Mill Creek Parish United Methodist
7101 Horizon Terrace
Derwood, MD 20855
Join us for a special presentation on an “Why You Need to Add Water to Your Garden”, by guest speaker, Mike Coan, Oasis Water Gardens, on Tuesday, March 24, 2026 at 7pm.
FREE
Light Refreshments provided
Most of us spend a lot of time thinking about plants, color, and structure in our gardens — but water is often the piece that’s missing.
In this talk, we take a practical look at what water actually brings to a garden. Not just how it looks, but how it changes the way a space feels and how people use it every day.
We’ll talk about why ponds and waterfalls naturally become focal points, how they create movement and sound, and why so many people find themselves drawn to sit near water without even realizing it.
We’ll also spend time on the ecological side of things. Even small water features can make a big difference for birds, pollinators, frogs, and other local wildlife. Adding water often turns a garden into a living, active ecosystem rather than something that’s just nice to look at.
We’ll wrap up by walking through the core principles behind building a water feature, starting with small, simple waterfalls and then showing how those same ideas carry through to larger ponds and more complex designs. The goal is to help people understand how water features work at a fundamental level and to demystify some of the questions we hear all the time.
RSVP: info@mctgardenclub.org
Please do NOT attend this event if you are or have been experiencing symptoms of illness.
THIS EVENT IS FREE, BUT DONATIONS ARE ALWAYS APPRECIATED!
Donations pay for landscaping, repair and maintenance of the Mill Creek Towne Entrances, and our garden-related programs at our community meetings.
NOTE: If Montgomery County Schools are closed due to inclement weather, the Garden Club meeting will be cancelled.
Happy Groundhog Day! Here are some garden tips, educational opportunities, and videos for February. Some upcoming events/resources include MCT Garden Club Master Gardener Talk on “All About Chiles”; Natives at Noon 1st Wednesday Webinars; Webinar: Get Ready for the Great Backyard Bird Count, Montgomery Parks – Events: Agricultural History Farm Park: Winter Snowcials – February 8, Winter Walks; Black Hill Discovery Center: For the Love of Birds Art Exhibit, Night Hikes – Owl Prowl, For the Love of Birds Art Exhibit: Waterfowl Viewing from the Deck, Birding for the Family, Black Hill Van Trips- Hike at Lake Roland, Black Hill Bookworms- “An Immerse World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around us, Eco-Teen Challenge- A Fishy Adventure, Building a Better Water Filter; Brookside Gardens: Maple Sugar Walks, Greenscapes Symposium; Locust Grove Nature Center: Full Moon Fridays, Great Backyard Bird Count, Nature Book Club- Cozy Nature Book Chat, Project FeederWatch; Meadowside Nature Center: Raptor Caretaker Chats, Zinemaking Workshop; Seneca Creek State Park February Programs; Montgomery College: Environmental Horticulture Program – Spring 2026 classes, Lifelong Learning Home and Garden Classes – Spring 2026, and more! A lot of gardening events are announced on Facebook as well as on our website. These events will be hosted as online or in-person events.
Planning Tips
Buy seeds and order plants from new garden catalogs.
Select and order fruit plants. Decide on new tree/shrub locations.
Plan landscape design projects.
Design new beds and gardens.
Collect plant seeds for this year and trading.
Gather seeds and carefully label them. Store in dry location.
Clean, sharpen, and store your garden tools.
Repair your shed and repair/paint your fences.
Check out gardening books from your local library to read.
Pick up new gardening books and magazines for inspiration.
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.
All About Chiles
Tuesday, February 24 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Mill Creek Parish United Methodist 7101 Horizon Terrace Derwood, MD 20855
Join us for a special presentation on an “All About Chiles”, by guest speaker, Betty Cichy, Master Gardener on Tuesday, February 24, 2026 at 7pm.
FREE
Light Refreshments provided
Master Gardener Betty Cichy will cover topics in this talk related to how to choose, grow, cook, preserve and enjoy hot peppers and Chiles. Learn about how to garden and take care of your Chiles, hot peppers, and how to incorporate them into your cooking.
