Don’t Forget the Parasol

Spring blooming plants should be planted in late summer or early fall. Plants that bloom in the fall should be added to your garden in the spring, for the most part. Check planting dates for specific perennials, shrubs and trees; some plants love to break the rules. You should also give them time to get established before they bloom or the onset of cold weather, notes the University of Maryland Extension.

Transplant perennials on cloudy days to reduce sun and/or heat stress.

Transplant plants, if possible, when they are dormant or just beginning to grow. They can be transplanted when in bloom, if handled with care.

Here are tips from the UME:

• Dig a hole, amend the soil with organic matter if necessary. *
• Fill it with water and let it drain.
• Dig the perennial up carefully, save as large a root ball as possible.
• Place the transplant in the hole and fill with soil.
• Water the transplant, mulch it, and protect it, if necessary, with a cardboard screen.

*Many native plants prefer the soil they naturally grow in such as clay. If the soil is enriched, they will grow too vigorously.

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Gems of Maryland’s

Piedmont Region

What better way to celebrate summer than to showcase some of Maryland’s more than 3,000 native plants.

This series explores plants native to the Piedmont Region, which runs from southern New York to northern Alabama. It includes all of Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, Howard, Montgomery, Baltimore, and Harford counties in Maryland. It extends into Baltimore City and Cecil County, Maryland.

The Northern Highbush Blueberry

Beautiful and tasty

Looking for a beautiful and bountiful shrub? Consider adding the Northern highbush blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum, to your garden. A deciduous shrub, it attracts people, birds and butterflies with its beautiful and delicious flowers and berries. The colorful fall foliage offers an additional bonus.

Blueberry bushes are critical plants. Blueberries are keystone plants, one of 14% of native plants that support 90% of butterfly and moth caterpillar species that terrestrial birds need to feed their young, according to Dr. Doug Tallamay, University of Delaware. These indispensable plants also support many specialist native bee species and wildlife.

Blueberry bushes add beauty and function to any garden. While blueberry bushes can be grown individually and will produce fruit since they self-pollinate, it is best to plant 2 to 3 varieties whose blooming times overlap. The plants will cross pollinate generating a higher yield and larger fruit, according to the Spruce. You can also extend your harvest season from July through mid-September by planting different varieties. (Plant two or three of each variety.)

Continue reading The Northern Highbush Blueberry →

Dr. Doug Tallamy, entomologist, ecologist and conservationist, will give a virtual presentation at the Westminster branch of the Carroll County Public Library Thurs., July 13, 2023, at 6:00 pm.

The event is free and open to the public ages 16 to adult. Attendees must register no later than 6:00 pm on the day of the event, July 13. At the time this was written, there were 107 seats remaining.

Author of a number of books, including Nature’s Best Hope, Tallamy is a professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware.

Continue reading Dr. Doug Tallamy, Renown Ecologist and Entomologist, to Give Virtual Talk at CCPL →