Thanks to everyone that made our Mill Creek Drive Extreme Cleanup a success! On Saturday, April 18th for Earth Month, Mill Creek Towne Garden Club partnered with Rock Creek Conservancy and Montgomery Parks to help clean up Mill Creek Stream in our 2026 Extreme Cleanup! All in all, fourteen bags were filled, and eleven people participated. Our volunteers enjoyed the spring weather and the flora and fauna near the creek. They saw a box turtle, Virginia Spring Beauties, and Intermediate Wood Ferns, a reminder of why we want to keep our waters and parks clean! Thanks to our neighbors, Friends of Rock Creek Conservancy, and garden club friends who volunteered to make this project a success! Some people travelled here from as far as DC! After cleaning up, several garden club members weeded around the blooming pink dogwood. Here are photos from our Extreme Cleanup. Hope you can join us next year to continue making this a successful venture to help keep our water clean!
Next Saturday, April 25th from 8am to 12noon, we will be having a Plant & Yard Sale. This is our annual fundraiser to help fund our year-round projects including maintaining the Mill Creek Towne entrances and provide garden-related programs. We hope to see you then!
Happy Spring! Here are some garden tips, educational opportunities, and videos for April. Some upcoming events/resources include MCT Garden Club Mill Creek Extreme Cleanup, Saturday, April 18, Mill Creek Towne Garden Club Plant & Yard Sale – Sat. April 25, HGIC Backyard Gardening Zoom Sessions, Natives at Noon: Lunch & Learn Webinar Series, Montgomery County Master Gardener Plant Sale and Garden Tour @ Agricultural History Farm Park, Montgomery Parks – Events: Hiking Histories @ Agricultural History Farm Park, Black Hill Discovery Center: Eagle Nest Engineering, Birding for Beginners, Beaver Day Celebration, Make It & Take – Feeling Froggy, Garden Day, Wild Child Hike, Campfires at Black Hill, Black Hill Van Trips – Blandy Experimental Farm, Storytime on the Lake, Brookside Gardens: Transform Your Garden: Brookside’s Native Plant & Design Lectures, Croydon Creek Nature Center‘s Native Plant Sale, Locust Grove Nature Center: Spring Native Plant Sale at Pope Farm Nursery, Gaithersburg, MD; Seneca Creek State Park April 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
Start or update your garden journals.
Take an inventory of pots and containers; clean or replenish potted soil.
Select and order fruit plants. Decide on new tree/shrub locations.
Plan landscape design projects.
Design new beds and gardens.
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.
Mill Creek Extreme Cleanup, Saturday, April 18
Saturday, April 18
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Looking to make a difference this Earth Month? Join us and cleanup Mill Creek this April!
Please join the Mill Creek Towne Garden Club, Rock Creek Conservancy, and Montgomery Parks for our 2026 EXTREME CLEANUP of Mill Creek Stream on Saturday, April 18, 2026 for a litter removal restoration event in Rock Creek Park. Trash is the visible form of stormwater pollution, a major threat to water quality and park health and its removal makes the parklands cleaner, safer, and more beautiful for all. Event location, directions, and information will be sent prior to the event. This annual event is a watershed-wide cleanup movement with the goal of total trash removal throughout Rock Creek, its tributaries, and surrounding neighborhoods and parklands. Information is included in this link:
Additional information will be sent from the event leader one business day before the event. It’s a campaign clean up event, so go with your family or friends, pick out a point in the creek area where you can pick up trash, and spend as much time as you want. Every little bit helps.
We hope you’ll join us!
Registration required. See below for registration link for this event.Club meeting will be cancelled. are closed due to inclement weather, the Garden Club meeting will be cancelled.
Mill Creek Towne Garden Club Plant & Yard Sale – Sat. April 25
8:00AM – 12:00PM
17805 Vinyard Lane
Derwood, MD 20855
Come and check out our amazing selection of plants and yard sale items including:
Plants and Seedlings
Potting Containers/Vases
Kitchen play set for kids, toys
Assorted household items
and more!
Please help support the Mill Creek Towne Garden Club by participating in our Spring Plant & Yard Sale. Proceeds from sales and donations will help defray the costs for landscaping and 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!
About the Mill Creek Towne Garden Club
Established in 1968, the objective of the Mill Creek Towne Garden Club is to stimulate and increase knowledge and interest in all facets of gardening among amateurs, establish an active community beautification program and encourage civic beautification, and foster group activities for the benefit of the members and the community. The garden club also landscapes and maintains the Mill Creek Towne entrances and common areas.
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
Hardy spring bulbs begin to emerge (crocus, snowdrops, daffodils, tulips).
After spring bulbs bloom, let leaves turn yellow and die before trimming.
Transplant spring flowering bulbs after flowering.
Begin hardening off hardier transplants. Sow seeds outdoors of hardier annuals.
Do not set out seedlings or tender annuals until after Mother’s Day (traditional last frost-free date for our entire area).
Deadhead pansies.
Start some more seeds – especially try flowering annuals like impatiens, marigolds, nasturtium, and petunias.
Transplant seedlings into individual 3″ – 4″ pots when crowded.
Ensure new seedlings do not dry out by installing a drip-irrigation system.
Pinch out growing tips of leggy seedlings.
Fertilize summer flowering bulbs.
Cut back and clear out the last of your perennial beds.
Divide perennials.
Edge garden beds.
Mulch beds with a light hand.
Cut your Daffodils for indoor bouquets, but do not combine them with other flowers in one vase. They give off a toxic substance that may kill your other blooms off prematurely.
Buy or check on your stored summer bulbs (such as dahlias and caladiums). Pot them and start to water, if you want to give them an early start on the season.
Hand-pull visible weeds to avoid disturbing newly formed roots.
Plant and prune roses.
Look for evidence of pest or fungal disease throughout your garden.
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.
Keep all transplants watered deeply for 2 – 3 weeks.
Harden off cool season transplants. Plant asparagus.
Plant cool season transplants on the second week in April.
Gently clean up the garden, add 1 inch of compost.
Build a raised bed for vegetables. Add lots of manure and compost.
Plant cool-season crops (potatoes, lettuce, peas, root crops, and cole crops, including spinach, kale).
Make compost tea and use on seedlings.
Turn over cover crop when soil has warmed enough and is not too wet.
Fertilize established asparagus, tree, bramble fruits, and strawberries.
Start herbs from seed or cuttings.
Divide perennials and herbs.
Sow greens indoors or outdoors in a cold frame. Remove cover to allow for pollinating once they set flowers.
Put up trellises and teepees for peas and beans to climb on.
Clean and organize the garden shed.
Till and add organic matter to annual/vegetable beds.
Start seeds for: tomatoes, eggplants, and pepper inside.
Prune stone fruit trees like cherries, plums, and peaches.
Clean out your cold frame or build a new one.
Collect large plastic soda bottles to use as cloches. (A cloche is a clear, bell-shaped cover used to protect tender plants from frost.)
Direct-sow early, cool-season crops as soon as ground soil can be worked. Good choices are beans, corn, peas, lettuces, mustards, onion sets, kale, and cabbages.
Cut perennials and over-wintering ornamental grasses to 2-inches above ground.
Control wild onions in warm season turf with broadleaf weed control.
To control crabgrass, apply pre-emergent herbicide to lawn (when forsythia blooms drop).
Fertilize when green is showing.
Mow high to reduce weeds and stress: Fescue and Bluegrass: 3″ – 3 1/2″
Do soil preparation – add lime, compost, etc. as needed.
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.
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
Got some brain FOG about the upcoming gardening season? (Is all of Maryland in the clouds today?) Tune into this year’s Backyard Gardening Zoom Sessions to start thinking of warmer days and all things green!
