Native Plants

It's our first major garden, and we planted all cucurbits (pumpkins, gourds, butternut, acorn and spaghetti squash). Then we had a major squash vine borer invasion. We rescued many vines by making a vertical slice in the stem, killing the borer, and then mounding dirt over the wound. Is there any other organic way to combat the borer? To reduce the number of squash vine borers for next season, clean up all plant debris at season's end. Till your soil in the fall, and again in spring, to kill overwintering pupae.

Fort Meade spouse job fair The third annual Fort George G. Meade Military Spouse Job Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, May 8, at McGill Training Center, 8452 Zimborski Ave. on the post. The event is open to all military spouses, active duty, retired and reservist, Department of Defense ID card holders and Federal ID card holders. Bring copies of resume. Information: 301-677-9017 or 410-674-5240. Free arboretum admission Adkins Arboretum will celebrate the American Public Gardens Association's fifth annual National Public Gardens Day by waiving admission fees Friday, May 10, at 12610 Eveland Road in Ridgely.

If you are a procrastinator like I am, and are lucky enough to live in close proximity to the maternal units you plan to celebrate on Sunday, then consider gifts of native plants instead of cut flowers or arrangements. Cylburn Arboretum will hold its annual Market Sale tonight and Saturday, with vendors selling wildflowers and native plants that should be adapted to the native climate --- meaning they won't require green thumbs or excess care to make them thrive. You might find it more convenient to hit Blue Water Baltimore's nursery sale on Sunday.

I want to plant a butterfly garden for my grandchildren. What plants would you suggest beyond butterfly bush? While butterfly bush quickly comes to mind, it is not the best by itself. It provides nectar but no food for the other life stage of butterflies, i.e. caterpillar. No caterpillars means no butterflies, so caterpillar food sources are important. Butterflies evolved feeding upon native plants, and some species can be very particular, only eating one type of plant. For shrubs and trees, you can try summersweet (clethra)

Q. I moved to Baltimore from California and know nothing about the native plants that can be used in home landscapes. Where do I begin? A. Order a copy of the new Maryland Cooperative Extension publication "Maryland Native Plants: What, When, and Where" (HG No.120, $3 / copy) from the Web site or telephone number below. It classifies hundreds of native plants by growth habit and requirements. Call and visit local nurseries to find those with the best selections of natives, and visit Cylburn Arboretum, Irvine Natural Science Center and other local public gardens with native plant displays.

Perhaps the best thing about the summer of '99 was that it was too dry for Japanese beetles. The summer drought was a whopper, followed so far by a wet, blustery fall. Plants withered, flowers died and trees crashed to the ground.Gardeners are accustomed to dealing with nature's force, but these days have tested even the hardiest among us. Yet good gardeners know there are lessons to be learned from the earth -- and elements -- even during challenging times."The most important thing we've learned ... is that water is a luxury," says William Stine, chief horticulturist for Baltimore's Department of Recreation and Parks.

Planning a garden is like planning a good dinner party: Balanced diversity of both participants and menu enhances the experience for everyone involved. It also means that, instead of resting entirely on one frazzled host or overworked gardener, success is the result of collaboration. "The organisms in a garden form a community of interconnectedpopulations whose whole is far greater - and far more interesting - than the sum of its parts," note Steven B. Carroll and Steven D. Salt in Ecology for Gardeners (Timber Press, 2004, $29.95)

Baltimore's revitalized waterfront draws millions of visitors a year, but could it ever be a place where people actually take a dip? Or catch fish? That's the vision of a local group that wants to make Baltimore's harbor swimmable and fishable within a decade. The Waterfront Partnership, a nonprofit group funded by a tax surcharge on commercial properties along the harbor, plans to unveil its proposal this week for "floating wetlands" that filter and oxygenate polluted water and other projects from installing urns for cigarette butts to adding trees and native plants.

The Irvine Natural Science Center is sponsoring a conference Thursday for the amateur and professional gardener, landscape designer, forester, horticulturist, nurseryman and anyone else who also is concerned about the environment."

Fort Meade spouse job fair The third annual Fort George G. Meade Military Spouse Job Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, May 8, at McGill Training Center, 8452 Zimborski Ave. on the post. The event is open to all military spouses, active duty, retired and reservist, Department of Defense ID card holders and Federal ID card holders. Bring copies of resume. Information: 301-677-9017 or 410-674-5240. Free arboretum admission Adkins Arboretum will celebrate the American Public Gardens Association's fifth annual National Public Gardens Day by waiving admission fees Friday, May 10, at 12610 Eveland Road in Ridgely.

