Hello Friends, Neighbors, Fellow Gardeners,
Now that is warm, it’s time to enjoy the outdoors! Here are some garden tips, educational opportunities, and events for May. Save the dates for these upcoming events! Events include Nature Matters: The Latest on Lyme, Brookside Garden’s Wings of Fancy, Locust Grove Nature Center’s Identity Theft: Species that Mimic, Food Matters: Foodie Fridays Speaker Series, and more!
Planning:
- Set aside a few hours each weekend for attending garden shows and tours.
- Build a raised bed for vegetables. Add lots of manure and compost.
- Have a question about gardening? Check the University of Maryland Extension’s New Maryland Grows blog for garden tips.
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Support our local farmers! Visit a local farmers’ market near you. Download Montgomery County’s Office of Agriculture 2018 Farmers Market Flyer to find a farmer’s market near you.
Flowers and Groundcovers:
- After the last frost date, plant warm-season annuals and tender bulbs (calla lilies, dahlias, gladiolus) in the ground and in containers.
- Mark and photograph your bulb plantings now , while they are still visible.
- Divide and replant crowded daffodils.
- Feed your roses and new plantings with slow-release fertilizer sparingly.
- Provide supports for fast-growing perennials such as delphiniums, peonies, and lilies.
- Deadhead spent blooms on your annuals and perennials to encourage re-flowering.
- Plant dahlias, gladioli, caladiums, and cannas.
- Direct-sow annual flower seeds.
- Transplant seedlings into individual 3″-4″ pots when crowded.
- Water transplants deeply when dry.
- Pinch out growing tips of leggy seedlings.
- After spring bulbs bloom, let leaves turn yellow and die before trimming.
- Cut back spent tulip and daffodil blooms, but not the foliage!
- Transplant spring flowering bulbs after flowering.
- Plant summer flowering bulbs.
- Pests to watch for: Aphids, spidermites, whiteflies, snails, slugs
- Diseases to watch for: Blackspot on roses; powdery mildew, rust, bacterials diseases
- See UMD’s HGIC’s May Flower tips for more details.
Trees and Shrubs:
- Directly after blooming, prune flowering shrubs (forsythia, lilacs, and azaleas) and vines.
- Prune crepe myrtle when you can see what is still alive.
- Prune long shoots on shrubs to keep plant neat looking.
- Plant and transplant shrubs that have finished blooming.
- Check often and water newly planted and transplanted trees if they don’t pass the “finger test” (stick your finger deep into the soil – dry? Water!)
- Do not fertilize newly planted or transplanted plants the first year.
- If you must mulch, remove old mulch then add 2″ – 3″ shredded pine or pine needles, keeping 3″ away from the trunk.
- Avoid hardwood mulch (water phobic).
- Soil test established trees that have not been performing well.
- Remove Ivy, Pachysandra, and other vine-like groundcover from under shrubs.
- Remove dead and dying trees.
- Water newly planted trees and shrubs weekly or as needed.
- Pests to watch for: Gypsy moths, azalea lacebug, adelgids, aphids, borer, scale, sawfly, spidermites, leafminers, and caterpillars.
- Diseases to watch for: Apple scab, Cedar-apple, hawthorn or quince rust, Verticillium wilt, Oak leaf blister.
- See HGIC’s May Trees and Shrubs Tips for more details.
Herbs, Veggies, and Fruit:
- Plant warm-season vegetables (squash, peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, okra, sweet potato, corn, beans).
- Sow seeds of beans, melons, cucumbers.
- New fruit plants — keep watered their first spring, summer, and fall.
- Sow seeds of: carrots, endive, sunflowers, and lettuce
- Thin seedlings.
- Hand pick cabbage worms from broccoli and other cabbage family plants.
- Cover garden beds with shredded leaves to minimize soil erosion.
- Watch for insect and disease problems throughout your garden.
- Pests to watch for: rabbits, deer, woodchucks, birds
- Diseases to watch for: Apple scab, Cedar-apple rust
- Here are some more fruit and vegetable gardening tips for May from UMD’s HGIC.
Lawns:
- Mow high to reduce weeds and stress and leave the clippings on the lawn: Fescue and Bluegrass: 3″ – 3 ½”
- Test soil if you haven’t already (every 3 years minimum).
- Calibrate your spreader before fertilizing.
- Fertilize turf ONLY if weak: apply 1 lb. N/1000 sq. ft.
- Start lawn seeding.
- Dethatch if necessary and plug aerate BEFORE applying weed control.
- Apply pre-emergent crabgrass and broadleaf weed control when forsythia finishes blooming.
- The annual soil science calendars from the Natural Resources Conservation Service are both educational and beautifully done. The one for 2018 as well as those for previous years are available as free PDFs here: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/
wps/portal/nrcs/detail/ soils/edu/ ?cid=nrcseprd1250008 - Build a compost bin.
- Get your lawn mower serviced.
- Diseases to watch for: brown patch, and red thread
- Pests to watch for: Grubs
- See HGIC’s May Lawn Tips for more details.
Indoors/Houseplants:
- Remove old leaves, damaged stems.
- Begin hardening off prior to putting outside in shade for summer.
- Move to shady location for summer.
- Repot larger plants that are going outside for the summer.
- Repot and fertilize houseplants when new growth begins.
- Maintain moisture in pots wintering indoors, but do not over water!
- Keep all houseplants out of drafts and away from heat vents.
