Valley View Farms Events:

Autumn Container Combos
Saturday, 9:00 am
Join the greenhouse and perennial staff as they demonstrate their own styles of fall container combos. Suzanne, Dotty, Jan, Pat, Cindi and Nancy will each demonstrate their individual techniques for creating late season container gardens.

Daffodils!
Saturday, 10:00 am
Julie Minch, president of the Maryland Daffodil Society, will present gardening enthusiasts with tips and information for growing beautiful daffodils in our area. Julie is also a judge for The American Daffodil Society. Learn to grow award-winning plants.

Herring Run Nursery Native Plant Sale

Saturday, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Choose from a selection of affordable native perennials, shrubs and trees. Experts will help you select the right plants for your yard’s condition. Sales benefit the non-profit Herring Run Watershed Association. (Take $10 off any tree with a Growing Home coupon and $25 on trees over $50 with Marylanders Plant Trees coupon.)

National Arboretum Events:

Power Plants Exhibit
June 1-October 15, 8:00am-5:00pm
Adjacent to the National Herb Garden

Walk through Power Plants to discover the wide variety of plants that offer alternative energy possibilities. This garden exhibit showcases living plants and provides educational information about how they can serve as sustainable agriculture-based energy sources. A scavenger hunt activity available at the information desk in the administration building will help school-aged children explore the exhibit. Free. No registration required.

Living Garden Catalog Exhibit and Tour
Tour: Saturday, 9:00 am-10:00 am
Administration Building Lobby and Gardens

Explore the latest trends in ornamental gardening in this unique exhibit of what’s hot in horticulture. Begin inside where a photo gallery introduces you to some of the nursery industry’s most intriguing new plants. Pick up a checklist to mark your favorites, and then use it outside in the courtyard gardens to find the plants in designed beds. Don’t wait for the catalogs to arrive in the winter - discover what surprising new flower colors and tempting new forms will be available while they’re in their full glory in the garden! Free.

join the curator of the exhibit, Brad Evans, for a tour of the exhibit. He will share detailed information about the culture and characteristics of the plants on display and answer your questions. Meet in the lobby. Free, however registration is required by mail or phone. Call 202-245-4521 or click here for mail-in registration.

Sogetsu Ikebana Exhibit
Saturday and Sunday, 10:00am-4:00pm
Demonstration: Sunday, September 20, 1:00pm-2:30pm
National Bonsai & Penjing Museum
Special Exhibits Wing

Members of the Washington DC Metropolitan Area Sogetsu Branch fill the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum’s International Pavilion and Special Exhibits Wing with dramatic arrangements in this modern style of Japanese flower arranging. Sogetsu promotes an ikebana of no limits in which designers use plant materials of any type to create sculptural compositions. Watch master teachers demonstrate their techniques as they create a series of basic and free style arrangements during the drop-in session on Sunday, September 20 from 1:00pm to 2:30pm. Free. No registration required.

Using and Preserving Lemon Herbs Demonstration
Under the Arbor Series            
Saturday, 1:00pm-4:00pm
National Herb Garden

Come into the herb garden and learn new ways to use and preserve your lemon-scented herbs. Informal, drop-in demonstrations will provide information on the great variety of uses for these wonderfully fragrant and very useful herbs including lemon grass, lemon verbena, lemon thyme, lemon balm, and others. Presented by members of the South Jersey Unit of the Herb Society of America. The Under the Arbor Series provides free public presentations on herb-related topics “under the arbor” in the National Herb Garden. Free. No registration required

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Photo credit: Baltimore Sun/Karl Merton Ferron 

Saturday, all day, Homestead Gardens, Tomato Festival. There will be music, food, wine sampling, vintage cars, tomato sampling, a tomato beauty contest and a salsa contest. Tickets $30 at the door and a portion of the proceeds goes to funding the flower baskets and containers Homestead donates and maintains in downtown Annapolis. The cost of the ticket includes a BBQ lunch, a non-alcoholic drink and all the sampling you can handle.

Saturday, 9 a.m., Valley View Farms, Indoor Herb Gardening. Learn how to grow your own herbs all year long by starting a windowsill herb garden. Learn about the cultural necessities for growing herbs indoors including light, water, soil and specific herb varieties. 

Saturday, 10 a.m., Valley View Farms, Carrie’s September Gardening Tips. Mums, bulbs and pansies are available now for gardens and containers. Overseed the lawn, protect your garden from deer; these subjects and more will be topics of discussion as fall approaches.

