Hello Fellow Gardeners,

The leaves are changing colors and we are enjoying the fall fruits and vegetables and preparing for the holidays! Below are some gardening tips, instructional videos, recipes, and events for November.

General Maintenance:

• Have soil tested (every 3 years at minimum). Continue to water if there is a dry spell.
• How to Dispose of Leaves the Bay-Friendly Way – Chesapeake Bay Program
  • Fallen leaves=good, free fertilizer.
• Why You Should Leave the Leaves – National Wildlife Federation
  Wildlife uses leaf litter to overwinter. (nwf.org)
• How to create a living soil
  A nice guide to loam and topsoil by the Washington Post’s Barbara Damrosch. (Washington Post)
• Apply a different deer deterrent.
• MoCo becomes first major locality to ban cosmetic pesticides from lawns
  This bill just passed the Montgomery County Council with a 6-3 vote.
• See HGIC’s November Soil, Fertilizer, and Compost tips for more details.
• Did You Know #51 – Master Gardeners
  Informative video about the Montgomery County Master Gardener Plant Clinics (YouTube Video)
  

Flowers and Groundcovers:

• Continue removing diseased leaves.
• Mulch or compost healthy leaves.
• Continue planting hardy, spring flowering bulbs.
  • Plant pansies for fall-winter and early spring color – do it very soon to assure that their roots get established for overwintering. (Washington Gardener Magazine)
• After blooming, cut mums back to 6 inches above ground.
• Mums that are planted this late should be treated as an annual. Fall-planted asters, however, will become established. Ornamental kale and cabbage produce a nice show of foliage but usually decline by February. This is a good time to save the seed from annual flowering plants like cleome, zinnias, cosmos, celosia and butterfly weed. (Home and Garden Information Center)
• Clean out and store containers.
• Cut back perennials that have turned to mush. Leave others with seed heads for birds.
• Pests to watch for: Voles
• See UMD’s HGIC’s November Flower tips for more details.

Trees and Shrubs:

• Trees and shrubs can be planted until ground freezes.
• Dig hole now if you will be planting a “live” Christmas tree.
• No more fertilizing for the year. But planting is still OK.
• Water slowly and deeply if weather is very dry.
• Top 10 Dwarf Conifers | Small Space Gardening
  
  If your space is limited, consider a dwarf (slow-growing) conifer (Birds and Blooms)
• 25 Places Around DC to Take Beautiful Fall Photos
  Brookside Gardens, National Arboretum, Dumbarton Oaks, … (Washingtonian)

• Cover carrots, parsnips, and turnips with straw to extend harvest.
• University Of Maryland Is Expanding “Farm To Table” Concept
  University of Maryland Terp Farm on Baltimore’s WJZ-TV.
• Local persimmons, acorns and hickory nuts are forecasting a harsh winter in D.C.
  • Using fruit and nuts (and folklore) to predict the winter weather.

• Give flowers and vegetables equal status in the home garden
  
  Landscape designers often incorporate edibles into their garden designs.

Lawns:

• Fertilize tall and fine fescues and bluegrass with 1/2 lb. Nitrogen per 1000 square feet.
• Fertilize grasses in the fall.
• Native Ground Cover for East Coast Shade: Barren Strawberry
  Native ground cover for deep shade where no grass will grow.
• Compost | University of Maryland Extension
  • ” Fall is a good time to start a compost pile by mixing together spent leaves, grass clippings, and many other organic materials.”
• See HGIC’s November Lawn Tips for more details.

Indoors/Houseplants:

• Mid-month, pot amaryllis for winter holiday bloom.
• Do not fertilize until January.
• Deadhead flowering plants.
• How to Re-pot an Orchid (YouTube Video)
• Pest to watch for: Whiteflies, spidermites, mealybug
• See HGIC’s November Houseplants Tips for more tips.

Indoor/Outdoor Insect  and Wildlife Tips:

• Stink bugs, ladybird beetles, boxelder bugs, house flies, elm leaf beetles and a few other critters may be observed in large numbers congregating inside your home.  See HGIC’s information on insect tips for November…
• Bat Week 2015 – some interesting facts about bats (Video).
  • Fact sheet on Bats (UMD)
• The Bug Guy Saves the Day – The Diane Rehm Show:  UMD Professor Mike Raupp to the rescue!
• Study Compares “Natural” Mosquito Repellents to DEET
  Study compares DEET with “natural” repellents.
• Black Swallowtail Catterpillar Defense
  • When attacked (or poked) black swallowtail caterpillars extrude bright (Smithsonian Gardens)
• See HGIC’s November Insect Tips for more details.
• Ruby-throated hummingbirds preparing to travel to warmer climates for the winter months.
• How to Welcome Winter Birds
  • Check out these easy tips for creating a bird-friendly yard.
• Montgomery Parks: Planning and Stewardship – Living with Wildlife Series: Deer are on the move this time of year–be careful!
• Rashes from Caterpillars
  • Never touch a hairy caterpillar (Read more…)
• For more information on wildlife management and attracting wildlife see HGIC’s November Wildlife tips.

