gardening

"My goal was to have 100 family members and friends at my grandmother's 100th birthday celebration, " said Suzie Mendoza about Alice Bertela Orlando, an Ellicott City resident at Lighthouse Senior Living.

Although the spring season may seem shorter this year because of its late arrival, outdoor activities are here already; this month marks the beginning of three annual open-air events in Sykesville.

Ellicott City briefs

Here are the U.S. Department of Agriculture's seven simple steps to stop the spread of invasive plants, pests and diseases.

"Invasive" doesn't mean garden-variety nuisance — it means a foreign invader spreading aggressively until it has destroyed environment, economy, even human health.

Pay a visit to the seventh annual Daffodil Day at Whipps Cemetery on Saturday, April 12.

Folly Quarter Middle School eighth grade student Laura McAllister has received the prestigious Lynn Collins Award in Mathematics.

The Suburban Maryland Spring Home Show comes to the Howard County Fairgrounds in West Friendship on April 4, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., April 5, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and April 6, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

An easy indoor way to test for the viability of old seed is to plant some in potting soil. Water it and see how well it germinates.

Anne Arundel County datebook

Three of the fine fescues are the most shade tolerant: creeping red, chewings and hard fescue

Asparagus is hardy harbinger of spring season.

An award-winning landscape designer brings a touch of the Caribbean to a Kingsville couple

March closes with these birthdays: Charlie Immel (March 22); Courtney Tramontana (March 27); and Chad Deal and J. Elwood Payne (March 29). Happy birthday you all!

Retaining lower limbs and not pruning a tree into a high, sharp V shape will lessen broken branches.

The Laurel Community Garden is gearing up for a second season, and organizers say this one promises to be bigger and better than the first.

Discula anthracnose was a fungal disease that slowly killed many dogwoods — particularly stressed ones — in full sun and poor soil. However, because of the genetic diversity of the dogwood, this disease is no longer the rampant threat it once was

Howard County datebook

Howard County datebook

You can do a simple home test by planting annual ryegrass seed in two containers, one filled with suspect soil and the other with healthy soil.

Garden registration and plot leasing have begun for the coming growing season in the Laurel Community Garden. Registration is held weekdays during regular business hours at the Laurel Municipal Center, 8103 Sandy Spring Road.

You can't put the trees into the ground until the soil is workable, meaning it's dry enough so a clump crumbles in your hand when squeezed

Jane W. Dickinson, a retired executive secretary and community activist, died Feb. 13 from complications of a stroke at Blakehurst Retirement Community in Towson. She was 94.

Organic matter in landfills decomposes in an anaerobic (oxygen-poor) situation, which causes it to release methane — a greenhouse gas. Your own compost pile will not.

Some evergreen species tolerate deer "pruning" well and put out new growth in spring, although lower branches won't bounce back as fast as upper branches would

Creating winter interest in the garden

Big composting productions use large machinery to turn the manure as it composts to keep it properly aerated; sometimes this is done on a macadam or gravel surface and rocks can get mixed in.

Pruning stimulates new growth, but you can control the direction of the growth. The trick is to select a leaf bud that is pointing in whatever direction you want growth to go.

What can I do outdoors when we have a surprise nice day? I'm itching to garden

Maryland home and garden tips

Over the decades, Americans have lost sight that our gardens and yards are living, breathing ecosystems that can contribute to or degrade our natural environment. Consequently, many of our most familiar plants have little value to wildlife and our yards are squandered opportunities. This year, do yourself and the planet a favor and resolve to make your garden much more than a decorative extension of your house. Add native plants to your landscape.

Gardening tips in Maryland

Maryland garden tips

Maryland garden help

Maryland garden tips

Howard County is expanding its composting program to Clarks Glen and other neighborhoods in Clarksville and parts of Columbia, where of about 3,800 households, some 1,200 requested the free green bin.

Maryland garden tips

Maryland garden and pest questions

Maryland garden tips

Maryland garden tips

Glenelg High School Silks director Jennifer Blizzard Sisk seeks new members to the color guard at the high school.