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Photos courtesy of the Hammond-Harwood House Association

Historic Wye Hall on Wye Island near Queenstown, Md., is the setting for the annual Hammond-Harwood House Garden Party, Saturday, Sept. 19, from 5 to 8 p.m.

The event will take place on the mansion grounds. Guests will be served a light supper to music by the Shore Strings. A silent auction will be held as well.

Tickets are $125 each, a portion of which is tax deductible and includes a one-year membership in the Hammond-Harwood House Association.

All proceeds from the event are designed for the preservation and conservation of the Hammond-Harwood House in Annapolis, known as an outstanding example of anglo-palladian architecture.

Wye Hall was rebuilt in 1936 as a home for former King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom and his wife, the former Wallis Warfield Simpson of Baltimore, on the foundation of the country house built by patriot William Paca, signer of the Declaration of Independence and Maryland's third governor. The original house built for Paca by White House artchitect James Hoban was destroyed by fire in 1879.

The grounds of the Wye House were designed by landscape architect Jay Graham, who used archeological research to design a site plan overlooking the Wye River.

The grounds include lush, green terraces, intimate gardens, a garden of native plants and a series of meadows that flow into open fields and end in a forest.  

It is a rare opportunity to see the house and grounds, now owned by former Freddie Mac chief Leland Brendsel and his wife, Diane. They purchased the 27-acre historic estate in the late 1990s for an estimated $5.1 million and have overseen a multi-million-dollar restoration.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.hammondharwoodhouse.org, over the phone @ 410-263-4683 x10, or at the museum (19 Maryland Ave). The cost is $115 per person for members and $125 per person for non-members (this includes an introductory membership to HHH). $70 per ticket is tax deductible.

Continue reading "Garden Party at Wye Hall" »

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Garden happenings:

Tickets are on sale now for Homestead Gardens annual Tomato Festival at the Davidsonville, Md., garden center on Sept. 12

There will be music, food, wine sampling, vintage cars, tomato sampling and a tomato beauty contest and a salsa contest.

Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door and a portion of the proceeds goes to funding the flower baskets and containers Homestead donates and maintains in downtown Annapolis.

The cost of the ticket includes a BBQ lunch, a non-alcoholic drink and all the sampling you can handle.

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HalleluJazz Project and Jonathan Stone will be performing in what Annapolitans like to call "the coolest backyard in town," the historic William Paca House and Gardens on Prince George St. in downtown. The performance will take place Thursday, Aug. 20, from 6 to 8 p.m.

The Project was formed in 2002 by Nigerian-born drummer Tosin Aribisala in conjunction with other African and U.S.-born musicians. The group incorporates traditional African musical pattersn with distinctively American jazz. The group will be joined by guitarist and vocalist Jonathan Stone.

Doors open at 5:30. Admission is $12 on the day of the concert, $5 for children 5-12. Cold drinks, beer, wine and snacks will be available for sale. No outside drinks or bottles, please.

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This weekend is the annual Crepemyrtle Festival at Homestead Gardens in Davidsonville.

Customers can spend their "myrtle money," collected on purchases throughout the season.

Here's the schedule of events:

Friday

8:30am: Myrtle Mania Anticipation Complimentary Coffee Service

9am: Doors open for the 17th Annual Crapemyrtle Festival

8-10pm: Ladies Night: Enjoy an evening of shopping and pampering as part of Homestead Gardens annual customer appreciation event, Crapemyrtle Festival. Ladies in attendance will receive $20 in Myrtle Money, good for one night only! The first 250 women in attendance will receive a complimentary Crapemyrtle tree in a one-gallon pot.

 Saturday 

 Music 1-3pm: Sweet Lime and Passion, Caribbean Duo

Seminars & Workshops

10am: “All About Crapemyrtles” Dr. Margaret Pooler Research Geneticist, USDA/ARS, U.S. National Arboretum examines all aspects of these beautiful trees, and discusses their cultivation.

12pm: “Common Diagnoses for Your Ornamental Trees” with Bartlett Tree Experts.

2pm: “Hydrangeas: The Reemergence of a Summer Classic” with Gene Sumi. It’s easy to see why these graceful shrubs have become a garden staple, now find out the best way to care for these beauties.

Sunday

Music 1-3pm: Live music with Annapolis Bluegrass Coalition

Seminars & Workshops

11am: “Crapemyrtle cultivars for Health, Beauty & Success” Jody Fetzer, Garden Supervisor for the Hillwood Estate will guide you past pest-prone cultivars and help you successfully select disease resistant varieties of crapemyrtles in your favorite color, shape and size.

