Ladew Topiary Gardens

Mission: To maintain, promote and nurture Ladew Topiary Gardens -- including it's 18th-century manor house and 15 formal gardens designed by the late Harvey S. Ladew, a gentleman, horseman, fox hunter, farmer, world traveler, linguist, writer, raconteur, artist, music lover, collector and horticulturist. Regarded as a 20th-century landscape architectural monument, the 22 acres of gardens have been called "the finest topiary garden in America" by the Garden Club of America. The manor house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

What he does: Tyler Diehl oversees the design, planting and maintenance of 22 acres of lush gardens in Monkton. The Ladew property, which is 250 acres in total, includes a nature walk and 15 “garden rooms,” each with its own theme. While most of the design work takes place in the winter, along with seed-starting and mechanical maintenance, a typical day throughout the year involves cleaning, mulching and pruning. How he got his start: As a child, Diehl enjoyed playing outside, reveling in the plants of his own backyard.  “Then one day somebody said, 'You know, you can go to school for this,' ” he says.

Reveley Allen Moore, who headed the board of the Ladew Topiary Gardens in Harford County, died of undetermined causes Monday while vacationing near Budapest, Hungary. She was 64 and lived in Monkton. President of the 32-member foundation board of the 250-acre garden, historic manor house and nature walk near Monkton, she was part of a core of volunteers and donors who transformed the property from an obscure, local landmark into a regional attraction. Born in Raleigh, N.C., Reveley Allen was a 1954 graduate of Needham Broughton High School in Raleigh and earned a degree in chemistry from Hollins College in Roanoke, Va. She became the treasurer of Ladew's executive committee in 1987, its vice president in 1993 and its president in 1999.

Moms, it's your weekend. And if you're the kind who wants to spend it having fun with the family - instead of holed up solo with a glass of wine and a good book - there are plenty of kid-friendly activities to choose from around town. You can explore the outdoor beauty at Ladew Topiary Gardens in Monkton and take a free tour of art depicting the roles of women at the Walters. Help your kids make your Mother's Day gift (hey, at least that way you're sure to get one) at a local library. Take in a concert that explores the relationships between mothers and daughters.

What he does: Tyler Diehl oversees the design, planting and maintenance of 22 acres of lush gardens in Monkton. The Ladew property, which is 250 acres in total, includes a nature walk and 15 “garden rooms,” each with its own theme. While most of the design work takes place in the winter, along with seed-starting and mechanical maintenance, a typical day throughout the year involves cleaning, mulching and pruning. How he got his start: As a child, Diehl enjoyed playing outside, reveling in the plants of his own backyard.  “Then one day somebody said, 'You know, you can go to school for this,' ” he says.

There'll be a lot of horsing around today behind Ladew Topiary Gardens in Harford County.The Maryland Polo Club, which leases about 60 acres behind the topiary gardens for practice and games, is host to the United States Polo Association Fred Peterson Memorial Tournament, featuring six teams from Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania.The tournament, sanctioned by the United States Polo Association, is one of the premier matches in the state.It was named for Fred Peterson, an avid horseman who died in 1989 and whose namesake son is president of the club, which is nearly 10 years old."

There's nothing wrong with the Ladew Cafe's dinner menu that serving it in November wouldn't fix.Or here's an simpler solution: Offer the lunch menu at night.Imagine this scenario. It's 90 degrees in Baltimore, so you drive out to Monkton to have supper in the lush greenness of Ladew Topiary Gardens. You've heard that the respected Brass Elephant Caterers has taken over Ladew's cafe, so how can it miss?In spite of the heat, it's pleasant on the cafe's brick patio, what with the large, fragrant gardenia plant at its center, the perennials around the stone wall, the deep woods as backdrop.

On this sunny morning at Harford County's Ladew Topiary Gardens, 24 Baltimore second-graders peered uncertainly through plastic magnifiers at soggy lumps of lima beans in their palms. "Eeeeeeuuuuuuw," several of the Barclay Elementary School pupils exclaimed as they crowded together on a rug in the book-lined studio near the main house. "They are a little cool and a little wet," reassured Rae Ann McInnis, an instructor for Ladew's children's education program, which began its spring season this week.

Jim McDaniel recalls watching many visitors to Ladew Topiary Gardens stop at the edge of the overgrown iris garden, peering into thick trees and shrubs that overshadowed the delicate flowers. Most never got much farther than the rickety steps, said McDaniel, Ladew's head of gardens. But today, after a $500,000 restoration at the Harford County landmark, the now-sunny garden is filled with people strolling among more than 700 irises planted around a bubbling 200-foot stream. "It's everything I hoped it would be," McDaniel said.

Born in New York in 1887, Harvey S. Ladew was drawn to Harford County by the prospect of fox-hunting in the area. In 1929, he purchased Pleasant Valley Farm in Monkton. Over subsequent years, the outdoorsman devoted himself to the beautification of the house and grounds. The result was Ladew Topiary Gardens, which on Sept. 29 will celebrate the 35th anniversary of the gardens being open to the public. According to the Ladew Gardens Web site, the Garden Club of America described the site as "the most outstanding topiary garden in America."

