Maryland Grows

Natives vs. non-natives – good or bad for pollinators?

October 20, 2026October 20, 2026Maryland GrowsLeave a comment

A large olive green and dark orange moth with fast beating hummingbird type wings using its proboscis to feed on a pueple flower. — *Native pollinator, Clearwing Hummingbird Moth, visiting non-native Verbena bonariensis, Purpletop vervain.* *Photo: M. Talabac, UMD Extension*

As a biologist who works on pollination, two of the top questions I receive on a regular basis are what to plant to support pollinators, and whether non-natives are bad for pollinators. Although I can state a number of relatively easy-to-grow plants that are both good for supporting pollinators in our area (past blog articles: Want flowers next year? Pollinator plants to plant this fall, What should I plant to help pollinators? and Helping pollinators in small green spaces are some ideas), it is really hard to give a hard answer based on research knowledge to the second question. In today’s article, I decided to try to explain why this is so, and still try to answer that question. Spoiler alert: my answer is basically an “it depends” with some big caveats. Keep reading to see what I mean.

Concepts meet reality

One of the characteristics of scientific knowledge is that it accumulates, and that knowledge we collect can eventually be used to make predictions about what one may expect to observe under new conditions. These predictions are of course not necessarily correct all the time, but their accuracy is expected to increase with the amount of knowledge that we have about the processes we are seeking to predict. As a scientific field, biology has indeed accumulated a lot of knowledge, which allows us to make some pretty logical predictions about the potential effect of non-native plants on pollinators. Let’s go over some of those predictions.

As I mentioned in a previous post, “What are local ecotype plants and why do they matter to pollinators?“, the interactions we observe today between plants and their pollinators are the result of millions of years of (co)evolution, which has modulated the “matching” of needs of the two parts of the interaction. This means that evolution led to species that interact to be generally well-adapted to each other. For example, species that have been interacting for a long time at a given place (as is the case of species that are native to a place) tend to temporally match better with each other; bees that use certain plants tend to be active when those plants flower, and plants that need certain bees tend to flower when those bees are active. This means that it is plausible that if those plants or bees are not available at a certain time point, they will not be able to survive properly because their needed partner is not around. In the context of exotic plants, it is possible that the fact that they are exotic makes them poor pollinator plants, since they are more likely to not be “attuned” to the temporal needs of the local species.

A black white and yellow striped caterpillar feeding on the leaves of a plant with slender leaves and orange clustered flowers. — *Native Monarach butterfly caterpillar feeding on Aesclepias tuberosa, Butterfly weed, one of the milkdweed host plants. Photo: Crista Carignan, UMD Extension*

From a different perspective, plants and pollinators have an interaction that is based on the consumption of floral rewards (pollen, nectar, etc.) by the pollinator (and in some cases, such as that of moths and butterflies, the consumption of other plant tissue in their larval stages). Those rewards, however, are not chemically identical across plants, meaning that each plant species, genus or family will tend to have rewards that contain chemical compounds specific to them, and to which the pollinators that consume them are adapted, leading to different levels of specialization. The practical consequence of this is that not all pollinators visit all plants, but rather that certain pollinators will only visit the plants that offer rewards they can physiologically consume and digest. These adaptations to deal with certain chemical compounds evolve over a long time, meaning that it is more likely that species native to the same area will be able to effectively display them, simply because those species have been exposed to those compounds for longer and are thus more likely to be adapted to them.

Given all of this knowledge, it is expected that species that have been evolving with each other over long periods of time – such as species native to the same region – would also be more beneficial to the pollination partners than species that are not native to the same region. And indeed, there are some studies that show that some non-native plant species are not chemically or temporally accessible to some bee species, leading to certain bee species avoiding them altogether because they cannot manage the chemical compounds they carry. That said, those studies are rarely counted, not because people do not want to take them on, but because testing such ideas on many species across the world requires a lot of funding, time, access to appropriate sites, and technical skill… all of which makes the studies extremely hard to run.

So, are non-natives good or bad for pollinators?

Despite the large technical, financial and logistical complexities of testing the points I noted above specifically, some studies have tried to evaluate the effect of non-natives on pollination interactions and the parts involved through the study of spaces that already carry different levels of natives and non-natives. These studies confirm some of the predictions but also bring a more nuanced light to the topic… which points to the need for more studies and my “it depends” type of answer to the question. So, let me tell you what these studies tend to show.