 2pm: Maryland Crabs 101: Cantler’s Riverside Inn: What says “Maryland summer” more than an outdoor crab-picking session? Our friend, Molly of Cantler’s Riverside Inn is back to demonstrate the delicious art of crab picking.

Monday

Myrtle Monday 11am-4pm: Free fresh-grilled hot dogs and drinks.

Photo credit: Melanie McCabe/Homestead Gardens

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Saturday, National Capital Daylily Club Show and Sale, 1:30 to 5 p.m., Brookside Gardens Visitors Center, Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton.

Through Oct. 4, National Arboretum, 8 a.m -4:30 p.m. Living Garden Catalog. Explore the latest trends in ornamental gardening in a unique exhibit of what's hot in horticulture. Begin in the photo gallery in the Administration Building lobby and continue outside to the gardens and find theplants growing in designed beds. Free.

Photo credit: The Baltimore Sun/Jerry Jackson

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 Eastport, the charming community that is neighbor to Annapolis, is hosting its 4th Home and Garden Tour Sunday from 1-5 p.m.

“Our home and garden tour gives folks a chance to step inside and see the surprises behind the doors of Annapolis’ most diverse neighborhood, ” says Phyllis Emmett, tour chair.

“Participants will stroll through an array of unique homes and gardens including the old Eastport firehouse circa 1910; the former residence of Capt. Herb Sadler, a waterman who sold his catch in front of his home back in the ‘olden days;’ and the first house on the Eastport Peninsula to have an indoor bathroom. Homes like these highlight the extraordinary maritime culture of our historic neighborhood.”

This year’s tour will have a new twist. More than 20 artists from the Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters Association will attend to paint the scenes along the tour route en plein air, creating works in oil, watercolor, acrylic or pastel. At the end of the tour completed works will be available for purchase.

The "show and sale" will take place at the tour headquarters on 222 Severn Ave between Second & Third Streets between Chesapeake and Severn Avenues.  

Tickets are $20. To purchase tickets, go to the Eastport Civic Association Web site

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Saturday, Green Spring Station Farmers' Market, 2 p.m. -5:30 p.m. More than 20 vendors, including Bees by the Bay, Charles Street Gourmet, Hawks Hill Creamer, Baltimore Dog Bakery, Stoker Farms, Pond View Farms, Zeke's Coffee, Phal's Farm, Locust Point Flowers and Gunpowder Bison. Through Nov. 21. Between I-83 and I-695.

Sunday, West Annapolis Green Market, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Giddings Avenue. Produce, plants, green craft, vintage and antique wares, entertainment and family activities. Second Sunday of the month through November.

Photo credit: The Baltimore Sun/Algerina Perna

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Saturday, 9:00 a.m., Valley View Farms Unusual Bonsai: ‘Root over rock’ is one fun technique that Martha Meehan of Meehan’s Miniatures will demonstrate in this bonsai class. In addition, she’ll demonstrate to create the miniature bonsai jewels known as Shohin and Mame. Martha will also talk about growing, maintaining, and shaping bonsai maple trees.

Saturday, 9:00 a.m., Valley View Farms, The Summer Garden: Our Favorite Long-blooming perennials:  Join Valley View Farm’s perennial staff as they take customers through the aisles and point out their favorite summer perennials.  Andy, Jan, and Pat have working knowledge of hundreds of different perennial varieties and will share and discuss the pros and cons of each plant for the experienced and novice gardener alike. Having a garden that has something blooming or of interest all year long is the ultimate goal of any flower gardener and this is a place to start.

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 Photo of Randy Howell and Karen Minor's garden by Howard Fink.

This is the 15th year for the Historic Reservoir Hill tour in Baltimore, featuring 35 homes and gardens.

Weather is predicted to be upper 70s, low 80s and clear. Perfect for a garden stroll - or 35 of them.

The neighborhood associations in Bolton Hill and Reservoir Hill charge $10 each day for the user-friendly tour of six city streets. Maps and Mylar balloons mark the way. The money is used for community projects, including renovating park areas and funding community garden projects with students from John Eager Howard Elementary School.

This year, the tour will also feature crafters on Park Avenue selected from among Baltimore’s best and wine sales from Boordy Vineyards.

