It’s mast season in Maryland
Every fall, Maryland’s forested areas begin producing one of their most important natural food sources: Mast. Some years it’s light, and some years — like this year on many parts of the Mid-Shore, it’s heavy, virtually raining nuts and acorns from the branches. Lou...
Experts explain how to prep a bird-friendly yard for winter
Want to make birds happy without lifting a finger? Skip cleaning your yard in the fall, and the birds will thank you. A yard that hasn’t gone through fall cleanup offers numerous food and habitat resources, which help migrating and residential birds through the...
Rock around the bushel basket Christmas tree
Hallmark movies always feature a picturesque town strung with Christmas lights, but even with all their television glamour, they don’t hold a candle to a charming and crabby Eastern Shore Christmas! From crab pot trees to bushel baskets to PVC trees — Maryland lights...
How, when and why to divide perennials for better blooming
If your spring and early-summer perennials are overgrowing their spaces, blooming less, producing smaller flowers or flopping over (possibly with a hole in their centers), they’re telling you they want to be divided. Crowded plants often struggle because they must...
In the season of trick or treat, choose to treat those close to you
It’s true, holidays demand more and more these days. Halloween is no longer just cutting eye holes in an old bedsheet! One of the latest trends for Halloween and fall season in the past few years is “Boo’ing,” where little items or baskets are secretly left on a...
’Tis the season for your favorite comfort food. … What’s yours?
We are now entering the cozy season. The blankets, the comfy clothes, but perhaps the most exciting is the comfort food! What exactly is “comfort food?” It’s what we picture cozying up with on a nice day at home. Usually it’s warm and hearty, and even the thoughts of...
Monarch Migration: Nature’s extraordinary journey needs our help
Few sights in nature are more remarkable than a Monarch butterfly riding the autumn winds southward, traveling hundreds or even thousands of miles toward a destination it has never seen before. Every year, millions of monarchs participate in one of North America’s...
How to test your lawn for grubs and what to do if you find them
What does it mean when brown patches show up in a perfectly healthy lawn? The truth is, it could be anything from drought to dog urine, fungal diseases, pests or too much fertilizer. But many homeowners automatically blame grubs. The problem with this is that it’s...
Paddle through the hidden Shore
When it’s just too hot for running or biking, it may be time to hit another kind of trail. The Eastern Shore offers miles and miles of trails for paddleboarding and kayaking through its scenic waterways. Paddling is a fantastic yet low impact workout that also lets...
ADUs: mall structures, big impact
Mother-in-law suite, backyard cottage, Granny flat or Casita. Call it what you will, but an Accessory Dwelling Unit — a secondary livable structure built on the same parcel as a primary single-family unit could be more commonplace in the years to come on the...
Let’s dig a little deeper
Now that the gardening season is in full swing, so is the bad advice. There is no shortage of social media “experts” doling out “genius gardening hacks,” and well-intended friends who, frankly, don’t know what they’re talking about. Their tips might sound brilliant on...
Some veggies do well in shadier spots
Conventional wisdom says vegetable gardens need full sun, but a productive garden doesn’t always require the recommended six to eight hours of direct sunlight. If fences, trees or your house cast shade on your soil, growing vegetables won’t be out of reach if you...
Spotted Lanternflies: Stomp them out!
The spotted lanternfly won’t bite or sting you, but state officials, farmers and plant lovers want you to kill any on site. Spotted Lantern fly (Lycorma delicatula) is a planthopper native to eastern Asia. In 2014 a stone shipment was sent to Berks County PA with...
Learning to barbecue on a budget?
Summer time is the season to get out of the kitchen and get to barbecuing! Unfortunately, while we’ve all been waiting for the temperature to go up, the food prices have too. Don’t let it ruin your dinner - you can still wear your “King of the Grill” apron on a...
Flowers endure hot, dry summers better if you choose these plants
When summer temperatures soar, we humans can take shelter indoors. Our garden plants, however, have no such respite. Some may droop, wilt or get crispy, while others may simply refuse to bloom. Although there’s not much we can do to counter extreme weather, we can...
Baked goods on Shore a secret no more!
We’ve all known the folks in the neighborhood who are amazing bakers. With recently updated cottage bakery laws, their talents will be hidden no more!. In Maryland, it is now easier for home bakers to earn more income, offer more of a variety and sell from their...
June known for lavender fields forever
June and early summer are peak season for lavender, when fields of purple blooms begin to flower across much of the region. On Maryland’s Eastern Shore, lavender reaches its most vibrant stage from early June through July, drawing visitors to farms for festivals and...
Get a surprisingly big harvest from a windowsill or balcony garden
Short on space? Consider microgardening. Although the term might conjure thoughts of minuscule garden gnomes and fairies, the reality is quite the opposite. You can get a surprisingly high yield from a small space, even a windowsill or balcony, if you plant it right....
NGC Standard Flower Show on June 18
The Eastern Shore has an abundance of active National Garden Clubs, and on June 18, they’ll team up to showcase the best of the best in a NGC Standard Flower Show. The show will be held at the Packing House in Cambridge, the building being a project in itself to see,...
Strawberry pots aren’t just for the fruit
You’ve seen them — those odd planters that look like buildings with windows and balconies on their sides. Maybe you’ve planted strawberries in them. Or maybe you’ve just never understood them Typically made of terracotta, the pots are usually tall and urn-shaped, but...
Disc-cover golf another way
There’s the crack of the bat in baseball, the swoosh of the net in basketball, ... and for disc golf? It is the jangle of the chains when the disc hits the cup. You may have seen disc golf and its chain link baskets when visiting parks or recreation areas, and it may...