A relevant study on this is one in which gardens that had different levels of ground cover by native and non-native species were studied in terms of their floral visitation. In that study, they measured A LOT of gardens and followed floral visitation of all the plants present throughout a whole season. What they saw was that generally pollinators tended to be more abundant when most natives were flowering, but that later in the season non-natives could provide resources to pollinators that were still around but had no native plants to visit, because those were not flowering anymore (or not yet). Based on that study, one would suggest that planting natives is indeed good (that leads to the most visits by pollinators) but that displaying non-natives that flower later in the season (especially when natives that flower at that time of the season are not available) can help support some pollinators during those times because they compensate for the lack of native floral resources available to pollinators. This said, that study was geographically restricted (a small region of Germany), included only urban gardens, could not manipulate the composition of the plant choice (this was on gardens that were already established based on the homeowners’ choices) and was done through one season only. The authors also recognized that many times the non-natives were of the same family of a native plant, meaning that perhaps the pollinators were already slightly pre-adapted to their chemistries, and that the results would thus be different if no native related plants had been present. Also, they warned about the use of non-natives that could have potential for invasiveness. (Exotic garden plants partly substitute for native plants as resources for pollinators when native plants become seasonally scarce)

Only a few studies were done after this one, but they found slightly different results. For example, a study done on flower plantings in Paris over two seasons found that native plants indeed support more diverse, abundant, and specialized pollination interactions, but that the non-natives used in those sites appeared to support more generalist interactions than the native species. This would suggest that native plants appear to be positioned particularly well to increase pollinator diversity and to support *specialized* pollinators that would otherwise not be supported at all by the non-native plants.

Finally, another study (from the USA) that looked not so much at the plants but at the pollinators, found that non-native non-honeybee bees tended to clearly prefer non-native plants over natives, meaning that those plants would tend to provide support especially to non-native bees, and thus appear to assist in some ways the survival of non-native bees that are in some cases competing for resources and displacing native bee species. (Native and exotic plants play different roles in urban pollination networks across seasons)

This is complicated! What do I do with this information?

Generally, I would interpret all of this as pointing to:

Native plants should be preferred when possible because they do indeed support larger and more complex sets of pollination interactions.
If they are non-invasive, one can maybe consider planting non-natives, especially if plants of the same family or genus are already native to the region. However, it is always important to ask oneself why one wants to absolutely do this.
Non-natives can help support pollinators during the “summer dearth”, when few natives are available… although one can also try to increase the frequency of natives that do flower during those times.

By Anahí Espíndola, Associate 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!

Invasive Ornamentals and Sterile Varieties

August 21, 2026Maryland Grows4 Comments

When it comes to landscaping, a huge decision-making point is what we find visually pleasing… and often what pleases us visually ends up being something we are not very used to seeing, meaning that we pick plants that seem more exotic to us so we can marvel at their surprising (to us) beauty. This is all good and nice, but the problem appears when we realize that many of those plants appear exotic to us because they are exotic to the region we live in! This means that if we select them to plant in our landscapes, we are actually adding to our environment species that are not necessarily native to where we live… which can have pretty drastic consequences. In today’s post, I want to talk about a potential solution that has fairly recently been proposed to the use of such plants: sterile varieties.

What’s the deal with exotic plants?

Although not all exotic plants will have negative effects on our environment, some of them do. Those that do are considered invasive species, and they can create a lot of trouble in our local ecosystems. Invasive plants tend to grow faster than other native plants, often overrunning the spaces they grow in, spreading very quickly, and eventually “choking” or outcompeting local species, which end up dying out and/or becoming unable to survive in the presence of the invasive plant. Some good examples of this behavior of invasive plants in Maryland are the Chinese and Japanese Wisteria vines and the English Ivy, all of which effectively cover trees and can eventually choke and pull them down to their death.

View of a forest with vines covering the tree trunks up into the canopy. — *In the Eastern USA, English Ivy does effectively take over forests. Photo: L. J. Mehrhoff.*

In Maryland, this issue has been recognized not just by ecologists, but also by lawmakers, who have started to regulate the selling of specific species to properly support the protection (and recovery) of our local plant communities. Among the most recent additions to these regulations are the ban on selling several bamboo species, English Ivy, exotic Wisterias, and several very invasive grasses (among other species). You can check the most up-to-date list of these species at the Maryland Dept. of Ag. website: Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant Law and Regulations. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources also hosts a website with a lot of information about exotic species (plants and others): Invasive and Exotic Species in Maryland

So what to do if we love the plants but do not want them to spread?

Ideally, if we do not want to harm local habitats, the best decision is to refrain from planting invasive species, because they are REALLY hard to properly control and prevent their spread (especially when there is bird-mediated fruit dispersal or stolon-mediated dispersal).

The forest in spring with many mature trees and Barberry invading the understory and dominating as the ground cover — *Barrberry dominating the understory in a wooded setting. Photo*: *Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org*

Bright red berries the shape of water drops hang along barberry branch. — *Barberry shrubs produce many berries that birds and wildlife eat then distrubute. Photo:* *Chris Evans, University of Illinois, Bugwood.org*

An alternative, however, is the selection of varieties that are unable to spread because they are sterile or do not have proper structures to do so. These are varieties that exist for some ornamentals/exotics, and that are in some cases exempted from the regulations that I was mentioning above. Some examples are non-invasive bamboo varieties, some Berberis cultivars (e.g., varieties “Lemon Glow”, “Crimson Cutie”), and even some almost-sterile Buddleja cultivars (e.g., “Flutterby”, “Lo and Behold” varieties developed by several University programs). A note on some of these cultivars is that although some of them are labeled “sterile”, they may or may not be fully sterile. Some of them have indeed been shown to, in some cases, produce some fertile offspring (although way fewer than their fertile counterparts!).

