Remember, as a child, going outside after dinner and being amazed at the sudden lightshow of lightning bugs?
I felt that same awe and joy when I recently re-discovered these fascinating show-offs looking for love in our backyard. Maybe you’ve had the pleasure of seeing them too. Here are some highlights from what I’ve learned about them.
Continue reading Fireflies: Magical Summer LightsAs summer days grow shorter, gardens often flag unless you have some strong season finishers. White turtlehead, Chelone glabra, is just such a plant.
This perennial offers a lovely touch of white that looks elegant when paired with blue lobelia, Lobelia siphilitica; Joe-Pye weed, Eutrochium purpureum; asters; grasses; and other plants that like moist soil.
A native of Maryland, it brings a fresh touch of cool white color to gardens, woods, stream banks, and swamps during the hot days of August and September.
Continue reading A Strong Season Finisher: White TurtleheadAnd Grow Your Garden at CCC This Fall
Fall can seem like a time of endless chores. It doesn’t have to be.
In a class titled “Put Your Garden to Bed: Plant, Prune, Pull, Protect, & Plan,” garden maintenance will be discussed. The course aims to help you streamline fall chores and know when you need to do what. This two-evening course will be held at Carroll Community College’s main campus.
How, when and why to prune native species will be explored. Elm trees, for example, should only be pruned during the coldest days of January and February while hollies prefer a trim in late winter or early spring.
Ever wonder when and how to add plants to your garden? Fall is an excellent time to plant native perennials, specifically spring-blooming ones, as well as shrubs and trees. Adding plants to a garden in the fall allows them to build up their root systems before the stresses of summer.
The class will explore other subjects ranging from invasive plants, how to help pollinators survive the winter to the challenge of deer. The class will briefly explore how to start planning new design ideas for spring.
By the end of the course, you’ll know how to help your garden and its pollinators through the colder months, ensuring a healthy, vibrant garden come spring.
The class costs $70 (includes a $60 fee), # PDE-172.
Carroll County residents deduct $10 per course. Maryland non-Carroll County residents deduct $5 per course. Maryland senior adults pay fees only.
The class will be held Tues. and Thurs., Sept. 23 and 25 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm (two sessions), on Carroll Community College’s main campus. The instructor is Laura O’Callaghan.
To register, click here and go to page 49.
Photo by Matthias Boeckel, Pixabay.
