Hello Friends, Neighbors, Fellow Gardeners,

Happy Spring! The peak bloom projection for the Yoshino Cherry blossoms is March 22 – 25, 2023! Here are some garden tips, educational opportunities, and videos for March. This includes some events from U.S. Botanic Garden, Master Gardeners of Montgomery County, and Maryland Gardens. A lot of gardening events are announced on Facebook and we share them on our Facebook page as well as on our mctgardenclub.org website. Some upcoming events include Backyard Gardening Zoom Sessions, the Smithsonian’s Let’s Talk Gardens series, The Great Grow Along, Spring Gardening Conference, Spring Online Garden Classes at Montgomery College, Mill Creek Garden Club events including our Mill Creek Spring Cleanup on April 15th! These events will be hosted as online or live events.

• Take photos and update your garden journal.
• Buy seeds and order plants from the new garden catalogs.
• Mark beds outside where new plants are to go.
• Sharpen and replace tools as needed.
• Clean out pots; store non-frost proof containers in garage or basement.
• Plan for 2023 with these Free resources: Landscaping with Native Plants by the Maryland Native Plant Society, Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas by the National Park Service, Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia Reading Room. Visit our Online Gardening Resources page for more helpful online resources.
• Buy a good gardening book or magazine subscription for a gift for your favorite gardener.
• Have a question about gardening? Check the University of Maryland Extension’s New Maryland Grows blog for garden tips.

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Master Gardener Plant Clinics

Montgomery County Master Gardeners - Maryland

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):

https://extension.umd.edu/mg/locations/plant-clinics

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New Gardening Books

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Online Gardening Resources

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Online Garden-to-Table Recipes

There are many resources for recipes to make from your garden crops including seed companies, local farms, and online recipe cookbook catalogs. If you grow vegetables, these are very useful resources as the recipes feature the very plant you are growing. Here are few links to recipes you can make from your garden crops

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Local Farms

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• Support Our Local Farmers – Join a CSA and have fresh local produce delivered to you!
• Visit a local farmers’ market.

How to Support Farmers and Safely Shop at Farmers’ Markets

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Flowers and Groundcovers

• Deadhead pansies and bulbs.
• Plant pansies.
• Transplant seedlings into individual 3″ – 4″ pots when crowded.
• Start seeds for: Mallow, Dwarf Zinnias, Cosmos, Celosia, Tall Marigolds, Tall Zinnias. Check daily for moisture.
• Leave seedheads on Black-eyed Susans, Echinacea, Goldenrod, Sunflowers, and Thistles for the birds to enjoy over the winter.
• After hard frost, sow seeds of spring-blooming hardy annuals and perennials, then mark beds.
• Pests to watch for: Aphids, 4-lined plant bug, spidermites, whiteflies, Deer, slugs, snails.
• Diseases to watch for:  Damping off of seedlings.
• See UMD’s HGIC Garden Tips for more details.
• For a list of native plant resources, visit: https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/native-plant-resources

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Trees and Shrubs

• Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs before new growth.
• Prune out Eastern tent caterpillar egg masses. 
• Prune summer flowering trees except Crepe Myrtle.
• Begin planting when soil is not too wet.
• Prune butterfly bush to 8″ – 10″. 
• Rejuvenate prune hollies.
• Fertilize plants not getting ready to bloom if needed.
• Test soil pH on some hydrangeas and adjust: Blue: pH 5 – 5.5; Pink: pH 6 – 6.5 
• Check that newly planted trees, shrubs, and perennials have not been heaved out of the ground due to freezing and thawing cycles.
• Remove bagworm bags.
• Prune out Fireblight damage Malus and Pyrus when very cold.
• Mulch or compost healthy leaves.
• Remove Ivy, Pachysandra, and other vine-like ground cover from under shrubs.
• Soil test established trees that have not been performing well.
• Put diseased leaves, pesticide-laden grass clippings and weed seeds out for recycling rather than the compost pile.
• Spray with dormant oil to decrease pest infestations.
• Keep an eye out for bark damage from rabbits and deer.
• Remove dead and dying trees.
• Pests to watch for:  Voles, Deer
• Diseases to watch for:  Fireblight, Phomopsis and Kabatina of Juniper, Diplodia tip blight of 2 & 3 needled pines, Cytospora canker on Spruce.
• For more tips, see UMD’s HGIC Garden Tips for more details.

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Herbs, Veggies, and Fruit

• Plant cool-season crops (potatoes, lettuce, peas, root crops, and cole crops including spinach and kale).
• Turn under cover crop when soil has warmed enough and is not too wet.
• Fertilize established asparagus, tree and bramble fruits and strawberries.
• Prune grapevines.
• Collect large plastic soda bottles to use as cloches. (A cloche is a clear, bell-shaped cover used to protect tender plants from frost.)
• Start seeds for tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers inside.
• Harvest your herbs often and keep them trimmed back to encourage leafy growth.
• Pot up rosemary and chives for over-wintering indoors.
• Cut herbs and flowers for drying indoors.
• This is a good time to have your vegetable garden and landscape soils tested.
• Apply dormant oil spray to fruit trees.
• Pests to watch for: Asparagus beetle, aphids, cabbage worms, cutworms, Deer, Japanese beetle, rabbits, woodchucks, birds.
• Diseases to watch for: Damping off of seedlings, Fireblight of pears and apples, Fungal, bacterial viral diseases.
• Here are some more UMD’s HGIC Garden Tips.

