I’m a forgetful gardener. I always think I’ll remember next year what I put where, what varieties of tomatoes I loved, and what plant needed extra water. But I don’t.
I’ve reached that glorious age where I forget where my glasses are (on top of my head) or where I left my hand pruners. (God knows.)
As Dr. Seuss’ Grinch said, “I puzzled and puzzled till my puzzler was sore.”
So this year – right now – I’m making more than mental notes and investing in a few doodads to make next year’s gardening a bit easier.
I’ve started by breaking out my garden maps. These rough pencil sketches on graph paper tell me what I planted in each garden bed.
I start out with grand intentions in the spring, but end up adding things willy-nilly that I forget – or am too busy – to write down.
Now’s the time to catch up. So, I’m updating my maps and making notes because I know I won’t remember everything by the time spring rolls around.
For further motivation, I’m starting a brand-spanking new garden journal to note what worked and what didn’t.
A garden journal lets you note what worked and didn’t.
What are some of my notes for 2023?
My two butternut squash plants made a grand total of – drumroll, please – two squash, so I will try yellow summer squash instead next year. I missed the peak crop of persimmons, so I’ll check them more often and earlier.
Heirloom yellow pear tomatoes produce gangbusters and are very tasty.
I loved the taste of my yellow pear tomatoes and they produced gangbusters, so I’ll plant them again. My zinnias bloomed their heads off and are still attracting bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, so they are must-haves.
Colorful zinnias bloom for a long time and attract pollinators.
My bee balm got powdery mildew, so I’ll be more careful to water at the base of the plants only. One pot of annuals was always thirsty, so I’ll move that pot elsewhere.
I finally got the zinc plant labels from last year’s wish list and I love them. You can write on them with a pencil and they last and last and blend well. I won’t mark everything, just key plants that help me find everything else.
Also note in your journal any tools that would help you such as a garden kneeler, self-watering container, ratcheting pruners, or lightweight wheelbarrow. Christmas is coming, after all.
Your journal also can be your rip-and-replace list. I’ve already banished non-native vinca from one bed and am putting together a list of native replacements. What do you want to change?
I hope these ideas inspire you to make some notes, start a journal, and label some plants so you can start off your next garden season with less head-scratching and more action.
Now where did I lay down my trowel?
By Annette Cormany, Principal Agent Associate and Master Gardener Coordinator, Washington County, University of Maryland Extension.
This is a follow-up to my May article, Grow It Eat It Celebrates 15 Years of Teaching and Promoting Food Gardening! I visited a number of amazing Grow It Eat It (GIEI) projects and activities in 2023 that demonstrate its essential role in helping Maryland residents and communities become more food secure.
So far in 2023, University of Maryland Extension (UME) Master Gardener Volunteers from 18 counties and Baltimore City worked 7,544 hours on GIEI projects, educating 10,125 residents! Here are some snapshots from the growing season.
Teaching the Public
Master Gardener (MG) Volunteers and field faculty teach lots of classes and workshops each year. Carroll County has a popular series of in-person classes that are taught each spring.
Esther Iglich, UME Master Gardener, Carroll County, teaches students how to perform the “ribbon test” to estimate soil texture.
Teaching Master Gardeners
Robert Cook, UME Master Gardener, Baltimore City, leads a hands-on drip irrigation continuing education event at the Maryland State Fairgrounds.
Master Gardeners went into the MG Learning Garden to use what they learned to help re-install the drip system.
Meg Smolinski, Coordinator for the UMD Arboretum, leads a Master Gardener tour of the Community Learning Garden in front of the School of Public Health.
Deb Mayfield, UME Master Gardener, St. Mary’s Co., leads a learning tour of the GIEI container garden at their Fairgrounds.
The container garden is a popular stop during the county fair, demonstrating low-cost methods, like using repurposed containers for growing food in small spaces.
Community Gardens
UME MGs and field faculty provided technical assistance to the new Farm Unity Community Garden at the Crofton Public Library. This is a communal garden with the harvest distributed to people in need of food. The garden was initiated by Jitendra Rathod (second from left).
Esther Mitchell, UME Master Gardener Coordinator, with MG Volunteers Linda Campbell, and Betty Gittings at the Prince George’s County Community Garden Summit. Master Gardeners have helped start five community gardens in the county!
Demonstration Gardens
GIEI demonstration plots and gardens allow for hands-on learning about new sustainable techniques. MG Volunteers in Montgomery County used “micro-mesh” insect netting to exclude insect pests, making insecticides (synthetic or organic) unnecessary.
