“Tributary,” by Liz Donadio received first prize in Adkins Arboretum’s 20th annual Juried Art Show.

There’s mystery, beauty and food for thought in Discovering the Native Landscapes of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Adkins Arboretum’s 20^th annual Juried Art Show. On view in the Arboretum’s Visitor’s Center through March 30, this exhibit was juried by Julie Wills, Assistant Professor of Studio Art and Interim Director of the Kohl Gallery at Washington College. Both she and the artists will be on hand for a reception on Sat., Feb. 16 from 3 to 5 p.m. to talk with visitors about the work in the show.

From 135 entries submitted for this show, Wills chose 21 works that she felt offered an opportunity to consider not just the beauty of the Eastern Shore but also the ways we humans encounter and interact with the natural landscape.

“As it started to come together, I began seeing a more nuanced approach to landscape as a genre that goes beyond the idyllic or pastoral and acknowledges human occupation or mixed uses of landscape,” she explained.

The show has a fascinatingly wide range of work—from Takoma Park artist Joyce Jewell’s dreamy “Star Swept Sky,” with its splintery forest and row of shadowy barns, to the whirling animation of a pair of sculptures made of twigs and driftwood by Marcia Wolfson Ray of Baltimore. Including oil, watercolor and gouache paintings, there are also works made with a variety of photographic and printmaking techniques.

Wills awarded the annual first-prize Leon Andrus Award, named in honor of the Arboretum’s first benefactor, to Liz Donadio of Baltimore for her elegant digital print, “Tributary.” Second prize went to “St. Michaels Road at the Bypass: Easton Edit,” a combination drawing and photograph by Joe Minarick of Easton, and Honorable Mention to Baltimore artist Karen Klinedinst for “Frozen Marsh,” a tiny, exquisitely detailed photographic print on vellum and silver leaf.

Wills was intrigued by how “Tributary” sensuously evokes watery movement and reflections while remaining largely abstract. Invitingly mysterious, the roots and stalks of a ghostly plant float amid amorphous shapes, creating a gentle dance in subtle shades of pink and gray that suggest both water and earth. Created outdoors in Rock Creek Park during a residency at VisArts in Rockville, it’s part of a series of lumen prints Donadio made by arranging plants, earth and water on photosensitive paper that she exposed to the sun and later scanned to produce digital prints.

Minarick’s work is also mysterious, but in a very different way. The photograph shows a quiet marsh, its water reflecting a pearly gray sky, but drawn in with bold strokes of black marker are two long, oval shapes inexplicably hovering in the grasses. It’s a surprising image that caught Wills’s attention.

“I particularly liked the sort of obstruction or obscuring of what would be the more classic view,” she said. “They’re blocking out who knows what—human occupation, ugly buildings, just more marsh—blocking in how things might get altered by human occupation. You don’t really know. I like that ambiguity about it.”

Most visitors come to Adkins Arboretum to enjoy and learn about its natural landscape, but with this exhibit, Wills saw an opportunity to expand on those experiences with artworks that present diverse ways of looking at the natural world.

“There are a lot of venues in the area for exhibiting gorgeous artworks,” she said, “but I felt a more interesting way of engaging with this particular space would be to consider the relationship between human occupation and nature, rather than simply presenting another view of what we can see outside.”

This show is part of Adkins Arboretum’s ongoing exhibition series of work on natural themes by regional artists. It is on view through March 30 at the Arboretum Visitor’s Center located at 12610 Eveland Rd. near Tuckahoe State Park in Ridgely. Contact the Arboretum at 410-634-2847, ext. 0 or info@adkinsarboretum.org for gallery hours.

Adkins Arboretum is a 400-acre native garden and preserve at the headwaters of the Tuckahoe Creek in Caroline County. Open year round, the Arboretum is the region’s resource for native plants and education programs about nature, ecology and wildlife conservation gardening. For more information, visit adkinsarboretum.org or call 410-634-2847, ext. 0.

Adkins Arboretum has announced the 2019 lineup for its popular Soup ’n Walk programs. Discover green plants in winter, early blooms and wildlife, ephemeral flowers, sure signs of spring, meadow grasses, fall color and plants that feed animals through winter. Following a guided walk through the Arboretum’s forest, meadows and wetland, enjoy a delicious and nutritious lunch along with a brief talk about nutrition. Copies of recipes are provided, and all gift shop purchases on these days receive a 20% discount. This year’s offerings include:

Winter Greens & Distinctive Bark
Sat., Feb. 16, 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Look for green plants that seek the winter sun and trees with telltale bark. Plants of interest include mosses, cranefly orchid, magnolia and holly leaves, and the green stems of strawberry bush and greenbrier. Menu: red beet and cabbage soup, orange walnut bread with citrus, anadama bread with spinach dip, blueberry peach smoothies.

