Hello Friends, Neighbors, Fellow Gardeners,
It’s June and time to enjoy the outdoors and enjoy our gardens! Make sure you stay cool and avoid the summer heat! Don’t forget to support our local farmers by visiting our local farmer’s markets and local farms! Make sure you have your gardens taken care of when you plan your summer trips. 🌞🌼 Here are some garden tips, educational opportunities, and videos for June. 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 as well as on our website. Some upcoming events include Ask a Master Gardener at Twinbrook Library, Backyard Gardening Zoom Sessions, the Smithsonian’s Let’s Talk Gardens series, American Horticultural Society’s Great American Gardeners Webinar Series, Brookside Garden’s events: Sustainable Gardening Practices, Pollinator Meadow Tour, Meadowside Nature Center’s “Seed Bombs” giveaway, Summer Garden Classes at Montgomery College, Farm Tours, and more! These events will be hosted as online or live events.
Planning Tips
- Check out garden centers for discounted house plants.
- Take photos and update your garden journal.
- Inspect your garden hose for leaks an tighten all connections.
- As the heat and humidity move in, take it easy by working in the morning or early evening to avoid intense sun and humidity. Leave the big projects for this fall. For now, just concentrate on maintaining the beds you’ve already established and nurturing new plantings.
- 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.
Master Gardener Plant Clinics
“Ask a Master Gardener” Plant Clinics are returning to several county locations in Maryland. Bring your plant and gardening questions and get answers from Master Gardeners trained by the University of Maryland Extension. Check out the details in your county: https://extension.umd.edu/programs/environment-natural-resources/program-areas/home-and-garden-information-center/master-gardener-program/local-programs
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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):
https://extension.umd.edu/mg/locations/plant-clinics
New Gardening Books
Online Gardening Resources
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
Local Farms
#LocalIsTheNewNormal #BuyLocal
- 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 2023 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:
Download Montgomery County’s Office of Agriculture 2022 Farmers Market Flyer to find a farmer’s market near you.
#PollinatorWeek is June 19-25, 2023! Check out these resources you can use to support pollinators!
https://www.pollinator.org/pollinator-week/pollinator-week-resources
Check out the revised list of Mid-Atlantic native plants for pollinators and beneficial insects, from the Xerces Society.
Flowers and Groundcovers
- Direct-sow annual flower seeds.
- Fill in bare spots in the garden with annuals.
- Check your container plants and keep them well-watered.
- Pinch buds of fall-blooming plants (asters, mums, Joe-Pye weed).
- Start a sunflower patch with help from a few kids.
- Deadhead spent flowers to encourage reblooming.
- Cut a few flowers to enjoy in your workplace or home.
- Water transplants deeply when dry.
- Pinch out tips of leggy plants.
- Fertilize spring blooming plants after flowering.
- Stake tall plants.
- Spray roses with Neem oil every two weeks.
- Feed your roses and new plantings with slow-release fertilizer sparingly.
- Plant and prune roses.
- Check for black spots on your roses – remove and discard any affected leaves in the trash, never back into your garden or in your compost – apply fungicide with Neem oil every two weeks during the growing season.
- Tie up clematis and other fast-growing climbing vines.
- Pests to watch for: Aphids, 4-lined plant bug, spidermites, whiteflies, Deer, slugs, snails.
- Diseases to watch for: Powdery mildew, Damping off of seedlings, Botrytis on peonies, Volutella blight on pachysandra.
- 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
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
- Contact a certified arborist to have your trees’ health inspected.
- Remove spent lilac and rhododendron blossoms.
- Prune azaleas directly after blooming.
- Fertilize your azaleas and rhododendrons and monitor them closely for any lacebug damage.
- Transplanting azaleas is still possible.
- Prune flowering shrubs as their flowers fade. Last chance to do so for fall-blooming camellias.
- Cover berry bushes and fruit trees with bird netting.
- Take soft cuttings of plants to propagate.
- Shape your evergreens and hedges.
- Check often and water newly planted trees if they don’t pass the finger test (stick your finger deep into soil – dry? Water!)
- If you must mulch, remove old mulch and then add 2″ – 3″ shredded pine or pine needles, keeping 3″ away from trunk.
- Remove Ivy, Pachysandra, and other vine-like groundcover from under shrubs.
- Soil test established trees that have not been performing well.
- Keep mowers and trimmers away from trunks!
- 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: azalea lacebug, bagworms, borers, caterpillars, gypsy moths, Japanese bettles, scale, sawfly, spidermites, leafminers, voles, and deer.
- Diseases to watch for: Powdery mildew.
- 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.
Herbs, Veggies, and Fruit
- Remove finished plants.
- Plant/seed warm season plants.
