Mill Creek Towne Garden Club – Reflections of 2021
We began this year the same way we ended last year – zooming our meetings! We learned how to use iNaturalist, what’s growing on the Butterbee Farm, and how to add some WOW to a small garden. Our own Lauren Hubbard presented a program on the importance of planting native species. In March we celebrated Arbor Day with a native tree and shrub giveaway!
As the world opened up, so did our garden club. Members hosted Happy Hours and meetings outside in their beautiful backyards. In October we took an amazing field trip to the Glenstone Museum in Potomac, MD. Thanks to our guided tour, we learned more about the art, architecture and its nearly 300 acres of woodland.
Finally, after a year and a half of county requests to rehabilitate the 46-year-old Shady Grove tunnel, we succeeded! Thank you MCDOT for a job well done! We now have a cleaner, safer passage through, as well as across Shady Grove Road.
The MCT Garden Club will continue to beautify the entrances at Shady Grove, Roslyn and Miller Fall. Thank you MCT community for your continued support!
Happy Thanksgiving! Here are some garden tips, educational opportunities, and videos for November. There are some online events, check out U.S. Botanic Garden, Master Gardeners of Montgomery County, and Maryland Gardens. A lot of gardening events are announced on Facebook and we share them on our Facebook page as well as on our mctgardenclub.org website. Some upcoming events include Spring Online Garden/Landscape Classes at Montgomery College, Smithsonian Garden’s Let’s Talk Gardens webinar series, Garden Q & A,and more.
Take photos and update your garden journal.
Start collecting plant seeds for next year and for trading.
Clean out pots; store non-frost proof containers in garage or basement.
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):
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
We are so thankful for our local farms each and every day. During this challenging time, consider supporting your local farms, whether they farm produce, flowers, animals, or specialty. Our food supply is safe and secure, and many farms are continuing to offer delivery or curbside pickup. #LocalIsTheNewNormal#BuyLocal
This year’s Guide lists over 70 MoCo Made food and beverage producers and farmers, with products ranging from honey to craft beverages to artisanal meats and more.
Download Montgomery County’s Office of Agriculture 2021 Farmers Market Flyer to find a farmer’s market near you.
Now it’s time for the Fall market and we are so ready! Derwood Fall Market at the Hines Garden on Oaklawn Farm. 18510 Muncaster Rd, Rockville, MD 20855. 9am to 1pm on Saturdays, rain or shine through November 20. What a great summer season!
Starting Sept 11th until November 20, the Derwood Fall season continues at Hines Garden on Oaklawn Farm… 18510 Muncaster Road. Your favorite farmers, plus brunch, lunch, pastries, smoothies, coffee, art, music… more!
Curbside Pickup will continue at this location! 9am until 1pm from September 11 – November 20 at 18510 Muncaster Road, Rockville 20855. We accept and provide Matching Dollars for EBT-SNAP, P-EBT, WIC and Seniors’ SFMNP. Catch us at Neighborhood Church for the 2022 spring season on April 23rd until September 3rd, 16501 Redland Rd, Rockville, MD 20855
Derwood Fall Market at the Hines Garden on Oaklawn Farm
Japanese barberry is a deciduous, woody perennial shrub. It is used commonly in landscaping due to its easy maintenance, adaptability, and tolerance of dry, poor soils and urban conditions. Its dense foliage creates an ideal humid environment for black-legged ticks (deer ticks). It is invasive. Plant instead: Highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), Sweet pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia), Northern bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica) https://extension.umd.edu/resource/japanese-barberry
Trees and Shrubs
Dig hole now if you will be planting a “live” Christmas tree.
Remove fallen, diseased leaves.
Plant evergreens for winter interest.
Mulch or compost healthy leaves.
Plant evergreens for winter interest.
No more fertilizing for the year.
Look out for any Poison Ivy vines, which will turn crimson in the fall and be easy to distinguish from other vines.
Transplant trees when leaves begin to color.
If your conifers start shedding their needles or your spring bulb foliage starts peaking out of the ground, don’t worry. This is normal for our autumn cycle.
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 ground cover from under shrubs.
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: Voles
Diseases to watch for: Apple scab Cedar-apple, hawthorn or quince rust, Powdery mildew, Verticillium wilt, Oak leaf blister
Instead of raking your leaves and having them picked up for recycling or trash, you can compost your yard waste. Your composted leaves will make a great nutrient-rich soil for your growing gardens and other areas in your yard. To learn where you can pick up a free compost bin click on link below.
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:
Horticulture Fact and Fiction: Debunking Gardening Myths Nov 18, 2021 Thu 6:30pm to 8pm
Carol Allen, Faculty Member, Plant Sciences Department, University of Maryland
Word-of-mouth may be a good way to learn about a new local restaurant, but word-of-mouth gardening tips don’t guarantee real results and may even hurt your garden. Did your Uncle Joe always put bone meal under his tulips when he planted, and they were the best in the neighborhood? Did your friend say to crush eggshells and put them around your tomatoes to prevent blossom end rot? How do you sort through fact versus fiction while trying to improve your garden? Join Carol Allen, plant scientist and horticulturist to discuss the science behind these horticultural myths as we determine what can be believed and what should not.
“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. No matter your level of gardening knowledge, there’s always something new to learn!
Let’s Talk Gardens, a free lunchtime webinar series on garden basics on Thursdays 12 to 1 p.m.
Our October topics and presenters are the following:
November 18 – Trees and Birds – Rooted Together
Speaker: Gabe Andrle, Habitat Conservation Program Manager at Georgia Audubon
Georgia Audubon’s Habitat Conservation Program Manager, Gabe Andrle, will discuss the symbiotic relationship between birds and trees and how planting native trees can help attract a diverse range of birds to your yard. When we think of birds, especially in eastern North America where forests dominate the landscape, we invariably think of trees. Birds depend on trees for shelter, nesting, and food sources, but trees also depend on birds for a variety of reasons. With habitat loss and degradation having the largest impact on bird populations, how we manage our gardens and greenspaces can have a significant impact on bird conservation. Join this program to learn how you can make a difference in your own backyard.
Spring Online Garden/Landscape Classes at Montgomery College
Its Class time at Montgomery College. Janet Johnson will be teaching a great class on How to Grow and Bloom and Floral Arrangements for Home.
This class is offered online, so you can take this class from the comfort of your living room. We focus on your questions and your needs. Montgomery College classes are open to everyone-so lets learn together! See the Spring schedule for garden classes at MC (upcoming classes listed below). Come and join this really fun class! Hope to see you there.
Horticulture Classes | MC Lifelong Learning Spring 2022
Classes being offered at Montgomery College (Germantown) in the Landscape Technology Program for the Spring term of 2022. Classes start the week of Jan. 24. Contact information at the bottom.
What a great summer season! 