They pulled, scraped and snipped, chatting about the satisfaction of giving nature a boost as well as the task of checking themselves for ticks. In a little more than two hours on Tuesday morning, these dozen volunteers working alongside Howard County parks staffers had offered TLC to about 300 young trees and shrubs, planted eight more saplings and removed invasive plants in a low-lying section of the Middle Patuxent Environmental Area. A similar event takes place once a month for much of the year in the 1,051-acre parkland under a longtime Conservation Stewardship Program coordinated with the county's master gardeners, volunteers who are part of the University of Maryland Extension Service.

The Harford County Department of Public Works, in partnership with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the University of Maryland – Master Gardeners and the Harford County Library, will be holding a rain garden workshop at Abingdon Library Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Registration is required. For more information, visit http://www.hcplonline.info or call 410-638-3990. The focus of the workshop will be how homeowners can create rain gardens in their own backyards.

Before Barry Glassman could begin his garden, he first had to find the ground. His row house had been an apartment building and the yard next door a dump for the residents' refuse for 20 years. In 1996, he bought the property and began the transformation. The first step, says Glassman who is retired from the banking and investment business, was to remove the trash — 40 contractor-size bags of it. He had no set plan in the beginning. "I knew enough to go out and rent the biggest Rototiller I could find," he says.

If you are a procrastinator like I am, and are lucky enough to live in close proximity to the maternal units you plan to celebrate on Sunday, then consider gifts of native plants instead of cut flowers or arrangements. Cylburn Arboretum will hold its annual Market Sale tonight and Saturday, with vendors selling wildflowers and native plants that should be adapted to the native climate --- meaning they won't require green thumbs or excess care to make them thrive. You might find it more convenient to hit Blue Water Baltimore's nursery sale on Sunday.

Sunday, Aug. 1 'The Fantasticks' This musical romantic play is presented by the Children's Theatre of Annapolis at 2 p.m. at 1661 Bay Head Road, Annapolis. Additional performances will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 7, and 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 4, Thursday, Aug. 5, Friday, Aug. 6, and Saturday, Aug. 7. Tickets are $25-$35. Showtimes and information: 410-757-2281 or childrenstheatreofannapolis.org. 'Living Lawnmowers' Watch a herd of 40 goats return to Hancock's Resolution Park to graze in the forest, eating invasive vines and giving native seedlings a chance to take root, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Take a free tour of the historic farmhouse on the property.

Over here, reddish-bronze flowers of a little columbine nod in the breeze. And over there, a scrawny azalea is sprouting new leaves. They are among plants in a new student-built rain garden at Brooklyn Park Middle School, an eighth-grade project that entwined everything from English and science classroom studies to service learning hours and getting dirty outside. "One of the main ways you can conserve water is by having a rain garden," said 13-year-old Octavia James, pointing out aspects of the garden that will be dedicated in a ceremony Tuesday at the Anne Arundel County public school.

The garden catalogs have begun arriving all over the country. Even in cities and towns with snow on the ground, gardeners are beginning to dream of spring.If you're a planting fanatic, it's time for your annual reminder to "grow native" this year. You don't have to go to the rainforests to protect endangered species. You can save them in your own back yard by growing plants that are indigenous to your area.Over the last 200 years, agriculture and urban sprawl have destroyed millions of acres of native habitats in North America.

Reds, Whites and Bluegrass If you enjoy great wine and the rhythm of bluegrass music, Boordy Vineyards is the place to be Sundays through Sept. 28. Celebrate the grape harvest while tasting Boordy wine and listening to live bluegrass performances. Bread, cheese and other food will be available at the afternoon events. The Stoney Creek Bluegrass Band will be featured at this week's festival, which costs $8 for adults and $4 for children ages 2-12. Boordy Vineyards is at 12820 Long Green Pike, Hydes.

Baltimore's revitalized waterfront draws millions of visitors a year, but could it ever be a place where people actually take a dip? Or catch fish? That's the vision of a local group that wants to make Baltimore's harbor swimmable and fishable within a decade. The Waterfront Partnership, a nonprofit group funded by a tax surcharge on commercial properties along the harbor, plans to unveil its proposal this week for "floating wetlands" that filter and oxygenate polluted water and other projects from installing urns for cigarette butts to adding trees and native plants.

Today 'Color, Line & Form: Acrylic and Mixed Media Abstracts' Two-person exhibit featuring work by Laurence Chandler and Tom Lorsung, is on display through Saturday at Slayton House Gallery, 10400 Cross Fox Lane in Columbia. Hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Closed Sundays. Call 410-730-3987 or 301-596-4883. Art exhibits Exhibitions of hand-built ceramic pieces are on display through April 14 at Howard Community College's Rouse Co. Foundation Gallery and Art Department Gallery, 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia.