Hello Friends, Neighbors, Fellow Gardeners,
Happy 2020! Here are some garden tips, educational opportunities, and events for January. Events include 15th Annual Washington Gardener Seed Exchange in MD/DC, Brookside Gardens’ Gardens Winter Tour, Mill Creek Towne Garden Club’s MD Bluebird Society Guest Speaker Talk on Gardening For Bluebirds, and more!
Planning
- Clean out pots; store non-frost proof containers in shed, garage, or basement.
- Paint a few terra cotta pots in spring-like colors.
- Clean, sharpen, and store your garden tools.
- Turn off outdoor water valve and store hoses.
- Clean your gutters.
- Start to browse online seed catalogs.
- If you want to plant a street tree, pick one that grows up to 20 to 30 feet tall if you have overhead power lines.
- Start collecting plant seeds for planting and for trading.
- Decide where your plants from seed are going in your garden.
- Finalize catalog seed orders.
- Collect supplies for starting seeds.
- Have a question about gardening? Check the University of Maryland Extension’s New Maryland Grows blog for garden tips.
- Support our local parks and gardens. Visit a garden or park for their winter festivities!
- Volunteer at a local public or historic garden.
- Support Our Local Farmers – Join a CSA and have fresh local produce delivered to you!
- Visit a local farmers’ market.
Download Montgomery County’s Office of Agriculture 2019 Farmers Market Flyer to find a farmer’s market near you.
Flowers and Groundcovers
- Plant the bulbs you forgot to plant last fall!
- Pot up any leftover bulbs that did not make it into the ground by now and force them for indoor blooms.
- Check on stored summer bulbs and seeds. Discard any that have rotted.
- Prune summer bloomers such as Hydrangeas, Rose of Sharon, Crape Myrtles, and Butterfly Bushes.
- Weed—especially look for fast-growing vines such as honeysuckle, autumn clematis, bittersweet, wild grape, Virginia creeper, and poison ivy.
- Start seeds for pansies, Petunia, Dwarf Snapdragons, and perennials. Check daily for moisture.
- Cover garden beds with shredded leaves to minimize soil erosion.
- Apply deer deterrent.
- Collect dried flowers and grasses for indoor vase.
- Pests to watch for: Aphids, Deer, 4-lined plant bug, slugs.
- Diseases to watch for: Damping off of seedlings.
- See UMD’s HGIC Garden Tips for more details.
Trees and Shrubs
- Stake newly planted large trees or shrubs to protect them from winter winds.
- Check that newly planted trees, shrubs, and perennials have not been heaved out of the ground due to freezing and thawing cycles.
- Take hardwood cuttings from willow and dogwood to propagate them.
- Set out your live potted evergreens from holiday decorating in a protected outdoor space to harden them off in advance of planting them.
- Cut a few branches of flowering shrubs to force into bloom inside.
- Root prune trees and shrubs to be transplanted next year.
- Don’t panic over leaf/needle drop on established evergreen shrubs and rhododendrons. It is normal at this time of year for them to shed a third of them.
- Prune maples, dogwoods, birch, elm, and walnut—if needed.
- Prune evergreens to get in shape for winter.
- Remove fallen diseased leaves.
- Mulch or compost healthy leaves.
- Keep an eye out for bark damage from rabbits and deer.
- Remove bagworm bags.
- Gently brush snow from evergreen shrubs.
- 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 Ivy, Pachysandra, and other vine-like ground cover from under shrubs.
- Remove dead and dying trees.
- Pests to watch for: bagworms, caterpillars, Gypsy moths, Japanese beetles, scale, sawfly, spidermites, leafminers, Voles, and webworms.
- Diseases to watch for: Phomopsis and Kabatina of Juniper, Diplodia tip blight of 2 & 3 needled pines.
- For more tips, see UMD’s HGIC Garden Tips for more details.
Herbs, Veggies, and Fruit
- Start hardy herbs, onions, and cabbage.
- You can still have your vegetable garden and soils tested.
- Clean and tidy up pots and seed trays to get a good start in February.
- Do not step on frozen soil in flower beds or lawns.
- Use leftover holiday greens and cut-up tree branches to mulch beds and create windbreaks.
- Cover garlic plants other root crops with straw or leaf mulch.
- Prune dead bramble canes.
- Remove finished plants.
- Prune stone fruit trees like cherries, plums, and peaches.
- Apply dormant oil spray to fruit trees.
- Pests to watch for: Corn borer, corn earworm, asparagus beetles, Japanese beetles, tomato hornworm, squash vine borer, rabbits, deer
- Diseases to watch for: Fungal, bacterial, Powdery mildew, viral diseases.