Support our Local Farmers – Participate in the Buy Local Challenge!

Please support our local farmers by visiting one of Montgomery County’s Farmers Markets and purchasing local fresh produce.  See below for a  listing of local farmersʼ markets and farms in your area.

• Maryland’s Best Farms Directory
• Montgomery County Farmer’s Markets
• Buy Local Challenge Tips and Recipes
• Marylandʼs Best Tips and Recipes
• Buy Local for the Holidays

Source: University of Maryland Extension’s Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC).

Upcoming Events and Educational Opportunities:

See below for highlights of upcoming events on our calendar. Check out our Events Calendar for a complete list of upcoming events for all ages!

11/07/2015 – 11/8/2015 Blacksmiths & Friends: Traditional Arts Show

11/20/2015 – Fall Garden Harvest Scavenger Hunt

November 20 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Have some Fall season fun throughout the gardens. Start at the Visitors Center and follow the colorful leaf trail leading you to the Conservatory and back again. Along the way hunt for seasonal clues and participate in fun activities, exercises and crafts. Guided garden walks leave on the half hour beginning at 10:00am. Last walk leaves at 11:30am. An adult must accompany each child.

Ages 2 to 7

Brookside Gardens 1800 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton, MD 20902 Wheaton, 20902

Phone: (301) 962-1400

Website: http://www.montgomeryparks.org/brookside/

11/21/2015 – Holiday Wreaths

November 21 @ 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm

$22

Join Volunteer Naturalists to make your own holiday wreath using natural materials. All materials will be provided. Meet at the parking area next to the greenhouse, across from the Park Office on Lake Ridge Drive. Please register and pay for each person who wants to make a wreath.

Ages 10 & up

Black Hill Regional Park 20930 Lake Ridge Dr, Boyds, MD 20841 Boyds, MD 20841 United States

Phone: (301) 528-3492

Website: http://www.montgomeryparks.org/team/npld.shtm

Become a Master Gardener:

Registration Deadline: December 18, 2015

Master Gardeners are trained volunteers of the University of Maryland Extension dedicated to helping County residents by educating them about safe, effective and sustainable horticultural practices that build healthy gardens, landscapes and communities. Participants in the 2016 Montgomery County Master Gardener volunteer training program will learn environmentally sound gardening practices and after qualifying as Master Gardeners have many opportunities to help and teach others.

Classes meet on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday of each week from January 26, 2016, to March 11, 2016, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.at the Montgomery County Extension, Agricultural History Farm Park, 18410 Muncaster Road, in Derwood, MD. Cost is $325. The deadline to register is Friday, December 18, 2015. Class size is limited and filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more details: https://extension.umd.edu/…/Mon…/2016%20training%20class.pdf

Garden of Lights: Winter Garden Walk Through Holiday Light Display

Open Nightly from November 27, 2015 – January 3, 2016 (closed December 24 & 25)
Hours: Sunday – Thursday: 5:30 – 9:30 PM | Friday – Saturday: 5:30 – 10:00 PM

Make a new holiday tradition at the Garden of Lights Walk Through Holiday Light Display

Step into a magical winter wonderland illuminated with more than one million dazzling colorful lights shaped into hand-crafted, original art forms of flowers, animals and other natural elements. Stroll from garden to garden enjoying twinkling tree forms, fountains, sparkling snowflakes overhead and more. The Garden of Lights celebrates its 18th season as a Baltimore/Washington, DC area family holiday tradition.

The night wouldn’t be complete without a visit inside the Conservatory to enjoy watching G-Scale model trains wind through a seasonal landscape. Afterward, warm up inside the Visitors Center while you sip hot cocoa and listen to one of the nightly musical performances. The Conservatory Winter Display and Garden Railway Exhibit is open daily from 10 AM to 5 PM beginning Friday, November 27, 2015 – Sunday, January 3, 2016.

$25 per car/van (Monday-Thursday) | $30 per car/van (Friday-Sunday)
$25 advanced tickets available beginning November 1, 2015
Cash only at entrance | Call for info on fees for buses, vans and limos.

Mill Creek Towne Garden Club

cordially invites you to our

Please support Mill Creek Towne Garden Club’s community projects through our Season’s Nursery Sale. Proceeds help defray the costs for landscaping and maintenance of the MCT entrances. The sale is on Friday–Sunday, December 11th–13th, 2015. Season’s Nursery will donate 5% back to the MCT Garden Club from the Gift Shop, nursery, firewood—EVERYTHING. To participate, you must mention “MILL CREEK TOWNE GARDEN CLUB” when you make your purchase.

Fri–Sat 8:00 am-6:00 pm | Sun 9:00 am-5:00 pm

Season’s Nursery

8135 Snouffer School Rd.

Gaithersburg, MD 20879

301-990-6689

http://seasonsnurseryinc.com/

*Donations to MCT Garden Club are gratefully accepted*

Happy Holidays!