Seedlings

Here are three ways to get seedlings started:1. Save and wash three or four small yogurt containers and poke drainage holes in the bottom. Fill 3/4 -full with potting soil. Poke a hole in the soil in each container and drop in a seed. Mist with water.2. Place three or four peat pellets (available at garden shops) on a dish and gradually add warm water. When the pellets are fully expanded (about 20 minutes), pour off excess water. Poke a seed in each pellet. Label each pellet.3. The easiest way to watch seeds sprout is to set each one on damp cotton on the bottom of a clear glass jar. Keep the cotton moist.

Since 1941, when it was officially designated as such by the Maryland General Assembly, the Wye Oak on the Eastern Shore has been the official state tree. No one quite knows the age of the white oak, which is 104 feet high, has a horizontal spread of 160 feet and a trunk that measures 32 feet in circumference. It is guessed to be at least 400 years old.However, time is running out on this giant, one of the largest white oaks in the nation. Reports have been circulating for years that the famous tree is dying but no one knows for sure when that will occur.

For $25, the state of Maryland is selling Christmas gifts that last a lifetime. Make that several lifetimes.Planted in two neat rows at the Buckingham Forest Tree Nursery in Harmans are what may be the last saplings from the 450-year-old Wye Oak, the nation's largest white oak. State officials are hoping to seed the country with them.Experts believe that before an oak tree dies, it produces one last load of acorns, said Michael Grant, marketing supervisor for the state Forest Service. Two years ago, the Wye Oak dropped acorns from which 12,000 seedlings sprouted.

PALERMO, N.J. --- When Phil Dubruille retired from his casino carpentry job seven years ago, he quickly decided how he would spend his time: He'd sit and watch the grass grow.Dune grass, that is. Somebody's got to grow the stuff ` it doesn't just sprout up on its own.Somebody's got to take little dune-grass seedlings and put them in sandy ground, and water and fertilize them for a whole year.Somebody's got to yank up the weeds that choke them. And somebody's got to furnish the fully grown stalks to shore towns, which put the tall, slinky grass on the beaches to keep the sand dunes from eroding.

Seedlings to be planted at BWI for Earth MonthAs part of the state's recognition of Earth Month, Gov. William Donald Schaefer announced yesterday that the Maryland Aviation Administration (MAA) of the state Department of Transportation will begin planting 2,300 seedlings at Baltimore-Washington International Airport today, weather permitting.The seedlings will be the start of an airport reforestation program that by May 1 of next year is intended to have more than 23,000 seedlings planted on BWI property.

My garden chores start around bedtime. So what if it's dark outside? I'm off to the basement to play with my plants.In early spring, the basement is greener than the back yard. All my young herb, flower and vegetable plants are still growing indoors. Here, one finds a battalion of sturdy seedlings, bathed in fluorescent light and awaiting their marching orders.The strongest plants are garden-bound, and will be sent to the front lines. Other plants will be held in reserve, pending sneak attacks by weather or wildlife.

Last week, its boughs were decorated with ornaments and lights that reflected the warmth and splendor of Christmas. But today, the tree is slumped in a corner, shedding pine needles, and you're looking for an environmentally sound way to get rid of it.Well, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and recycling officials in Baltimore and Baltimore County may have the solution to your problem.Baltimore will operate several sites where people can exchange their Christmas trees for mulch.

UNION BRIDGE -- With money from the Green Shores program, the town hopes to turn 35 acres of grass and weeds into a park.The park, which would be at the northern entrance to Union Bridge along Route 75, would surround Little Pike Creek and offer a verdant welcome with hundreds of trees and nature trails.Green Shores, the state's buffer incentive program, encourages forest planting and maintenance along the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries."We have Little Pipe Creek, a really nice tributary, right here in town," said county planner Steven C. Horn.