Appalachian Ethnobotany and the Potential for New Horticultural Crops
Dr. Eric Burkhart is a botanist, ethnobotanist, and agroforester in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management at Penn State. He holds degrees in Botany/Ethnobotany (B.A, Idaho State University), Horticulture (M.S., Penn State University), and Forest Resources (Ph.D., Penn State University). His research and teaching program focuses on wild plant stewardship and agroforestry crop development in Appalachia and the Caribbean. Burkgart will talk about the Appalachian region of the eastern United States, which includes most of Pennsylvania, and is a rich repository of temperate plant biodiversity. In this presentation, Dr. Burkhart will share examples of his work with culinary and medicinal crop development using native Appalachian forest species, and discuss some of the conservation, restoration, and economic opportunities associated with these efforts.
Come explore the Farm Park’s unique trails while uncovering its rich past with Hiking Histories! This 2–3 hour guided hike takes participants along the Farm Park’s 5.5 miles of trails, blending outdoor exploration with engaging historical insights. As we hike through meadows, woodlands and historic landscapes, you’ll learn about the people, places and events that shaped the area – bringing local history to life in a vivid and memorable way. Perfect for curious hikers and history enthusiasts alike, Hiking Histories offers a refreshing mix of exercise, discovery and a deeper understanding of the land beneath your feet. We’ll meet in front of the big red barn on the historic side of the Farm Park – just follow the gravel road up toward the barn and park in the grassy lot marked “Visitor Parking.” Be sure to dress for the weather, wear sturdy footwear, and bring water.
Transform Your Garden: Brookside’s Native Plant & Design Lectures
We have an exciting lineup of in-person and virtual lectures this April.
Topics include creating sustainable, wildlife-friendly landscapes and insights from Mt. Cuba’s renowned native plant trial garden. We’re also partnering with the DC Environmental Film Festival to present a new documentary on the power of native plants—followed by a panel of experts offering practical gardening and design advice for using native plants in your own garden.
Cultivating Ecology: A Practical Guide to Sustainable Garden Design
Wednesday, April 1 / 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Drew Asbury, Horticulturist, Brookside Gardens
Zoom lecture (recording available) https://mdmontgomeryctyweb.myvscloud.com/webtrac/web/iteminfo.html?Module=AR&FMID=495079491 Discover practical ways to transform your yard into a thriving, sustainable landscape. Drawing from the presenter’s own garden, this talk explores phased planning, habitat-rich garden bed design, and how to choose native plants suited to your conditions. Learn actionable strategies that increase ecological value, support wildlife, and help you move confidently toward eco-friendly gardening practices.
DC Environmental Film Festival – Screening & Panel Discussion
Thursday, April 9 / 6:30 – 8:15 p.m.
Brookside Gardens Visitor Center Auditorium https://mdmontgomeryctyweb.myvscloud.com/webtrac/web/iteminfo.html?Module=AR&FMID=495136519 Brookside Gardens and the DC Environmental Film Festival present a screening of Gardening for the Planet, a documentary showcasing the power of native plant gardening to combat biodiversity loss and climate change. Stay for a panel of regional experts discussing native plant choices, sustainability, and conservation, and learn how you can make a difference right in your own backyard.
Panelists: Madeline Bright, Executive Director, Earth Sangha Bradley Simpson, Habitat Manager at Nature Forward and Vice President of the Maryland Native Plant Society Drew Asbury, Horticulturist, Brookside Gardens
The Wildlife Value of Natives and Native Cultivars in Mt. Cuba Center’s Trial Garden
Sam Hoadley, Manager of Horticultural Research, Mt.. Cuba Center Thursday, April 16 / 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Zoom lecture (recording available)
https://mdmontgomeryctyweb.myvscloud.com/webtrac/web/iteminfo.html?Module=AR&FMID=495063191 Explore native plant species and cultivars from Mt. Cuba’s trials that make beautiful and ecologically valuable additions to your garden. Take a deep dive into the insect and pollinator observations from the concluded evaluations of Monarda, Phlox, Echinacea, wild hydrangea, Vernonia, and Solidago and get a preview of the pollinator data from ongoing trials including oakleaf hydrangeas and Pycnanthemum. In addition, get a sneak peek at the Asclepias trial which is being evaluated for both pollinator value and its capacity as a larval host plant for monarch caterpillars.