Betty Cichy Bio: A master gardener since 2020, Betty Cichy was a reporter and features writer for the Bucks County Courier Times and the Doylestown Intelligencer newspapers in Pennsylvania for 20 years, eventually serving as Food Editor. She also covered gardening for the papers, and became a Master Gardener after retirement. She has had home vegetable gardens for most of her life, and those gardens have always included chile peppers – a special interest. She now writes a column, “The Seasonal Kitchen,” for The Seed, the monthly newsletter of the Montgomery County Master Gardener organization.
RSVP: info@mctgardenclub.org
Please do NOT attend this event if you are or have been experiencing symptoms of illness.
THIS EVENT IS FREE, BUT DONATIONS ARE ALWAYS APPRECIATED!
Donations pay for landscaping, repair and maintenance of the Mill Creek Towne Entrances, and our garden-related programs at our community meetings.
NOTE: If Montgomery County Schools are closed due to inclement weather, the Garden Club meeting will be cancelled.Add to calendar
Are you interested in gardening? Perhaps you’re a beginner, looking to learn more, or an experienced gardener interested in sharing your experiences and learning from others?
Are you interested in making your home and community a more beautiful place to live?
Are you interested in getting more involved in your community and getting to know your neighbors better?
Visit Our MCT Garden Club Website for Gardening Resources
Local Gardening Resources: Looking for a Master Gardener as a guest speaker, need gardening advice, or want to learn about resources in or near Mill Creek Towne? Visit our Resources page for details.
MCTGC Blog: Check our monthly blog for garden tips and local/online garden-related events.
Gardening Books: Looking for a gift for your favorite gardener? Visit our Gardening Books Resources page for holiday gift ideas.
Local Gardens: Visit our Local Gardens page to learn about local gardens in our area.
Montgomery County Farmers’ Markets: Support our local farmers. Check this page to learn about local farmers markets in our area or join a CSA and get fresh local produce year-round!
Online Gardening Resources: Looking for gardening apps or online resources to help with your gardening? Check out our Online Gardening Resources page for some apps for your smartphone and online gardening resources focused on the DMV area.
Recipes: Looking for a recipe for your home-grown veggies and fruit? Check our Recipes page for ideas.
Maryland Grows Blog
In weekly posts on MD HGIC’s blog, learn about pollinator conservation, growing native plants and food, and how to solve plant pest and disease problems.
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):
UMD Home and Garden Information Center: Ask a Master Gardener
Do you have a gardening question? Our Certified Professional Horticulturists, faculty, and Master Gardener Volunteers are ready to answer – year-round!
See below to ask a master gardener a question on the UMD Extension website:
The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) in partnership with University of Maryland Extension, the Department of Natural Resources, and the Maryland Native Plant Society is proud to introduce the MDA’s Maryland’s Best Native Plant Program.
This program aims to bring education, awareness, and recognition to consumers and producers about the importance of native plants by:
recognizing retailers, wholesalers, and growers who are selling native plants via a tiered (bronze, silver, gold), voluntary certification program, and helping consumers know where to buy native plants
providing marketing materials- including a MD Native Plant logo- to help consumers identify what’s native to Maryland
Clean and tidy up pots and seed trays to get a good start in February.
Hand-pull visible weeds.
Divide overgrown or crowded perennials such as daylily and shasta daisy.
Walk your yard to check plants and bulbs for heaving and place them back into the ground. Cover with more mulch to prevent further heaving.
Do not step on frozen soil in flower beds or lawns.
Pot up any leftover bulbs that did not make it into the ground by now and force them for indoor blooms.
Look for evidence of pest or fungal damage throughout your garden.
Cut back perennials that have turned to mush. Leave others with seedheads on Black-eyed Susan, Echinacea, Goldenrod, Sunflowers, and Thistles for the birds to enjoy over the winter.
Check the plants under tall evergreens and under the eaves of the house to see that they have sufficient moisture.
Provide some special protection to tender or early flowering plants like Camellias.