- New fruit plants: keep watered their first spring, summer, and fall.
- Harvest strawberry beds daily.
- Dig up garlic when tops turn brown. Let dry in sun, then store.
- Plant tender transplants: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, okra, sweet potato.
- Sow seeds of: beets, beans, cucumbers, pumpkins, and squash for fall harvest.
- Sow heat-tolerant greens like Swiss Chart and mustard greens in part-shade.
- Keep all transplants watered deeply for 2-3 weeks.
- Put in supports for tomatoes and tall-blooming plants.
- Divide perennials and herbs. Pot up extras and give away at plant swaps.
- 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: Asparagus beetle, aphids, birds, cabbage worms, corn earworm, cutworms, deer, rabbits, and tomato hornworm.
- Diseases to watch for: Apple scab, Cedar-apple rust.
- Here are some more UMD’s HGIC Garden Tips.
Lawns
- Mow in the early evening.
- Sharpen your lawnmower blades.
- Calibrate your spreader before fertilizing.
- To control crabgrass, apply pre-emergent herbicide to lawn (when forsythia blooms drop).
- Mow high to reduce weeds and stress: Fescue & Bluegrass: 3″ – 3 1/2″, Zoysia: 2″
- Control wild onions in warm season turf with broadleaf weed control.
- Have soil tested (every 3 years minimum).
- Clean yard of all leaves and other debris.
- Turn your compost pile.
- The soil resources from the Natural Resources Conservation Service are available here:
- 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 and fertilize houseplants when new growth begins.
- 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.
- 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.
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
Support Our Birds with Caterpillars
Here are links to some good articles about caterpillars:
“Singing Praise for Caterpillars.” https://duluthreader.com/…/118609-singing-praise-for…
“Plant Trees That Support Caterpillars (and Birds)!” https://www.almanac.com/caterpillars-birds-trees
“Forest Tent Caterpillar,” University of Florida: https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/…/forest_tent_caterpillar.htm
“Tent Caterpillar” (western tent caterpillar), City of Seattle. https://www.seattle.gov/…/TentCaterpillarIPMFactSheet.pdf
Indoor/Outdoor Insect and Wildlife Tips
- Watch for insect and disease problems throughout your garden.
- Ticks are very active now.
- 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.
- This is the perfect time to apply grub control.
- Put out slug traps around your vulnerable edibles and hostas.
- Leave hummingbird feeders out until October 15th.
- Make hummingbird food by boiling two cups sugar in four cups of water.
- Put up birdhouses.
- Put suet out for birds.
- Keep bird feeders clean and filled.
- Change the water in your birdbath daily and throw the Mosquito Dunk (or bits) into any standing water.
- Switch your deer deterrent spray.
- 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:
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
Ask a Master Gardener at Twinbrook Library
SATURDAY
JUNE 17, JULY 1, & JULY 15
10 AM – 1 PM
202 Meadow Hall Drive
Rockville, MD 20851
Struggling with your garden? Do you have plant questions?
The Master Gardeners from Montgomery County Cooperative Extension will offer their highly popular plant clinics. Bring your ailing plants or any other gardening questions for expert advice. See below for upcoming in-person events schedule and details:
https://www.facebook.com/MoCoMasterGardenersMD
Sustainable Gardening Practices
Saturday, June 10, 2023
10:00am to 11:30am
Webinar
Instructor: Jeanette Proudfoot, Brookside Gardens staff
Fee: $12
Sustainable gardening is one of the most effective ways to benefit not only the environment but our health as well. Learn practical strategies to reduce your lawn’s footprint and convert it to a more ecofriendly garden. Topics covered include planting guidelines, soil health, organic amendments, and garden maintenance. We’ll explore the drawbacks of traditional gardening methods and how ecological practices can save on resources, avoid harmful chemicals, and support local wildlife.
Seed Bombs
Friday, June 16, 2023
2:00pm to 3:00pm
Fee: $7
It’s an MCPS early release day! Celebrate with tiny “green grenades” of native herb, flower, and vegetable seeds that create pockets of beauty and habitats for pollinators in your garden! Come make your own seed bombs using colored paper and native wildflower seeds and take them home to plant in your garden or neighborhood.
This event will be held at Meadowside Nature Center
Pollinator Meadow Tour
Tuesday, June 20, 2023
2:00pm to 3:15pm
Fee: $10
Meet at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the Brookside Nature Center (1400 Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton, MD 20902)
Brookside Nature Center & Brookside Gardens staff
Celebrate National Pollinator Week as we wander through an open meadow of beautiful perennials swarming with pollinators. Learn about mid-Atlantic native plants you can plant to help support beneficial insects while adding beauty.
This event will be held at Brookside Gardens
Let’s Talk Gardens
Thursdays 12 to 1 p.m.
