Daily Archives: April 7, 2018

cherry_blossoms_2018-mct

April Garden Tips

Hello Friends, Neighbors, Fellow Gardeners,

Happy Earth Month!  Here are some garden tips, educational opportunities, and events for April. Events include Montgomery Parks Speaker Series, Nature Matters Lecture Series: African Penguin Conservation, MCT Garden Club’s Brookside Garden Guided Group Tour, Earth Day Festival, and more! Join us for our 50th Anniversary Mill Creek Town Garden Club Celebration on Tuesday, April 24, 2018 @ 7:30pm with special guest speaker Kathy Jentz, who will provide garden tips on native plants in Montgomery County, MD gardens!Apr242018 mctgc meeting native plants

Planning:

  • Take an inventory of pots and containers; clean or replenish potted soil.
  • Set aside a few hours each weekend for attending garden shows and tours.
  • Mark beds outside where new plants are to go.
  • Build a raised bed for vegetables. Add lots of manure and compost.
  • Read a good gardening book or magazine.
  • Select and order fruit plants
  • Decide on new tree/shrub locations.
  • If you want a street tree, pick one under 20-30 feet if you have overhead power lines.
  • Plan landscape design projects.
  • When planning your wildlife-friendly backyard don’t forget to include native trees and shrubs that produce fall and winter persistent fruits.hg_md_grows_blog
  • Have a question about gardening? Check the University of Maryland Extension’s New Maryland Grows blog for garden tips.mc_ag_logo
  • Support our local farmers! Visit a local farmers’ market near you. Download Montgomery County’s Office of Agriculture 2018 Farmers Market Flyer to find a farmer’s market near you.

Flowers and Groundcovers:

  • Hardy spring bulbs begin to emerge (crocus, snowdrops, daffodils, tulips).
  • Plant pansies.
  • Transplant seedlings into individual 3″-4″ pots when crowded.daffodils
  • Pinch out growing tips of leggy seedlings.
  • Transplant spring flowering bulbs after flowering.
  • Begin hardening off hardier transplants. Sow seeds outdoors of hardier annuals.
  • After spring bulbs bloom, let leaves turn yellow and die before trimming.
  • Pests to watch for: voles
  • Diseases to watch for:  Botrytis on peonies, Volutella blight on pachysandra.
  • See UMD’s HGIC’s April Flower tips for more details.

Trees and Shrubs:

  • Plant a tree for Arbor Day, Friday, April 27th.arbor-day
  • Prune flowering shrubs, such as forsythia, lilacs, and azaleas when they finish blooming.
  • Do not fertilize newly planted or transplanted plants the first year.
  • Soil test established trees that have not been performing well.
  • Keep mowers and trimmers away from trunks!
  • Prune winter damage on evergreens when new growth begins.
  • Prune damaged branches.
  • Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs before new growth.
  • Remove Ivy, Pachysandra, and other vine-like groundcover from under shrubs.
  • Remove dead and dying trees.
  • Water newly planted trees and shrubs weekly or as needed.
  • Pests to watch for:  Gypsy moths late in month, scale, sawfly, spidermites, leafminers, and caterpillars.
  • Diseases to watch for:  Anthracnose, Exobasidium gall on azaleas, Phytophthora, top dieback and root rot on azaleas.
  • See HGIC’s April Trees and Shrubs Tips for more details.

Herbs, Veggies, and Fruit:

  • Gently clean up garden; add 1 inch of compost.
  • Keep all transplants watered deeply for 2–3 weeks.
  • Harden off cool season transplants.
  • Plant asparagus.
  • Plant cool season transplants.healing_herbs
  • Sow seeds of: carrots, endive, sunflowers, and lettuce
  • Thin seedlings.
  • Turn under cover crop when soil has warmed enough and is not too wet.
  • Fertilize established asparagus, tree, bramble fruits, and strawberries.
  • Sow greens indoors or outdoors in cold frame.
  • Hand pick cabbage worms from broccoli and other cabbage family plants.
  • Cover garden beds with shredded leaves to minimize soil erosion.
  • Insulate outdoor containers by wrapping with bubble wrap or landscape fabric.
  • Prune out Fireblight damage on apples and pears when very cold.
  • This is a good time to have your vegetable garden and landscape soils tested.
  • Watch for insect and disease problems throughout your garden.
  • Pests to watch for: rabbits, deer, woodchucks, birds
  • Diseases to watch for: Damping off of seedlings, Fireblight of pears, apples
  • Here are some more fruit and vegetable gardening tips for April from UMD’s HGIC.