A green field with a forest line in the background. Purple wisteria vines are growing up many trees and shrubs, toppling one over. — *Invasive Wisteria invades forests, vining themselves onto trees, pulling them down and eventually outcompeting and often killing them. Photo: M. Bakacs.*

How to go about these decisions?

Generally, when considering exotic ornamentals for our green spaces, it is worth making it a practice of first informing ourselves about their potential for invasiveness. Then, if the potential is there, another good practice is to look for potential alternatives (e.g., do we really need to plant that specific plant?, are there less-harmful varieties?, are there native alternatives that can be planted instead?, can we properly contain the plant if it spreads?).

To make these decisions, a good tool to consider is the NC Extension Gardener toolkit, where species and varieties are listed and can be filtered out by (among other traits) their potential for invasiveness/weediness. The Maryland Invasive Species Council has also put together a list of species that have invasiveness potential (independently of regulations) and are thus of concern. A new tool from the University of Maryland Extension Maryland Native Plants Project can help you search and filter for native plants, so you can potentially choose a native plant which will suit your needs and benefit our eco-system: Maryland Native Plant Finder tool.

Why don’t I see pollinators on my plants?

July 17, 2026Maryland GrowsLeave a comment

One of the most widespread actions implemented to support pollinators and other beneficial organisms is the planting of (native) flowering plants. The idea is that if we offer food to pollinators, they will come. However, we may have planted the plants, but the pollinators still aren’t coming. What could be happening? In this post, I will cover some biological reasons why this may be happening, and some solutions to consider.

Not all flowers are made equal

To a pollinator’s eye, not all flowers are the same. As we mentioned in other posts, each pollinator group (e.g., butterflies, birds, bees, flies…) has a different shape and different sensorial and physical abilities. While a butterfly may be able to reach the nectar at the bottom of a very tubular and long flower, a fly may not. Likewise, a large pollinator that is physically stronger than a small pollinator may be able to enter a very closed flower. Further, a night pollinator can obtain nectar from plants that offer it at night, while it will not get anything from those that offer it during the day…. I guess you see my point. Essentially, pollinators prefer flowers that make it easiest to locate and harvest resources like nectar and pollen. These differences mean that unless those flowers are present in a landscape, certain groups of pollinators may not be seen at all.

A grid of 9 flowers in various shapes and colors and different pollinators from bees and wasps, to moths and birds. — *Different floral shapes and colors make floral rewards more easily accessible to different pollinators. Photos: J. of Pollination Ecology.*

Not all flowers necessarily offer what a pollinator is after

Pollinators visit flowers to obtain something they need. That something may be food (e.g., nectar, pollen, parts of the flower), materials for reproduction (e.g., perfumes), materials for nest building (e.g., resins, floral oils), or simply a place to overnight, stay warm, and/or mate. As a matter of fact, not every single flower serves all those needs, making the pollinators end up “sorting themselves” among the plants that offer what they need.

A yellow blooming flower cluster with a bee climbing inside one of the blooms. — *A bee of the genus Chalepogenus visiting a flower of Calceolaria dentata (native to Chile and Argentina) to collect floral oils and pollen. Photo: A. Espíndola.*

Let me give you an example. In my research life, I work on a specialized pollination system that involves flowers that do not offer nectar at all, but instead offer floral oils (and pollen) in exchange for pollination (you can read more about this from the blog post: Why Do Pollinators Visit Flowers?, May ’20). These flowers are called lady slippers and belong to the Pan-American genus Calceolaria. When we observe which pollinators visit the flowers, we see that it is mostly bees who specialize in collecting floral oils (in our case, bees of the genera Centris and Chalepogenus), and basically nothing else. In landscaping, filling our yards with only one specialized flower type drastically limits pollinator diversity. For instance, if we only planted oil-producing flowers, we would not see many diverse pollinators. This highlights a key rule: the rewards a plant offers dictate the visitors it attracts. Just as varied flower shapes are crucial, providing a diverse mix of nutritional rewards—like nectar, pollen, and oils—is the best way to boost the number and variety of pollinators in our green spaces. As for the floral shape I was referring to, planting species that offer different types of rewards is a very good way to increase the number and types of pollinators we see in our green spaces.

The flowers do not necessarily want to share too much

Plants attract pollinators because they can get pollination from them, which allows the plant to reproduce. From a biological point of view, a pollinator will be a good one if it carries pollen from the stamens of a flower and makes it land on the stigma, so it can germinate and then fertilize the ovules. This is all good and nice; the problem, however, is that many pollinators use pollen as food. This creates a conflict between the plant’s and the pollinator’s interests: a plant needs the pollen (that contains its sperm) to not be eaten but to fertilize its ovules, but many pollinators just want to eat the pollen (and they have good reason for this, since a pollen grain is extremely rich in nutrients!).