Visitors and classes also learned how to use drip irrigation with a simple timer to water container plants automatically.
Signage at the Master Gardener Learning Garden at the State Fair helps new and experienced gardeners make informed decisions. MGs from Baltimore City and 12 counties had 3,617 direct educational contacts during the State Fair.
2023 is the Year of the Sweet Potato for GIEI. Master Gardener Volunteers demonstrated how to grow sweet potato plants on a trellis and in containers in the MG Learning Garden.
Home, school, and community gardens are essential parts of local food systems. Food gardeners collectively produce enormous amounts of produce, much of which is shared and donated. GIEI projects, classes, and demo gardens teach science-based information and practices, help connect gardeners to resources, and facilitate a shared, respectful learning environment.
I have no doubt that more great work will be happening in 2024!
By Jon Traunfeld, Extension Specialist, University of Maryland Extension, Home & Garden Information Center.Read more posts by Jon.
Glory-of-the-Snow bulbs flowering in a lawn in late March. Photo: M. Talabac
Q: I want to add spring bulbs to my garden but have limited space given how many mature perennials and shrubs are already growing there. Can I squeeze them in somewhere else?
A: Autumn is bulb-planting season for all of those spring-flowering jewels like tulip, daffodil, crocus, aconite, hyacinth, and snowdrops, and fortunately they don’t take up nearly as much space as your typical perennial in terms of the planting site. I would not dig into the root system of an established perennial or shrub – too risky for causing damage that might result in dieback or reduced overwintering success – but you can certainly fit them into spaces between. You probably don’t want too many under the canopy of a shrub. Depending on how early it leafs out, the shrub could block needed sun and rainwater from reaching the bulbs below, but around its perimeter should be fine.
Good companions for early-flowering bulbs are late-sprouting perennials, so that by the time the bulbs are looking ragged and losing foliage for summer dormancy, the perennial is hiding it with fresh foliage.
One creative option is to scatter some of the minor bulbs in your lawn, if you won’t be walking on that area too often and compacting soil or crushing foliage, and if you don’t need to start mowing soon after blooms begin. Candidates include Crocus, Glory-of-the-Snow (Chionodoxa), Siberian Squill (Scilla siberica), Winter Aconite (Eranthis), Reticulated Iris (Iris reticulata), and Snowdrops (Galanthus). Be advised, though, that a few of these species might be prone to naturalizing outside of your lawn, so use caution around woodlands and parks.
Native alternatives with bulb-like underground structures include Spring Beauty (Claytonia), Squirrel-corn (Dicentra canadensis), and Dutchman’s-Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria), though the Claytonia is the only one that may stay short enough to be mown-over high and whose foliage blends-in well with the grass. Many of our native ephemeral wildflowers – early-season bloomers that go fully dormant come summer – are unfortunately harder to find for purchase.
Growing bulbs in containers would be your other option, but this can impact winter hardiness since the bulb’s root system is fully above-ground, not benefitting from the insulation of being planted in the earth. Potting mix also dries out faster than in-ground soil, so it might be challenging to make sure dormant bulbs in pots don’t get too dry while also not accidentally over-watering them. If the container is large enough, you can layer two or three tiers of bulbs at different depths so they bloom in succession, or use bulbs planted below annuals or shallow-rooted perennials to provide summer color. Bulbs are planted at different depths depending on the species, though, so take note of planting instructions when you select which to purchase and decide where to plant.
By Miri Talabac, Horticulturist, University of Maryland Extension Home & Garden Information Center. Miri writes the Garden Q&A for The Baltimore Sun and Washington Gardener Magazine. Read more by Miri.
Have a plant or insect question? The University of Maryland Extension has answers! Send your questions and photos to Ask Extension. Our horticulturists are available to answer your questions online, year-round.
Although the end of the summer/early fall may seem like an odd time to think about planting, don’t be fooled! This is actually prime time to allow plants to establish and grow strong for next spring. In fact, planting in the early fall gives time for plants to establish their root system, acclimate to the new conditions, and be ready to grow as soon as the spring conditions become ideal for them to develop. In today’s post, I want to present a couple of very neat plants that can be planted now to bloom and provide resources for next spring’s pollinators. And because these are some plants that are just close to my heart, let me try to convince you to add some (or all! 😊) of these to your green spaces, so you can enjoy them next year. Let’s talk about mountain mints, beardtongues, and Culver’s roots.
