Howerton Horticulture

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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.

10/13/2026

Enjoy yet another slow and nuanced video of some stuff I saw that isn’t optimized for the algorithm. Tree failures like this happen a lot! Sometimes it’s preventable with smart pruning. Tree risk is evaluated differently for trees that are in lower traffic areas with no structures around and it can actually be hard to confirm if a tight angled attachment has included bark. So let’s try to suspend judgement on others’ property or in a public space if we see a tree that looks a little like this. If you see something like this and think the person in charge of managing the tree isn’t aware, it might be nice to let them know though. A professional will be better able to look close and let you know if they think it’s unsafe.

I’m not gonna lie and tell you common milkweed is a gorgeous garden plant. It’s alright. But it’s a vital food source fo...
10/06/2026

I’m not gonna lie and tell you common milkweed is a gorgeous garden plant. It’s alright. But it’s a vital food source for monarch butterflies. This road side patch of milkweed was loaded with monarch caterpillars, plus this freshly emerged adult!

A lot of times in the home landscape we focus on flowers and “attracting” butterflies. Butterflies don’t need to be “attracted”; they need to be fed, especially when they are in their larval stage. Most caterpillars are very picky eaters, and having the specific plants they coevolved with is absolutely vital for their survival. We cannot have butterflies without the plants that host their larvae (caterpillars). In many cases, they can only eat a handful of plant species.

In practice, this simply means planting or protecting a mix of native plants that are well adapted to your environment. Don’t get too hung up on exactly what caterpillars need what. If it’s native and it’s doing well, you’re 80% of the way there.

Watch out for this plant! Bush honeysuckle is highly invasive and readily takes over naturalized areas. This clump is co...
09/11/2026

Watch out for this plant! Bush honeysuckle is highly invasive and readily takes over naturalized areas. This clump is coming up in a residential shrub border. No time to dig this all out today, so I just cut it to prevent further spread by seed. It’s not perfect, but it helps!

09/07/2026

A closer look at a specific tree failure pattern I’ve seen more times than I can count. Every tree species has its own patterns and things to look out for, and sometimes that can change by region!

08/28/2026

Full control often requires a well timed herbicide treatment, but this time of year with it producing all these seeds, even just clipping it and throwing it away can slow the spread. It’s all over the place in DC and elsewhere in the mid Atlantic, so go check!

Found these Boletes in the grass about 70 feet from this red oak. These mushrooms are connected to its root system. Pret...
08/28/2026

Found these Boletes in the grass about 70 feet from this red oak. These mushrooms are connected to its root system. Pretty neat how far the roots go! This species stains blue when you scratch it, hence the smiley face. Believe these are red mouth boletes, which are poisonous. Not harmful to the tree, and often beneficial.

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!

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

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