Tickets are available at the corner of Park Avenue and Reservoir Street. Houses and gardens will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

I have two pairs of tickets to give away to two randomly selected posters here on Garden Variety. Winners will be able to pick up their tickets at the above location. Get typing, people.

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 Mayfair photo courtesy of Glen Arm Garden Club

Saturday, Mayfair, Keniworth Bazaar, Towson, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Several garden clubs in District III sponsor Mayfair and will be selling a variety of plants, including some unusual ones, at bargain prices.  

Saturday, Historic Havre De Grace Garden Tour and Tea, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Eight private gardens as well as bayscaping by the promenade which borders the Havre de Grace Maritime Museum and Concord Point Lighthouse. Plus a garden show with presenters, vendors and crafters, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 for the tour and $6 for the tea and can be purchased at the Museum.

Sunday, Azalea sale, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallen Ave. Wheaton. For more information, contact Deb White at whiteaz@verizon.net

Sunday, Patapsco/Back River Wade-In, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. North Point State Park. A wade-in, picnic, benefit swim and public education activities.

Sunday, Carroll Park and Mt. Clare Mansion tour, 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Meet at 1:45 p.m. at the parking lot behind the Mansion off 1500 Washington Blvd. These grounds became a city park in 1890 and were part of the Olmsted Brothers' plan for a comprehensive city park system. $15 for reservations received 5 days before tour. $18 day of tour. For more information, email jbec423@comcast.net.

Saturday, Bonsai basics workshop, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. National Arboretum. All materials provided. Fee $129. To register, go to www.usna.usda.gov/ or call 202-245-4521.

Sunday, Bonsai exhibit and demonstration, National Arboretum, 1 p.m. Free.

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 Historic Annapolis Foundation hosts the annual William Paca Garden Plant Sale on Saturday, from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. and Sunday, May 10, from noon - 4 p.m.

The sale features a variety of heirloom flowers, vegetables and herbs, native trees and shrubs, and some of the newest seeds offered in this year's seed catalogs.

All plants are grown by Historic Annapolis Foundation volunteers, and proceeds of the sale go to the maintenance of the reconstructed, 18th-century William Paca Garden.

There is no admission fee and reservations are not required. The sale is located in the William Paca Garden with a special event entrance at 1 Martin St. in Annapolis.

Children have an opportunity to make a garden-themed Mother's Day gift at the "Art in the Garden" workshop at 1 p.m. Sunday ($5 fee).

New additions to this year's sale include native plants like Echinacea 'Coconut Lime', a brand new selection of coneflower with frothy lime colored petals, and Baptisia 'Carolina Moonlight', an unusual yellow perennial.

Fill your garden with the color of traditional favorites like hollyhocks, zinnias, and salvia.  Plant Sale Catalogs will be available on the Historic Annapolis Web site, www.annapolis.org, or at the Museum Store, 77 Main St., downtown Annapolis.

Photo courtesy of Historic Annapolis.

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For 92 years, they’ve called it Flowermart, but they might just as well call it Food Fest because everybody in Mount Vernon was eating Friday.

Including the plants.

As the Social Security Chorus sang old show tunes and ’70s television theme songs (Think Laverne and Shirley) on a stage nearby, the food booths’ lines grew steadily longer for Italian sausage, quesadillas, gyros and crab cake.

And just across the cobblestones, Michael and Pam Szesze’s carnivorous plants were snacking on the insects tossed their way by the brisk, noontime breeze.

Venus fly traps, pitcher plants, sundews and other hungry plants from their Carnivorous Plant Nursery in Derwood caught the attention of children and adults alike.

“I think it is fascinating,” said Laura Jeffers of Pasadena, who paid $8 for a glass jar of tadpoles swimming among the bladderwort, a plant that eats the microorganisms generated by the tadpole droppings. The tadpoles will eventually be toads in her garden.

“We have lots of pets,” she said as she carefully carried away the family’s newest additions.

Elsewhere, Flowermart traditions showed their sustaining strength: big hats, lemon sticks, face paint and Catholic school kids selling flowers.

Ascension School of Halethorpe won first place in the booth competition with the construction of a pond under their tent. Even Immaculate Heart of Mary, second-place winner, was impressed. “The pond should have won,” said an admiring Joanne McShalley of IHM in Towson. “We were just proud to be second.”

Bobbie McKinney, dressed in the peach and black colors of this year’s Flower mart, danced nearby with granddaughter Kaylah Hope, 5, whose face was brightly painted beneath her big hat and whose fingers were sticky with lemon juice and candy sticks.

