Maryland Grows Blog

In weekly posts on MD HGIC’s blog, learn about pollinator conservation, growing native plants and food, and how to solve plant pest and disease problems.

MD HGIC Video Tips

Our Extension experts are sharing one-minute video tips to help you in the garden this summer. We’re talking about pest management in the vegetable garden, tree and lawn diseases, native plants, mowing lawns, and more!

For more information, please visit:

https://marylandgrows.umd.edu/

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

UMD Home and Garden Information Center: Ask a Master Gardener

Do you have a gardening question? Our Certified Professional Horticulturists, faculty, and Master Gardener Volunteers are ready to answer – year-round!

See below to ask a master gardener a question on the UMD Extension website:

Ask a Master Gardener

New Gardening Books

Online Gardening Resources

Local Farms

• 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

Montgomery County MD Food and Beverage Guide

The 2024 MoCo Food & Beverage Guide is here! The Guide from the Montgomery County Food Council is available online – delicious baked goods, prepared foods, condiments and more. The craft beverage list grows each year and find two dozen local and amazing farms:

https://mocofoodcouncil.org/foodguide/

Download Montgomery County’s Office of Agriculture 2023 Farmers Market Flyer to find a farmer’s market near you.

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

Check out the revised list of Mid-Atlantic native plants for pollinators and beneficial insects, from the Xerces Society.

Flowers and Groundcovers

• Gently clean up the garden.
• Cut perennials and over-wintering ornamental grasses to 2 inches above ground.
• Hardy spring bulbs begin to emerge (crocus, snowdrops, daffodils, tulips).
• Plant pansies. Deadhead pansies and bulbs. 
• Buy or check on your stored summer bulbs (such as dahlias and caladiums). Pot them and start to water. If you want to give them an early start on the season.
• Pull out ornamental cabbages and Kale.
• Lightly fertilize bulbs when green starts to show.
• Transplant seedlings into individual 3″ – 4″ pots when crowded. Fertilize transplants with 1/2 strength houseplant fertilizer (every 2 weeks).
• Start seeds for: Mallow, Dwarf Zinnias, Cosmos, Celosia, Tall Marigolds, and Tall Zinnias.
• Weed. Especially look for fast-growing vines such as honeysuckle, autumn clematis, bittersweet, wild grape, Virginia creeper, and poison ivy.
• Avoid walking in planting beds.
• Leave old flower stems standing for nesting pollinators.
• After hard frost, sow seeds of spring-blooming hardy annuals and perennials then mark beds!
• Pests to watch for: Aphids, slugs, snails, deer
• 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

5 Million Trees Initiative

Maryland’s goal is to plant and maintain 5 million native trees by 2031. There are various ways you can get involved – plant trees and register them — or volunteer! A number of tree-planting assistance programs are available at the municipal, county, and state levels.

Learn More

THIS is the SUPERPOWER of YOUR KEYSTONE NATIVE PLANTS.

• No exotic plant could ever achieve this.
• Want butterflies? Feed the caterpillars with keystone plants!
• Exotic plants will never support as many different species of caterpillars as the Keystone Natives can.
• Find your keystone native plants here by zip code.

If your zip code doesn’t give you enough information try zip codes of the nearest larger town or city. LINK: https://www.nwf.org/NativePlantFinder/