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Lawns

• To control crabgrass, apply pre-emergent herbicide to lawn (when forsythia blooms drop).
• Cut perennials and over-wintering ornamental grasses to 2 inches above the ground.
• Avoid walking on frozen grass to avoid damaging the crowns.
• Some alternatives to de-icing salts include sand, beet juice sugars, light gravel (grit), or non-clumping kitty litter. Using de-icing salts around driveways and sidewalks can harm your garden plants and turf.
• Get your lawn mower serviced.
• Have soil tested (every 3 years minimum).
• Clean yard of all leaves and other debris.
• Turn your compost pile.
• The annual soil science calendars from the Natural Resources Conservation Service are both educational and beautifully done. The one for 2022 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
• Diseases to watch for: brown patch, and red thread
• Pests to watch for: Grubs
• See UMD’s HGIC Garden Tips for more details.

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Indoors/Houseplants

• Repot larger plants that are going outside for the summer.
• Change water in cuttings started last fall and add 2-3 pieces of fish tank charcoal. 
• Do not over water house plants.
• Start to fertilize with 1/2 strength houseplant fertilizer.
• Check on your container plants daily and keep them well-watered.
• Check any tropical or summer-blooming bulbs, corms, tubers, and bare root plants in storage for rot or desiccation.
• Rotate houseplants to promote even growth.
• Remove old leaves, damaged stems.
• Pinch out growing tips of leggy cuttings and plants that are overwintering.
• Clean the leaves of your indoor houseplants to prevent dust and film build-up.
• Pests to watch for:  aphids, spider mites, mealybug, scale, and whitefly.
• See UMD’s HGIC Garden Tips for more information.
  

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Montgomery Parks Deer Population Management Program

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Indoor/Outdoor Insect and Wildlife Tips

• Watch for insect and disease problems throughout your garden.
• Check your plants at night with a flashlight for any night-feeding insects like slugs.
• Look out for slug eggs grouped under sticks and stones. They are the size of BBs and pale in color.
• Put up birdhouses. 
• Put suet out for birds.
• Keep bird feeders clean and filled.
• Switch your deer deterrent spray.
• Caulk and seal your outside walls to prevent insects and wildlife from coming indoors.
• Set out traps for mice, moles, and voles.
• Watch for: carpenter ants, flies, mosquitos, stink bugs, termites, rabbits, raccoons, groundhogs, deer, mice, moles, snakes, squirrels, and voles.
• For more information, see UMD’s HGIC Garden Tips.

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

See more tips from HGIC:

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Support Our Local Farmers – Join a CSA and have fresh local produce delivered to you!

CSAs are seeing record numbers of subscribers http://ow.ly/eiQT50zD5lW – find your farmer here: http://ow.ly/jbO250zD56M

CSAs can take many forms, but essentially they are community supported farms in which members contribute to farming projects, usually by way of membership fees, in exchange for fresh, local produce. The concept came to the United States from Europe in the 1980s.  They are a great way to take advantage of fresh, locally grown fruit, vegetables, herbs, and more while supporting nearby farms. Each one is different, some offer pickup locations in urban areas, some offer only farm-based pickups.

There are multiple CSAs located around the County offering a wide variety of products. CSAs begin taking sign-ups for spring and summer seasons in the early part of the year, and they tend to fill up FAST! Know of another CSA not on our list? Let us know! Montgomery Countryside Alliance also maintains a list:

 http://www.mocoalliance.org/community-supported-agriculture.html

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Brookside Gardens Spring Landscaping Classes

Brookside Gardens is hosting a variety of landscape design courses in March that will be held online with interactive Q&A.  The first offering is a two-part course that will help homeowners create their own landscape designs.  Whether you’re looking to upgrade your existing garden or develop an entirely new area, you’ll learn how to create functional and beautiful outdoor spaces. The second series of lectures is focused on rain gardens and stormwater management (free native plants given out!).

Information about the programs and links to register online are listed below. If you need help with registration, please call Maia Eskin at 301-962-1407.  Lectures will also be recorded and made available for online viewing to participants.

Introduction to Landscape Design: Session I

Saturday, March 11 / 10am – 12pm

Cost: $12 / FOBG: $10

https://web1.myvscloud.com/wbwsc/mdmontgomeryctywt.wsc/iteminfo.html?Module=AR&FMID=74212183

Learn practical steps to approach the design process, including site analysis, creating a concept design, and determining the functional goals for your space. You’ll understand why the environmental conditions of your yard are key to a successful design that keeps your plants healthy, minimizes garden maintenance, and reduces costs.

