Arboretum

Restoring nearly $750,000 to the budget of Baltimore's Department of Recreation and Parks will spare from elimination the division that maintains the greenhouse at Cylburn Arboretum and the Conservatory at Druid Hill Park and save the jobs of 13 recreation leaders, the city's budget director said yesterday.The Board of Estimates yesterday approved Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke's revised budget plan that includes the additional recreation and parks funds and $986,000 more for the Enoch Pratt Free Library.

Doris W. Brumback, an avid gardener who assisted in the rejuvenation of Cylburn Arboretum in the 1970s and 1980s, died Jan. 18 of congestive heart failure at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Towson. The longtime Homeland resident was 92. The daughter of a pharmacist and a homemaker, Doris Weltner was born in Baltimore and raised in Roland Park. After graduating in 1936 from Girls' Latin School, she earned a bachelor's degree in 1940 from Goucher College. During the 1940s, Mrs, Brumback worked for American Airlines.

Tom Ford spent Saturday morning hacking at a tangle of juniper that had taken over a planting at Greenway Gardens TC Environmental Center near Westminster."

One of Baltimore's most beautiful settings will be showing off its place in the art world this weekend. More than 50 painters will be exhibiting their work at the Cylburn Arboretum's "Celebration of Art. " While the work will certainly be varied, they'll all share a common theme. Every piece will depict a scene set within the grounds of the 19th-century North Baltimore estate, once home to a prominent Baltimore businessman, now a picturesque oasis of flora and fauna. "When folks visit Cylburn, they find a space that is so inviting," said Nancy Hill, the arboretum's education director.

Environmental education and plant preservation can peacefully co-exist at Greenway Gardens, Carroll County nature lovers decided Tuesday night."We have a lot of uses that would work well together," horticulturist Steve Bogash said to nearly 60 people at the first meeting of Friends of Greenway Gardens."

Jim Rose gave a tree tour as he walked the perimeter of Harwood Neighborhood Park in Elkridge. On the blackgum: "A woodland tree in Maryland that grows all over the place." On the silver maple: "Not a great tree, it grows too fast and drops limbs." The park is the site of Rose's "arboretum without walls," a project that he developed to identify and describe trees. He figures that if people know more about their environment, they'll take more of an interest in what happens to it. "We take existing trees and put tags and labels on them, so people walking in the park can begin to become more aware of what kinds of trees are there," said the retired computer scientist, who's designed four other arboretums at county parks.

WASHINGTON -- Visitors and residents alike have flocked to the capital for the annual rite of spring -- the Cherry Blossom Festival, which floods the Tidal Basin with the pink and white blossoms of the Japanese cherry tree. But in a far corner of the city, there's even more luscious flora -- now and throughout the year -- in the exotic landscape of trees, flowers, birds and scenic vistas of the U.S. National Arboretum. "There are beautiful plants to see in each season," spokeswoman Nancy Luria said of the free garden.

Carroll environmentalists, sportsmen and recreation officials have urged the county's General Assembly delegation to lobby to save an arboretum from being bought and developed for other purposes.Upset that state officials decided last month to postpone purchasing Greenway Gardens & Arboretum in order to trim the budget deficit, they turned out in force Saturday at the annual presession public hearing to lodge their disapproval.About 60 residents attended the hearing at the County Office Building to offer views on recommended state tax structure changes, proposed county liquor law revisions and hunting legislation and the abortion issue.

The state Department of Natural Resources secretary had reason for his late arrival at Greenway Gardens yesterday."I came late on purpose in honor of how long it took us to buy this place," Dr. Torrey C. Brown said with a laugh.The $450,000 transaction took more than three years to arrange, said Bernie Wentker, regional administrator for the state's Program Open Space. And it's still not quite a done deal."The acquisition has been approved by the state Board of Public Works, pending a bond sale," said Mr. Wentker.