A black and white microscope image of pollen grains. Some are spikey, some round, and some beanshaped with cantelope rind-looking texture. — *Pollen grains have different structures and shapes. Photo: Dartmouth College Electron Microscope Facility.*

As a response to this conflict, some strategies have evolved that somewhat “control” the feeding on pollen that pollinators may do. In fact, plants protect their pollen with physical structures that make it hard to be broken by pollinators. Some of these pollen grains feature spikes and thickened walls, which force pollinators to use specialized tools to break through them. Along with this physical “shield”, pollen grains often contain what are called **secondary metabolites.** These are chemical compounds that make the pollen indigestible or toxic, unless the organism trying to eat it has evolved ways to tolerate those compounds themselves. Closely related plants produce similar chemical compounds; the unique chemistry of a plant family dictates which pollinators can digest its pollen. This leads to different levels of floral specialization on the side of the pollinators. Pollinators will only try to visit plants that offer pollen they can digest, which again, restricts the flowers they visit. As for the previous points, increasing the different types of plants by having representatives of different plant families can increase the variety in the chemical quality of the pollen offered, attracting and supporting different types of more or less specialized pollinators.

By Anahí Espíndola, Assistant Professor, Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park. See more posts by Anahí.

Small but mighty. The amazing ground-nesting bee!

June 19, 2026Maryland GrowsLeave a comment

The summer is almost here, and if you are like me, you have already been outside and seen a bunch of tiny bees digging, digging, digging, and buzzing around flowers. Who are these little ladies? And what on earth (pun intended) are they doing? In today’s blog, I want to explain a bit about these super powerhouses, how they do what they do, and point to some of these cool bees that we can find right here in Maryland and our general region.

What are ground-nesting bees?

As its name indicates, ground-nesting bees are bees that nest in the ground, mostly by digging their nests. Ground-nesting bees are found in several families of bees, and being a soil nester/digger is actually one of the most common nesting strategies among solitary bees. In these bees, once the female finds a good nesting site, she starts excavating it to create an underground nest, which often has several brood cells, in which the larvae develop. These nests are usually found in spaces where the vegetation is sparse or the soil bare, and can sometimes be built along with other nests of the same species, leading to communal nesting areas. It is because of this preference for relatively open ground that it is often recommended that at least some uncovered ground is left in our green spaces, which helps provide habitat for their establishment.

A tiny bee is seen crawling out of a mound of soil on the ground. — *Ground-nesting bee coming out of her nest. Photo: Colleen (CC0).*

How do ground nesters build their nests?

As good miners or soil diggers, ground-nesting bees also have specific behavioral and morphological traits that make them good at what they do. Bees that excavate have modified leg structures that allow them to easily move within tunnels, strong mandibles that they use to actually dig the cavity, and modified extremities of the abdomen (the pygidial plate) that function as sorts of trowels and allow them to pack soil on the walls of the cavity they are digging.

Along with having the right tools of the trade, these bees are also selective of the type of soil they use to build their nests. Most ground-nesting bees prefer soils that are not too compacted, with at least some sand content, which makes them easier to dig through. This means that it is more likely that we will find these bees in rockier/sandier soils than in super clay-y ones. As a matter of fact, many ground-nesting bees are associated with dune nesting, and because dunes are often endangered habitats (because they are often disturbed/destroyed by human activities), many sand-nesting specialists end up becoming endangered as well. And as a fun fact about soil choice, bee experts think that because finding “good soil” is so important for the survival of these bees, bees tend to become associated with specific spots for nesting, with the nesting site becoming a sort of “family place”, where several generations of females from the same family line come back to nest over the years/generations.

A close up of the pygidial plant which is a small darker triangular structure at the tip of the bee's abdomen. — *The pygidial plate is a structure present at the tip of the abdomen of ground-nesting bees that functions as a trowel. Photo: MN Native Bees.*

Because digging through the soil with their mandibles (and sometimes their legs) is hard work, bees usually tend to choose the best timing to start their digging. In fact, the hardest part of the soil to dig through for a bee is the surface, which is often the most compacted. For this reason, bees tend to start digging after the soil has become moist (e.g., after rains). Incredibly, some ground-digging bees are even able to add, if needed, secretions or even nectar to humidify and loosen the soil! Once the bee has started her excavation, she continues digging deeper and bringing soil out of the construction area, which leads to all sorts of “mounts” being built around the nest entrance and sometimes chimney-looking structures.

What are some ground nesters from Maryland?

Andrena vicina – The neighborly mining bee

a close up of a bee gathering pollen from white flowers — *Andrena vicina.* *Photo: K. P. McFarland (CC0).*

This Andreniid is relatively large (about 1- 1.5 cm), present in North America and common in the Eastern USA. This species received that cute name because it is one of those that builds communal nesting areas (“neighborhoods”). In Maryland, the species is active right now (~June/July) and is generally seen visiting many native plants and crops. In particular, this is one of the known visitors of, among other plants, Rhododendron and Azaleas, several heather family plants (like Vaccinium, Kalmia), as well as several rose family plants (Prunus, Rubus).

