A common-sight, roadside delight
The signs of summer are many on the Eastern Shore and the opening of roadside produce stands ranks high for many people. Being able to indulge in such a plethora of fresh local fruits and vegetables throughout the season is well worth the wait. While driving along a...
Upstarts egg-static over new ventures
Farmers’ markets are wonderful sources for fresh, local edibles, but also, surprising finds not on everyday supermarket shelves. Many vendors delight in offering more than the expected fare, even when it comes to staples such as eggs. Two such innovative area smaller...
Summer music fills the Mid-Shore air
Summer is time to do just about anything outside, especially taking in some great music. Whether you like to listen and lounge or hit the dance floor, there are lots of local spots to check out. Head to downtown Easton for their annual concert series happening many...
Hospital’s horticulture therapy program raises much more than plants
Many people think of their gardens as a calming place, a quiet area that helps think through problems and relieve stress. For a select group of patients at the Eastern Shore Hospital Center in Cambridge, gardening and horticulture is an actual form of therapy and...
Be on guard to thwart common tomato pests
Tomatoes are the most popular plant grown in home vegetable gardens and like other vegetables, there are any number of problems that can interfere with growing a good crop. In Maryland, tomato plants are susceptible to several diseases, pests, and, at times,...
Lipscomb fund continues to leave mark
In 1963, Elizabeth Sheer Lipscomb was a founding member of the Garden Club of the Eastern Shore and served as its first president from 1963-65. She left her club with an endowment which came to be known as The Lipscomb Fund, and its continuing purpose is to be used...
Grow a new gardener: Summer activities for youth
You may be sharing the load when it comes to looking after young grandchildren this summer, and with up to three months to fill with attention-occupying activities, gardening ideas can keep them entertained and instill a love of growing plants that could last a...
Daylilies a real-life color-by-numbers
Daylilies got their latin name, Hemerocallis, from greek terms for “beauty” and “day.” They surely are beautiful but don’t let that “day” part throw you off! They are easy to grow and while a bloom might not last long, the plants produce plentiful blooms to add color...
Woodworkers: Live on edge with ‘higher power’
Making anything out of wood takes tools and plenty of hand work to reach a finished product. Local woodworkers add maintaining a live edge aesthetic to projects also relies on a higher power. Having part of the piece, whether it’s a cutting board, a desk or counter...
Wildflowers ‘make magic’ for wedding
The joy and hard work associated with growing things has always been second nature to Emily Jackson, the namesake of iconic Dorchester County family farm business, Emily’s Produce, now in its 24th season. Even as a youngster, she and younger brother Kyle were involved...
An age-old practice able to track nature’s “new normal”
Each growing season, gardeners yearn to learn the crucial dates indicating spring planting and first frost in fall. Seeking reliable guidelines, growers have regularly referred to the color-coded zone maps printed on the backs of seed packets, or their state Extension...
Summertime’s soundtrack
When summer rolls around, even if you can tucker your kids out enough to hit the hay, there’s still plenty of sounds around from all the critters. “Peepers” can be fun to listen to, but could you actually pinpoint what a “peeper” was? What about the other noises in...
It’s that berry sweet time of the year
Strawberry season is so close we can almost taste the juicy sweetness! While berries get trucked up from the south for the winter and spring, May is when Maryland’s you-pick fields and produce stands wow us with their field-fresh taste and flavor. For the months when...
Frases make ‘flowertainment’ their business
There’s some new entertainment in town, and it sure is colorful! As owner Kate Frase, owner of Vintage Family Farms in Hurlock, says, it’s “flowertainment!” Kate and husband Eric’s venture hopes to not only show off their sustainably grown flowers, but to become a...
Peonies a longtime staple in landscaping
Peonies have long been a garden favorite. In fact, some peony plants themselves have long been a favorite in the same garden for up to 100 years! Beautiful, fragrant and with hardy varieties, once a peony settles in, it can become a long-term piece of a home’s...
Perhaps overlooked, ranunculus can’t be forgotten
Ranunculus surely doesn’t roll off the tongue like “rose” or “daisy,” and might not be the first flower people can identify, but to gardeners and florists, they are a household name. Chances are, even if you aren’t sure what one looks like, you’ve seen them in...
Queen Anne’s County to host Maryland Home and Garden Pilgrimage on May 13
The Maryland Home and Garden Pilgrimage comes to Queen Anne’s County on May 13, making 11 stops at some of the area’s most historic homes and landmarks. Established in 1937, the mission of the Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage is to preserve and to support the...
Spring bulbs are seasonal superstars
There are many signs of spring, but none more exciting to gardeners than the appearance of green shoots from spring bulbs. Crocus often poke out first, then followed by a flush of daffodils, allium, tulips and lilies. For Rachel Rhodes, University of Maryland...
Turn the page and find your book club
In every stage of my life, I’ve always been a reader. In the past few years with little kids who spend their evenings watching silly cartoons on TV on what seems to be a loop, I’m usually reading with a little lamp behind me while they sit in my lap, knocking my book...
When it’s time to part with a tree
Trees are not only treasured parts of our landscape. These silent sentries become deeply embedded in our world, providing shade, shelter, wildlife habitat, and beauty. Even more, trees serve as living calendars and, in a way, keepsakes, connecting us through each...
Oh, deer! Protect plants, property from wily wildlife
There is something instinctual about gardening in the spring. It can be so satisfying to work up the soil in raised beds to prepare for a vegetable garden, watch the bulbs you so carefully planted burst into bloom, or place a beautiful hanging basket on your front...