Early Blooms, Songbirds & Spring Frogs
Sat., March 16, 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Listen for songbirds and spring frogs while searching for early purple, pink and white blooms. Plants of interest include skunk cabbage, paw paw, spring beauty and bloodroot. Menu: kale and chicken soup with lemon, sweet and tangy sauerkraut salad, wheat bread with raspberry jam, Black Forest cake with cherries.

Spring Ephemerals & Pollinators
Sat., April 20, 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m.

Look again! The blooms of ephemeral plants, trees and shrubs are here and gone in the blink of an eye. Look for pink white and yellow blooms and early pollinators. Plants of interest include pink spring beauty, may apple, dogwood, golden groundsel, spicebush, sassafras and white beech. Menu: carrot and ginger soup, black-eyed pea salad, ancient grain bread with jam, coconut almond cupcake.

Participants enjoy a themed guided walk followed by a hearty and delicious lunch.

Tuckahoe Creek & Beyond
Sat., May 18, 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m.

Observe the beautiful Tuckahoe Creek view and look for signs of beavers. Plants of interest include mountain laurel, beech, tulip tree, pink lady’s slipper, Solomon’s seal and may apple. Menu: kale, corn, black bean and parsnip soup, apple Waldorf salad, dill cottage cheese bread with apple butter, lemon apple tart bars.

Sunny Meadows, Bluebirds & Dragonflies
Sat., Sept. 21, 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m.

Walk the meadows in search of golden brown grasses and yellow and purple flowers while watching and listening for bluebirds and dragonflies. Plants of interest include milkweed, black-eyed Susan, goldenrod, Indian grass, big bluestem and sumac berries. Menu: minted cantaloupe soup, cauliflower, potatoes and peas Indian style, dill rye bread with cream cheese and jam, Pfefferneuse cookies.

Dazzling Fall Color

Sat., Oct. 19, 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m.

Fall colors dazzle the eye and pique the appetite. Listen for migrating birds and woodpeckers while watching for changing color on red and orange sweet gum, sassafras, tupelo, sumac, dogwood, yellow paw paw, hickory, beech and tulip trees. Menu: squash stew with beans and kale, potato salad with beets and carrots, double oat bread, pumpkin spice bars with lemon.

Nutritious Berries, Nuts & Seeds
Sat., Nov. 16, 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m.

Enjoy the autumn harvest as we hunt for nutritious berries, nuts and seeds and check for signs of beaver. Plants of interest include dogwood, hibiscus, partridge berry, oak, loblolly pine, juniper, verbena, ironwood and strawberry bush. Menu: spicy sweet potato soup, broccoli carrot raisin salad, pumpernickel bread, yellow cake with apple cranberry sauce.

Soup ’n Walk programs are $25 for members and $30 for non-members. Early registration is recommended. Visit adkinsarboretum.org or call 410-634-2847, ext. 0 to register or for more information.

Adkins Arboretum is a 400-acre native garden and preserve at the headwaters of the Tuckahoe Creek in Caroline County. Open year round, the Arboretum is the region’s resource for native plants and education programs about nature, ecology and wildlife conservation gardening. For more information, visit adkinsarboretum.org or call 410-634-2847, ext. 0.

With the theme “Flower Power,” the 2019 Philadelphia Flower Show will pay tribute to the enormous impact of flowers on our lives. Join Adkins Arboretum on Mon., March 4 for a bus trip to experience the nation’s largest and longest-running horticultural event.

From the first blooms of spring in the home garden to the expansive fields that fuel whole economies, flowers influence how we think, feel and act in ways both small and global. Across 10 acres of floor space in the Pennsylvania Convention Center, the world’s leading floral and garden designers will explore how flowers convey a wide range of emotions and messages in a universal language that transcends cultures and borders. Stunning landscapes, imaginative gardens and breathtaking floral displays will interpret the power of flowers to inspire, decorate, style and enrich our lives. Through imaginative exhibits, guests will see ideals such as community, transformation, healing, peace and hope brought to live in surprising and vibrant ways.

An optional early-afternoon guided tour of the Rail Park, an elevated park under construction in Philadelphia, will add even more adventure to the trip. Following this walking tour, participants can join the others for the Flower Show.

Photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Flower Show

Tickets are $95 for Arboretum members/$120 for non-members for the Flower Show, and $130 for members/$155 for non-members for the Flower Show and the Rail Park tour. The fee includes include transportation, driver gratuity and applicable admissions. The bus departs from Aurora Park Drive in Easton at 10 a.m. with additional stops near Wye Mills and Chestertown. Return time is approximately 9 p.m.

The nation’s largest and longest-running horticultural event, the PHS Philadelphia Flower Show features stunning displays by the world’s premier floral and landscape designers. Started in 1829 by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, the show introduces diverse and sustainable plant varieties and garden and design concepts. It has been honored as the best event in the world by the International Festivals & Events Association, competing with such events as the Kentucky Derby Parade, Tournament of Roses Parade and Indianapolis 500 Festival. Proceeds from the Flower Show benefit the year-round programs of PHS that have become national models of urban greening.