“This is her first time, but I wait the whole year for Flowermart,” McKinney said.

Look here for more photos from Flowermart by The Sun's Jed Kirschbaum.

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 Baltimore Sun photo: Susan Reimer

Shawn Sexton and Jim Paulus were up at dawn Friday in Annapolis, delivering some of the May baskets that every year adorn the doors and doorsteps of houses and businesses all over town.

They work for Michael Designs, a florist, and every April 30 it is a mad scramble to get all the baskets done.

"I was up late last night and first thing this morning," said Paulus, who said the demand for May baskets was about the same as it has been in past years, despite the economy. The average price for one of his baskets is about $85, he said.

The businesses on Main Street in the historic area of Annapolis show a sense of humor on May Day. Mangia, an Italian eatery, has artichokes, peppers and mushrooms as part of its arrangement - and the trailing ribbons are red, green and white, the colors of the flag of Italy.

The Annapolis Running Store puts out rows of tennis shoes - with flowers peaking out of the shoe tops - all plastic!

Hats in the Belfry did its May Basket in a hat box and Chick & Ruth's Deli had bagels in its. Even the Naval Academy had May baskets on its rather forbidding main gates.

And the Annapolis Yacht Club? A flower arrangement in a little wooden boat.

The mild weather means all the May baskets will still be fresh this weekend. Take your camera and take a tour of downtown Annapolis this weekend. It's worth the trip.

Here's my photo gallery of the May baskets. Take a look.

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Arden Gardens Plant Sale, Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Rain date, Sunday May 3). Historic Baldwin Hall, 1358 Millersville Road, corner of Millersville road and Generals Highway. Annuals, perennials, wood srhubs, trees, bulbs, hanging baskets. Including Arden Gardenrs "Tree of the Year," the River Birch.

Azelea Show, Saturday, 1 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Brookside Gardens Visitor Center, 1800 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton, MD. Free. For more information and to participate in competition, call Bill Miller, 301-365-0692.

Photo courtesy of Brookside Gardens.

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 Photo credit: Lynn Poshepny, Valley View Farms Garden Center & Nursery

Perennial flower expert David Culp will be at Valley View Farms Saturday at 11 a.m and he'll be talking about his favorites - from his own garden and from over 30 years of gardening.

David is a horticulturist and plant researcher for Sunny Border Perennials in Connecticut.

He travels the world searching for unique and new plant varieties that can be grown and brought to U.S. gardens.

He is also a lecturer and writer whose articles have been featured in national publications, such as Horticulture, Fine Gardening Magazine, and Martha Stewart Living.

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 Photo courtesy of Ladew Topiary Gardens

Wayne Winterrowd and Joe Eck, authors of the best-selling Our life in Gardens, will be at the magical Ladew Topiary Gardens in Monkton Saturday for Ladew's annual rare plants sale.

They will be lecturing and signing copies of their book at 11 a.m.

At 1:30 p.m., renowned interior designer Bunny Williams will be signing copies of her book, Point of View. This event is loosely modeled after an event Ms. Williams created in Connecticut called "Trade Secrets."

The plant sale begins for the general public at 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. It features an exclusive collection of perennials, annuals, small trees, unusual exotics and container plants, plus decorative furniture, urns, statuary and other garden architecture.

Admission is $15 for the sale and $25 for the sale and the lecture by Winterrowd and Eck.

Admission to the plant sale preview, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., is $75 for members of Ladew and $100 for non-members.

Ladew Topiary Gardens is located at 3535 Jarrettsville Pike in Monkton.

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Guest bloggers Tracey Dieter, Joannah Hill and Carrie Lyle visited Towson Garden Days:

It was cold, it was windy and it was a weekday, but nothing stops gardeners. Towson Garden Days kicked off the spring plant festival season today with bagpipers, craft vendors and lots of plants. Here are the best things we saw at the festival.

1. Best plant for color in a shady spot. Heuchera 'Caramel,' or coral bells, brightens a woodland or rock garden with colorful foliage and delicate flowers in the spring. (Top left)

2. Best plant for a touch-me garden. Tibouchina grandifolia or Princess Flower. This beautiful plant with velveteen leaves looks like something Alice may have found through the looking glass. (Top right)

3. Best garden accessory. Raffia sun hats by Terry Lenzi. The hats with flower-bedecked customizable bands were charming and practical for those summer days spent in the garden. (Above left)

4. Best spring native ephemeral. White trilliums. These lovely plants are found in the wild and need to be protected, so it's best to buy them from a nursery that can tell you whether or not they were grown from seed. We found our seed-grown trilliums at the Kollar Nursery booth. (Above right)

5. Best compost tip. Turn, turn, turn. The more you aerate your compost pile, the sooner you can use that black gold in your garden. For more tips check out Home Composting Made Easy.