For half their married life - and they were married 59 years - the Jeffersons dreamed of building an arboretum around their Mount Airy home. They visited examples across the country. They traveled to national conventions. They even incorporated a nonprofit group to run the envisioned groves and gardens. But the groves and gardens remained just that: envisioned. Three years ago, Pearl Holland Jefferson suggested to her husband that they ought to get a move on. Two years ago, at age 85, she died.

I found little bugs under my mattress, but I've seen them before along where the ceiling meets the wall. Please tell me they are not bedbugs! Your photos show the larvae of a carpet beetle. These tiny oval beetles are in the Dermestid insect family. Their diet of organic materials ranges from wool, silk, fur, feathers and food items such as grains, spices, dog food and birdseed, to the occasional mouse or animal remains in your attic or basement. Control of carpet beetles is primarily prevention - clean, clean, clean.

Rachael Berlinrut Rachael will not have a funeral as she elected have her body donated to the state of Maryland. In memory of Rachael and her love of gardens, donations may be made in her name to the Conservatory at Druid Hill Park, the Cylburn Arboretum, or to the U.S. National Arboretum Washington D.C.

As the rest of us droop in early July humidity, day lilies of all varieties come to life. The Free State Daylily Society is planning an exhibit and sale of the plants this Sunday at Cylburn Arboretum.

WASHINGTON -- Visitors and residents alike have flocked to the capital for the annual rite of spring -- the Cherry Blossom Festival, which floods the Tidal Basin with the pink and white blossoms of the Japanese cherry tree. But in a far corner of the city, there's even more luscious flora -- now and throughout the year -- in the exotic landscape of trees, flowers, birds and scenic vistas of the U.S. National Arboretum. "There are beautiful plants to see in each season," spokeswoman Nancy Luria said of the free garden.

Colors spring eternal at the Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory and Botanic Gardens in Druid Hill Park. The city landmark includes five distinct areas: the Orchid Room and the Palm, Desert, Mediterranean and Tropical houses. The five-story Palm House was recently refurbished. It was designed by George Frederick, the architect who designed City Hall and the Mansion at Cylburn Arboretum. The facility is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday. Information: 410-396-0180.

Walk in the woods -- The Howard County Forestry Board will sponsor a tree identification walking tour from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. today at the Lake Elkhorn Arboretum in Columbia. Jim Rose and Betsy McMillion of the Howard County Forestry Board will conduct the tour and identify about 20 species of trees along the arboretum trail. Participants should meet at the Lake Elkhorn parking lot just off Cradlerock Way. Wear comfortable shoes and take binoculars, if available. Children to age 12 must be accompanied by an adult.

For half their married life - and they were married 59 years - the Jeffersons dreamed of building an arboretum around their Mount Airy home. They visited examples across the country. They traveled to national conventions. They even incorporated a nonprofit group to run the envisioned groves and gardens. But the groves and gardens remained just that: envisioned. Three years ago, Pearl Holland Jefferson suggested to her husband that they ought to get a move on. Two years ago, at age 85, she died.

TODAY SUNDAY STROLL Take a guided walk through the 5-acre garden filled with bulbs, perennials, azaleas, rhododendrons, trees and shrubs, 2 p.m. today at McCrillis Gardens, 6910 Greentree Road, Bethesda. Free. 301-962-1455 or brooksidegardens.org. THROUGH TUESDAY PAINTING EXHIBIT See a display of recent paintings by watercolorist Nicholas Simmons at Gallery RoCa-Fine Arts and Accessories LLC, 220 N. Washington St., Havre de Grace, through Tuesday. 410-939-6182 or galleryroca.com for hours.

Alfred Levy, a retired gardener who worked for the city Department of Recreation and Parks for more than 30 years and shared his love of plants with the elderly and less fortunate, died in his sleep March 7 at Hillhaven Assisted Living, Nursing, and Rehabilitation Center in Adelphi. He was 80, and formerly a longtime Northwest Baltimore resident. The son of Polish immigrant parents, Mr. Levy was born in Baltimore and raised in an apartment above his parents' east-side grocery store at Dallas and Hoffman streets.