Augochlorella aurata – Golden sweat bee

a tiny metallic green sweat beed in the center of a yellow flower

Augochlorella aurata. Photo: C. Martin (CC0).

This is a species in the Halictid family, and is called a sweat bee because it is often found collecting sweat (for water and salts). This is one of those tiny bees that you may find landing on you on a hot day, really committed to not letting go of your skin! This particular bee is relatively easy to recognize because it is small, metallic-looking, with beautiful green/golden iridescence. This bee is not fully solitary and is a species recognized to display primitive eusociality (for example, honey bees are true eusocials). In this species, there is a queen that starts a nest, and across the season, generations of first infertile and later fertile workers are produced. By the end of the season, the fertile workers are inseminated and disperse to overwinter. This bee species is pretty generalist in its choice of plants, known as a pollinator of many crops (e.g., apples, tomatoes, watermelon) as well as native plants.

Enhance Biodiversity in Your Vegetable Garden by Planting More Flowers!

May 28, 2026Maryland GrowsLeave a comment

A view of a fenced in vegetable garden with Salad tables in the forground and multiple raised garden beds full of various vegetables. Bright orange marigold flowers line the edges of the raised beds and there are wood chip paths inbetween the planting areas. — *Marigolds line the edges of raised garden beds, bursting with vegetables in this county extension demonstration garden. Photo: Jon Traunfeld*

A practice generally used in agricultural contexts is that of floral supplementation. In today’s blog, I would like to dig a bit into this idea and present some strategies to implement it at smaller scales, like small vegetable gardens and green spaces. Read along to learn a bit more!

What is floral supplementation?

Agriculture using western methods generally leads to losses of plant biodiversity in and around fields, mostly because it transforms diverse spaces into large monocultures (the crop fields). This, in turn, reduces the ability of the ecosystem to regulate pests, maintain pollination and eventually can negatively affect yield and production, along with increasing environmental erosion. As a response to these needs, strategies have been developed to increase biodiversity in agricultural contexts, and one of those is floral supplementation. In this strategy, the areas surrounding the crop fields are planted with diverse floral mixes or hedges, or the crop rows are intercropped with flowering plants. Such approaches improve soil quality and reduce erosion, increase diversity of plants and animals associated with them, and in many cases lead to improved pest control and pollination of the crop. Although this is a practice more or less widespread and recognized for production fields, it is not often officially promoted in smaller areas such as gardens or the green spaces that surround them. Let’s fix that! 😊

Why does floral supplementation work?

The idea behind these practices is that they increase the spatial and plant resources available to the local biotic community. By increasing the number of plant species present in an area, the different types of food and nesting resources are also increased and become more complex. For example, there may be flowers that bloom at different times of the season, that produce different types of nectar and can support different pollinators, fruits that support different insects and birds, plants of different heights and structure that can offer shelter to different organisms. These modifications eventually lead to more diverse animal communities being present in the area where the supplements are added. From the point of view of the benefits of these changes on the actual performance of the crop field, this diversity promotes the presence of biological control of pest agents (e.g., predators of pests, parasitoids), as well as increases the diversity and abundance of potential pollinating species. The presence of a more robust plant community can also promote soil retention through the presence of more roots to physically retain it, reducing erosion and water runoff.

Tomato plants with green tomatoes growing in a raised garden bed with a railing in the background. Interspersed plantings include basil, and chard. — *A way to implement floral supplementation in small spaces is through the combination of different crops on the same pace, such as offered by the idea of companion plantings. Photo: Steph L.*

Floral supplementation in gardens

Although the extent of floral supplementation done at the agricultural scale can not be reproduced at the garden level, the same principles can be implemented, especially if the gardening space is not necessarily embedded in a very biodiverse context. Here are some ideas on how to do it.

Intercropping and Companion Planting

A cool way to both increase diversity and production per unit of area is the use of intercropping with companion plantings. Here, different crops can be interplanted, with rows alternating species, or with several crop species planted in a mixed way in the same part of the garden. This relates to the idea of companion planting, where species that are planted together are selected for their ability to successfully coexist and support each other. The table gives some ideas on potential combinations to promote and avoid.

Companion planting promotes the interplanting of different crops/herbs, with species known to be compatible and incompatible in these plantings. Table from Virginia Cooperative Extension publication, Companion Planting in Gardening

Hedgerows

Green bushes with pink flowers along a grassy area under trees. — *Especially if planted with native species, hedgerows can offer a complex structure for a lot of animal diversity to establish close to our gardens. Photo: M. Gimber.*

This strategy can be especially effective if there is a lot of room around the garden plot. Instead of leaving that as a mowed space, it is possible to turn it into a structurally and species-diverse space! For this, one can consider planting sets of native shrubs/small trees that can provide complex shelter spaces and flower/fruit/seed resources for many animals (including humans! 😛 ). Some choices I really like for our area are fringe trees, spicebushes, witch hazels, hazels, pawpaws, serviceberries, native elderberries, or redbuds. Of course, not all these species are appropriate for all areas, so depending on the level of light and soil conditions, some may be preferred over others.

