Yard & Garden

Get ready to celebrate National Pollinator Week (June 16-22, 2025)! Join Madeline Potter, UME Faculty Specialist for Entomology & IPM, for an interactive session to equip you with tools, resources, and creative outreach strategies to support pollinator-themed education during National Pollinator Week. We’ll explore ideas for engaging community events and activities, walk through planning tips, and collaborate in a brainstorming session to spark inspiration. Bring your ideas and let’s build impactful, pollinator-friendly programming together!

Have you noticed something odd about crape myrtles in your area? Have you heard of the invasive crapemyrtle bark scale? Join Madeline Potter, UME Faculty Specialist for Entomology & IPM, to learn about a spreading invasive insect that is impacting many crape myrtles throughout Maryland. During this engaging, science-based session we will bust common myths, learn how to spot crapemyrtle bark scale in the landscape, and talk through sustainable management strategies. We will also explore how this pest ties into the bigger picture of biodiversity and building healthier, more resilient landscapes. Bring your questions—this will be an interactive webinar with Q&A and a hands-on brainstorming activity to help you create outreach tools and strategies for effectively informing your communities about invasive insect pests.

You’ll learn which crops to select, where to get seeds, when to time your planting and techniques to help you produce bountiful and healthy seedlings. Both indoor and outdoor seed starting techniques are explained. You’ll learn about common problems with seed starting and how to avoid them.

This lecture will help you decide what to grow and how to get started, either by starting your plants from seeds or acquiring established plants. It also will discuss caring for your garden, yourself, and the critters that you may encounter.

Queen Anne’s County Master Gardeners are busy getting ready for their 10th Annual Plant Sale slated for Saturday, April 26, 2025, at the University of Maryland Extension-Queen Anne’s County Office (505 Railroad Ave, Centreville, MD 21617) from 8:30-11:30, rain or shine.

In addition to mingling with a group of passionate and knowledgeable gardeners, you can buy plants, introduce the kids to pollinator-friendly gardening, or ask questions about your landscape. You are welcome to request advice about flowers, fruits, vegetable beds, and plants to beautify your yard and provide a friendly habitat for wildlife like songbirds, butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds at our ‘Ask A Master Gardener Plant Clinic.’ Master Gardeners are volunteers trained by the University of Maryland Extension and will help you select the perfect plant for your garden. Maybe you’ve been longing to have some herbs by the kitchen door, find the most unique delicious variety of heirloom tomatoes, or try a new kind of pepper but don’t know how or where to find the plant (like the fish pepper or Chimayo del Norte pepper). Master Gardeners will be there to assist you on your gardening journey. Bring your own wagon to carry your purchases! The proceeds from this event will help support the many community projects and educational programs maintained by the Master Gardeners in Queen Anne’s County.

For further information please call or reasonable accommodations to participate in this event email the University of Maryland Extension Queen Anne’s County, Senior Agent Associate for Horticulture and Master Gardener Coordinator, Rachel J. Rhodes, at 410-758-0166 or rjrhodes@umd.edu by Friday, April 11, 2025, or see us on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/QueenAnnesCountyMasterGardeners

University programs, activities, and facilities are available to all without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, national origin, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, religion, protected veteran status, genetic information, personal appearance, or any other legally protected class.

The delightful hum of lawnmowers is right around the corner. Soon we’ll be tackling outdoor tasks that have been calling our names during the cold winter months. As we transition into warmer days, our 2025 summer “Ask A Master Gardener Plant Clinics” will be traveling around Queen Anne’s County to various events and open houses. This is a great opportunity to have Master Gardeners help with all your questions about gardening, from garden pests, to plant problems, to selecting the perfect native plants, and beneficial insects. Master Gardeners will be on hand to give tips and tricks to make your home garden flourish, help troubleshoot tricky growing situations, and offer encouragement on creating the perfect garden for your space. These events are free and open to the public.
Dates/Topics:
April 19, 2025- It’s Grow Time at An Eastridge Garden (533 Dulin Clark Road Centreville, MD 21617) - Master Gardeners will be on hand to discuss tips and tricks to getting things ready in your garden.
From 10 am to 2 pm

May 3, 2025 – Creating a Bay-Wise Garden at Greenwood Creek Nursery (201 Bennett Point Road Queenstown, MD 21658) Master Gardeners will be on hand to guide you throw gardening to help the Chesapeake Bay.
From 10 am to 2 pm

May 24, 2025-Enhancing your garden with native plants at A Little Farm and Nursery (100 Davidson Drive Stevensville, MD 21666). Master Gardeners will be on hand to discuss picking the right native plant for the right place.
From 10 am to 2 pm

June 7, 2025- If you plant it they will come, Pollinators at Unity Church Hill Nursery (3621 Church Hill Road, Church Hill, MD 21623). Master Gardeners will be on hand to discuss how to add pollinator-friendly plants to your garden!
From 10 am to 2 pm

For further information please call or reasonable accommodations to participate in this event contact the University of Maryland Extension Rachel Rhodes, at (410) 758-0166 or rjrhodes@umd.edu
University programs, activities, and facilities are available to all without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, national origin, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, religion, protected veteran status, genetic information, personal appearance, or any other legally protected class.

University of Maryland celebrates Ag Day 100 at Maryland Day on Saturday, April 26! 

Visit Ag Day Avenue to make new friends at the Campus Farm, grab a plant, discover innovative research, meet student clubs, enjoy live music, try our special Ag Day ice cream, check-out our recently planted tree, and much more as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the original Ag Day! Plus, there will be a special opening ceremony at the farm at 9:30am. 

The Backyard Gardening Webinar Series is a free virtual program designed for gardeners of all levels, offering valuable insights from expert presenters in each session. Hosted via Zoom, these one-hour sessions on Tuesdays at noon are both informative and interactive, providing an opportunity for participants to learn and engage with specialists in the field. Each session covers a specific gardening topic, and at the end of the presentation, there is a Q&A segment where attendees can ask questions and get personalized advice.

Join the Federated Garden Clubs of Maryland (FGCM) for an Earth Day Symposium featuring three of University of Maryland Extension's Faculty members covering topics from ecological landscaping, native plants, and pollinators.

Dr. Stacy Small-Lorenz, Specialist for Residential Landscape Ecology will speak on Ecological Landscaping for a Climate Resistant Watershed.
Lisa Kuder, Native Plants & Landscape Specialist will speak on Beauty, Biodiversity, and Resilience.
Madeline Potter, Faculty Specialist for Entomology & IPM will speak on Protecting Pollinators and Beneficial Insects Amid Climate Change.

Get cozy while learning about how types of tea are grown and looking at tea's connection to American history.