Advance registration is requested by Sat., Feb. 9. To register, visit adkinsarboretum.org or call 410.634.2847, ext. 0.

Adkins Arboretum is a 400-acre native garden and preserve at the headwaters of the Tuckahoe Creek in Caroline County. Open year round, the Arboretum is the region’s resource for native plants and education programs about nature, ecology and wildlife conservation gardening. For more information, visit adkinsarboretum.org or call 410-634-2847, ext. 0.

Experience the joys and wonders of the season when Adkins Arboretum hosts a bus trip to Longwood Gardens for A Longwood Christmas on Mon., Dec. 17. Join an afternoon and evening of organ singalongs, strolling carolers, fountain performances and plenty of yuletide cheer—all without the stress of driving and parking.

The annual celebration showcases more than 6,000 seasonal plants and more than a half-million lights in the gardens and on the grounds. This holiday season, A Longwood Christmas looks at the Christmas tree in a new light. The Tree Reimagined theme features festive firs suspended from above, towering tannenbaums created from books to birdhouses to stained glass, and more traditional favorites elevated with surprising new twists. Explore holiday displays in the Conservatory, then venture outdoors to view gloriously illuminated trees, stroll beneath floating orbs of light and watch as trees and branches take on new illuminated life. Sounds of wonder will fill the air as fountains dance to seasonal music.

The bus departs from Aurora Park Drive in Easton at noon and will pick up passengers at the Routes 50/404 Park and Ride and from the Routes 301/291 Park and Ride in Millington. The return time is approximately 9 p.m. The trip fee is $75 for members and $100 for non-members. Advance registration is required at adkinsarboretum.org or by calling 410-634-2847, ext. 0.

Adkins Arboretum is a 400-acre native garden and preserve at the headwaters of the Tuckahoe Creek in Caroline County. Open year round, the Arboretum offers educational programs for all ages about nature and gardening. For more information, visit adkinsarboretum.org or call 410-634-2847, ext. 0.

Learn how you can plant trees and shrub to nurture local birds, bees, butterflies and other creatures when author Ginger Woolridge speaks on Wed., Nov. 7 at Adkins Arboretum.

A trained landscape architect and garden consultant, Woolridge is co-author with Tony Dove of Essential Native Trees and Shrubs for the Eastern United States: The Guide to Creating a Sustainable Landscape. This authoritative catalog of 85 native species highlights the attributes of native plants and their importance in the food web. The book was noted in The New York Times Book Review summer list.

Woolridge’s talk begins at 1 p.m. The program is $15 for Arboretum members and $20 for non-members. Advance registration is appreciated at adkinsarboretum.org.

Adkins Arboretum is a 400-acre native garden and preserve at the headwaters of the Tuckahoe Creek in Caroline County. Open year round, the Arboretum offers educational programs for all ages about nature and gardening. For more information, visit adkinsarboretum.org or call 410-634-2847, ext. 0.

When summer’s flowers fade, fall offers the garden another chance to shine. Discover the beautiful colors of autumn and structural elements in the garden when Adkins Arboretum hosts its sixth annual “Celebrating Natives” Fall Garden Tour on Sat., Oct. 6.

Featuring gardens in northern Caroline County, the tour includes four private gardens, a private farm and Adkins Arboretum, which will offer a First Saturday guided walk. The tour gardens are currently in the process of design, either with Chris Pax, lead designer for the Arboretum’s Native Landscape Design Center, or through personal design to transform them to native sanctuary. Each property demonstrates a different phase of thoughtful and innovative design. Participants are advised to meet at the Arboretum and carpool for the 45-mile self-guided driving tour.

The first garden tour of its kind on the Eastern Shore, “Celebrating Natives” focuses on sustainable approaches to Eastern Shore gardening and exemplifies the Arboretum’s mission of teaching about and showing by example the importance of using native plants in restoring balance to the ecosystem and fostering community relationships. Native plants are those that grew and thrived on the Eastern Shore before the introduction of European settlers. Because these plants have adapted naturally to the region’s ecology of climate, insects and wildlife, they are a better choice than non-native plants. The tour not only highlights the beauty of the gardens but emphasizes their importance in a biodiverse landscape.

“Celebrating Natives” will take place rain or shine on Sat., Oct. 6 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance at adkinsarboretum.org or $30 the day of the tour at Adkins Arboretum, 12610 Eveland Road, Ridgely. Check-in will begin at 9 a.m. Restrooms will be available at the Arboretum, and a list of local restaurants will be provided. Participants are advised to bring a reusable water bottle, as refill stations will be available at some of the gardens. For more information or to order tickets, visit adkinsarboretum.org or call 410-634-2847, ext. 0.

Adkins Arboretum is a 400-acre native garden and preserve at the headwaters of the Tuckahoe Creek in Caroline County. Open year round, the Arboretum offers educational programs for all ages about nature and gardening. For more information, visit adkinsarboretum.org or call 410-634-2847, ext. 0.