Three-season plants always in style
Spring and summer means it’s a prime time for plants flowering and looking their best. Plants that carry their beauty into a third season either with subsequent flowers blooming or distinct foliage can keep a garden or flower bed vibrant. For native plants, Rachel...
Growing lemon, lime, kumquat trees can be fun on Shore
With their bright color, summertime scent and refreshing taste, citrus trees are a tempting pick when seeing them at your local nursery. Christy Little, owner of A Little Farm and Nursery in Stevensville, says while it isn’t all easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy, lemon, lime...
Barndominiums gain popularity
For people of a certain age, hearing, “Were you born in a barn?” as a child usually meant you had left a door open to the great outdoors, letting precious air conditioning out and dastardly flies and mosquitoes in. But as “barndominiums” gain popularity, living in a...
Collecting World War II rationing stamps
(Editor’s note: DeeDee Wood is the owner of Black Cat Curiosities, an online antiques research and sales venue.) After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, the United States entered World War II. This also began the practice of rationing, or conserving...
Blue false indigo a treasure in blue-purple
Blue false Indigo or Baptisia australis is a lovely herbaceous perennial plant that waits until the spring warms the earth before emerging with a large clump of soft colored blue green clover like leaves in May. Each leaf is made of three leaflets, and each leaflet...
Perennials can add versatility, color
Welcome to June, the first month of summer and it is National Perennial Plant Month. Perennial plants offer a low-maintenance planting solution for long lasting beauty. Unlike annual plants that need replanting every season, perennial plants, once they are established...
Pets help us feel better, a tail wag at a time
This time a year ago, my family adopted our first golden retriever — a giant, lovable ball of fluff we affectionately named Adley. He joined our basset hound sisters and two cats at home, instantly doubling the chaos and tripling the joy. While most days, my husband...
Preemptive swat strategies
SIzzling Meals Made for Summer
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...
