The Talbot County Garden Club has awarded its 2023 Project Grant to redesign and re-landscape the grounds in front of the U.S. Post Office on Dover Street. “This award recognizes that replacing the Post Office’s aging landscape with fresh plantings will not only beautify the grounds but also be welcoming to the many local residents who regularly visit that facility,” said the club’s incoming president Maribeth Lane.

The Post Office project was initiated and overseen by TCGC member Paige Connelly, assisted by Lane and immediate past president Carolyn Rugg. The landscaping was professionally installed by McHale Landscape Design, Inc.

Talbot County Garden Club members Paige Connelly, Maribeth Lane and Carolyn Rugg check out the newly installed greenery gracing the front of the Easton Post Office with USPS Easton Post Master Billy Mercier.

TCGC introduced its Project Grant Program in 2022 with its first venture providing funds for the design and acquisition of greenery and benches along the new 2.5-mile Rail Trail Extension in Easton.

According to Lane, “The Talbot County Garden Club is thoroughly committed to supporting projects that benefit our community and enrich the natural beauty of our environment.”

For more information about Talbot County Garden Club, visit talbotcountygc.org.

The Chestertown Garden Club’s annual May Mart will once again offer the opportunity to purchase plants to start, fill in, and enhance your gardens while also supporting the beautification of Chestertown. This event will take place Friday, May 5, 9am-1pm, in Memorial Park, downtown Chestertown, rain or shine.

Buyers will have a broad selection of plants to choose from for any type of garden be it shade or full sun and lots of plants to attract pollinators at prices you will love. Thanks to the generosity of Tideland and Angelica Nurseries there will be a wonderful selection of shrubs. Cash and checks for all purchases will be appreciated.

All the plants will have tags with the information you need regarding the basics of what they require. Club members will be happy to answer any questions regarding such things as spacing, pruning, dividing, and propagating.

There will be an “All Things Garden” section that is fun because you never know what you’ll come across. You’ll likely find gently used items like tools, flower pots, vases and lawn or garden ornaments. In the past there have been scarves, garden hats, and an apron or two. But there will definitely be artfully arranged flowering containers.

In addition to the plants there will be homemade baked goods and a raffle. You may purchase three tickets for $5 to win a $100 gift certificate that can be used at your choice of any Chestertown area shop or restaurant.

The funds raised at May Mart go towards the beautification of Chestertown. In partnership with the town, the Garden Club maintains Fountain Park and Memorial Park on an ongoing basis and decorates the parks and the downtown area each year for the holiday season.

As their logo proclaims, the Chestertown Garden Club has been “Rooted in Community Since 1931”. Since the installation of the beloved fountain in Fountain Park they have been actively improving community life. Their most recent innovation, the “Good Seeds” garden, involved the collaboration of parents, teachers, students, businesses and the Town to install landscaping at Garnet Elementary School. As well as beautifying the streetscape, an environmental learning space was created and is in full use by the school.

Your Visit to May Mart provides a wonderful opportunity to get joy from gardening while supporting your community!

Homeowner Trish Reynolds (l.) received Bay-Wise certification for her property following a Spring 2022 visit by a Master Gardener team that included Carol Jelich.

With the Chesapeake Bay stroking our shores, Talbot County residents have generally shown interest in local waters and the environment. Talbot County Master Gardeners have found this even more apparent in 2022.

Since the start of the year, Master Gardeners have certified 9 Talbot County properties that now qualify to wear “Bay-Wise” signs. They have consulted with an additional 21 residents–significantly more than in prior, pre-pandemic years. Bay-Wise visits encourage property owners to follow sustainable landscape care practices that benefit our local waterways and the environment.

According to Master Gardener Coordinator Mikaela Boley, “The process is simple. Homeowners may contact my office to set up a free consultation with a team of Master Gardener volunteers who are University of Maryland trained and accredited. The team visits the property to see what has been accomplished and references the Bay-Wise Yardstick, which has a number of practices and suggestions listed for homeowners to achieve a more ecological landscape. This one-on-one contact is especially worthwhile, if you, for example, face storm water run-off issues or need planting recommendations.”

She adds, “After you implement additional recommended Bay-Wise practices, the team will follow-up for certification. When sufficient beneficial practices are in place, the property receives Bay-Wise certification and a free sign.

“Once certified, property owners are quite proud of their efforts and hope that their environmental diligence will inspire neighbors, to benefit all.”

Talbot County homeowners interested in learning more about the Bay-Wise program, contact Mikaela Boley ([email protected] /410-822-1244). Link to the state’s Bay-Wise website for further information and to download a copy of the Bay-Wise Yardstick: extension.umd.edu/baywise.

Marta McDowell

The Garden Club of the Eastern Shore is pleased to present a program by the New York Times best selling author and renowned gardener Marta McDowell, who is well known for her books which follow “the relationship between the pen and the trowel.” She will share her love of horticulture and garden history with a look into her newest book, Unearthing the Secret Garden.

Marta explores the inspiration of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s much-loved book The Secret Garden published in 1910. The Secret Garden follows the story of Mary, Dickon and Colin inside the locked doors of the Secret Garden at Misselthwaite Manor. Marta will help us see how these gardens evolved and were influenced by her book before, during and after its publication.

Marta’s best known books include Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life, which shows how Ms. Potter’s love of flowers and gardening appears in her work in the beloved The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Emily Dickinson’s Garden Life, which explores the influence of Emily Dickinson’s gardens on her poetry.

Marta currently teaches landscape history and horticulture at the New York Botanical Gardens. She has been a featured speaker at the Chicago Botanic Garden, Smithsonian Institution and Beatrix Potter Society’s Linder Lecture at the Sloane Club in London. Marta is the 2019 recipient of the Garden Club of America’s Sarah Chapman Francis Medal for outstanding literary achievement. Her garden is included in the Smithsonian’s Archive of American Gardens.

Join the Garden Club of the Eastern Shore and Marta for her lecture with tea and scones followed by a light boxed lunch. In addition to a complimentary copy of Unearthing the Secret Garden, attendees will also have the opportunity to participate in a silent auction, including several “Eastern Shore Adventures” such as an “Elegant Tea for Twenty” at an Oxford waterside home and a “Flower Design Class for Eight” led by Samantha McCall.

All proceeds from the event will benefit the college scholarship program and community projects of the Garden Club of the Eastern Shore. Each year, the Talbot County-based club awards a college scholarship to a deserving high school senior in the county whose scholastic accomplishments, community work and chosen field of study are consistent with the club’s objectives. The club has awarded 19 scholarships since the inception of their Scholarship Program.

Marta’s presentation will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, April 8 at the Oxford Community Center in Oxford. To make a reservation to see Marta McDowell, send your check for $100 with contact information payable to GCES to P.O. Box 1924, Easton MD 21601. Your ticket includes a complimentary copy of Unearthing the Secret Garden, lunch, a chance to win all four of Marta’s books personalized by the author and a silent auction including several Eastern Shore Adventures. Proof of COVID vaccination and booster required.

Founded in 1963, the Garden Club of the Eastern Shore is committed to stimulating knowledge of horticulture, aiding in the protection of trees, shrubs, wildflowers and birds and encouraging all conservation practices.