Smithsonian Gardens
“Grow” your gardening know-how! Our free online gardening program, Let’s Talk Gardens, covers a wide range of topics presented by our own professional staff, as well as guest speakers.
And we encourage you to watch videos in our Let’s Talk Gardens Video Library.
June 15 – Native Pollinators of the Mid-Atlantic
Speaker: Samantha Nestory
“Pollinator” is a term that has gained massive popularity over the past couple of decades as our knowledge and understanding of our ecosystems have grown. Unfortunately, many people only associate this term with popular pollinators, such as European honeybees and butterflies – but there’s so much more to the world of pollinators. Join us as we learn about native pollinators that don’t get the spotlight and how we can support these incredible movers and shakers in our gardens and landscapes.
Samantha Nestory (she/her) is the engagement manager and naturalist at Stoneleigh: a natural garden in Villanova. In her position, she develops educational programming, coordinates public events, and manages the volunteer program. Previously, she worked as a horticulturist at Stoneleigh for nearly four years. She is passionate about native plants, ecological gardening, and insect conservation, and she is strongly committed to educating the public about these important issues.
June 22 – Horticultural Therapy: Nurturing Plants Nurtures People
Speaker: Irene Barber
Have you ever heard of Horticultural Therapy or Therapeutic Horticulture? Registered Horticultural Therapist and Adult Education Program Manager at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Irene Brady Barber, will explain about the value and practice of Horticultural Therapy through the lens of the HT program offered in the Lerner Garden of the Five Senses in Boothbay, Maine. Just as art therapy, music therapy and other applied creative therapies are complimentary modalities to traditional healthcare services, horticultural therapy offers people of all abilities the chance to nurture themselves and reach personal goals, such as physical rehabilitation, mental health support, cognitive restoration and so much more.
Motivated by and deeply focused on connecting people to plants, Irene Brady Barber, horticulturist, landscape designer and Registered Horticultural Therapist, manages the Adult Education Program and the Horticultural Therapy Program for Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, Maine.
June 29 – Managing Trees and Public Spaces for Wildlife
Speaker: Marne Titchenell
The World Health Organization reports that green spaces in urban areas are essential resources necessary for healthy and sustainable living environments. They allow urban dwellers to connect with nature, which provides measurable physical and psychological benefits. For wildlife, the rate at which natural habitats are being conserved is declining, and there is great potential to provide valuable resources within city and community green spaces. This talk will discuss strategies and ideas for managing trees in public spaces (i.e. parks, recreation spaces, residential areas) for wildlife. Specifically, we will talk about how to promote habitat for birds, bats, pollinators, and other wildlife.
Marne Titchenell is the Extension Wildlife Program Director, with the Ohio State University. She works within the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences in the School of Environment and Natural Resources. She provides a variety of educational programs, workshops, conferences, and publications centered on wildlife ecology and biology, habitat management for wildlife, and managing nuisance wildlife species.
Great American Gardeners Webinar Series
We are re-launching our Conversations with Great American Gardeners webinar series with Dr. Doug Tallamy (May 10), Ira Wallace (June 14), and Lucinda McDade (August 23).Don’t forget to register today!
Horticulture Classes | MC Lifelong Learning Summer 2023
Garden Design
Do you ever wish you could have a beautiful home garden? In this course, garden enthusiasts and homeowners will examine the basics of garden design. You will discuss current garden trends; and how to integrate the architecture of your home/buildings into the landscape for a cohesive overall design. You will focus on using plants and materials that are suitable for the Mid-Atlantic region to create a garden design suitable for your own home. TWA
Course: LLI519 8 Hours
$59 + $79 fee = $138; NMR add $120
Rockville MK 102
CRN#: 10896 T
07/11/23 – 08/01/23 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Instructor: Janet S. Johnson
Garden Design
Do you ever wish you could have a beautiful home garden? In this course, garden enthusiasts and homeowners will examine the basics of garden design. You will discuss current garden trends; and how to integrate the architecture of your home/buildings into the landscape for a cohesive overall design. You will focus on using plants and materials that are suitable for the Mid-Atlantic region to create a garden design suitable for your own home. TWA
Course: LLI519 8 Hours
$59 + $79 fee = $138; NMR add $120
Rockville MK 102
CRN#: 10896 T
07/11/23 – 08/01/23 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Instructor: Janet S. Johnson
Farm Tour 2023
July 22-23, 2023
Did you know that many of the farms on the Farm Tour and Harvest Sale offer fresh, local fruits, vegetables, flowers, plants, and more for sale during the tour? You can tour the farms, enjoy hayrides and music, and buy local to support your local farms.
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/…/far…/farm-tour.html
What a great summer season! 