Continue reading "Let the Festivals Begin" »

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Designing Container Gardens for Summer, Thursday, 7 p.m., Valley View Farms.

National Arboretum azalea collection tour, Friday, 10 a.m. to noon. Fee, $9. Registration required.

Patio Plants with Pizazz, Saturday, 9 a.m., Valley View Farms. Plant expert Cindi Fielder will show how to create containers using combinations of not just annual flowers, but perennials, tropical plants, trees, and shrubs.

Herring Run Nursery native plant sale, Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Herring Run Nursery, 6131 Hillen Road. Native shrubs and trees as well.

London Town plant sale, Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon, Historic London Town and Gardens. Native and exotic plants from the 8-acre grounds, plus 60 varieties of heirloom tomatoes and gently used gardening books. Free garden tours, activities for children and advice from Master Gardeners.

Mt. Washington Flower and Garden Show, Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. In the parking lot of Baltimore Clayworks, 5700 Smith Ave. Advice from Master Gardeners and seed packets for kids. Lots of plants for sale. Crafters, too.

A Year in a Rose Garden, Saturday, 11 a.m., Valley View Farms. Learn about the best varieties of roses to grow from Bradd Yoder of Star Roses.

Water Gardens 101, Sunday, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Willow Grove Farm. A Cromwell Valley Park program to help gardeners get started water gardening, plus a visit to the new pond in the children's garden. Reservations required.

National Arboretum Garden Fair and Plant Sale, Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friends of the National Arboretum only. Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., open to the public. Any remaining plants will be sold at bargain prices on Sunday, 10 a.m. to noon. New, rare and hard to find plants from specialty nurseries in the region. Also featuring the widest range of plant and vendors of any gardening event in the Washington area.

Photo credit: Valley View Farms Nursery

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Like the crack of the starter's pistol, the first of Baltimore County's summer street fairs comes to Towson on Thursday.

Towson Gardens Day, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., will be held along West Pennsylvania and Baltimore avenues, and it will encircle the Baltimore County courthouse fountain plaza with nearly 100 vendors, musicians and environmental educators.

For more information, check out the story by my colleague Mary Gale Hare in today's Sun.

And for more events, visit us here on Garden Variety on Thursdays, when we will give you a list of the weekend's activities.

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The Growing Home Campaign is an award-winning tree planting program to encourage homeowners to plant a tree in their yard, and it is here in Baltimore, Baltimore County and Harford County.

The goal is to increase the tree canopy on private property, and 50 retail nurseries and garden centers have signed on to offer homeowner not only comprehensive information for planting a tree, but a $10 cash incentive as well.

Go to the Web site for the Growing Home Campaign and print out your $10 voucher (good toward the purchase of a tree worth $25 or more). You will also find lots of information about the value of adding trees to your propery, guidance for site considerations and tree selection and instructions on planning and maintenance.

Here are just a few of the reasons why it is smart to plant a tree in your yard.

• Trees make good neighbors—Trees add beauty to our individual yards and our entire community.
• Trees are cool—Trees cool the air, land and water with leafy shade and moisture and help save money on energy costs.
• Trees save tax dollars—Trees slow stromwater runoff and can reduce the cost of controlling stromwater, especially in urban areas.
• Animals need trees—Trees provide food and habitat for many kinds of species.
• Trees protect soil—By holding soil in place with their root system and adding nutrients each fall with their leaves, trees are crucial to sustaining and replenishing our soil.
• Trees help us breathe easier—Trees clean the air and return pure oxygen.
• Trees fight climate change—Planting trees helps offset greenhouse gases.
• Trees clean our water and air—From air pollutants to pesticided and fertilizer runoff, trees absorb many harmful pollutants.

Continue reading "Growing Home Campaign" »

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Designing a Patio Garden Retreat. Thursday, 7:00p.m., Valley View Farms. Lynn Poshepny returns to showcase various ways to create a garden retreat using proven design techniques and principles. By the end of the class, attendees will be able to apply these ideas to their own landscape.