Lawns:

  • Mow high to reduce weeds and stress: Fescue and Bluegrass: 3″ – 3 ½”
  • Test soil if you haven’t already (every 3 years minimum).
  • Start lawn seeding.
  • Dethatch if necessary and plug aerate BEFORE applying weed control.
  • Control wild onions in warm season turf with broadleaf weed control.
  • Apply pre-emergent crabgrass and broadleaf weed control when forsythia finishes blooming.composting
  • 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
  • Build a compost bin.
  • Get your lawn mower serviced.
  • Diseases to watch for: brown patch, and red thread
  • Pests to watch for: Grubs
  • See HGIC’s April Lawn Tips for more details.

Indoors/Houseplants:

  • Repot larger plants that are going outside for the summer.
  • Repot and fertilize houseplants when new growth begins.
  • Maintain moisture in pots wintering indoors, but do not over water!
  • Keep all houseplants out of drafts and away from heat vents.violet-web
  • Clean the leaves of your indoor houseplants to prevent dust and film to build-up.
  • Remove old leaves, damaged stems.
  • Fertilize houseplants now that they are actively growing again.
  • Pests to watch for:  aphids, mealybug, spider mites, scale, and  whitefly
  • See HGIC’s April Houseplants Tips for more tips.

Indoor/Outdoor Insect and Wildlife Tips:

  • Ticks are very active now.
  • Clean and refill bird feeders.
  • Put up birdhouses.
  • Wash and refill the bird bath or set out a shallow bowl of water in icy weather.
  • Vacuum up any ladybugs that come in the house.squirrel_cherry_blossom
  • Check for vole problems and set up traps.
  • Switch your deer deterrent spray.
  • See HGIC’s April Insect Tips for more details.
  • Watch for: carpenter ants, flies, stink bugs, termites, rabbits, raccoons, groundhogs, deer, moles, snakes, squirrels, and voles.
  • For more information on wildlife management and attracting wildlife see HGIC’s April Wildlife tips.

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

Please Support the Mill Creek Towne Garden Club

Hello Friends, Neighbors,20th-Reunion-Tea-April-1988

Please support the Mill Creek Towne Garden Club! Your donations will help us continue to provide garden-related programs to the community and pay for maintaining and landscaping the Mill Creek Towne main entrances.

https://www.mctgardenclub.org/donations/

We accept donations throughout the year. Thanks to all of you that have recently donated as well as those of you who have supported us in the past years! Thanks for your continued support of the Mill Creek Towne Garden Club and our community programs!

Donate Today!

Mill Creek Towne Garden Club – Derwood, Maryland
https://www.mctgardenclub.org | info@mctgardenclub.org | Like us on Facebook

April

See below for upcoming local events in April.

2018SpringFestivalsBanner

Montgomery Parks Special Events & Festivals

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

Save the dates for these upcoming events!   Events include Nature Matters Lecture Series, MCT Garden Club’s Brookside Garden Guided Group Tour, Earth Day Festival, Mill Creek Garden Club’s 50th Anniversary Celebration featuring guest speaker Kathy Jentz, who will give a presentation on “Regionally Adapted Plants for Montgomery County, MD Gardens” on Tuesday, April 24th at 7:30pm, and more!

Master Gardener Plant Clinics

Varied Locations, dates, and times

What can Master Gardeners do for you?Montgomery County Master Gardeners logo

  • 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):

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

Montgomery Parks Speaker Seriesmontgomery_parks_speakers_series

April 17, 2018
11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Montgomery County Planning Department Auditorium
8787 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20910

Join us for the Montgomery Parks Speaker Series, which will cover a diverse range of parks topics including planning and design for urban parks, park advocacy, public-private partnerships, and more! RSVP for lunch – space is limited.

Beth Shogren, Stacie West, Robin-Eve Jasper  Panel Discussion with Green green_minneapolis-logoMinneapolis and NOMA BID noma_parks_logo

Beth Shogren is the Executive Director of Green Minneapolis.

Stacie West is the current director of Parks Projects with the NoMa Bid. West leads the foundation’s efforts to acquire sites, design parks and build a network of public spaces for the rapidly growing DC neighborhood.

As the current President of the NoMaBid, Robin-Eve Jasper has furthered the foundation’s plan to continue business improvement and park development.

RSVP for Lunch-Space is Limited

Register Now

Brookside Garden’s Guided Group Tour

brookside_gardens_tour_2018

Saturday, April 21, 2018

10:30 am – 11:30 am

$9

Brookside Gardens Visitors Center
1800 Glenallan Ave.
Wheaton, MD 20902

Join us for a horticulturally-oriented, guided adult group tour of Brookside Gardens, where we will enjoy the splendors of spring flowers! Tours are led by well-trained volunteer guides and last approximately one hour. We encourage questions from participants.