Trees and Shrubs

• Plant a tree for Arbor Day, the first Wednesday in April.
• Cut some branches (forsythia, quince, bittersweet, redbud, willow, etc.) for forcing into bloom and enjoying indoors.
• 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 ground 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: pH 5-5.5 = blue; pH 6-6.5 = pink
• Prune broken, dead, or diseased branches.
• Plant or transplant trees or shrubs, including berries, roses, and evergreens.
• Trim ornamental grasses such as liriope, mondo, and pampas.
• Keep an eye out for bark damage from rabbits and deer.
• Prune stone fruit trees like cherries, plums, and peaches.
• Spray broadleaf evergreens with anti-desiccant to prevent dehydration.
• Use fallen leaves for mulch or compost.
• Prune foundation shrubs and trees to be no closer than 1 foot from the house.
• Check often and water newly planted trees if they don’t pass the finger test (stick your finger deep into soil – dry? Water!)
• Look out for any Poison Ivy vines, which will turn crimson in the late fall and be easy to distinguish from other vines.
• Remove Ivy, Pachysandra, and other vine-like groundcover from under shrubs.
• Mulch or compost healthy leaves.
• 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.
• Remove dead and dying trees.
• Pests to watch for:  Eastern tent caterpillar, voles, and deer.
• Diseases to watch for:  Fireblight Phomposis on new growth of juniper, Cytospora canker on Spruce
• For more tips, see UMD’s HGIC Garden Tips for more details.

Vegetable Planting Calendar

Download vegetable planting calendars from University of Maryland Extension, in English and Spanish. This page also has a link to a frost/freeze date calculator. 

https://extension.umd.edu/res…/vegetable-planting-calendar

Herbs, Veggies, and Fruit

• Turn under cover crop when soil has warmed enough and is not too wet.
• Put up trellises and teepees for peas, climbing beans, etc.
• Build a raised bed for vegetables. Add lots of manure and compost.
• Fertilize established asparagus, tree and bramble fruits and strawberries.
• Prune grape vines.
• Plant cool-season crops (potatoes, lettuce, peas, root crops, and cole crops, including spinach and kale.
• Sow greens indoors or in cold frame. Vent cold frames on sunny days.
• Start seeds for: tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers inside.
• Direct-sow early, cool-season crops as soon as ground soil can be worked. Good choices are peas, lettuces, mustards, onion sets, kale, and cabbages.
• Begin successive plantings of peas using inoculant.
• Collect large plastic soda bottles to use as cloches. (A cloche is a clear, bell-shaped cover used to protect tender plants from frost.)
• Till and add organic matter to annual/vegetable beds.
• Spread ashes from wood fires on your vegetable beds.
• Cut herbs and flowers for drying indoors.
• Thin seedlings.
• Harvest your herbs often and keep them trimmed back to encourage leafy growth.
• Apply dormant oil spray to fruit trees.
• Pests to watch for: birds, deer, rabbits, woodchucks
• Diseases to watch for: Damping off of seedlings, Fireblight of pears and apples
• Here are some more UMD’s HGIC Garden Tips.

Lawns

• Test soil if you haven’t already.
• Dethatch if necessary and plug aerate BEFORE applying weed control.
• To control crabgrass and/or broadleaf weeds, apply pre-emergent herbicide to lawn (when forsythia blooms drop).
• Start lawn seeding.
• Store your fertilizer and seeds in rodent-proof containers.
• Clean yard of all leaves and other debris.
• Turn your compost pile.
• Diseases to watch for: brown patch, and red thread
• Pests to watch for: Grubs
• See UMD’s HGIC Garden Tips for more details.

Indoors/Houseplants

• Repot larger plants that are going outside for the summer.
• Give your houseplants a quarter turn every few weeks.
• Keep all houseplants out of drafts and away from heat vents.
• Keep succulents and cacti on the dry side.
• Start new indoor plants from cuttings – try an easy one such as violets.
• Repot root-bound houseplants and start fertilizing them.
• Change water in cuttings started last fall and add 2-3 pieces of fish tank charcoal. 
• Do not over water house plants.
• Check on your container plants daily and keep them well-watered.
• 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.
  

Read and follow label instructions on all pesticides and herbicides.