Introduction to Landscape Design: Session II

Saturday, March 25 / 10am – 12pm

Cost: $12 / FOBG: $10

https://web1.myvscloud.com/wbwsc/mdmontgomeryctywt.wsc/iteminfo.html?Module=AR&FMID=74212205

Learn to implement core design elements like color, texture, form, line, and scale to create a beautiful and functional landscape. Design concepts like seasonality and layering will be explored through real-world case studies. Plant combinations and lists will also be examined that address site-specific challenges like sun vs. shade and dry vs. wet conditions.

Evaluating Stormwater Solutions for Home Landscapes

Thursday, March 30 / 6:30pm – 8pm

Cost: $12 / FOBG: $10

https://web1.myvscloud.com/wbwsc/mdmontgomeryctywt.wsc/iteminfo.html?Module=AR&FMID=76234017

The Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection offers a rebate program for approved RainScape projects for homeowners. RainScape projects to be eligible for rebate, participants must apply and be approved for installation based on a submitted plan before projects are installed. These two sessions are intended to help homeowners create a RainScape design plan. Classes are open to anyone regardless if applying for a RainScape rebate or not.

Session I: Learn how environmentally friendly landscapes, such as conservation sites and rain gardens, can help manage stormwater issues on residential properties. We’ll review steps to planning a RainScape including site evaluation and determining the type and scale of project that best suit your needs.

Plants & Landscape Design for RainScape Gardens

Saturday, April 8 / 10am – 12pm

Cost: $25 / FOBG: $22 (Workshop held in-person at Brookside Gardens Visitor Center. Registrants will receive a selection of free native plants to take home.)

https://web1.myvscloud.com/wbwsc/mdmontgomeryctywt.wsc/iteminfo.html?Module=AR&FMID=76235116

Session II: Explore strategies to properly size a garden project, estimate plant quantities, and create an effective planting plan. Study the range of native plant selections appropriate for managing water runoff while also supporting pollinators and wildlife. Learn the steps needed to develop and submit a plan that successfully qualifies for the RainScapes Rewards Rebate. Registrants will receive a selection of free native plants to take home.

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Join us for our next Sustainable Food Systems virtual lecture on Tuesday, March 14 at 6:00pm with Denzel Mitchell, Co-Executive Director of Education and Operations at Farm Alliance of Baltimore. Denzel will discuss “Building An Urban Ag Food Hub in Baltimore City.” For more information & to register: http://bit.ly/SFSL23

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• Gardening 101 – Mar 7
• Soil health for your garden – Mar 21
• Interplanting your vegetables with pollinators for better ecosystems – Apr 4
• Fruit talk – Apr 18
• Herbs of the world – May 2
• The garden pest game show – May 16

For details and registration visit: https://go.umd.edu/get_growing

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The Great Grow Along

Join the Garden Nation

March 10-19, 2023

A free 10-day virtual festival connecting gardeners with the influencers, taste-makers and cutting edge content of today’s gardening world.

Over 40 workshops, virtual tours of inspiring public and botanic gardens nation-wide and Houseplant Happy Hours… join real time and connect with presenters plus other attendees or watch at your convenience for six-months.

This timely content will help you up your plant game or inspire you to try new ideas in 2023. A unique opportunity to be encouraged and educated by some of the biggest influencers, educators and taste-makers in today’s gardening world.

Get more info at https://greatgrowalong.com.

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Gardening for Acidic Soils

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

7:00 pm – 8:30 pm EDT

Brookside Gardens

1800 Glenallan Avenue

Wheaton, MD, 20902

Wondering how to take advantage of the acidic soils prevalent in our region to create beautiful gardens? Join us on Wednesday, March 22 for a free, in-person lecture with horticulturist and author Todd Boland as he shares key insights from his book, “Gardening for Acidic Soils: Working with Nature to Create a Beautiful Landscape.” Register today at https://mocoparks.org/3KDQErT

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Montgomery County 2023 Master Gardener Spring Gardening Conference

University of Maryland Extension – Montgomery County

Sat, April 1, 2023 

8:30 AM – 2:00 PM EDT

Location

Montgomery County Extension

Agricultural History Farm Park

18410 Muncaster Road

Derwood, MD 20855

View Map

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Introduction to Organic Vegetable Gardening

Learn how to produce vegetables for the household while using sustainable gardening practices. Explore what, when, and how to plant vegetable crops that are well suited to Maryland. Discuss ways to organically control pest and diseases. Design a home vegetable garden.

TWA

Course: LLP001        5 Hours

$40 + $72 fee = $112; NMR add $120

Online: Structured Remote

CRN#: 34120            2 Sessions                R

3/30-4/6                   6:30-9 p.m.

Instructor: Terri A. Valenti

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