Love Parks, Hate Invasives?
Be a Weed Warrior

Weed Warriors are needed to help remove invasive, non-native weeds from two local parks in Carroll County, MD: Piney Run and Bear Branch. Volunteers are needed for one or more of four dates in July. The schedule is as follows:

Piney Run
Sat., July 14      10 a.m. – noon
Tues., July 17     9 a.m. – noon

Bear Branch
Wed., July 11    10 a.m. – noon
Fri., July 13         10 a.m. – noon
If you would like to be a Weed Warrior, please contact Bethany at ccforestyboard@gmail.com.

Countless flowers, plants, exhibits, vendors, and gallons of water have been removed from the Philadelphia Convention Center. The 2018 Philadelphia Flower Show, whose theme was “Wonders of Water,” has officially ended after a glorious week early in March that drew hundreds of thousands of visitors.

Continue reading Save the Date: Philadelphia Flower Show 2019 →

As spring approaches, so does the opportunity to plant trees. The challenge is to choose the right one. You have lots of choices. Of the more than 60,000 species that grow worldwide, 60 are native to Maryland.

 This blog, the second in a three-part series, focuses on smaller trees, those typically under 35 feet.

Small Trees

Small trees have a single trunk and typically grow from 15 to 35 feet tall. Their crown spreads from 15 to 25 feet wide. They tend to have a shorter life span than taller trees but they can thrive for decades.

Shrubs have multiple stems and tend to be under 15 feet tall. Some plants, like the Fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus), is called either a shrub or a tree depending on whether it has multiple trunks or one.  While these definitions assist in classifying trees, they are not universally accepted. Trees and shrubs do not always adhere to these definitions either.

Continue reading Small Trees, Garden Stars →