Here are some gardening tips, educational opportunities,and events for August. Events include the University of Maryland, Montgomery County Grow It Eat It Open House on Saturday, August 6th; Montgomery County Agricultural Fair on August 12–20, 2016; and the Little Bennett Great Outdoors Festival on August 20th!
Planning:
Check your local garden center for end-of-summer bargains.
It is harvest time and also a good time to start taking stock of what worked well for you this season and what didn’t.
Order garlic, onions, and shallots for fall planting.
Order spring-flowering bulbs to arrive for planting this fall.
Attend a county fair and enter some of your garden bounty.
This article provides a list of 10 native vines to attract wildlife in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Inspect for powdery mildew. If seen, prune back perennials to create needed circulation. Discard properly (i.e., not in your compost bin).
Renew your container plantings, which may be looking a bit ragged at this point. Pinch back overgrown plants. Pull out any spent ones and pop in some substitute annuals or mums. Keep them well-watered and add a little liquid fertilizer every few weeks to keep them going through early autumn.
Start seeds of pansies, calendula, flowering cabbage, kale, other fall annuals.
Weed and weed some more.
Pests to watch for: Aphids, spidermites, whiteflies
Diseases to watch for: powdery mildew, fungal leaf spot
The first week in August is the last week recommended to plant beans, peas, and carrots for fall.
Harvest leaves of herbs used in cooking (rosemary, basil, sage) in the early morning, for best flavor.
At the end of the month, begin planting cool-season vegetables (turnips, carrots, beets, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, Chinese cabbage, cauliflower, kale, lettuce, mustard, radish, and spinach ).
Preserve gourds and dry flowers for display in the fall.
Deadhead garlic chives before they go to seed. Makes a nice cut-flower.
Turn your compost pile and don’t let it dry out!
Pests to watch for: Squash vine borer.
Diseases to watch for: Powdery mildew, fungal, bacterial, viral diseases.
Here are some more fruit and vegetable gardening tips for August from UMD’s HGIC.
Lawns:
Over seeding may be done now through October.
Keep newly-seeded lawns well watered!
Check for mosquito breeding grounds. Dump out any water that sits stagnant for more than three days.
Cool season lawns go dormant in hot, dry weather – Do Not Water.
Diseases to watch for: dollar spot, brown patch and red thread
Pests to watch for: Grubs
See HGIC’s August Lawn Tipsfor more details.
Indoors/Houseplants:
Prune potted bougainvillea or hanging baskets that will overwater inside.
Bring Christmas cactus and poinsettias indoors if you took them out for the summer in preparation for holiday blooming. Fertilize them and put them where they’ll get just 10 hours’ bright light per day.
Monitor for insect problems.
Pests to watch for: Spidermites, mealybug, scale, aphids, squirrels, whitefly
See HGIC’s August Houseplants Tipsfor more tips.
Indoor/Outdoor Insect and Wildlife Tips:
Switch your deer deterrent spray.
Keep birdfeeders and baths cleaned and replenished. Change water frequently to avoid mosquitoes.
See HGIC’s August Insect Tipsfor more details.
Watch for: rabbits, groundhogs, deer, moles, snakes, squirrels, and voles.
For more information on wildlife management and attracting wildlife see HGIC’s August Wildlife tips.
Source: University of Maryland’s Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC) and the Washington Gardener.
?Save the date for these upcoming Summer events! Events include the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair on August 12–20, 2016, and the Little Bennett Great Outdoors Festival on August 20th!
University of Maryland, Montgomery County Grow It Eat It Open House
Saturday, August 6th
9am to 1pm (some programs start earlier/later)
Location: Agricultural History Farm Park
18400 Muncaster Rd, Derwood MD 20855
We are celebrating the year of the tomato!
We have an amazing line-up of speakers, demonstrations, children’s programs, garden projects, plant advice, tomato tasting, and inspiration. Stroll through our garden and get ideas of what to plant at home. Bring your plant and tomato problems to our two plant clinics.
Don’t forget to bring your tomatoes for the tomato tasting! There will be prizes for the prettiest, ugliest, and tastiest tomatoes!
Come purchase plants from vendors, including Chesapeake Natives, garden products, Fall vegetable plants, local honey and honey products, rain barrels, local pottery, and products for caring for chickens.
Grab your picnic blanket, bring your lunch (or purchase one from us at the event).
The event is free and does not require registration unless otherwise noted.
Children’s Programs All children are welcome.
Discover Flowers
Suggested for grades 4 & 5 Register
Discover Gardening
Suggested for grades 4 & 5 Register
Discover Trees
Suggested for Grades 6, 7, & 8 Register
The preliminary schedule of events can be found here:
School starts on August 30th so make sure you get some sun and fun before heading back to class!
Celebrate the outdoors at Little Bennett Great Outdoors Fest! This free family event features our new pedal carts, jumping pillow, tours of the yurts, along with hay rides, live music, S’mores, hikes and fun at Little Bennett Campground!
