Strawberries represent a promise for summertime
When local strawberries are ripe, it’s a good thing. “Strawberries are a fun crop,” says Russ Shlagel, a farmer in Charles County who has grown strawberries for more than 25 years. “They taste good, they’re easy to pick. After being cooped up for the winter, it’s...
Repass helping to revive popularity of tea parties
In the Victorian era, afternoon teas were all the rage with Britain’s upper crust. Draped in etiquette and formalities, the social occasions marked a shift in women’s roles during the era, providing a space for socializing and intellectual exchange. Teas are still...
Blink and you could miss them
Spring brings the return of color to the garden as bulbs bloom, perennials re-emerge, and new annuals settle in. But there’s a less common category of plants that’s also worth knowing: native spring ephemerals. Compared to most garden plants, ephemerals are fleeting,...
After this past long winter, send your houseplants on a summer vacation
Most houseplants are tropical plants that require the warm, somewhat humid conditions of their natural habitat In the home, many can become tired-looking, especially over winter, when even your brightest window provides lower-than-ideal light levels. So why not send...
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Growing asparagus takes time, but worth the wait
Asparagus isn’t the most common vegetable among home gardeners, and that’s likely because growing it is an exercise in patience. But three years of patience is a small price to pay for up to 20 years of relatively effortless tender green shoots. If you’ve never seen...
Have a black thumb? Turn it green!
I joke that I have a “black thumb”— you know, the opposite of a green one. Everyone in my immediate family seems to be able to grow so many beautiful plants and I joke that my house is the grim reaper of anything with stems, leaves or flowers. My mom and sisters can...
No reason to not have a garden
Interest in home-grown fruit and vegetable gardening is continuing to grow. Customers are asking more questions about starting seeds and how and where to grow vegetables. Interest in raised bed gardening, growing vegetables in containers, and even how to use pallets,...
Heartleaf foamflower blooms in May
If your garden has a bit of shade, there is a wonderful small native plant that blooms in May with lovely heart-shaped leaves that thrive all summer long. Tiarella cordifolia’s common name is Heartleaf foamflower because when the plants are in bloom, the flowers look...
Celebrating the tradition of the May pole
(Editor’s note: DeeDee Wood is the owner of Black Cat Curiosities, an online antiques research and sales venue.) Recently, I was in an antique store, and picked up a souvenir cup from a European country, no doubt, with depictions of children holding onto ribbons,...