Registration required.

Deadline for registration is Thursday, April 5, 2018.

Registration is available online and offline. Please visit our registration page for online and offline payment options for registration (see link below).

Register Today!

Questions?

For questions, please send an email to:  info@mctgardenclub.org or call 240-912-5508.

Mill Creek Towne Garden Club 50th Anniversary Community Event-“Regionally Adapted Plants for Montgomery County, MD Gardens”

Please join us to celebrate our 50th Anniversary Celebration! We have rescheduled this Apr242018 mctgc meeting native plantsevent to Tuesday, April 24th. Please note there is a NEW LOCATION and New Topic: Regionally Adapted Plants for Montgomery County, MD Gardens! We will have a special guest speaker, Kathy Jentz, Washington Gardener Magazine Publisher and Editor. Refreshments and cake will be served. Kathy Jentz will be bringing a limited supply of FREE copies of the Washington Gardener Magazine! We hope you can join us.

Date: Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Time: 7:30 pm – 9:00pm
NEW Location: Mill Creek Parish United Methodist
Fellowship Hall
7101 Horizon Ct
Derwood, MD 20855
Speaker: Kathy Jentz, Publisher & Editor, Washington Gardener Magazine
Topic: Regionally Adapted Plants for Montgomery County, MD Gardens
Hostesses: MCT Garden Club members
Cost: FREE, Donations gratefully appreciated!

Regionally-Adapted Plants for Montgomery County, MD Gardens

Plants that have proven themselves in Montgomery County, MD. Low-maintenance gardening is the goal of many of us in our busy lives and the key is planting the right plants got our local climate. We’ll talk about some native plants, of course, but mostly we’ll explore the tried-and-true plants that can take clay soil, deer, and/or periods of drought. Season-by-season, we’ll share our favorite plants that excel in our local gardens.

Kathy Jentz Biokathy_jentz_photo

Kathy Jentz is editor and publisher of Washington Gardener Magazine. A life-long gardener, Kathy believes that growing plants should be stress-free and enjoyable. Her philosophy is inspiration over perspiration.

Kathy’s work has been featured in numerous Washington, DC-area publications and she appears on regular gardening guest spots on television and radio programs in Washington, DC.

She is also the Green Media columnist for the Mid-Atlantic Grower newspaper, where she does a great deal of hand-holding and coaxing to get independent garden centers, plant breeders, and other horticultural businesses to join the social media revolution and maximize their online brands.

RSVP: Please RSVP to info@mctgardenclub.org.

For more details, please visit:

https://www.mctgardenclub.org/event/mill-creek-towne-garden-club-50th-anniversary/

RSVP Today!

 

Friends of Black Hill Nature Center Native Plant Sale

Thursday, April 26 – Sunday, April 29
fobh_plant_sale_2018Black Hill Nature Center

Thursday, April 26 | 5-7 pm –  FOBH Member’s Only Sale

 

Located at the Greenhouse in Black Hill Regional Park across from 20930 Lake Ridge Drive, Boyds, MD

Many of the plants on sale have been cultivated locally and most are important food and shelter sources for Maryland butterflies, birds, and an array of other wildlife. All proceeds go to support nature programming at Black Hill Visitors Center.

Learn More

 

Montgomery County Grow It Eat It Spring Open House

Saturday, April 28th, 2018
spring2018-growit-eatit_event12pm-4pm
 (with some programs starting earlier)
Agricultural History Farm Park
18400 Muncaster Road
Derwood, MD 20855

Most of the event is FREE (donations welcome)
Some classes do have preregistration and a fee * = preregistration required.

Come join us for fun event about growing anything edible!

Visit our garden, meet with our Master Gardener consultants, attend classes, demonstrations, tables of information, and visit our plant sale!

We will have the following classes:

Demonstrations in our garden

Experts to answer edible gardening questions and help plan this year’s garden.

Large Plant sale from local suppliers starts at 11am

Bring a lunch – Snacks will be for sale.

Children’s Programs:

Discover Bugs (2nd-3rd grade) Completes Girl Scout Brownie Bugs badge requirements

Discover Gardening (2nd-5th grade) Completes Girl Scout Junior Gardener badge and Cub Scouts Wolf Grow Something badge (besides building a terrarium and parts that need to be monitored)

Discover Flowers (4th-5th grade) Completes Girl Scout Junior Flowers badge requirements

Discover Trees (4th-8th grade) Completes Girl Scout Cadette Trees badge and Cub Scouts Webelo Into the Woods badge

Boy Scout Merit Badges – Gardening Merit Badge with several options

Registration Page:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/university-of-maryland-grow-it-eat-it-spring-2018-event-tickets-41384245392?aff=eac2