Interested in learning more about native plants and good gardening practices in person? Here are two upcoming events:

Feb. 7: Free North Carroll Library Presentation

“The Joys of Gardening with Natives: Finish Your Winter Chores, Spring Is Coming,” will be held  Tues., Feb. 7, from 6:00-7:00 pm. It will be held in the large meeting room of North Carroll Public Library, 2255 Hanover Pike, Hampstead, MD, 21074.

This presentation is free and open to the public. Laura O’Callaghan, a Master Gardener, will be the speaker. She teaches courses about native plants at Carroll and Howard Community Colleges.  

This talk will offer tips on how to finish your winter chores (like pruning) and get ready for spring. The talk will explain why leaves and stalks shouldn’t be removed until the temperature warms up (you don’t want to kill the pollinators) and the value of No Mow May.

Participants will learn that 5% of native plants provide nearly 75% of the food wildlife consume, among other facts.

The class will also show how to design a garden with colors and a layout that welcomes butterflies and bees and blooms from early spring to late fall.

March 7: The Importance of Being Native: How to Design a Native Garden, Carroll Community College

On Tues., March 7, a three-hour course titled The Importance of Being Native: How to Design a Native Garden will be held from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Offered at Carroll Community College’s main campus, the course will focus on how to create a garden of native plants that attract pollinators and other wildlife from May through October.

Concepts important to native plants such as the definition of natives, “web of life”; and species will be briefly explained. No Mow May and The Homegrown National Park will also be discussed.

Native plants, pollinators and garden design will then take center stage. Learn which plants attract butterflies, bees and birds. Find out how to assess what the types of light, soil, and moisture that plants need to thrive. Discover how to select plants that are suited to your garden from among the hundreds of available native perennials, shrubs and trees.

Finally, draw a garden and fill it with plants native to the region or use some designs that will be provided.

The course is open to the public but advance registration is required. The course costs $49. Carroll Co. residents receive a $10 discount. MD residents receive a $5 discount. Seniors pay the class fees, which are $39.

There are five ways to register: walk in, room A115; phone: 410-386-8100; fax: 410-386-8111; mail: CCC, Continuing Ed & Training, A115, 1601 Washington Rd., Westminster, MD 21157; and online: https://www.carrollcc.edu/admissions-aid/apply-register/continuing-education-registration/ The office is open Mon.-Thurs. from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. or Fri. 8:30 am to 4:30 p.m. For details, contact the college.

Laura O’Callaghan teaches this class. A Master Gardener since 2014, she edits a native plant website, IntheGardenwithLaura.com, and will teach a six-hour class at Howard Community College this summer.