Daily Archives: March 15, 2016

March Gardening Tips

Hello Friends, Neighbors, Fellow Gardeners,

Spring is almost here!   Below are some gardening tips, educational opportunities, and events to prepare for Spring in March. Events include the Orchid Show at Brookside Gardens, Green Matters Symposium at Brookside Garden, Earth Day events, Gardening Expo in Silver Spring, the Montgomery Park’s Spring and Summer Festival events, a Grow It Eat It Open House in May at Derwood, MD, and more!  Don’t miss our meeting on Tuesday, March 22nd, starting at 7:30 pm with Master Gardener Marie Rojas’ talk about “Bees, Beneficials, and Blooms” on honey bees, native bees, and other beneficial insect pollinators and what to plant for them!

Planning:

Flowers and Groundcovers:

Trees and Shrubs:

  • 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.
  • Diseases to watch for: Fireblight, Phomopsis on new growth of juniper, Cytospora canker on Spruce.
  • Test soil pH on some hydrangeas and adjust: pH 5-5.5 = blue; pH 6-6.5 = pink
  • Pest to watch for: Easter tent caterpillar
  • See HGIC’s March Trees and Shrubs Tips for more details.
Herbs, Veggies, and Fruit:

 

  • 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 potatoes.
  • Take a leap: plant something new this year.
    Try some new vegetables this year. (Suggestions from John Porter, WVU)

Lawns:

Indoors/Houseplants:

  • Repot larger plants that are going outside for the summer.
  • Remove old leaves, damaged stems.
  • Pests to watch for: Spidermites, mealybug, scale, aphids
  • See HGIC’s March Houseplants Tips for more tips.

Indoor/Outdoor Insect and Wildlife Tips:

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

March

See below for upcoming local events in March. Don’t miss our meeting on Tuesday, March 22nd, starting at 7:30 pm with Master Gardener Marie Rojas’ talk about “Bees, Beneficials, and Blooms” on honey bees, native bees, and other beneficial insect pollinators and what to plant for them!

MCT Garden Club March Meeting Topic: Bees, Beneficials, and Blooms

Camellia Winters Waterlily with bee

Hi Fellow Gardeners and Neighbors!
In March, the Mill Creek Towne Garden Club will have Master Gardener Marie Rojas talk about honey bees, native bees, and other beneficial insect pollinators and what to plant for them.  As always, refreshments will be provided. Please come join us – all are welcome!  Below are the details.

  • Date: Tuesday, March 22, 2016 @ 7:30 pm
  • Topic: Bees, Beneficials, and Blooms
  • Speaker: Marie Rojas, Master Gardener
  • Location: Mill Creek Towne Elementary All Purpose Room
  • Hostesses: MCT Garden Club members
Mill Creek Towne Garden Club Spring Fundraiser 2016
Mill Creek Towne Garden Club Spring Fundraiser 2016

Dear MCT Friends, Neighbors,

Please help support the Mill Creek Towne Garden Club by participating in our Spring Flower Power Fundraiser. For every purchase made on this site (click on link below for details), Flower Power Fundraising will give 50% back to Mill Creek Towne Garden Club. Flower Power offers top-quality flower bulbs with an absolutely exciting Spring product line-up, which includes Mixed Coneflowers, Stargazer lilies, and many others. All orders ship directly to your home and come with a 100% money-back guarantee. The deadline for orders is Friday, April 15, 2016.

Funds will help defray the costs for landscaping/maintenance of Mill Creek Towne’s main entrances and garden-related educational programs for the Derwood community! Thank you for all your help and contributions!

Mill Creek Towne Garden Club 

www.mctgardenclub.org

Flower Power Page link:

http://www.flowerpowerfundraising.com/campaign?campaign_id=22502

Montgomery Parks Special Events & Festivals

More events are being added regularly. Please check back often!

Egg Hunt at Meadowside Nature Center
Friday, March 25
Times Vary | Meadowside Nature Center $8 | 2-12 years old. Register at ActiveMONTGOMERY.org Search for real eggs in our meadow, then dye and decorate the eggs you find. Enjoy other spring-themed activities throughout the event as well. Fun for the entire family! Don’t forget to bring your basket to collect your eggs. Reservations are required to ensure enough eggs for all!
Register

US Botanical Garden’s Orchids in Focus Exhibit

Orchids in Focus February 27 – April 17, 2016 yellow_orchids
US Botanical Garden, Washington, DC
Conservatory Garden Court and East Gallery Orchids in Focus, in partnership with Smithsonian Gardens, highlights the world’s largest plant family and the USBG’s most extensive plant collection. Found on every continent except Antarctica, orchids amaze with their diversity of forms and colors. Come see for yourself why these exotic beauties have inspired artists and photographers for centuries. Immerse yourself in a floral paradise of orchids from the forest canopy down to the ground, and focus your own camera on these unique and beautiful plants. Learn more » – See more at: https://www.usbg.gov/exhibits#sthash.DrlBIZSz.dpuf

Find Your Park – Visit Montgomery County – Conference and Visitors Bureau

Get outdoors and enjoy the weather! #FindYourPark | Visit Montgomery

Spring Events 2016 – Visit Montgomery County – Conference and Visitors Bureau

  • Spring is approaching! ?Save the date for these upcoming Spring events! Events include activities at Butler’s Orchards, the National Cherry Blossom Festival, Paws in the Park, Montgomery County GreenFest to celebrate Earth Day, and more!