Flower Strips

A close up of Monarda or beebalm with red blooms — Even when not much space is available, the planting of native herbaceous plants can lead to an important bump in diversity around our vegetable gardens. This strip of *Monarda, Solidago, Penstemon, Rudbecia* and some other native plants is directly adjacent to my vegetable garden and attracts many pollinators and predators such as wasps and mantids. Photo: A. Espindola.

Flower strips are also a great choice, and if space is available, one can easily turn them into a small floral meadow. These spaces can be planted with seed mixes, which can be purchased from seed companies specialized in the establishment of native meadows. (Be sure to review the species list since some meadow mixes can contain invasive or borderline invasive plants, others may contain annuals like Cosmos.) If the space available is not very large, it may be more practical to just plant a set of native flowers that bloom at different times through the season. Check out this other post where I direct people to some specific plant lists that can be handy for our area. Especially if the species chosen are perennial, the planting will lead to a long term establishment, and if wanted, new plants can be added over the years, as some species become more established.

A Personal Experience: Learning Some Tricks for Container Gardening on the Eastern Shore

May 14, 2026May 27, 2026Maryland Grows2 Comments

Wooden planter box with a decorative chalkboard sign reading 'FRESH PRODUCE FROM LOCAL FARM' outdoors on a patio with grass and trees in the background. — *Elevated container gardens provide convenient access to fresh, home-grown herbs and greens. Photo: Joan LaHayne*

My transition from traditional, large, in-ground, tilled vegetable gardening to container gardening happened out of necessity. In 2015, my husband and I moved from Western Howard County, where we had lived on a large lot with full sun, to the Eastern Shore, with just under an acre and lots of shade/part shade throughout the yard. Most of our full sun and open space was in the front and side yard, both visible from the road. Additionally, we needed to install a sand mound septic system in the limited space we had. This would add further restrictions on what and how we could plant because deep-rooted plantings/tilling are restricted. We decided that raised beds would be a solution because they would be aesthetically more attractive and could also provide protection from roots interfering with the septic system.

Installing Raised Beds

Raised beds can be custom-built or purchased as a kit to assemble. We chose to build our own. We started with 4 plots measuring 8’x 5.5’ feet and approximately 1’ deep. The first beds were built using pressure-treated wood. The building material you decide on is a personal choice; they all have their pros and cons. New pressure-treated wood no longer contains arsenic, but we chose to change building materials when adding additional plots. A neighbor had Trex boards from a deck remodel, and we were able to recycle those for the additional plots. We filled the boxes with a mixture of compost (home-grown), leaf pro, horse manure (we live near Assateague), and existing soil. Although our first harvest was slightly disappointing, each year the soil quality improved, as did our vegetable yields. Each year, we typically add compost and manure, but a recent soil test revealed that this practice is creating an imbalance in the soil (too much phosphorus). Annual soil testing of each bed is a beneficial practice for us, and will hopefully improve the quality and quantity of our harvest. Typically, yearly testing isn’t necessary, though.

Adding Containers

After the first year, I realized I wanted more space for herbs and edible flowers, preferably planted closer to the house. We designed 2-foot-high long containers that would surround the existing concrete patio, closing it in. A gate and fire pit completed the design, resulting in the additional benefit of keeping young children and dogs safely away from the water. Because the boxes were so much higher, a barrier was needed to separate the top (1 foot of soil) from the bottom (empty). Our first mistake was not laying landscape fabric on the shelf to prevent the soil from running through the boards when watered. Once we corrected that, the soil remained in place, and the boxes retained water more efficiently. These boxes are beautiful and easily accessible. Because they are so close to the house, they are somewhat protected from winter winds and frost, often allowing greens such as kale, chard, parsley and collards to winter over. Additionally, the height of these gardens prevents animal “snacking” and makes planting and weeding more comfortable.

A red concrete block patio showing container beds and a covered firepit around the edge. A lawn and wooded area in the background. — *Adding the gate and firepit completed our patio space to be a functional area to relax and harvest fresh produce! Photo: Joan LaHayne*

Wooden raised container beds lining a patio area in an L shape. a metal spiral staircase is also shown leading down to the patio. — Fresh spring greens emerging in the raised containers are a welcome sight. Photo: Joan LaHayne

Watering

All of the beds require more water than traditional in-ground gardens. We have still not figured out an easy soaker system, but my husband loves to water, so we monitor the beds closely and water as needed. Our goal this summer is to install soaker hoses on the first two beds, utilizing water from a rain barrel nearby. We have added a few more raised beds along the property line where we have access to maximum sunlight but are far from a water source. One contains asparagus plants that require little water (because harvested early in the spring) and the others are used for root vegetables. Eventually, we will try to find a better way of getting water to those gardens as well.