Start the year off by minimizing your #risk to #pesticides and always #ReadTheLabel! Learn more here: http://npic.orst.edu/health/readlabel.html

Questions about your label? Call us! 800-858-7378 M-F 8am-12pm PST

Indoor/Outdoor Insect and Wildlife Tips

• Check indoors for termites and winter ants.
• Watch for insect and disease problems throughout your garden.
• Put suet out for birds.
• Keep bird feeders clean and filled.
• Switch your deer deterrent spray.
• Set out traps for mice, moles, and voles.
• Watch for: eggs, larvae, overwintering stage of many species, carpenter ants, flies, 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:

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Provided by: Mill Creek Towne Garden Club

Location:

Mill Creek Parish United Methodist

7101 Horizon Terrace

Derwood, MD 20855

• Free
• Light Refreshments

Join us for a gardening presentation with Betsy Kingery, a master gardener with the Montgomery County Master Gardener Program.

This talk addresses getting ready for the Spring landscape gardening season.  You will learn what to do at the end of Winter and early Spring and how to plan for later in the year.  There is an overview on climate conscious gardening and diverse planting with native and non-native/non-invasive plants.

Upcoming Landscape Design & Earth Month Programs – Brookside Gardens

Brookside Gardens is hosting a variety of landscape design courses in March and April with both online and in person options. The first offering is a two-part course that will help homeowners develop their own landscape designs 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!).

We’re also partnering with the D.C. Environmental Film Festival to host film screenings and a panel discussion to celebrate Earth Month.

Information about the programs and links to register online are listed below. Recordings of online programs will be made available to participants. If you need help with registration, please call 301-962-1451.  

Introduction to Landscape Design: Session I

*Live Zoom lecture

Saturday, March 9 / 10am – 12pm ET

Fee: $15 / FOBG: $12

Jason Gedeik & Keely Shaughnessy, Brookside Gardens staff

 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

*Live Zoom lecture

Saturday, March 23 / 10am – 12pm ET

Fee: $15 / FOBG: $12

Jason Gedeik & Keely Shaughnessy, Brookside Gardens staff

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.

RainScape Your Yard – Session I: Evaluating Stormwater Solutions for Home Landscapes

*Live Zoom lecture

Thursday, March 28 / 7 – 9pm ET

Fee: $15 / FOBG: $12

Ann English, Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection staff

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 suits your needs.

Ecological Gardening: Supporting Native Habitats in The Home Landscape

*Live Zoom lecture

Thursday, April 25 / 7 – 8:30pm ET

Fee: $15 / FOBG: $12

Christopher Elenstar, Brookside Gardens staff

Whether you’re looking to create a new garden or blend in plants with your existing one, this lecture will help you develop a habitat that attracts and supports a range of wildlife year-round. Learn how to make informed plant selections based on their characteristics and how they uniquely sustain birds, butterflies, and pollinators. A deeper understanding of local ecosystems will inform design strategies for layering plant combinations and placement to create a functional and beautiful landscape. Plant lists provided.

IN-PERSON PROGRAMS

D.C. Environmental Film Festival – Screening & Panel Discussion

*This is an in-person event, taking place in the Brookside Gardens Auditorium.

Wednesday, April 10 / 7 – 8:45pm

FREE; registration required.

Brookside Gardens and the DC Environmental Film Festival partner to present documentary screenings of Troubled Tributary: Maryland’s Patuxent River and Upstream, Downriver. These environmental justice themed films will be followed by a panel discussion of experts. Learn about the efforts of key local and national leaders who are on the forefront of protecting our critical waterways. Panelists:

• Sadie Drescher, Vice President of Programs for Restoration, Chesapeake Bay Trust
• Fred Tutman, CEO, Patuxent Riverkeeper
• Brian Coyle, Ph.D., Executive Officer, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

RainScape Your Yard – Session II: Plants & Landscape Design for RainScapes Gardens

*This is an in-person event, taking place in the Brookside Gardens Auditorium.  