With spring here, the change of season has Emily Emerick and her staff at Ladew Topiary Gardens hopping. Emerick, executive director of the historic house and gardens in Harford County, spent recent weeks prepping for the March 28 opening of the 2009 season. At Ladew, she's doing something she has loved since she was 4 years old. The Towson native's earliest memories revolve around watching her mother in a denim wrapped skirt and a bandanna preparing garden beds and planting rhubarb, asparagus and strawberries.

Even if you're trying to economize this holiday, you don't have to give up greenery. For as little as $8, you can make a potted topiary plant that will not only enliven your holiday table this year, but in holidays to come. "They're easy to care for and they last for years," says Steven Winterfeldt, a horticulturist at Jackson & Perkins, a nursery in Hodges, S.C. Topiaries are living plants that have been trained into distinctive shapes, an art form that started with the Greeks and Romans.

Ladew Topiary Gardens, 3535 Jarrettsville Pike, Monkton, is holding a series of talks by its professional gardeners, who will give behind-the-scenes views of plant care and demonstrations this spring and summer. "In the Garden" includes a nature walk at 9:30 a.m., before the program. The cost is $10 for nonmembers and free for members. Scheduled programs are: composting, May 1; guided walking tour of trees and shrubs, May 5; wisteria pruning, June 26; espalier pruning, July 1; yew shearing, July 8; pond care, July 15; climbing rose pruning, July 22; boxwood shearing, July 29; repotting, Aug. 12; turf maintenance, Aug. 19; hemlock shearing, Sept.

AN EYE FOR ORCHIDS Karen Messick's nature photography covers the minutiae of insects to the outstretched sky. The area photographer's latest up-close subject is the orchid. The flower's variety of sharp colors, patterns and symmetry takes center stage Wednesday, when Valley Framing and Fine Art opens an exhibit of her work. The wine-and-cheese reception offers a chance to meet Messick, and the exhibit runs through May 21. ...................... The opening at Valley Framing and Fine Art, 2 Sherwood Road, Cockeysville, is 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Donna Hepner said she generally avoids nature whenever she can. But when the opportunity arose to take an outdoor art class, she took it. On a recent afternoon, she sat in a garden and sketched reflections of a tree in a pond, with ink, pencils, and charcoal. As she made marks on the paper, her work took on life. "When you create art outdoors you need to be relaxed and open," said Hepner, 41, of Joppa. "If you try to control nature, it doesn't work well." Hepner was one of several students who participated in art classes offered by the Maryland Institute College of Art at Ladew Topiary Gardens in Monkton.

CHRISTOPHER H.C. WEEKS of Bel Air, MD. Loving brother of Mary R. Ranneberger. Also survived by two nephews, Benjamin G. Ranneberger and Seth C. Ranneberger. A Memorial Service will be held at St. Alban's Anglican Church, Joppa, MD on Saturday, September 8, 2007 at 5 p.m. Friends may call at the church from 4-5 p.m. prior to the service. Those who desire, may contribute to Ladew Topiary Gardens, 3535 Jarrettsville Pike, Monkton, MD 21111. Memory tributes may be sent to the family at: mccomasfuneralhome.

CHRISTOPHER H.C. WEEKS of Bel Air, MD. Loving brother of Mary R. Ranneberger. Also survived by two nephews, Benjamin G. Ranneberger and Seth C. Ranneberger. A Memorial Service will be held at St. Alban's Anglican Church, Joppa, MD on Saturday, September 8, 2007 at 5 p.m. Friends may call at the church from 4-5 p.m. prior to the service. Those who desire, may contribute to Ladew Topiary Gardens, 3535 Jarrettsville Pike, Monkton, MD 21111. Memory tributes may be sent to the family at: mccomasfuneralhome.

Ladew Topiary Gardens, 3535 Jarrettsville Pike, Monkton, is holding a series of talks by its professional gardeners, who will give behind-the-scenes views of plant care and demonstrations this spring and summer. "In the Garden" includes a nature walk at 9:30 a.m., before the program. The cost is $10 for nonmembers and free for members. Scheduled programs are: composting, May 1; guided walking tour of trees and shrubs, May 5; wisteria pruning, June 26; espalier pruning, July 1; yew shearing, July 8; pond care, July 15; climbing rose pruning, July 22; boxwood shearing, July 29; repotting, Aug. 12; turf maintenance, Aug. 19; hemlock shearing, Sept.

RV show The lowdown -- More than 5 1/2 acres of motor homes, travel trailers and tent campers will be on display at the Maryland Recreational Vehicle Show this weekend at the state fairgrounds. The show will also feature RV accessories, campground displays and RV travel exhibits. If you go -- The show runs tomorrow-Sunday and Feb. 23-25 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds, 2200 York Road, Timonium. Hours are 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sundays. Admission is $8 (children younger than 12 free)

TODAY MOUNT VERNON HOLLY TOUR Visitors can tour lush homes, elaborate rowhouses and ornate historic buildings, all restored and redecorated, in Mount Vernon, during the self-guided walking tour, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. today. Tickets are $25. 443-524-2370 or hollytour.com. FRIDAY-DEC. 10 CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE The annual holiday celebration includes tours of the decorated Ladew Manor House, live music, visits with Santa and a greens sale, including kissing balls, topiaries, boxwood trees, wreaths and more, at Ladew Topiary Gardens, 3535 Jarrettsville Pike, Monkton, Friday, Saturday and Dec. 10. Hours are 11 a.m.-4 p.m. each day. Admission $10; $8 seniors and students; $2 ages 12 and younger.