- Here are some more UMD’s HGIC Garden Tips.
Lawns
- Avoid walking on frozen grass to avoid damaging the crowns.
- Turn your compost pile.
- Shovel walks and drive before applying ice melt or you’ll damage the lawn.
- Get your lawn mower serviced.
- 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
- 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
- Buy a few new houseplants.
- Cut off the flower stalk on your amaryllis once flowers fade. Leave foilage to grow.
- Keep poinsettias in a well-lit area—but out of direct sun and away from drafts.
- Fertilize your winter-blooming houseplants, such as violets.
- Change water in cuttings started last fall and add 2-3 pieces of fish tank charcoal.
- 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.
- Start to fertilize with 1/2 strength houseplant fertilizer (every 2 weeks).
- Set up a humidifier for indoor plants or at least place them in pebble trays.
- Maintain moisture in pots wintering indoors, but do not over water!
- Keep all houseplants out of drafts and away from heat vents.
- Pests to watch for: aphids, spider mites, mealybug, scale, whitefly
- See UMD’s HGIC Garden Tips for more information.
Indoor/Outdoor Insect and Wildlife Tips
- Keep bird feeders clean and filled.
- Switch your deer deterrent spray.
- Check for vole problems and set out traps.
- Remove and destroy gypsy moth egg masses.
- Caulk and seal your outside walls to prevent wildlife from coming indoors.
- 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.
Mill Creek Towne Entrance Walls Repairs Project
Hello Mill Creek Towne Neighbors,
Your help is greatly needed with a community problem. The original entrance walls that identify our community as Mill Creek Towne are in a state of deterioration. One entrance wall, consisting of a center wall and two side walls, is located at Roslyn Avenue and Redland Road and is on Montgomery County property. The other entrance wall, consisting of two side walls, is located at Miller Fall Road and Muncaster Mill Road and is on Maryland State property. Both the county and the state have been approached and have declined to provide the much needed repairs and maintenance, stating that this is the responsibility of the community.
These entrance walls are more than fifty years old and, for all of that time, The Mill Creek Towne Garden Club (MCTGC) has been the caretakers of the entrances. We provide annual care with plantings either by doing regular maintenance work ourselves or engaging the assistance of professional workers.
We need your help to repair the Mill Creek Towne Entrance walls! See details in this link below on how you can help.
Thank you for your support!!
Sincerely,
Mill Creek Towne Garden Club – Derwood, Maryland
https://www.mctgardenclub.org | mctgc@mctgardenclub.org
January
See below for upcoming local events in January.
Montgomery Parks Special Events & Festivals
More events are being added regularly. Please check back often!
Save the dates for these upcoming events! Events include 15th Annual Washington Gardener Seed Exchange in MD/DC, Brookside Gardens’ Gardens Winter Tour, Mill Creek Towne Garden Club’s MD Bluebird Society Guest Speaker Talk on Gardening For Bluebirds, and more!
Montgomery County MD Food and Beverage Guide
The third edition of the MoCo Made Food & Beverage Guide is available!
The Guide features more than 60 local producers and farmers offering local-made products. Find the online version here:
https://mocofoodcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/MOCO_Directory_2018_FNL-digital.pdf
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):
https://extension.umd.edu/mg/locations/plant-clinics
Support Our Local Farmers – Join a CSA and have fresh local produce delivered to you!
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
Parks Speaker Series: Risk It! Balancing Adventure and “Safety” in the Modern Outdoor Playscape”
Kate Tooke, Associate Principal, Landscape Architect at Sasaki Associates, Inc.
Friday, January 17, 2020
12 p.m. – 2 p.m.
8787 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Register by January 13 to guarantee a complimentary boxed lunch
Free
Sasaki‘s Kate Tooke presents” Risk It! Balancing Adventure and “Safety” in the Modern Outdoor Playscape” at Montgomery Regional Office on January 17 from 12 to 2 pm.
This free talk is part of Montgomery Parks’ Speaker Series.
Register now and receive a free box lunch: http://ow.ly/9yN950xC6HB.
Photo of speaker Kate Took.
15th Annual Washington Gardener Seed Exchange in MD/DC
Saturday, January 25, 2020
12:30 PM – 4 PM
Brookside Gardens
1800 Glenallan Ave,
Wheaton, Maryland 20902
Washington Gardener magazine, the publication for DC-area gardening enthusiasts, is hosting the 15th annual Washington Gardener Seed Exchange at Brookside Gardens and Green Spring Gardens. These seed swaps are in-person and face-to-face. You bring your extra seeds and swap them with other gardeners. Everyone will leave with a bag full of seeds, new garden friends, and expert planting advice.