Check any summer-blooming bulbs, corms, tubers, and bare root plants in storage for rot or desiccation. Discard any that have rotted.
Bulb foliage already starting to surface? Don’t fret. It is also normal and will not affect next year’s blooms.
After hard frost, sow seeds of spring-blooming hardy annuals & perennials, then mark beds!
Inspect for powdery mildew. If seen, prune back perennials to create needed circulation. Discard properly (i.e., not in your compost bin).
Rake up weeds and their seedlings, especially look for fast-growing vines such as honeysuckle, autumn clematis, bittersweet, wild grape, Virginia creeper, and poison ivy.
Maryland’s goal is to plant and maintain 5 million native trees by 2031. There are various ways you can get involved – plant trees and register them — or volunteer! A number of tree-planting assistance programs are available at the municipal, county, and state levels.
Weed – especially look for fast-growing vines such as honeysuckle, autumn clematis, bittersweet, wild grape, Virginia creeper, and poison ivy. Remove Ivy, Pachysandra, and other vine-like groundcover from under shrubs.
Mulch or compost healthy leaves.
Continue to remove fallen, diseased leaves.
Put diseased leaves, pesticide-laden grass clippings and weed seeds in your trash — not your compost pile.
Turn your compost pile weekly and don’t let it dry out. Work compost into your planting beds.
Apply scale and dormant oil treatment before dormancy breaks to decrease pest infestations.
Remove dead and dying trees.
Pests to watch for: deer, scale, and voles.
Diseases to watch for: Phomopsis and Kabatina of Juniper, Diplodia tip blight of 2 & 3 needled pines.
Trim ornamental grasses such as liriope, mondo, and pampas.
Spread new gravel on paths.
Do any filling or grading around your yard. The soil will settle during the winter months.
Some alternatives to de-icing salts include sand, beet juice sugars, light gravel (grit), or non-clumping kitty litter. Using de-icing salts around driveways and sidewalks can harm your garden plants and turf.
Avoid walking on frozen grass to avoid damaging the crowns.
Turn off outdoor water valve and store hoses.
Clean yard of leaves and other debris.
Mulch bare areas.
Check and tune-up power equipment (mowers and trimmers).
Apply grub control to your lawn.
Sharpen your lawnmower blade.
Check and tune-up power equipment (mowers and trimmers).
Turn your compost pile.
Diseases to watch for: brown patch, and red thread
*Webinar will not be recorded. More dates will be posted for registration as they near.
(For an accessible version of this information, please message us.)
Webinar: Get Ready for the Great Backyard Bird Count
Thursday, February 5, 2026 3:00 p.m. ET / 2:00 p.m. CT / 1:00 p.m. MT / 12:00 p.m. PT
Wednesday, February 11, 2026 7:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. CT / 5:00 p.m. MT / 4:00 p.m. PT
Embrace the joy of birds by participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) taking place February 13-16, 2026. This lively, beginner-friendly webinar will inspire you to deepen your connection with birds while joining a worldwide count.
Join this one-hour live event to discover tips, tricks, and ideas to prepare for the GBBC, a fun and impactful global community science event! GBBC team members will share how to participate with confidence, while special guest and author Julia Zarankin explores beginner birding and the love and joy of backyard birds.
Bundle up and bring the whole family out for some fresh air and festive fun at Winter Snowcials! Enjoy the crisp winter atmosphere in the coziness of the barn with a steaming cup of hot cocoa or cider, a tasty donut, and plenty of smiles to go around as you warm up by the fire pits. Kids can take part in winter-themed crafts and activities, and little ones can gather for a fun farm-themed story. It’s the perfect way to relax, connect with members of the community, and celebrate the winter season together. You might even learn a bit about the rich history of our historic Farm Park. It’s a great way to connect and celebrate community in the chillness of winter.
Please note that this event will take place outside, so be sure to dress for the weather. Please check our website and Facebook page for updates in case conditions get too icy.