Saturday, April 13 / 10am – 12pm

Fee: $25 / FOBG: $22

Ann English, Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection staff

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

Montgomery Parks – Flora & Fauna Program

Montgomery Parks is pleased to offer a new online learning series for adults that teaches you to recognize the most common species of Montgomery County. Led by our expert Parks staff, you’ll practice identification skills, learn the best ways to see wildlife, and be empowered to practice conservation in your own neighborhood. Montgomery County is a biodiverse place with so many interesting plants and animals, and we can’t wait to share them with you!

Register

Go to Montgomery Parks event calendar for a complete list of special events and programming and to learn how to sign up using ActiveMontgomery. Visit the Winter 2024 Montgomery Parks Program Guide

Montgomery College Horticultural Classes – Spring 2024

This is the schedule of horticultural classes offered at Montgomery College, Germantown Campus this spring semester. The courses are offered in several formats including online, hybrid (online but with face-to-face field trips) and all face-to-face. Students can take classes for credit or audit. Maryland residents 60 years and older may be eligible for a tuition waiver, such that they pay only fees.

For example, eligible seniors would only pay $91.60 for HORT 105 – Introduction to Sustainable Landscaping or $137.40 for HORT 254 – Plant Materials II, HORT 258 Landscape Management or HORT 271 Plant Propagation. Senior registration starts January 17. Classes start the week of January 22.

Lifelong Learning Home and Garden Classes

Annuals and Perennials for Mid-Atlantic Landscape

The course will focus on the requirements needed to successfully incorporate perennials and annuals into the residential landscape of the Mid-Atlantic. We will discuss plant species, both native and non-native, to extend the seasonal interest in the garden. Discussion will include incorporating natives, pollinators, and plants suitable to resolve specific problems within the landscape. The course will review the topography, and soil structure, as well as sun and shade ratios to ensure success with annuals and perennials in the landscape. Also included will be discussions on biennials, self-sown species, and repeat blooming species, as well as perennial division and transplanting; the need to replace invasive species within the gardenscape and how to control invasive species; how to incorporate deer resistant plant species and protect the landscape from deer damage; and the USDA and county zones of hardiness and how to interpret the standardized product labeling requirements from suppliers of plant material. This course is designed for to address the needs professional landscapers or volunteer/amateur gardeners.

TWA Course: LLP152 5 Hours

$59 + $74 fee = $133; NMR add $120

Online: Structured Remote CRN#: 33954 2 Sessions

T 4/23-4/30 6:30-9 p.m.

Woody Ornamentals for the MidAtlantic Region (NEW)

The course will discuss the options for trees and shrubs for use in the Mid-Atlantic residential landscape. We will discuss the need to eliminate the use of invasive species in our region, as well as options to replace these too common species within our landscape. The course covers both native species and selected non-native species, and the need to choose woody ornamentals as a long term investment. Emphasis will be placed on species native to the region better suited to the residential site. and how proper selection of species reduces the need for pruning and reduces the maintenance required. There will be a focus on how to create living low maintenance gardens that will endure. Additional content includes the need for soil and water testing prior to planting, as well as, how to access testing facilities as well as the Tree Montgomery program, the Rain Garden program, and the Street Tree programs within Montgomery County. This course is designed for professional landscapers and/or volunteer/home gardeners. TWA

Course: LLP153 5 Hours

$59 + $74 fee = $133; NMR add $120

Online: Structured Remote CRN#: 33955 2 Sessions

T 4/2-4/9 6:30-9 p.m.

Montgomery County GreenFest

Saturday, April 24, 2024

Germantown, MD
Blackrock Center for the Arts

9am – 4pm

The Montgomery County GreenFest is the largest annual environmental festival in Montgomery County, MD. GreenFest is organized by a coalition of public and non-profit partners.

Leap into action this 2024 and join us at GreenFest 2024 where people of all ages come together to celebrate, learn, and start or continue their journey to improving our community and the environment!

Follow us on social #MCGreenFest for details on GreenFest.

https://mocoparks.org/3lWVVus.

Let’s Talk Gardens

Thursdays 12 to 1 p.m.

Smithsonian Gardens

Video Library