Ladew Topiary Gardens

`Children's Day' On Sunday, Ladew Topiary Gardens is all about kids. The 22-acre garden in Monkton is presenting its Children's Day. Kids can enjoy interactive musical performances, sing-alongs, crafts, rock-painting, face-painting, balloon sculptures and treats, including cotton candy. Kids can also take a walk through the flower and topiary gardens to spot the animal-shaped shrub sculptures. Children's Day is noon to 5 p.m. Sunday at Ladew Topiary Gardens, 3535 Jarrettsville Pike, Monkton.

The annual Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage, which begins Saturday, offers rare glimpses of historic homes and private gardens in six counties. Proceeds from the tours support local restoration projects. Here are some highlights of the pilgrimage, which is sponsored by the Federated Garden Clubs of Maryland and its affiliates: April 23, Kent County: Chestertown, including the Custom House and the River House garden overlooking the Chester River. April 30, Calvert County: Maidstone, a 17th-century country home; Lower Marlboro.

Spring into the season at Ladew Topiary Gardens in Monkton. Visit the 22-acre garden Saturday as it officially opens for the 2005 season, and see flowering bulbs, shrubs and trees, as well as hundreds of topiary forms. "Opening day features guided house tours, self-guided garden tours and self-guided Nature Walk tours," says Karen Babcock, Ladew's associate director. "Spring bulbs are starting to bloom, and the hundreds of topiary forms throughout the 22 acres always delight visitors of all ages.

Hidden scents Air fresheners are not subtle. You know they're there. Your guests know they're there. Heck, the UPS guy knows they're there. Everybody smells them, and unfortunately everybody sees them. That is, unless you've got the new discreet Renuzit Airlets. The new electric scented-oil air freshener looks like a standard electrical outlet. It simply plugs into any existing outlet and functions as a new dual electrical outlet. With three controllable settings, the Airlets deliver fragrance up to 90 days on low, 60 days on medium and 30 days on high.