Seasons Greetings! We wish you and your family a Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa and Happy, Healthy, Prosperous and Peaceful New Year surrounded by family, friends, and wonderful memories!
Our 2025 year of the Mill Creek Towne Garden Club began with an outstanding garden presentation entitled “Make a Spectacle in the Garden!–” by Marie Rojas, a master gardener with the Montgomery County Master Gardener Program. Below are some events and activities that we provided to the community and our garden club members this year.
Community Events
Make a Spectacle in the Garden!– Tuesday, March 25
Mill Creek Stream Extreme Cleanup – Saturday, April 19
MCT Garden Club Plant & Yard Sale – Saturday, May 3
Introduction to the World of Herbs – Tuesday, October 28
Club Activities
Native Seed Workshop Hosted by Lauren Hubbard on January 25
Beyond the Garden Gates Garden Tour in Frederick, MD on May 18
MCT Garden Club Luncheon in June
MCT Garden Club provided beverages for the Mill Creek Village Community Picnic in September
In addition to opening our programs to the community, we are hard at work maintaining the Roslyn, Shady Grove, and Miller Fall entrances to MCT, as well as the Mill Creek Drive Circle, keeping several of our members busy with weeding, transplanting, watering, pruning, and erosion control! We provide monthly garden tips/events and share them on our Facebook page, website, and in the Mill Creek Village newsletter. We are very pleased with the Mill Creek Village “Welcome Bag” program for new residents. Our garden club contributes a seed packet and welcoming note as part of their package.
We would like to thank you for your support in the past years! Donations to pay for landscaping and maintenance of the Mill Creek Towne Entrances and our garden-related programs at our community meetings are greatly appreciated and accepted year-round! Please help support the Mill Creek Towne Garden Club! To fulfill our mission, we depend on the generosity of donors who appreciate the value of our services. If you can help, please visit our donations page (see link below). We accept online and check donations.
Submitted by Beth Giannone, MCT Garden Club President and Nancy Brady, MCT Garden Club Communications
Happy Thanksgiving! Here are some garden tips, educational opportunities, and videos for November. Some upcoming events/resources include Master Gardener Lecture: All About Figs, Backyard Composting Basics with Montgomery County Dept. of Environmental Protection – at Gaithersburg Library, Wednesday Water Webinars, Brookside Gardens – Garden of Lights, Project FeederWatch, Seniors 55+ and Fabulous Events for November, Seneca Creek State Park November Programs, Montgomery College Lifelong Learning Home and Garden Classes – Fall 2025, 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
It’s harvest time and also a good time to start taking stock of what worked well for you this season and what didn’t.
As beds empty, make changes to shape and size of beds.
Take a break from holiday stress to enjoy your garden.
Take advantage of plant sales.
Collect plant seeds for next year and for trading.
Gather seeds and carefully label them. Store in dry location.
Clean, sharpen, and store your garden tools.
Check out gardening books from your local library to read on vacation.
Take garden photos and make notes in your garden journal.
Pick up new gardening books and magazines for inspiration.
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
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.
Clean out and store containers.
Continue planting hardy, spring-flowering bulbs.
After blooming, cut mums back to 6 inches above ground.
Bulb foliage already starting to surface? Don’t fret. It is also normal and will not affect next year’s blooms.
Pull out spent summer annuals.
Prune and mulch hybrid tea roses.
Force spring bulbs for indoor blooms this January by potting them up, watering thoroughly, and placing them in your vegetable crisper for about 10 weeks.
Continue to divide and transplant perennials.
Take cuttings from coleus and begonias to propagate and over-winter indoors.
Sow wildflower seeds, such as California Poppies, for next spring.
Collect dried flowers and grasses for an indoor vase.
After hard frost, sow seeds of spring-blooming hardy annuals & perennials, then mark beds!
Dig up bulbs from your Gladiolus, Canna, Caladiums, and other tender bulbs; cut off foliage; let dry for a week; and store for the winter.
Water thoroughly, especially if you receive no rain for more than seven days.
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.
Pests to watch for: Aphids, 4-lined plant bug, slugs, snails, spidermites, deer, voles, and whiteflies.
Diseases to watch for: Blackspot on roses; powdery mildew, rust, bacterial diseases
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.
Trees and shrubs can be planted until ground freezes.
Dig hole now if you will be planting a “live” Christmas tree.
Transplant trees when leaves begin to color.
Water evergreens and new plantings to keep them hydrated this winter.
Water slowly and deeply if weather is very dry.
If your conifers start shedding their needles or your spring bulb foliage starts peeking out of the ground, don’t worry. This is normal for our autumn cycle.
Look out for any Poison Ivy vines, which will turn crimson in the fall and be easy to distinguish from other vines.
Thin out small trees and cut off any suckering branches growing from the bottom root ball.
Prune foundation shrubs and trees to be no closer than 1 foot from the house.
Remove rotting fruits from fruit trees and compost them.
Take cuttings from azaleas, boxwoods, and camellias to start new plants.
Contact a certified arborist to have your trees’ health inspected.
Directly after blooming, prune flowering shrubs and vines.
Water shrubs and trees deeply during any dry spells.
IF YOU MUST MULCH: Remove old mulch, then add 2″ – 3″ shredded pine or pine needles, keeping away from trunk.