Narrow-leaved Mountain Mint – Pycnanthemumtenuifolium
As its name may let you infer, this is a plant that belongs to the mint family (Lamiaceae) and, as a mint, it is very aromatic. The genus is native and restricted only to northern North America, and we are lucky to count several species within Maryland’s native flora. As is the case for most Lamiaceae, mountain mints do not only present beautiful flowers; they have been used traditionally as a food seasoning and in medicinal teas to treat colds, coughs, and fever by many Native American tribes. Although some species are currently protected in the state, some are common, one of which being the narrow-leaved mountain mint (P. tenuifolium)I want to introduce you to.
(Left) The plant establishes very well in sunny areas where it displays its clusters of white flowers. Photo: SB_Johnny (CC). (Right) The delicate flowers of the mountain mint attract a very large diversity of pollinators, such as this Pearl Crescent butterfly. Photo: S. Cadwell (CC)
This plant is a favorite of mine because it is relatively tall (~ 3-4ft), makes a lot of flowers, attracts a bunch of insects, and tolerates conditions that many other plants don’t like. As is the case for all mountain mints, the flowers of this plant are clustered, and in this species, the flowers are white and bloom in the summer. The plants attract a very large variety of insects and for that reason are one of the recommended plants by the Xerces Society for supporting pollinators in our area. Bees of all sizes, beetles, butterflies, wasps, flies, and hoverflies… nobody can resist this beauty! And to top it all, this plant grows great in full sun and even in relatively dry conditions, which makes it a great one to plant close to roads or in those areas of our green spaces where other more water-needy plants may not do so great.
Hairy Beardtongue – Penstemon hirsutus
I have to say that I have a weakness for Penstemons specifically and plants of the whole family they belong to (the figwort family; Scrophulariaceae) generally. Their complex flowers always get to me, and plants of the genus Penstemon are to me one of those that I can look at and marvel at forever. So, this is one of the first ones I want to grow every time I can… maybe I’ll convince you to plant it too?
The genus Penstemon is almost restricted to North America, where they represent one of the largest groups of native plants on the continent. They are characterized by having tubular flowers, and their coloration varies by species, going from white, to pink, purple, red, and blue. Although there are a few species native to Maryland, and several can be grown, I want to talk a bit about the hairy beardtongue, P. hirsutus (but also check out the foxglove beartongue, P. digitalis!).
(Left) Hairy beardtongue plants display a large number of tubular flowers. Photo: K. Woods (CC). (Right) The tubular flowers of hairy beardtongue provide nectar and pollen to a variety of pollinators, such as bumblebees, other bees, hoverflies, and butterflies. Photo: A. Espíndola
The flowers of this species are multicolored, with purple tubes tipped with yellow and white. The flowers are visited by bees (including bumblebees), hummingbirds, and butterflies, and have been described to support the adults of the Baltimore checkerspot, our state insect! The plant itself is not overly tall (~2-3ft) and makes a lot of flowers. They prefer drier conditions and full sun to some shade and will bloom in the late spring/early summer.
Culver’s Root – Veronicastrum virginicum
I feel that plants with small white flowers (like this one) are often kind of forgotten, to the benefit of showier and more colorful flowers. However, Culver’s root is a little gem native to our region that any local interested in supporting pollinators should consider having around.
Belonging to the Plantain family (Plantaginaceae), the genus counts only a couple of species, one of which is the only North American native: Culver’s root (V. virginicum). Like all members of the genus, this species presents its white flowers arranged in long spikes. This species will become taller over the years, reaching 4-5 feet at full maturity. They prefer sunny to shadier spots, where sufficient moisture is present (e.g., wood edges).
The flowers mature sequentially, and because there are so many flowers in their long spikes, a single plant is likely to flower for weeks. Besides its sustained floral display, this plant is super interesting and important for pollinators because it happens to flower at a time when few other plants flower in our region (July-August). Their white flowers attract and provide food for bees, butterflies, wasps, and (hover)flies.
Once established, Culver’s root can reach 4-5 feet in height, displaying their long spikes of white flowers. Photo: E. Enking (CC)
A tiny bee collects pollen on Culver’s root (can you spot it?). Note the multitude of flowers present on the long spikes. Photo: A. Espíndola
By Anahí Espíndola, Assistant Professor, Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park. See more posts by Anahí.
Anahí also writes an Extension Blog in Spanish! Check it out here, extensionesp.umd.edu, and please share and spread the word to your Spanish-speaking friends and colleagues in Maryland. ¡Bienvenidos a Extensión en Español!