- Clean the leaves of your indoor houseplants to prevent dust and film to build-up.
- Remove old leaves, damaged stems.
- Fertilize houseplants now that they are actively growing again.
- Pests to watch for: aphids, mealybug, spider mites, scale, squirrels, and whitefly
- See HGIC’s May Houseplants Tips for more tips.
Indoor/Outdoor Insect and Wildlife Tips:
- Ticks are very active now.
- Clean and refill bird feeders.
- Put up birdhouses.
- Wash and refill the bird bath or set out a shallow bowl of water in icy weather.
- Be vigilant for mosquito breeding spots — any standing water from a bottle cap to blocked gutters, and clean them out quickly.
- Vacuum up any ladybugs that come in the house.
- Check for vole problems and set up traps.
- Switch your deer deterrent spray.
- See HGIC’s May Insect Tips for more details.
- Watch for: carpenter ants, flies, stink bugs, termites, rabbits, raccoons, groundhogs, deer, moles, snakes, squirrels, and voles.
- For more information on wildlife management and attracting wildlife see HGIC’s May Wildlife tips.
Source: University of Maryland’s Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC) and the Washington Gardener.
Please Support the Mill Creek Towne Garden Club
Hello Friends, Neighbors,
Please support the Mill Creek Towne Garden Club! Your donations will help us continue to provide garden-related programs to the community and pay for maintaining and landscaping the Mill Creek Towne main entrances.
https://www.mctgardenclub.org/donations/
We accept donations throughout the year. Thanks to all of you that have recently donated as well as those of you who have supported us in the past years! Thanks for your continued support of the Mill Creek Towne Garden Club and our community programs!
Mill Creek Towne Garden Club – Derwood, Maryland
https://www.mctgardenclub.org | info@mctgardenclub.org | Like us on Facebook
May
See below for upcoming local events in May.
Montgomery Parks Special Events & Festivals
More events are being added regularly. Please check back often!
Save the dates for these upcoming events! Events include Nature Matters: The Latest on Lyme, Brookside Garden’s Wings of Fancy, Locust Grove Nature Center’s Identity Theft: Species that Mimic, Food Matters: Foodie Fridays Speaker Series, and more!
Master Gardener Plant Clinics
Varied Locations, dates, and times
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What can Master Gardeners do for you?
- Help you select and care for annual and perennial plants, shrubs and trees.
- Determine if you need to test your soil.
- Provide you with information on lawn care.
- Identify weeds, beneficial and noxious insects, and plant diseases and remedies.
- Teach you how to use pesticides, mulch and compost.
- Guide you in pruning trees and shrubs.
- Provide you with options for managing wildlife.
- Provide you with gardening resources.
- Help you submit a plant sample for diagnosis
Plant Clinics are held at several sites in the county on a weekly basis and at special events such as garden festivals and the county fair. Regularly scheduled Plant Clinics are located at public libraries and farmers’ markets throughout the county as well as at the Audubon Naturalist Society in Chevy Chase. There are also clinics three days per week at Brookside Gardens. The busiest season is April through September, but some clinics are open year-round. Bring your plant samples and questions to one of these locations in Montgomery County, MD (see link below to find a location near you):
Identity Theft: Species that Mimic
10 AM – 11 AM
| Price: | $6.00 (Standard charge) |
Food Matters: Foodie Fridays Speaker Series
Friday, May 25
6:30 pm- 8:30pm
Brookside Gardens
1800 Glenallan Avenue
Wheaton, MD 20902
FREE
Preserving the Legacy of an Iconic Montgomery County Farmer
Join Kate Median and Hannah Sholder, founders of The Charles Koiner Center for Urban Farming, to discuss life and work at the farm in downtown Silver Spring. The non-profit’s mission is to steward and manage urban farms across the county for the purpose of hands-on agricultural STEM education. Extending this vision further, the founders seek to support a network of urban farms across the county that are bound by a commitment to inspiring the next generation of sustainable food innovators. Acting on this vision, the founders will discuss their educational, farm management and land stewardship programs at the flagship Koiner Farm.
June
Montgomery Parks Speaker Series: M-NCPPC – Park Safety
June 6, 2018
11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Montgomery County Planning Department Auditorium
8787 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20910
https://www.montgomeryparks.org/speakerseries/
Join us for the Montgomery Parks Speaker Series, which will cover a diverse range of parks topics including planning and design for urban parks, park advocacy, public-private partnerships, and more! RSVP for lunch – space is limited.
Lieutenant Nicole Adams, M-NCPPC – Park Safety
The Assistant Chief of the Support Branch oversees the Administrative Section, Communications Section, and Management & Technology Services Sections. The Support Branch is dedicated to providing quality support services to the Division. Our goal is to provide the tools for Division members to do their jobs more efficiently and effectively.
Lt. Nicole Adams is the primary Public Information Officer for the Support Branch of the Division.
RSVP for Lunch-Space is Limited
Laytonia Recreational Park: Grand Opening Celebration
Sunday, June 10
11am – 1pm
Laytonia Recreational Park
7300 Airpark Road, Gaithersburg, MD
FREE
Join Montgomery Parks for the grand opening of Laytonia Recreational Park.
The celebration will include a ribbon cutting, family-friendly activities, food trucks and more!
Please bring new and used sports equipment to donate to local nonprofit Leveling The Playing Field. The equipment will be distributed to families in need.