2026

Pull it! Or cut it. Or twist it. Or bop it. Whatever you gotta do.

04/21/2026

Can’t believe they did the Virginia sweetspire and redbud like that 😔

Phlox divaricata AKA woodland phlox. Fun example of putting a plant outside its ideal conditions and still having an oka...
04/18/2026

Phlox divaricata AKA woodland phlox. Fun example of putting a plant outside its ideal conditions and still having an okay result. Nowadays, I use this plant as a flowering option in shadier areas. But a few years back I planted this in full sun.

It blooms nicely but it does start to struggle over the summer and needs some extra water. In nature, we typically see different plant species fade in or out on a gradient dependent on the growing conditions. It’s not a hard line where all of a sudden the conditions are perfect for one plant and unacceptable for another. What we really see is one species being more competitive in a given spot than another species. So as conditions get more shady, we see fewer grasses and sun loving plants, and more sedges and plants like woodland phlox. And so here we have a woodland phlox in full sun and very much not in a woodland, and it’s doing fine. A different plant would be more “competitive” and lower maintenance in this spot though.

And that’s how we design for low maintenance plantings. Low maintenance just means matching plants to growing conditions where they will be most competitive and the best adapted. A low maintenance landscape in a dry area in the shade is very different from a low maintenance landscape in a wet, sunny area. If you read all that, good on you. That’s an awful lot to write about one plant.

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20th And Franklin NE
Washington D.C., DC
20018

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