Do not fertilize newly planted or transplanted plants the first year.
Soil test established trees that have not been performing well.
Plant evergreens for winter interest.
Keep mowers and trimmers away from trunks!
Prune broken, dead, diseased, or damaged branches.
Keep an eye out for bark damage from rabbits or deer.
Check often and water newly planted trees if they don’t pass the finger test (stick your finger deep into soil – dry? Water!)
Check for vole problems and set out traps.
Spray broadleaf evergreens with anti-desiccant to prevent dehydration.
Diseases to watch for: Anthracnose, Exobasidium gall on azaleas, Apple scab Cedar-apple hawthorn or quince rust, Verticillium wilt, Oak leaf blister, Phytophthora, top dieback and root rot on azaleas.
All houseplants/overwintering plants should be inside by now!
Take cuttings of plants you want to overwinter inside and place in water.
Reduce fertilizing of indoor plants (except cyclamen).
Do not fertilize until January.
Deadhead flowering plants.
Do not place live wreaths or greenery in-between your door and a glass storm door, especially if the doorway is facing south. This placement will “cook” the arrangement on a sunny day.
Mid-month, pot amaryllis for winter holiday bloom.
Force the buds on Christmas Cactus by placing in a cool (55-60 degree) room for 13 hours of darkness.
Begin conditioning Poinsettias indoors in preparation for holiday blooming. Fertilize them and put them where they’ll get just 10 hours’ bright light per day.
Bring Amaryllis indoors before a hard freeze. Repot every other year at this time. Store in a cool, dark place and do not water until flower buds or leaves emerge.
Scan houseplants for insect activity.
Maintain moisture in pots, but do not overwater!
Set up humidifier for indoor plants or at least place them in pebble trays.
Clean the leaves of your indoor houseplants to prevent dust and film build-up.
Give your houseplants a quarter turn every few weeks.
Keep all houseplants out of drafts and away from heat vents.
Keep succulents and cacti on the dry side.
Check on your container plants daily and keep them well-watered.
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.
Pests to watch for: aphids, spider mites, mealybug, scale, stinkbugs, and whitefly.
Rockville Memorial Library – 1st Floor Meeting Room
Age group: Older Adult, Emerging Adult, Adult
Join Master Gardener, Dr. Jafar Vossoughi, to learn more about the fig fruit and plant.
Do you love fig trees? The fig is a peculiar and underestimated fruit with a very rich history. Dr. Jafar Vossoughi, retired bioengineering professor and a Master Gardener, will present a comprehensive talk on the small, unusual fruit, the fig. The presentation will cover history, botany, biology, and information specific to the cultivars suitable for our region. A short review of the medicinal, nutritional, and culinary aspects of this fruit will also be discussed.
Questions about this program? Contact the branch at 240-777-0140.
Don’t have a card right now? No worries! Find out how to Get a Library Card.
Library Program Attendance (both virtual and in the branch) is limited to participants within the suggested age range of the program. Children attending an MCPL program under the age of 8 must be accompanied by an adult. Adults attending a program intended for children must have an accompanying child.
If you plan to attend with a group of ten or more, please contact the branch at least one week before the program to discuss how your group might be accommodated.
Backyard Composting Basics with Montgomery County Dept. of Environmental Protection – at Gaithersburg Library
Monday, November 10: 6:00pm – 7:30pm
Gaithersburg Library
Age group: Older Adult, Middle School, High School, Emerging Adult, Adult
Learn how composting helps protect the environment, improves the health of your lawn and garden, and can save you money.
Join Jessica Panicola from Montgomery County Enviornmental Protection to learn how backyard composting transforms your yard and garden trimmings, such as grass clippings, leaves, and garden pruning’s, into a dark, crumbly, sweet-smelling material that naturally enriches the soil! Register today to attend a Backyard Composting Workshop designed to teach you about the composting process and how to use your backyard composting bin.
Please note this is NOT a food scraps composting workshop.
Registration is not required.
Questions about this program? Please contact Gaithersburg Library at 240-773-9490.
Wednesday Water Webinars
University of Maryland Extension will be hosting monthly webinars on various water quality related topics. Join Andrew Lazur, Water Quality Specialist, as he dives into water topics that affect us all. These webinars will take place via Zoom on the dates shown below, allowing time for Q & A at the end.
Shine bright with us as Brookside Garden’s gets a glow up this season! From late-November to early January, you can stroll through the one-half mile, outdoor, walk-through exhibit and enjoy the twinkling lights and glimmering one-of-a-kind displays adorning the flowerbeds and grounds throughout the 50-acre horticultural gem in Wheaton.
Nature Book Club: Tuesday, November 18 | 6 to 7:30 pm | FREE | Virtual
Seneca Creek State Park November Programs
Seneca Creek State Park 11950 Clopper Road Gaithersburg, MD 20878
Here’s a link to Seneca Creek State Park’s November Programs. Featured events for November include Family Nature Hikes, Nature Crafts – Acorn Squirrels, Challenge Yourself at Monocacy Hike, Violette’s Lock Hike, Nature Crafts – Pinecone Turkeys, Nature Crafts – Static Electricity Bird, Bug, or Bat Experiment, Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt, 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.
“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.