Get ideas on how to protect and enjoy our great outdoors from local organizations and retailers, conservation groups and Montgomery Parks. Little Bennett Campground features 91 campsites (including 3 yurts) just steps away from the more than 20 miles of trails at Little Bennett Regional Park!
Here are some gardening tips, educational opportunities, videos, and events for June. Events for June include Wings of Fancy at Brookside Gardens, 6th Annual Garden Party at Behnke Nurseries, Sandy Spring Strawberry Festival, Woodlawn Visitor Center Open House, and more!
Planning:
As the heat and humidity moves in, take it easy by working in the morning or early evening to avoid intense sun and humidity. Leave the big projects for this fall. For now, concentrate on maintaining the beds you’ve already established and nurturing your new plantings.
Don’t overwater if it is hot and muggy. Remove plants severely infected with powdery mildew. Thin crowded plants.
Check out plants going on sale!
Peruse fall bulb catalogs.
Order spring-flowering bulbs to arrive for planting this fall.
Plan who is going to water your plants during your vacation.
Sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus) has many common names, including Carolina allspice, strawberry-bush, sweet bubby, sweet Betsy and spicebush. As these names indicate, it is valued for the sweet, often fruity fragrance of its flowers. Sweetshrub is native along the east coast from Pennsylvania south to northern Florida and west to Mississippi. In South Carolina it is native in the Upstate and Central regions, and grows well throughout the state. See details on this popular shrub on Clemson University’s site.
This is snake mating season, their most active time of year. Snakes are beneficial creatures and should not be harmed. Snakes in the garden help control insect and rodent pests. See the HGIC June Wildlife tips for identifying snakes.
Prevent deer from feeding on garden and landscape plants, by applying a repellent, such as “Deer-Away”, “Liquid Fence”, “Deer-Off”, “Hinder” or “Ro-Pel” to vulnerable plants. Grow plants seldom damaged by deer. See FS 655 Deer Resistant Ornamentals.
Watch for: rabbits, groundhogs, deer, moles, snakes, squirrels, and voles.
For more information on wildlife management and attracting wildlife see HGIC’s June Wildlife tips.
Source: University of Maryland’s Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC) and the Washington Gardener.
?Save the date for these upcoming Summer events! Events include the Sandy Spring Strawberry Festival, Climb a Tree, Wings of Fancy at Brookside Gardens, and more!
Looking for volunteer opportunities this summer? There are still some openings left for Montgomery Parks including Brookside Garden’s Butterfly Exhibit, Gardeners at Brookside Nature Center, and summer camp counselors at various Montgomery Park Nature Centers.
Many of our Nature Center Summer Camps are still looking for Volunteer Counselors! Follow the link to see a list of the camps and find out how you can get involved.
Brookside Gardens is happy to announce the return of its premier Wings of Fancy Live Butterfly and Caterpillar Exhibit. The seasonal display features hundreds of live butterflies from all over the world. Families, students, nature lovers, and everyone in between can get an up close experience of these brilliant butterflies from North America, Costa Rica, Africa and Asia as they soar among colorful flowers. Visitors can learn about their amazing metamorphosis, the important role butterflies play in having healthy ecosystems, and how to ensure these beautiful insects thrive in our own gardens.
Come climb a giant tree in Montgomery Parks! Join our arborists as they provide safety gear, assistance and encouragement to help kids put their heads in the clouds and see our parks from a new perspective. Tons of fun and free for all! Let’s see how high you can climb!
Join us at any of the following dates, times and locations for a fun adventure among the trees:
Saturday, June 4th, 9am-noon Elm Street Park 4600 Elm Street,Bethesda, MD 2081
Wednesday, June 22nd, 9am – noon – Fairview Park 8900 Fairview Road, Silver Spring, MD 20910
Wednesday, July 6th , 9am- noon Wall Park 4901 Nicholson Lane, Rockville, MD 2085
Sandy Spring Strawberry Festival is back for the 35th year. Enjoy live music, dance performances, petting zoo, beer garden and more at the Sandy Spring Museum from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fresh local strawberries and shortcake will be available.
Keynote speaker sponsored by Espoma:Kerry Ann Mendez.
Kerry Anne is an award-winning garden designer and author of four gardening books. Design Tips for Knockout, Easy-Care Flower Gardens. Gorgeous, low-maintenance gardens are no accident. Learn proven design tricks for sensational gardens, including selecting great plants, design strategies, incorporating focal points, vertical interest, sustainable practices and more. Book signing to follow.
Buy Raffle Tickets to support Friends of Brookside Gardens.
Play Garden Party Games:Garden Hat Contest, Garden Trivia and more!
Enjoy free tours of Brookside Gardens in Wheaton or McCrillis Gardens in Bethesda. Brookside Gardens is an award-winning display garden, featuring an abundance of annual and perennial displays throughout the season. McCrillis Gardens is a naturalistic strolling garden, offering shady woodland walks and splashes of color in spring. Highly trained knowledgeable guides offer engaging horticultural tours, focusing on the plants that make each garden unique.
Maryland has nine dairy farms that offer fresh, delicious on-farm ice cream. Together, they make up the Maryland’s Best Ice Cream Trail. Visit each creamery and get your trail passport stamped before September 23rd and you may be named Maryland’s 2016 Ice Cream Trail Blazer!
No purchase is necessary to participate. Completed passports must be postmarked by Sept. 26.
Montgomery Parks is excited to open this historic gem to the public. Explore the Stone Barn exhibits where echoes of the past will tell the story of a bustling farm, its community, and those who made a bold bid for freedom on the Underground Railroad. Learn about Woodlawn’s earliest residents and their neighbors.
The celebration will include, living history demonstrations, tours, activities for children, food, live music and a special performance featuring the extraordinary music of the Washington Revels Jubilee Voices. The Washington Revels Jubilee Voices ensemble is committed to the preservation of African American history and traditions – presenting songs and stories of struggle and perseverance, trials and triumphs, as expressed through a cappella music, drama and dance.
Join us Tuesday evenings in June for a series of musical performances set in the beauty of the Gardens! Bring your friends and family, and don’t forget your chairs, blankets and picnics (allowed in the Gardens on concert evenings only)
8:30 a.m.- 10:30 a.m. | Both Dates
Saturday, June 11: Lake Needwood Boats
Saturday, June 25: Black Hill Boats $12 | Ages: At least 3, but less than 16Get in on the fishy fun! Free cane pole to the first 25 kids registered, and prizes for the boy or girl who catch the biggest, smallest, and greatest number of fish. We’ll teach the kids how to bait a hook with worms, put their line in the water, and pull those fish in. We’ll also talk about the kinds of fish that swim in this lake, what they like to eat, and the best way to catch them. You’ll receive an email if you are one of the first 25 registrants, otherwise bring your pole!
Sam Droege, Head of the United States Geological Survey Bee Monitoring Lab. Open your eyes to an entirely new world in yourown backyard. Sam Droege, biologist and macro photographer extraordinaire, collects and photographs the thousands of native bee species that thrive locally and around the nation. These small and often overlooked organisms are incredibly vital to your garden and our local ecosystem; Sam will show you how to welcome them to your property.
Come climb a giant tree in Montgomery Parks! Join our arborists as they provide safety gear, assistance and encouragement to help kids put their heads in the clouds and see our parks from a new perspective. Tons of fun and free for all! Let’s see how high you can climb!
Join us at any of the following dates, times and locations for a fun adventure among the trees:
Saturday, June 4th, 9am-noon Elm Street Park 4600 Elm Street, Bethesda, MD 2081
Wednesday, June 22nd, 9am – noon – Fairview Park 8900 Fairview Road, Silver Spring, MD 20910
Wednesday, July 6th , 9am- noon Wall Park 4901 Nicholson Lane, Rockville, MD 2085
Come climb a giant tree in Montgomery Parks! Join our arborists as they provide safety gear, assistance and encouragement to help kids put their heads in the clouds and see our parks from a new perspective. Tons of fun and free for all! Let’s see how high you can climb!
Join us at any of the following dates, times and locations for a fun adventure among the trees:
Saturday, June 4th, 9am-noon Elm Street Park 4600 Elm Street,Bethesda, MD 2081
Wednesday, June 22nd, 9am – noon – Fairview Park 8900 Fairview Road, Silver Spring, MD 20910
Wednesday, July 6th , 9am- noon Wall Park 4901 Nicholson Lane, Rockville, MD 2085
What do butterflies do when the sun sets? Find out with exclusive evening access to our Wings of Fancy exhibit! Sample local wines as butterflies and music swirl around you; learn more about the fascinating extended family family of butterflies- Lepidoptera. Finish off the evening by potting up a butterfly container garden to take home.
Montgomery County, Maryland celebrates its agricultural heritage, promotes local farms, and provides residents the opportunity to indulge in seasonally fresh food during the Annual Montgomery County Farm Tour and Harvest Sale. The Farm Tour provides people with an opportunity to purchase fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers, plants and other local products. Several farms have hayrides, pony rides, music, demonstrations and other fun and educational activities for all ages. It’s an educational experience and a great family day outing.
Support our local farmers by visiting local farms and buying fresh produce, vegetables, and even wine! See below for a list of Montgomery County farms in the area. Don’t miss the Montgomery County Farm Tour and Harvest Sale Saturday–Sunday, July 23 – 24, 2016, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Montgomery County Farm Tour is held rain or shine. However, in the event of rain, some events and activities may be delayed or canceled.
This article provides a list of 10 native vines to attract wildlife in the Mid-Atlantic region.