Baltimore's Green Alley Tour. Saturday, 2 to 5 p.m., The tour busses will depart from Druid Hill Park' EcoFestival in front of the Baltimore City Recreation and Parks Administration Building at 3001 East Drive, and it will visit alleyways in the city that have been converted to little garden havens. Call Benjamin Nathanson at 410-925-0166, or e-mail him at greens@ashoka.org to reserve a spot on the buses.

 Earth Day Tree Planting, Saturday, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Double Rock Park. Join the Herring Run Watershed Association and the Gunpowder Valley Conservancy as they plant two acres of trees in Double Rock Park as part of Earth Day elebrations. Families welcome. No experience necessary.

Grow Your Own Vegetables. Saturday, 9 a.m., Valley View Farms. Grow spinach, tomatoes, beans, peppers, artichokes, heirlooms and much more this season in your own backyard garden. Learn about varieties, growing from seeds versus growing from transplants and about the cultural needs of each plant.

Continue reading "Weekend garden events" »

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On Friday, The Baltimore Urban Agricultural Task Force will host its first annual Urb Ag Gala at 2640 Saint Paul St., from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.  

The celebration will include local food, artwork and entertainment. It will be set in an old church transformed into a lavish green atmosphere.

Guests will have the opportunity to mark their gardens on a giant map of Baltimore. They can also sign up to speak about their growing project in an open-mic forum and song circle that will include local musicians.

Featured musicians include: Atom Fisher, Cityslides, Beans, American Folklore, Mother Nature's Son, MacGregor Burns & the VCR, Lands & Peoples, Pere Yorko, The Owls Go.

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Beginning Tuesday, April 14,  Historic Annapolis Foundation will be bringing back its successful "Yoga in the Garden" series held outdoors on the terrace overlooking the gardens at the historic William Paca House.

Taught by yoga teacher Lara Bontempo of Good Times Yoga, it is open to all levels, including beginngers. 

The Paca House was the home of William Paca, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and its 2-acre gardens are among the most beautiful in Maryland. The historic home is at 186 Prince Georges St.

All materials and props will be provided for use or purchase.

Class meets weekly Tuesdays 9:30-10:30 for 8 weeks and cost $125, $100 for Historic Annapolis Foundation members. Drop-ins welcome for $20 per class.

Purchase in person with cash or check at first class attending or online at Historic Annapolis or by calling 410-267-8146.

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Tonight: 7 p.m. Valley View Farms. Join dscape designer Lynn Poshepny to learn how to create an entrance garden for your home. Lynn will explain the basic elements of design and how to blend plants, hardscaping and color to welcome friends and family. Free.

Friday-April 12: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. U.S. National Arboretum, Northeast Washington, D.C. Washington Chapter of Ikebana International will exhibit flower arrangements representing a variety of ikebana schools and styles. Master teachers will give free demonsrations on Saturdays and Sundays, from 12 to 1 p.m. Free.

Saturday: The Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory and Botanic Gardens of Baltimore will hold a spring flower show beginning Saturday through April 19, Tuesday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be a special open house on Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m., with tours, children's crafts and more. The theme for the flower show is "No Rhyme or Reason," and there will be a special nursery rhyme garden, plus Easter lilies will be available for sale. The conservatory is located in Druid Hill Park at Gwynns Falls Parkway and McCulloh Street. For more information, call 410-396-0008.

Photo courtesy of Valley View Farms Garden Center and Nursery.

Saturday: 9 a.m. Valley View Farms. Create your own bonsai. Here is your chance to prune, wire and style a bonsai plant with Martha Meehan of Meehan's Miniatures. A Bonsai starter tree, soil, wire, pot and tools will be provided during the class. Fee: $35.

Saturday: 11 a.m. Valley View Farms. Herb gardening workshop. Valley View's "Herb Lady" Joann Weber will discuss planning and planting an herb garden. After the discussion, join Joann in a workshop to create your own window box herb garden with some of your favorite herbs. Fee: $35.

Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday 12-4 p.m. Camellia blooms of all colors and types will be displayed by expert growers in this judged show sponsored by the Comellia Society of the Potomac Valley. Free.

Sunday: 2-4 p.m. Mt. Washington Arboretum. Come and learn the basics of successful vegetable gardening. Fee: $10. Call 410-484-6699 for reservations.

Sunday: 3-4:30 p.m. U.S. National Arboretum in Northeast Washington, D.C. Dr. Margaret Pooler, a National Arboretum research geneticist, shares a behind-the-scenes look at how arboretum scientists create new varieties of flowering cherries with improved qualities. A brief walking tour of some of the trees will follow the talk. Free. Registration required. Call 202-245-4521.

