Washington Gardener Magazine Website: washingtongardener.com
LoveSexyDC.org Website: lovesexydc.org
LoveSexyDC.org myspace page: myspace.com/lovesexydc.org
Joining me today in LTs Jazzy Radio Loft & Lounge for my ongoing "Follow Your Heart, Living Your Dreams" series I started here in August 2006, is founder of LovesexyDC, a DC based Prince Fan Club, Kathy Jentz. Kathy is also the founder of Washington Gardener Magazine. I first heard of LoveSexyDC in 1995 and have enjoyed attending the events, meeting fun and cool new people and watching the group grow over the years. It is truly DC's #1 Source For All Things Prince! Kathy took time out of her busy schedule to be with us here today.
LT: Hi, Kathy! Welcome to LT's Jazzy Radio Loft & Lounge! It's a great pleasure to have you swing by! Now, before we get started, where are you originally from?
KJ: Hi, LT! I am a Army brat. I was born in Germany but moved all over from Alaska to Indiana to Virginia. I went to High School and College in the D.C. area and settled down here.
LT: Interesting! Before we get to all the LoveSexyDC questions, I understand you recently started your own magazine on gardening. Congrats on your recent NBC4 segment with Pat Lawson-Muse! That was very informative. What made you start a magazine on Gardening?
KJ: Thanks! I was looking around for awhile for a business to call my own. I saw a need in my own frustration with lack of local garden area coverage. My background is journalism and I've worked for 15+ years doing magazines, newsletters, web sites, etc. for various trade associations. Doing my own print publication was not a stretch.
LT: Had you always been a gardener or had a passion and/or love for gardening?
KJ: Not always. As I child I hated helping my parents and grandparents in their gardens, i.e., lugging gallons of water and weeding in the hot sun! Now, I do it without complaining and just for the joy of the results.
LT: Nice! How hard was it to start your own magazine? Did you have to put together a business plan?
KJ: I did not do a formal business plan as I did not go out to banks or others for loans. I knew I'd have to put my own savings into the launch. It was not "hard" so much as time-consuming and printing plus mailing are very expensive endeavors.
LT: What is unique about creating a gardening magazine for the D.C./MD/VA area?
KJ: We have an ideal gardening climate and a really rich area in terms of garden resources. We have the USDA/Agricultural research facilities of the government right in our own backyards. Also many (most!) of the national plant growers and garden catalog producers are here in the MidAtlantic. Unless you are into gardening you might not realize that we are surrounded by all these wonderful public and private gardens.
LT: Do we in D.C./MD/VA have trees, plants, flowers that are specific to this area?
KJ: Definitely. We have our native (Pre-Columbian) plants that are unique to this area. Just as we have native soils, rocks, minerals, and animals. We also are lucky in that we can grow a very wide range of plants from other areas. We have mild winters, but our hot and humid summers can overcome some plants that are not able to handle the exposure. Our good growing climate can be a problem as we have many unwelcome invasive plants like Kudzu creeping up into our area.
LT: With Christmas right around the corner, do you have any Holiday ideas for how to care for the Christmas tree? For example, the best type of trees to get? Any Tips? Any Do's or Dont's?
KJ: I'd say buy a live one and keep it VERY well watered and misted, so you can plant it afterwards. The size/type is really up to personal preference, but keep in mind most evergreens grow very large and choose an appropriate place to plant it where it will have space to expand.
LT: Do you have any Holiday gift ideas for pots or planners?
KJ: My favorite thing to do is "force" bulbs. That is put them up around Thanksgiving and put them in my refrigerator crisper drawer for about 10 weeks then take then out to have spring blooms in the dead of winter. You are essentially tricking the bulbs into thinking they have gone through the winter. I have detailed directions on how to do this in our magazine, but really it is pretty basic and who wouldn't want a gift of these?
LT: Wow! I like that idea! What do you think about the subject of Plants and Pets? Are there certain plants that one should or shouldn't keep around puppies or kittens cats or dogs?
KJ: Your vet can best tell you. My own experience with cats is that they are either nibblers or not. My current cat, Chantilly, will eat up chives and green onions down to the ground. (Whew! Stinky cat breath!) But never touches any house plant - ever. I know though that some dogs and other creatures (rabbits, hamsters, etc.) may not be so respectful of your potted plants so I'd keep them up and out of reach.
LT: OK. Now, have poinsettias always been a Holiday gift? Do they only grow this time of the year?
KJ: We are doing a poinsettia article in our current issue of our Enewsletter. They are native to Mexico and grow all year there. As they are tropical they only last as houseplants here, though you can summer them outdoors if you wish.
LT: What exactly is the difference between gardening and landscaping?
KJ: Landscaping is the planning - gardening is the doing -- kind of like outlining is to writing.
LT: What are some general tips for homeowners yards for Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall? Are there any easy nutshell tips for each season?
KJ: Check our monthly Enewsletter for our "To Do" lists. It all depends on what you are growing - veggies, flowers, etc. and what kind of garden/yard you want.
LT: What do you think of the annual garden show that comes to the Washington Convention Center? Any tips for going to that
show?
KJ: I do the Washington Home & Garden Show. Come by and visit our booth! It has slowly over the years become less garden and more home - but there is still a nice selection of landscape companies on display as well as cool garden gadgets to buy and in late Feb/early March it is usually still cold and wet outside, so you'll enjoy a nice preview of spring.
LT: Cool! Yeah, my Mom digs all that stuff! Now here is a question of a topic I heard about recently on a TV show - What actually was a Victory Garden? Do people still do those?
KJ: They were also called War Gardens. We wrote about them in a recent issue of the magazine. People grew them during wartime as a way to have fresh food on the table and not rely on government rations.