Join us for:
Seed Swapping
Door Prizes
Planting Tips
Expert Speakers
Goody Bags
Make-it Take-It Seed Crafting Table
Registration fee is $20 per person. Friends of Brookside members, Friends of Green Spring members, and current Washington Gardener subscribers receive a discount rate of $15 per person.
We strongly urge you to register in advance. There is a limited enrollment of 100 participants at each location!
We are GREEN!!!
We also have a Garden Book and Seed Catalog Exchange table. Seed Exchange attendees are encouraged to bring their used or new garden books and seed catalogs to swap and share at this year’s event.
We also ask you to bring your own water bottle or reusable mug and a home-made nametag. We will have a“best nametag” contest, so get crafty!
Brookside Gardens’ Gardens Winter Tour
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
1 PM – 2:30 PM
Brookside Gardens
1800 Glenallan Avenue
Wheaton MD 20902
Winter brings a new dimension to Brookside Gardens, usually overlooked by visitors.
Take the Brookside Gardens Winter Tour with our own Phil Normandy to see what makes up the bones of the garden without the distraction of leaves or flowers. You will appreciate the architectural elements of evergreens and woody plants, in addition to how hardscapes shape the gardens.
Register now: http://ow.ly/sYSN30q4o7q.
Mill Creek Towne Garden Club Meeting Topic: Gardening For Bluebirds
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Topic: Gardening for Bluebirds
Time: 7:30pm – 8:30pm
Location: Mill Creek Parish United Methodist
Fellowship Hall
7101 Horizon Terrace
Derwood, MD 20855
Speaker: Ed Escalante, Maryland Bluebird Society County Coordinator
Cost: FREE, Donations gratefully appreciated!
Join us on Tuesday, January 28th and learn more about bluebirds, including tips on what gardeners can do to attract bluebirds. Refreshments will be provided. Maryland Bluebird Society (MBS) Ed Escalante, MBS County Coordinator for Montgomery County is the boots on the ground person for MC. He’ll give a talk about bluebirds & answer questions.
NOTE: If Montgomery County Schools are closed due to inclement weather, the Garden Club meeting will be cancelled.
RSVP: info@mctgardenclub.org
Maple Sugaring Days
Brookside Nature Center
1400 Glenallan Avenue
Wheaton, MD, US 20902
February 2020 – Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday
(301) 962-1480
Brookside Nature Center, Montgomery Parks‘ Maple Sugaring Days.
Every Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday in February.
Brookside Nature Center is located at 1400 Glenallan Avenue in Wheaton.
Register: http://ow.ly/UZWa30nysuo.
Green Matters Symposium
Practical Solutions For Ecologically Sustainable Landscapes
Friday, February 21, 2020
8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Silver Spring Civic Building
1 Veterans Place, Silver Spring, MD
The early bird gets the savings. Sign up for Green Matters Symposium by Friday, January 10, and save $15.
This symposium will offer practical solutions to help shift the focus of gardening and landscape design away from merely aesthetics and towards creating and managing sustainable landscapes. Industry experts will explore how native plants can be incorporated into our landscapes while realizing the ecological benefits through plant community-based design strategies. Attendees will learn ecological gardening and maintenance practices that lead to a “greener” and more resilient garden. Case studies will shed light on how to minimize the environmental impact of humanmade landscapes ranging from home gardens to commercial projects.
Find out more and register: http://ow.ly/izO230pYLbK.
Photo: Green Matters Symposium participants in the lobby at the Silver Spring Civic Center.
Gardening with 20/20 Vision Spring Conference
Saturday, February 22, 2020
8:30 AM – 2:30 PM
University of Maryland Extension, Montgomery County Office
Montgomery County Agricultural History Farm Park
18410 Muncaster Road
Derwood, MD 20855
We are pleased to present the 20th Spring Gardening Conference on Saturday, February 22, 2020 (snow date: February 29, 2020). This year’s conference, “Gardening with 20/20 Vision – Focus on the Future” will offer courses to help you decide what to grow and how to manage your landscape to create a sustainable gardens for the future.
The Montgomery County Master Gardeners’ mission is “to educate Maryland residents about safe, effective, and sustainable horticultural practices that build healthy gardens, landscapes, and communities.” Whether you are a new participant or a returnee to this conference, it is our goal to provide you with new ideas and information to help you solve your horticultural problems and take pleasure in your gardening efforts. We hope you can join us this year.