Introduction to the World of Herbs
2025-10-28 19:00 - 20:00 UTC | Mill Creek Parish United Methodist, 7101 Horizon Terrace, Derwood, MD, 20855
October 28, 2025
7pm
Mill Creek Parish United Methodist
7101 Horizon Terrace
Derwood, MD 20855
Join us for a special presentation on an “Introduction to the World of Herbs”, by guest speaker, Pat Kenny, Master Gardener on Tuesday, October 28, 2025 at 7pm.

FREE
Light Refreshments provided

Learn about the care, maintenance, and uses of the different types of herbs, a popular and interesting aspect of gardening.
Pat’s Bio
A Master Gardener for over 25 years, Pat is a well known speaker on the topic of herbs. She has been a member of the Herb Society of America for 40+ years and a medical and biological illustrator at NIH for 30 years. Pat was also the caretaker of the National Library of Medicine Herb Garden at NIH. Over several decades, she has taught about herbs and herbcraft for the USDA Graduate School – Evening Programs, the Montgomery County Recreation Department, and the University of Maryland – Extension Master Gardener Program. She adds more herbs to her vegetable garden every year!
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.

All About Chiles
2026-02-24 19:00 - 20:00 | Mill Creek Parish United Methodist, 7101 Horizon Terrace, Derwood, MD, 20855
7pm
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.

Why You Need to Add Water to Your Garden
2026-03-24 19:00 - 20:00 | Mill Creek Parish United Methodist, 7101 Horizon Terrace, Derwood, MD, 20855
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
7pm
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.

FREE Native Tree & Shrub Giveaway - Sunday, March 29
2026-03-29 15:30 - 17:30 | MD
The Mill Creek Towne Garden Club is pleased to offer our community FREE native trees and shrubs!!!!
Sunday, March 29th
3:30 pm-5:30 pm
7617 Warbler Ln, Derwood, MD 20855
First come first serve, limit 4 plants per household. The trees and shrubs come bareroot – they need to be planted as soon as possible, and you will need to provide deer protection unless they are inside a fenced area that the deer do not frequent. Please use some damp newspaper to wrap the roots up until they are ready for planting.
Deer management and Tree cages: Watch for the presence of deer. Use repellents during installations and cage ALL trees and shrubs to prevent deer browsing and rubbing. Cage immediately upon planting to avoid catastrophe! For guidance on caging see this handy guide: https://mywoodlot.com/images/supporting_information/installing_tree_cages.pdf
Deer fencing material: Tenax brand deer fencing is recommended. This material is UV stable and sturdier than the usual flimsy mesh typically available at Home Depot and Lowes. The flimsy stuff will tear more easily and is know to ensnare and kill both birds and snakes. To avoid the bird and snake problem and for a sturdy product, be sure to purchase Tenax with 1-¾” by 2” mesh size. Zip ties work well to secure the Tenax to a stake and to itself.
For more detailed guidance on planting and caring for bare root trees and shrubs visit: https://dnr.maryland.gov/forests/Documents/Planting-Guide-Brochure.pdf
These plants are free to the public, but we do welcome donations to the Club to help us continue to beautify our neighborhood and provide quality programming. To donate please visit www.mctgardenclub.org/donations/ and consider joining the Mill Creek Towne Garden Club!
Donate Today!
2026 Mill Creek Towne Garden Club Tree Giveaway Species List

Pawpaw (Asimina triloba)
A shrub or small tree that tolerates shade, pawpaw produces a fruit that is readily eaten by wildlife and humans. It has a height 15 to 30 feet, a spread of 15 to 30 feet, and prefers full sun to part shade and moist fertile soils. Often spreads by root suckers to form colonies or thickets.

American hazelnut (Corylus americana)
This fast growing, nut producing, multi-stemmed shrub can reach heights of 8 to 15 feet with a spread usually slightly greater than the height. Hazelnut prefers full sun to partial shade and well-drained loamy soil. Fruit matures in September, is edible, and benefits turkey, deer and other wildlife. This Maryland native displays a copper-red color in the fall.

American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
This native shrub quickly grows 5 to 8 feet tall and almost as wide with drooping branches. It prefers moist well drained soils and will tolerate light shade, but is intolerant of deep shade. Clusters of purple berries that form on the stems in the fall are an important food source for more than forty species of songbirds.

Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
A deciduous shrub that grows only on wet sites, buttonbush is usually 3 to 12 feet tall with a spread of 4 to 8 feet. The seed is consumed by small birds and ducks. Buttonbush must be planted at the water’s edge. Prefers full sun to partial shade.

Mill Creek Extreme Cleanup, Saturday, April 18
2026-04-18 09:00 - 12:00 | MD
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:

https://www.rockcreekconservancy.org/extreme-cleanup

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.

Mill Creek Stream Cleanup Registration

Get the Biggest Bang for Your Sweat with Smart Garden Practices
2026-10-26 19:00 - 20:00 | Mill Creek Parish United Methodist, 7101 Horizon Terrace, Derwood, MD, 20855
Monday, October 26
7:00 pm
Mill Creek Parish United Methodist Church
7101 Horizon Terrace
Derwood, MD 20855
Guest Speaker: Meipo Martin, Master Gardener
Join us for a special presentation on an “Get the Biggest Bang for Your Sweat with Smart Garden Practices”, by guest speaker, Meipo Martin, Master Gardener on Monday, October 26, 2026 at 7pm.

FREE
Light Refreshments provided

Ever wonder why your garden is not looking its best despite all the effort and resources you have poured in? Maybe it is time to rethink the way you garden. Come learn better ways to improve your soil, suppress weed, help your plants grow stronger and healthier with less water, less garden products and, most importantly, less work!
Meipo Martin bio:
Meipo Martin was born in Hong Kong, where she started growing houseplants and herbs on the apartment windowsill. In 1998, she moved to the United States. In her new garden, her love for plants came into full bloom and she became a Montgomery County Master Gardener in 2015. Meipo believes gardening should be accessible to all, and it does not have to be expensive or hard. To share her knowledge, Meipo gives a variety of presentations on gardening methods for the master gardener organization. When she is not gardening, Meipo is a wife, an Aikido instructor, a woodcarver, a blogger and a sewist.
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.