Join us this Winter for a scenic stroll around the farm park and enjoy the quiet beauty of the season! Our friendly guides will lead you through areas of the park you may not have explored before—or that look completely different in winter. Come take in the winter beauty of the park and its surrounded fields. The walk is easy and at a relaxed pace, but be prepared for natural trails that may be snowy, muddy or uneven in places. Don’t forget to bring water and wear sturdy footwear suitable for winter walking.
We’ll meet outside the UMD Extension Building: when you reach the park’s main road, continue past the speed up and up the paved drive until you reach a large parking lot.
We walk in most weather conditions, so please dress warmly and check the forecast before you come. If conditions are unsafe, we’ll send an email to let you know if the walk is canceled. If necessary, our make-up days will be scheduled for March 4 and March 11.
NOTE: This is a live, Zoom lecture with audience Q&A. After registering, a link will be emailed to you 24 hours prior to the live webinar. Recordings will be made available to students.
Ira Wallace, writer, seed saver, and educator
Black and brown people are integral as workers in food and agriculture but are largely missing from the story of heirloom seeds and seed savers. Learn the basics of seed saving and how tradition, taste, place and storytelling can work to preserve biodiversity and help reclaim our place as diverse peoples in issues of food sovereignty, heirlooms, seed saving, preserving our local gardening heritage and regional cuisine.
Wednesday, February 18, 2026 |10:30AM – 12:00PM | Fee: $12.00
Kristin Davey, Brookside Gardens staff
Winter brings a different dimension to the gardens that is sometimes overlooked by visitors. Walk and talk with a garden expert to uncover the “bones of the garden” without the distraction of leaves or flowers. Explore the architectural elements that shape the gardens including woody plants, hardscape and other components of design.
Join us for a fascinating day of presentations offering practical strategies to design sustainable and resilient landscapes. To learn more and register for this live Zoom event, click on this link: www.brooksidegreen.org.
2026 GreenScapes Symposium Overview
Integrating Ecology, Beauty & Adaptability In Design Thriving landscapes that support wildlife, enhance biodiversity, and respond to environmental challenges require thoughtful design and tested practices. This engaging symposium brings together experts in horticulture, ecology, and design to share solutions that work—from small gardens to large public landscapes.
Learn how native keystone plants and layered “soft landings” can support pollinators from canopy to ground, and explore regenerative approaches that blend beauty, function, and biodiversity in every setting. Through illustrative real-world case studies, you’ll discover how dynamic, naturalistic plantings can adapt and thrive, and how climate-resilient and diverse plant palettes can strengthen ecosystems in both urban and suburban environments.
Attendees will gain practical tools for plant selection, soil preparation, and habitat design, along with proven strategies for creating landscapes that actively support wildlife and the environment. Whether you’re tending a home garden or shaping public spaces, this symposium provides the knowledge and solutions to design with purpose—and with the future in mind.
About GreenScapes The GreenScapes Symposium is an annual program planned by Brookside Gardens since 2004. The Symposium explores the latest topics related to landscape sustainability and the environment. This event appeals to a broad audience ranging from landscape architects and designers to master gardeners, horticulturists, and urban planners.
Seneca Creek State Park 11950 Clopper Road Gaithersburg, MD 20878
Here’s a link to Seneca Creek State Park’s February Programs. Featured events for February include Let It Snow Hikes, Lake Frank Eagle Nest Watch Hike, Try a New Trail Hike, Miles for Maryland Challenge Hike, School’s Out Hike, and more! These events are provided by The Friends of Seneca Creek State Park.
The only State Park entirely in Montgomery County, featuring Hiking, Disc Golf, Boating, Fishing, Peony Display Garden, Recycled Tire Playground, and Winter Lights display from Nov. 27th through December 31st. Entrance is free from November through March.
The Friends of Seneca Creek State Park collect dues and donations that are used to support the visitor experience in the park. We are a 501(c)(3) designated charity, so all donations, including dues, are tax deductible as allowed by law.
Here is the Montgomery College class schedule for the Environmental Horticulture Program, Spring Semester 2026. Classes start January 26, 2026. See https://www.montgomerycollege.edu for information on registration and the full academic calendar.
Lifelong Learning Home and Garden Classes – Spring 2026
“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.