RainScape Your Yard – Session I: Evaluating Stormwater Solutions for Home Landscapes
Thursday, April 30 at 7 to 9:00 p.m.
Fee: $15 or $12 for FOBG members Instructors: Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection staffMontgomery County Department of Environmental Protection Staff
Location: Zoom webinar https://mdmontgomeryctyweb.myvscloud.com/webtrac/web/iteminfo.html?Module=AR&FMID=495116870 Session I: Learn how environmentally friendly landscapes, such as conservation landscapes and rain gardens, can help manage stormwater issues on residential properties. We’ll review steps to planning a RainScape including site evaluation and determining the type and scale of project that best suits your needs.
Friends of Brookside Gardens Spring Plant Sale
Sunday, April 19 9 to 10 a.m. for FOBG Members Only 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for General Public Location: Visitor Center South Terrace
Get a head start on spring gardening with high-quality perennials, shrubs and small trees grown at Montgomery Parks’ Pope Farm and local nurseries. Enjoy a wide selection of plants, including native ecotypes and get expert advice from staff horticulturists. Proceeds support ongoing efforts to maintain Brookside Gardens. Not a Member? Come early and join at the Sale!
Celebrate Earth Month at Brookside Gardens with activities geared toward children and their families. Explore the science and art of sustainability through child-driven projects, plantings, and crafts. Registration is encouraged, but not required.
Let Nature Be Your Superpower: Cultivating Resilience and Wisdom in Everyday Life
Sunday, April 12 at 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Fee: $36 or $32 for FOBG members Instructor: Melanie Choukas-Bradley, Author, Naturalist and Certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guide
Location: Adult Classroom
In uncertain times, Nature offers wisdom, resilience, and renewal. You’ll learn practices to deepen your connection with the natural world, drawing on the instructor’s experience and the latest research on Nature’s mental and physical benefits. After discussion, we’ll head outdoors for guided exploration and hands-on exercises. Melanie’s books will be available for purchase and signing.
Sunday, April 12 at 9 to 9:45 a.m. for Ages 8 through 16
Fee: $7
Location: Meet at Visitor Center entrance
Take a bird walk with an expert instructor and learn the basics of using binoculars, listening for bird calls, using field guides and digital tools, and looking carefully in all directions. Stop at the spots in the garden that are most attractive for local birds and learn more about them. Borrow a pair of our binoculars or bring your own (optional).
The Butterfly Experience kicks off at Brookside Gardens on April 1. Visitors will be immersed in a dazzling display of butterflies from around the world while learning the important roles these pollinators play in a variety of ecosystems and how to ensure these beautiful insects thrive in our own gardens.
Planning your spring and summer garden? Save the date for Croydon Creek Nature Center’s Native Plant Sale! Saturday, May 2, from 9-11 a.m. at Elwood Smith Community Center.
In-Person Sale: Sat – Sun, May 16-17, 10am-2pm each day
Sale location: Pope Farm Nursery: 7400 Airpark Road, Gaithersburg. Please note: Pope Farm is only open to the public during sale hours.
It’s that time of year again, Locust Grove Nature Center will be having their Spring Native Plant Sale on Saturday, May 16 and Sunday, May 17 from 10am to 2pm each day at Pope Farm Nursery.
Seneca Creek State Park 11950 Clopper Road Gaithersburg, MD 20878
Here’s a link to Seneca Creek State Park’s March Programs. Featured events for April include Try a County Trail, Spring Wildflower Hike, Miles for Maryland Challenge Hike, City Nature Challenge Info Session & 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.
FOG 
