Baltimore County Master Gardeners of University of Maryland

05/29/2026

This week, a lovely property in Cockeysville was certified. Owned by Anna and David, this property is in the Loch Raven Reservoir watershed. They have constructed an impressive deer fence, installed beautiful raised beds to grow vegetables, and have gotten rid of a myriad of invasives. They are gradually adding all kinds of native plants to their garden beds. What a joy it was to visit their property! Want to certify your yard as Bay-Wise? Check out the Bay-Wise program here: https://extension.umd.edu/locations/baltimore-county/home-gardening-master-gardeners/

05/28/2026

Hoping to become Bay-Wise certified yourself, but not sure where to start? Attend our upcoming virtual presentation all about the Maryland Living Landscape Metric on Tuesday, June 2nd at 6pm. We'd love to see you online! Register here: https://umd.zoom.us/meeting/register/APH5W_t5S5qdkwsUyHMlkw

Congratulations to Ryan of Towson (Loch Raven sub-watershed of Gunpowder watershed), who not only recently passed his test to finish coursework to become a Master Gardener, but also had his home landscape certified as Bay-Wise. Ryan received a particularly high score on his Maryland Living Landscape Metric (MLLM) because he very effectively recycles yard and kitchen waste with composting, manages water on his property with redirected downspouts and a lovely stream restoration, and conserves and plants lots of native plants. Because he does not use pesticides and plants for continuous blooms his yard is a haven for pollinators. Thanks, Ryan. You will be a great Master Gardener!

05/27/2026

RESTORING NATURE: Spraying pesticides for mosquitoes seems like an easy solution, but that procedure is not particularly effective. Fogging affects only about ten percent of adult mosquitoes and not their larvae, while killing pollinators and many beneficial insects as well.
Strategies for enjoying your yard without spraying include:
• Using fans on a patio or deck to keep mosquitoes at bay
• Wearing pants and long sleeves
• Applying a mosquito repellent with DEET, Picaridin, Lemon Oil of Eucalyptus, or IR-3535 (Merck 3535)
• Applying permethrin to clothing only (clothes, boots, shoes) or buying clothes pre-treated with permethrin

05/27/2026

Congratulations to Ryan of Towson (Loch Raven sub-watershed of Gunpowder watershed), who not only recently passed his test to finish coursework to become a Master Gardener, but also had his home landscape certified as Bay-Wise. Ryan received a particularly high score on his Maryland Living Landscape Metric (MLLM) because he very effectively recycles yard and kitchen waste with composting, manages water on his property with redirected downspouts and a lovely stream restoration, and conserves and plants lots of native plants. Because he does not use pesticides and plants for continuous blooms his yard is a haven for pollinators. Thanks, Ryan. You will be a great Master Gardener!

05/26/2026

The Green Lacewing may look delicate, but its larvae are fierce predators nicknamed “aphid lions” for a reason. A single larva can devour up to 500 aphids in just a few weeks — making these tiny insects powerful natural pest controllers for gardens and greenhouses.

From silk-thread egg nurseries to clever spider-web escapes and camouflage made from dried aphid bodies (!), Green Lacewings are full of surprising survival tricks.

Discover more about these beautiful insects are some of nature’s most effective garden helpers by reading this article written by a Master Gardener: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IH4Uu9Rky-6D3ht-bg6JD1BOjbmwK3up/view?usp=sharing

05/23/2026

Five plants people pull out of the yard are the only nursery for the caterpillars that become the butterflies you want to see.
Adult butterflies drink from many flowers. Their caterpillars often feed on one plant only.

🦋 Pipevine — heart-shaped climbing vine. The only food pipevine swallowtail caterpillars can eat. The toxins carry into the adult butterfly, making it poisonous to birds for life.

Spicebush — woodland shrub, leaves smell like citrus when crushed. Spicebush swallowtail caterpillars live here disguised as tiny green snakes with fake eyespots.
Pawpaw — small understory tree with tropical-looking leaves. The only host for zebra swallowtail caterpillars in the eastern states.

Hackberry — rough bark, asymmetrical leaves. Hosts caterpillars for four butterfly species at once — hackberry emperor, tawny emperor, question mark, and mourning cloak.

Wild cherry — fast-growing, peeling bark, white spring blossoms. Hosts eastern tiger swallowtail, cecropia moth, promethea moth, and hundreds of other species. One of the most productive caterpillar trees in North America.

The butterfly is the announcement. The caterpillar is the years of work 🌿
Shared from the Guardians of Nature

05/23/2026

RESTORING NATURE: While some native bees can make use of nectar and pollen from a wide variety of plants, other species, referred to as oligolectic, can only make use of one genus—or even one species—of plant to provision nests for their young. In the eastern United States approximately 190 of 770 species of native bees (almost 25%) are pollen specialists.
In our region, the plant genera that provide the greatest support to these bees are:
• Goldenrods (Solidago) which support 40 specialists
• Sunflowers (Helianthus) which support 36 specialists
• Asters (Symphyotrichum) which support 33 specialists
• Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia) which support 28 specialists
• Other genera of value to specialists are Chrysopsis (19), Coreopsis (17), Salix (14), Verbesina (14), Cirsium (11), and Vaccinium (10).
To ensure survival of these specialists, it is essential to include these plants in our gardens.
(Inset photo by Brooke Alexander, USGS)

Share from Virginia Cooperative Extension - Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia

05/23/2026

Pepper plants hardening off A short post today, in which I make my annual plea to hold off on planting summer vegetables until it’s warm enough. Please – your garden will thank you later! We have s…

05/23/2026

2026 is Grow It Eat It’s Year of Container Gardening! Growing in containers (pots, planters, boxes, bags, etc.) is one of the best approaches for vegetable gardening beginners. It’s also a terrific…