Mt Cuba: A Botanical Treasure

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Nestled in the rolling Piedmont  hills of Delaware lies a botanical treasure, Mt Cuba Center.

Strawberry bushes or bursting hearts, Euonymus americanus, line the path to the main house and gardens of Mt Cuba. A visit in the fall, allows you to see these unusual bushes in their full glory. A deciduous shrub, its bumpy red seed pods split open in the fall to reveal bright orange-red seeds.

Spread over 1,000 acres, the garden and research center contains more than 1,000 native species and cultivars. The center showcases plants from the Eastern Temperate Forests with a specific emphasis on flora from the Appalachian Piedmont Region. The center focuses on native plant conservation and ecological education.

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Don’t Put that Hose Way!

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Fall & Winter Watering Tips

Watering properly can mean the difference between a plant thriving or dying. Here is a guide on best practices for watering your garden effectively this fall and winter while conserving water:

Know Your Plants
Match plants to their preferred soil moisture levels: dry, moist or wet. The Missouri Botanical Plant Finder is a great resource if you aren’t sure.

Photo by Andi, Pixabay.

Choose resilient native plants suited to your local climate. Once established, native plants typically require significantly less supplemental water than non-native ones. Plants need to be resilient to survive climate change and the temperature swings that accompany it. Maryland will undoubtedly face greater extremes in weather including droughts, more severe storms and greater flooding in the future.

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Native Gardening: Move Over Exotics, Make Way for Natives

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It’s time to let native plants take the spotlight in your garden. While Europeans quickly fell in love with America’s native flora, many Americans have yet to fully appreciate the treasures in their own backyards. What native plants have you been overlooking? Review some of the thousands of plants that are native to Maryland, from annuals and perennials to shrubs and trees and everything in between!

# PDE-163 | $95 (includes fees: $85) A2 Tue, Thu | Sept. 22 & 24 | 6 – 9 p.m. 2 sessions | Main Campus Instructor: Laura O’Callaghan, a Master Gardener, Ambassador for the Xerces Society for the Conservation of Invertebrates, and website editor of IntheGardenwithLaura.com.

Register Here

Goldenrod (unlike ragweed, does not cause allergies, comes in many heights and styles. It is a critical plant for bees and butterflies in the fall as they prepare for winter.

Photo by Sally and Andy Wasowski, Lady Bird Johnson Wildlife Center.

Native Plants