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9 a.m. Saturday at Valley View Farms: Spring Pond Opening Workshop. Revitalize and re-start your pond with tips from water garden expert Tim McQuaid. The workshop will includ advice about fish and plant care and methods to re-start pumps, filtration systems and other pond components. There will be a door prize, too.

11 a.m. Saturday at Valley View Farms: Oh Deer! Coexisting with Wildlife in the Garden. Proven techniques, lists of deer resistant plants and how to garden with deer, squirrels, rabbits and other wildlife will be presented. Also, new research on wildlife control conducted by Cornell University and the University of Maryland.

Photo courtesy of Valley View Farms.

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Local native plant nurseries will offer an extensive selection of plants at the annual Friends of the National Arboretum Native Plant Sale Saturday from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Admission is free and growers will be on hand to answer questions.

Also Saturday at the Arboretum in Northeast Washington, the 23rd annual Lahr Symposium will be held, exploring the many ways that native plants are essential to successful garden design and landscape architecture. Registration fee of $85 includes lunch and early admission to the Native Plant Sale. For more information call 202-245-4521. The Symposium runs from 8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.

And finally, take a self-guided tour of the Arboretums' diverse collection of flowering cherry trees  from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Discover the wide range of sizes, shapes, colors and bloom times of this ornamental tree. Free.

Photo credit: National Arboretum.

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Bring pencil and paper, everybody. You are going to need to take notes.

• Saturday at Homestead Gardens in Davidsonville, there will be a lecture at 11 a.m. and a book-signing at 12:15 with Allan Armitage, author of Crazy Plants for Crazy Gardeners.
• And on Sunday, as Homestead wraps up its spring garden show, there is a class at noon with Rita Calvert of Buy Fresh, Buy Local on smoked tomatoes.
• At 2 p.m., there is a panel discussion on regionally grown, sustainable and organic gardening, moderated by Renee Catacalos, editor of Edible Chesapeake magazine.
• All the events are free and open to the public. Homestead is located near the intersection of Routes 424 and 214.
• Valley View Farms in Timonium will hold a spring lawn clinic Saturday at 9 a.m., featuring Bill Trembley from Jonathan Green Lawn and Garden Productions. He will talk about seed, fertilizers and other products, but he will also discuss methods to keep your lawn healthy, like aeration, thatching, grub control and mowing.
•  Bring a small soil sample for free pH analysis.
• At 11 a.m. at Valley View, Suzanne Barton and Joann Weber will teach a class on growing cool weather vegetables and herbs, such as asparagus, broccoli, collards and rhubarb.

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Suiseki is the Japanese art of collecting stones that appear to be miniature landscapes, like the one at the left from the collection of Jim Hayes.

The National Bonsai and Penjing Museum at the National Arboretum in Northeast Washington is featuring an exhibit of these remarkable stones until March 29.

In this exhibit, the stones from the rivers and hills of Pennsylvania have been collected by long-time suiseki enthusiasts Hayes and Sean Smith.

Admission is free.

Photo from the collection of Jim Hayes

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It’s Ladies Night (Is that Kool and the Gang that I’m hearing?) at Homestead Gardens in Davidsonville tomorrow night at 6 p.m.

Events coordinator Stephanie Saarbach says there will be food tasting, wine tasting, jewelry, cosmetics and spa services – all from local purveyors – in an evening designed to pamper women customers.

In addition, Chesapeake Bay Roasting Co. will be on hand to serve cocktails made with coffee.

And there’s no cover charge for ladies (Just kidding. Events are free to everyone). Plus there is a 25 percent discount on purchases made between 6 and 8 p.m.

Above, check out a Sun staff video of Homestead Gardens annual spring show by Leeann Adams. The show runs through Sunday.

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Photo credit of Scott Hamilton Kennedy: Christina House, for the Los Angles Times

You can view a special screening of Scott Hamilton Kennedy's Oscar-nominated documentary, The Garden, tomorrow night at 7 at Baltimore's Contemporary Museum.

It is the true story of a 14-acre community garden in South Central Los Angeles that grew out of the ashes of the LA riots.

The largest community garden of its kind in the United States, it sustained a largely low-income, immigrant population and was a community meeting place.

Then the developers arrived.

The Garden is the story of the residents' attempt to save their garden.

The screening is free, but a donation of $5 will help fund the upcoming conference, The City from Below, to be held March 27-29.

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Categories: Garden events