LT: What fruits and vegetables are best to grow in ones own garden in the DC/MD/VA? Can we truly grow everything and anything here?
KJ: If you have a greenhouse - yes, you can have tropicals like limes and mango. But for normal gardeners you can grow fruit trees like apple, peach, and figs as well as a nice assortment in your garden anything from asparagus to strawberries.
LT: Do you do personal consultations for folks who want to become more adept at gardening?
KJ: We answer individual questions at all the garden events we attend. We list our upcoming events on the front page of our web site. No in-depth individual consulting - at least not yet.
LT: What do you think of this new product called the AeroGarden that allows folks to grow their own veggies inside thier homes? Does it really do that? Is it worth the money? Have you ever tried it?
KJ: Have not tried. It is nothing really new - just a new catchy name. It will work, but is not worth the extra effort and cost. Rent a community garden plot or use your own yard for just pennies.
LT: How can folks reach you for your magazine?
KJ: You can subscribe for just $18 a year through our web site or by mail:
Kathy Jentz
Washington Gardener magazine
826 Philadelphia Ave Silver Spring MD 20910
301-688-6894
editor@washingtongardener.com
washingtongardener.com
LT: Cool! Now, moving onto one of your other many talents! LoveSexyDC! What inspired you to start a DC based fan/friend group for Prince?
KJ: I was a member of Controversy (UK fan club) and was pen pals with Prince fans all over the world and traded with them - but I knew NOT ONE other fan in the DC area when I went to the Act 1 tour in 93 so I said to myself - look at the 1000s of people at this show - we need to get together and hang.
LT: What year did you start LoveSexy DC?
KJ: March 1994.
LT: OK. Have you ever met Prince? How is he in person?
KJ: Yes, just for a few minutes at a time - he is very reserved with a quiet, sly sense of humor.
LT: How many Prince concerts have you been to over the years?
KJ: Whew, I have lost count -- it is at least 50.
LT: Wow. What was your first Prince concert?
KJ: That's easy - LoveSexy Tour at the Cap Center.
LT: How hard or easy is it to secure clubs from month to month for different LoveSexyDC events? Getting a DJ?
KJ: Sometimes it's hard to get a club - sometimes not. Most want to take a big bite and see $$$s when they see us asking for space. We are not about making $$ or profits off the back of fellow fans so I don't deal with clubs anymore that ask for deposits or advances.
Our current club home - Chief Ike's Mambo Room in Adams Morgan - I got hooked up with cause one of our longtime LSDC members bartends there part-time and she knew they would give us the party space for free - they make their money off the drink sales.
What we charge at the door covers our costs and the DJ fee. It was tough to find DJs that have good Prince collections - but now I have a few I can call on and a couple I'm waiting to 'audition.'
LT: Sounds good! Have you ever been to Minneapolis and/or Paisley Park? What was that like?
KJ: I have been to all 3 Celebrations and went up to MPLS a few times prior to those. I like the area a lot - if it was not so damn cold in winter - I'd move. It is clean and very progressive. People are friendly and they are well-educated with artistic/modern tastes. I compare it to Toronto as far as vibe.
LT: What is your favorite Prince album?
KJ: Usually is whichever one I last listened to - I could never choose one.
LT: What do you think of Prince's career over the years?
KJ: I think he was lucky to get the early breaks and slow build-up he did with Warner Bros. - an artist would NEVER get that today. If you are not a hit right off - then you are out.
After he left WB it has been up and down -- he really needs someone to step in and manage things from the fan side much better -- I always shake my head at all the money he is losing out on by not having simple things like a new yearly calendar or video compilations on DVD from each project/year -- those things are easy money and no-brainers to me.
He should also package his own live shows during the tours and cut out the bootleggers profits... Don't get me started on this - I could go on for hours.
LT: Interesting! What do you think is unique about the DC/MD/VA fans or "freinds" of Prince compared to other cities?
KJ: Hmm, I've partied with fans in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, LA, and other places. We are definitely more low-key and mellow in some aspects. However during his tours I'd rather see him in DC than anywhere else. They just don't respond at shows like WE do -- when I saw him in St Paul I wanted to yell at everyone sitting around to get up and dance before we get no encore - dumbasses! LOL ;-)
LT: I hear you! DC always brings it for Prince! Especially that last tour here, Musicology! What a turnout! One of the most diverse crowds I have ever seen from kids to grandparents! Do you think we will ever see an official interactive Prince site up and running again like the npgmusicclub?
KJ: Yes, I think as soon as a new tour is announced they'll realize it is the only way to manage it. 3121 in Vegas would be doing MUCH better now if that site had more info and regular updates with real facts the fans could rely on.
LT: Any predictions for what we may see for Prince's Upcoming Superbowl 2007 Halftime Performance that was recently announced?
KJ: Hmm, haven't given it much thought - I'd LOVE it if he did LOLITA then went into a serious guitar rockout jam complete with surprise guests like Santana. Finishing up with full "SexyMF" version - but yeah, that is NOT happening.
What I predict is he'll pull out the stale hits (Let's Go Crazy, etc.) and play a few of those crowd-pleasers. If he did "Song of the Heart" I wouldn't be surprised either. I'm not looking forward to the cheesy crowd dancers or staging - but you know I'll be glued to the tube no matter what.
LT: Cool! When is the next LoveSexyDC event?
KJ: January 14th at Chief Ike's - the night before MLK Day holiday - bring your dance shoes!
LT: Kathy J., thanks for coming into LT's Jazzy Radio Loft & Lounge! It's been a pleasure interviewing you here in the Loft & Lounge! Drop by again anytime!
KJ: Thanks for having me, LT! :)
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