President's Letter - April 2025

Well, it’s officially spring with warm weather and longer days beckoning us out into the garden. It’s also officially the beginning of our volunteer season and we have lots of activities to connect us with our community. I encourage you all to consider volunteering at one of our 12 plant clinics, an April or May community event, or at one of our six demonstration gardens.

I’d like to recognize our Speakers Bureau organizers, MGs Allen Perper, John Thomas, and Sharon LaVallee, for connecting our MG speakers with garden clubs, schools, and libraries for presentations. I’ve been able to attend a few of our speaker talks in person, and they were very informative and professionally presented.

I want to send a note of thanks to all MGs as we work to order and receive materials in a timely manner. As a reminder, when MGs pick up materials in the Ballard room, please use the sign-out sheet to record your name and the items you are picking up. We thank you for your patience as we work through this process.

I appreciate everyone's commitment to the MCMG's mission and hope that you will be able to volunteer for some of the upcoming activities. I look forward to seeing you soon!

Linda

Working at Brookside Gardens

By MG Alison Edwards

Brookside Gardens is an oasis of beauty in the heart of Montgomery County and a center for educating the public about natural ecosystems. As such, it is a major attraction for MGs who want to contribute to the missions of both Brookside and the MCMG program. Here is some basic information that you need to know about volunteering there.  

Up front you need to know that, whether you volunteer at Brookside Gardens in your capacity as an MG or on your own time, you will be required to set up a Montgomery Parks volunteer account and get a free Montgomery Parks background check. Montgomery Parks, which is a department of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, does not accept other background checks and the MG program has no control over this. These requirements are usually very easy to carry out and you will see instructions about what to do when you sign up.

How to earn MCMG volunteer hours at Brookside Gardens

• Brookside Gardens Plant Clinics are MCMG-sponsored activities that Brookside allows us to carry out on their grounds. They are held three times per week during the growing season.

As an aside, I served at just one MG plant clinic at Brookside Gardens last year, but that was enough for me to be included on a list of Brookside volunteers who get invited to special volunteer-only events! So far these have included a preview night for the Garden of Lights on the Tuesday before last Thanksgiving, a spring brunch in March, and a plant exchange planned for May.    

Other ways to work with Brookside Gardens

Montgomery Parks, and Brookside Gardens in particular, welcomes volunteers for many other types of activities. Anyone is welcome to join in as they are able; however, none of the activities below may be claimed on VMS for MCMG volunteer hours. If you participate, you will be expected to enter your time into the Montgomery Parks tracking system. Such activities include:

• Butterfly Experience Docent

• Earth Month Family Celebration, Garden of Lights, and other public-facing activities

• General gardening/planting/weeding

MGs often wonder why these activities may not be counted toward their yearly MCMG volunteer hour obligation, especially since there has been some ability to do that in years past. The concern is that some MGs would choose to work many—or even all—of their required hours at Brookside Gardens. Volunteers for the Butterfly Experience in particular must commit to a minimum of 10 visits of three hours each. That could potentially cause staffing shortages for major MCMG education events such as the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair, Garden Discovery Day, Harvest Festival, and Close Encounters with Agriculture.

If you are ever unsure about whether your Brookside Gardens volunteer hours can be counted for MCMG credit, be sure to direct your question to MCMG Coordinator Steve Dubik, and not to Brookside Gardens staff.

All photos: MG Len Friedman

Confessions from My Garden

By MG Pat Kenny

It was the summer of 2023, and all was going well in our deer-fenced garden, pictured here facing south.

The elecampane (Inula helenium) and Tithonia rotundifolia were showing their colors …

The hummingbird feeder (shown here floating above some Salvia guaranitica) was set to attract those lovely little pollinators …

We allowed some volunteer morning glories to thrive next to the potted Rosa rugosa in the center, while the volunteer butternut squash (at left) was climbing the deer fence out of the compost pile to the west.

But what was this? Oh, the shock! Hidden from view from outside the garden, our best and tallest sunflower had fallen over before having a chance to set a bloom.

During planting a month or so earlier, I had added a stick to support the sunflower, with jute to secure it. Due to my own inattention, the fast-growing sunflower base got girdled by the jute. When the plant grew heavy with top foliage, the winds were easily able to snap it off.

Lesson learned: pay attention to your garden!

All photos: MG Pat Kenny