Limited Space Solutions

The most consistent challenge of container gardening for me has been limited space. Working as a volunteer in a local community garden has allowed me to learn tricks on how to maximize yields by observing the gardening practices of others. I noticed many different ways my fellow gardeners added structures to allow vines to climb. I loved the idea of an arch that would provide a shady pathway through the garden. My husband constructed a 10’ archway using heavy reinforcement wire that was secured to the outer boards of 2 parallel beds. The resulting design was successful! Last year’s cucumber, butternut squash and spaghetti squash plants found their way up and over the arch, producing fruit that dangled from above. Harvesting was made easy and the display was beautiful.

Large wooden raised beds in a lawn with a metal fencing arch connecting them. THere is a shed in the background and some crops growing in the beds. — *Adding the metal fencing arch between the beds helped with the limited space in the raised beds. Photo: Joan LaHayne*

Container gardens are beneficial in many ways. They can be placed in a variety of spaces throughout the yard and can be dismantled and moved if growing conditions change (increasing shade, for example). Because of the limited square footage in each, weeds are much easier to control. No tilling necessary. If animals are taking too much of your harvest, raised gardens can easily be fenced or built higher to keep plants out of reach. Container gardens can be incorporated into already existing or planned flower beds, creating interest and beauty, as well as expanding pollinator habitat. Although I continue to learn gardening tricks and practices, I have found container gardening to be an ideal solution to growing vegetables year-round here on the eastern shore.

By: Joan LaHayne, Master Gardener in Worcester County, Maryland.

Spring Ephemerals Bring Hope

March 13, 2026April 2, 2026Maryland GrowsLeave a comment

Green fernlike foliage in a mass that produces stalks of white blooms with yellow centers. The flowers hang downward in a V shape. — Dutchman’s Breeches (Britches), *Dicentra cucullaria*, is a woodland spring ephemeral.The common name comes from the white blooms that hang downward in a ‘V’ shape, making them appear to be a pair of men’s bloomers or breeches. Photo: Judy Fulton

Spring ephemerals are a group of herbaceous plants that emerge and bloom in early spring, typically in forests or woodlands, often while sunlight reaches the forest floor before the canopy tree leaves out. These plants have a short life cycle, with their growth, flowering, and seed production occurring rapidly in the early spring months. They are called “ephemerals” because they appear briefly and then disappear, going dormant for the rest of the year before the summer heat sets in.

Spring ephemerals play a crucial role in early spring ecosystems, providing nectar and pollen for early emerging pollinators, such as bees, butterflies, flies, and beetles, which may have limited food sources during this time. They also improve the soil structure and enrich the soil’s fertility, adding nutrients and organic matter back into the soil when they decompose. Due to co- evolution, many of these native spring wildflowers have developed special relationships with the companions in their community.

Let’s take a closer look at a few of my favorite ephemerals:

A close-up view of white flowers with yellow centers, surrounded by large green leaves and a natural forest background. — Mayapples, *Podophyllum peltatum*, blooming in a damp woodland setting, showcasing their characteristic umbrella-shaped leaves and hidden white flowers. Photo: Miri Talabac, UMD Extension

Mayapples, Podophyllum peltatum, are perennial plants in the barberry family that emerge in damp woodland in early spring as a single stem about 12 inches in height with leaves folded into spirals. The leaves unfurl to expand into a deeply palmately lobed umbrella shape. They spread by rhizomes as well as seeds and can form large colonies.

Mayapples have two forms: a single leaf at the top of the stalk; and a stalk with two leaves branching off at about three quarters of the height. Only the double-leaf plants produce a single white flower that remains hidden under the leaf canopy. A pollinated flower will produce a yellow-green fruit about the size of a small apple. The common name for mayapples comes from the flowers that are reminiscent of apple blossoms and the apple-like fruit. The ripe yellow fruit is the only edible part of the plant; the root, stem, foliage (and unripe fruit) contains toxins to deter herbivores. (We do not recommend eating wild plants without proper training and identification.)

The consumption of mayapple fruits by turtles is an example of a mutualistic interaction, benefiting both species involved. Turtles, of course, obtain a source of food, while mayapple plants benefit from seed dispersal services in soil that has been enhanced by the turtles’ waste. Since turtles can travel some distance from the parent plant, they aid in the colonization of new areas and genetic diversity within mayapple populations.

A lush green forest floor in spring before the canopy trees leaf out, covered with large leaves of Mayapples and patches of sunlight filtering through the trees. — A vibrant carpet of Mayapples, thriving in a woodland setting during early spring. You can see how they easily form a colony from the rhizomatous growth. Photo: Miri Talabac, UMD Extension

Spring beauty, Claytonia virginica, is one of the first flowers to appear in early spring. They are members of the Purslane family and have narrow, lance-shaped leaves with a solitary stalk up to six inches tall bearing small, delicate flowers that have five white petals with pink veins. Preferring moist part-shade, they grow happily in woodlands, meadows, and along stream banks. If allowed to grow, they will form a colony resulting in a large, lovely carpet of pink-white flowers blooming for about a month in April to May.