20 Great Walks Around Washington, DC | Washingtonian

  • As the weather warms up, here’s a list of some awesome walks in the Washington, DC area.

April

Meadowside Nature Center’s Backyard Compost Bin Pick-Up Event composting

When: Friday, April 1, 2016
4:00-7:00 pm ( or while supplies last)
Meadowside Nature Center, Montgomery Parks
Garden season is here and it’s a perfect time to start your very own backyard composting system! Come out to Meadowside’s Backyard Compost Bin Pick-Up Event to get your very own compost bin, free of charge.
(Montgomery County residents, only)

History in the Parks Season Opening Celebrations: Special Night Hikes on the Underground Railroad Experience Trail

Friday, April 1
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5:00 pm & 7:30 pm | Woodlawn Manor Cultural Park $5 | Appropriate for ages 10 and up
Register at ActiveMONTGOMERY.org Journey back to the 1800s during this special night hike and meet persons of the past.5:00pm Registration | 7:30pm Registration

 

History in the Parks Season Opening Celebrations

Saturday, April 2 and Sunday, April 3
Various Times & Locations Free. Montgomery Parks invites you to welcome back spring and join in the celebration of the reopening of our History in the Parks season at our Season Opener Celebrations. Join us for free guided tours and children’s programming at Woodlawn Manor Cultural Park, Josiah Henson Park, Kingsley Schoolhouse and Oakley Cabin.
More Info

Guided Cabin Tours and “Celebrating African Rhythms through Dance & Song”

Sunday, April 9

Oakley Cabin African American Museum & Park, 3610 Brookeville Road, Olney, MD 20832
12:00 pm – 4:00 pm | FREE

Join us at Oakley Cabin for an African dance workshop, tours of the 19th century cabin, crafts and games for children. Explore an archaeology dig with Montgomery Parks archaeologists.

More information about all our historic ongoing and special events is online at HistoryInTheParks.org along with information about Group Tours and School Fieldtrips offered throughout the year.

20th Annual Gas & Steam Engine Show

Saturday, April 9 and Sunday, April 10
SteamandGas_000

10am-3pm Free. Montgomery Parks and Friends of The Agricultural History Farm Park invite you to the 20th annual Gas & Steam Engine Show. See gas engines, tractors, antique cars, trucks and steam tractors. The event will feature live country music, hay wagon rides, kiddie tractor pull, crafts and much more! Rain or Shine event! Free parking and plenty of food vendors so you can stay all day!

More Info

GreenMattersInteriorWebBanner

Green Matters Symposium 2016: A Garden Gateway

Join us for the 2016 Green Matters Symposium: A Garden Gateway! Brookside Gardens will host this annual educational event on Friday, April 8 from 8:30AM-4:00PM. From thorough planning to hardscape materials, native plants, and local artistry, the Symposium will inspire and offer practical suggestions on how landscape projects can be designed and constructed in an environmentally beneficial way. Speakers include:

  • Lori Arguelles, Executive Director of the Alice Ferguson Foundation
  • Gennadyi Gurman, Head of Interpretation at the Queens Botanical Garden
  • Mary Pat Matheson, The Anna and Hays Mershon President & Chief Executive Officer at the Atlanta Botanical Garden
  • Stephanie Oberle, Director of Brookside Gardens
  • Thomas Ranier, Landscape Architect & Author of “Planting in a Post-Wild World”

Register at ActiveMONTGOMERY.org (Course #14881). Fees: $85 before March 1st; $99 from March 1st onward. Friday, April 8, 2016 8:30am-4:00pm Fee: $85 before March 1st, $99 from March 1st onward Register online at ActiveMONTGOMERY.org (COURSE #14881) or call 301-962-1451

Learn more about the conference and speakers at www.BrooksideGreen.org

 

Grow Anywhere Gardening Expo, Saturday, April 30th, 10 AM – 2 PM, Silver Spring Civic Building, Veterans Plaza.

Coming April 30 to Silver Spring: the Grow Anywhere Gardening Expo, 10 AM – 2 PM, Silver Spring Civic Building, Veterans Plaza.

growanywhere_gardenexpo

The Urban Gardening initiative of the Montgomery County Master Gardeners invites you to our free demonstrations and hands-on activities, including take-home projects. Join us and learn all about container gardens, making self-watering containers (just for kids!), growing herbs, vegetables and microgreens, vertical gardening, creating water gardens for small spaces, sustainable garden design, and healthy houseplants.

2nd Annual Montgomery County GreenFest to Take Place April 30 in Takoma Park

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The Montgomery County GreenFest is committed to helping everyone in the County explore their path to a greener life. It is a one-day event focused on education and outreach, entertainment and facilitating interactions between residents, businesses and community leaders. The 2nd annual Montgomery County GreenFest is April 30, 2016 from 11am-4pm at the Takoma Park Community Center.

May

Grow It Eat It Open House, May 1, 9:30am-4:00pm at Derwood, MD.

growit_eatit_May2016

There will be many gardening classes and activities for adults and children. Click here for the full children’s programs flyer: https://extension.umd.edu/…/grow_it_eat_it/childrens%20prog….

The following programs are $12 each:
Discover Bugs, grades 2-3, http://discoverbugs2016.eventbrite.com,
Discover Gardening, grades 2-3, http://discovergardening2016.eventbrite.com,
Discover Flowers, grades 4-5, http://discoverflowers2016.eventbrite.com,
Discover Trees, grades 6-8, http://discovertrees2016.eventbrite.com .