Close-up of delicate light pink wildflowers growing near a rocky surface. — Delicate spring beauty flowers, featuring pink-veined white petals, commonly found in moist woodland areas. They can often be found at the base of trees or along rocks. Photo: Miri Talabac, UMD Extension

Like many ephemeral wildflowers, the spring beauty plant closes its flowers at night in a process known as nyctinasty to protect its precious delicate pollen from cold and wetness and, since pollinating insects are mostly foraging during the daylight hours, there’s no benefit in staying open. The dry pollen is much more easily transferred to the stigmas on other flowers for successful pollination. While many bees and butterflies will pollinate the spring beauty flowers, its pollen and nectar are the only provisions that the small spring beauty mining bee, Andrena erigeniae, will collect to raise her young. Spring beauties take nyctinasty to an elevated level, closing in mid- afternoon and only opening again mid-morning (or remaining closed on cloudy days), so this busy little bee needs to work extra hard during her banker’s hours to forage for her nest provisions. Ripe seeds of the spring beauty are ejected up to four feet away from the mother plant, but the real dispersal to new areas is carried out by ants.

A forest scene featuring a muddy path surrounded by a field of white flowers and green grass, with tall trees in the background. — Spring beauties can also form a carpet across the forest floor, making early hikes a magical walk through the woods. Photo: Miri Talabac, UMD Extension

A close-up of a vibrant yellow lily-shaped flower with pointed petals and orange stamens, surrounded by green and brown mottled leaves. — A trout lily in bloom, showcasing its yellow flower and mottled leaves. The flowers are often pointed downward, so one needs to get low to see their pollen-filled stamens. Photo: Miri Talabac, UMD Extension

The trout lily, Erythronium americanum, is a perennial in the lily family. Non-flowering plants have a single lanceolate leaf about six inches long that is gray-green mottled with brown and thought to resemble the markings of our native brook trout moving through water. The flowering plants have two leaves and a slightly taller stalk with a nodding yellow flower. Like all lilies, the flower has six tepals, a term used when the petals and sepals are the same color, shape, and size; technically, lilies only have three petals.

Although trout lilies can form dense colonies through small bulbs called “droppers” budding from the main corm, they do not propagate readily from seed. The plant does not flower for about the first seven years and most of the plants in a colony will not bloom at all. The flowers of the trout lily produce the pollen that attracts the trout lily mining bee, Andrena erythroni.

For a colony to expand its range, trout lilies attract ants to disperse the seeds. What is it with these ants, anyway? Many early blooming ephemerals have developed seeds with a structure called an elaiosome (uh-LIGH-uh-sohm), which is a protein-rich, lipid-packed appendage specifically for attracting ants. The ants drag the seeds off to their colony where they will feed on elaiosomes, then ditch the seed in their trash pile nearby, planting the seed in a new location with plenty of nutrients to aid its growth.

Cluster of yellow flowers with elongated petals growing near a tree, surrounded by green leaves and forest ground cover. — Trout lilies appear in clusters, often along stream banks. Can you believe we need to wait 7 years to enjoy these vibrant signs of spring? Photo: Miri Talabac, UMD Extension

Virginia bluebells, Mertensia virginica, are in the borage family, also called the forget-me-nots. They can grow up to two feet tall with large, rounded leaves and nodding flower clusters on arched stems. Pink flower buds open to bell-shaped flowers that are a beautiful blue. Like most of the ephemerals, bluebells grow best in rich, moist soil. Bluebells also tend to form large colonies in the woods or along the forest edge rather than isolated plants. They are especially attractive to long-tongued bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

A luch forest scene featuring a carpet of blue flowers surrounded by trees. — A field of Virginia bluebells blooming in a woodland setting stretching as far as the eye can see. Photo: Miri Talabac, UMD Extension

You will often find Virginia bluebells growing with oak trees; the oaks are usually the last trees to leaf out in spring, giving the ephemeral a little longer to develop its seeds in the dappled sun before going dormant again in early summer.

These are just a few of the spring ephemeral wildflowers that play such a vital role in maintaining ecosystem function, supporting biodiversity, and enriching the natural world. They face several risks that impact their populations, such as habitat loss and degradation, invasive species, over collection and illegal harvesting, pollution, and climate change. Protecting and conserving these species is essential for the health and resilience of ecosystems and the well-being of both wildlife and humans. Strategies to conserve spring ephemeral wildflowers include habitat restoration, invasive species management, and public education.

Try to find some time to enjoy a casual walk along a path in the woods this spring and delight in the sights and smells of these precious plants during their brief visit.

A grassy area along a riverbank, featuring clusters of yellow and blue wildflowers: Mayapples, Packera, and Virginia bluebells grouped together. — A cluster of *Packera aurea*, Golden ragwort (spring blooming perennial), Virginia bluebells, and the foliage of Mayapples grows naturally along the waters edge, showcasing our native woodland spring blooms. Photo: Miri Talabac, UMD Extension

By: Sara Yosua, Master Gardener in Baltimore County. Sara also writes articles for her county’s Master Gardener newsletter, which gets published monthly. Find more articles or subscribe on their web page.