Dennis Whigham, Principal Investigator and Senior Scientist at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC), speaking about further research on terrestrial orchids.

Mark Weathington, Director of the JC Raulston Arboretum, speaking on old and new arboretum introductions to the trade.

Amy Highland, Director of Collections and Conservation Lead at Mt. Cuba, speaking on Trilliums.

Kelly Billing, aquatic consultant and lotus and waterlily grower, will speak about water gardening in small spaces and containers.

Documentary filmmaker Sarah Galloway will show her film, Wild in the Garden State, which was shot over the course of ten years and shows how Galloway and her husband turned their yard from lawn to a garden for wildlife. Questions and Answer session with both, after the film.

Paul Tukey, Director of Environmental Stewardship at Glenstone Museum, speaking about working organically with native plants and naturalistic design for the home garden

“... Dr. Samuel Ramsey is changing the world of science with his brilliant research on what’s killing honeybees and trademark wit when it comes to communicating complex subjects to non-scientists.”

- Audubon Naturalist Society

Japan is known for its distinctive design of gardens. Traditional Japanese gardens are based on and inspired by the beauty of nature. This program will show examples of some of Japan’s greatest gardens, explain their design intent, and show different styles of gardens.

Holly Shimizu was the Executive Director of the U.S. Botanic Garden and has worked at gardens around the world. Currently, she is doing a variety of horticultural and environmental work including hosting garden tours to Japan.

We look forward to hearing from speaker Joan Feely at our BGC virtual meeting on Wednesday, May 26, at 7:30 p.m. Joan will speak about the U.S. National Arboretum’s “Fern Valley Native Plant Collection – A Garden Club Legacy and Living Treasure.” A Zoom invitation will be sent before the meeting.

Joan Feely is in charge of the Arboretum’s Fern Valley Native Plant Collection. While at the University of Maryland, she says she was lucky enough to begin her Arboretum career as a student worker. In the decades that followed, she has overseen the development of a number of new features in the garden including the prairie area, the coastal plain hedgerow, and the gardens of cultivated varieties, all of which are located within the larger Fern Valley.

The National Arboretum Fern Valley is a vibrant place of woods and meadows, home to hundreds of species of plants native to the Eastern United States, as well as home to many of the wonderful insects and animals that depend on those plants. Although Fern Valley is now closed to visitors, BGC hopes to arrange a tour when it reopens.

Please join the Beltsville Garden Club for a Zoom presentation on Wednesday,  April 22, 2021, at 7:30 pm. Speaker Claudia Ferguson of the Prince George’s Audubon Society will present “Creating Bird-Friendly Gardens with Native Plants”. A Zoom invitation will be sent to you before the date.

April 22, 2021, marks the 51st anniversary of EARTH DAY!  

Planet Earth is the home we all share. If you have been considering how to honor this special day as a gardener, your moment has come. You can bring life and beauty to your gardens while enhancing local biodiversity, by attracting butterflies, pollinators, and birds. Most of America’s original natural habitats have been lost to agriculture and urban development. Birds are threatened by loss of habitat and climate change. By growing native plants, each patch of habitat you create in your backyard joins a collective effort to sustain local and migratory birds. Gardening with native plants can provide essential bird food in the form of nuts, seeds, fruit, and nectar. Native plants are adapted to local precipitation and soil conditions. They generally require less upkeep, save water, pesticide use, maintenance efforts, and money.

Audubon experts have selected optimal plants for birds that would grow well in our local area. Audubon’s database is free and available at www.audubon.org/native-plants. For our local area, there are 133 optimal native species to choose from to create bird-friendly gardens. The plant list includes trees, shrubs, annuals, perennials, grasses, and evergreens. Any of these optimal native plants would help birds by providing them with the food and shelter they need to thrive through the change of seasons. 

Wherever you live, wherever your garden is located, some careful choices of native plants can make a difference by attracting the birds you would enjoy, and protecting them in the face of habitat loss. Please visit www.audubon.org/native-plants and enter your 5 digit zip code to explore the best plants for birds in your area, as well as local resources and links to more information. Gardening, watching bird behavior, and enjoying their beauty all contribute to a sense of well-being, and fosters connection with nature. Gardening in this way also prompts gratitude for the biodiversity we can create around us.

The Beltsville Garden Club welcomes Dr. Michael Raupp of the University of Maryland, on Wednesday, March 24, at 7:30 p.m., for his presentation on how insects are adapting to climate change. Dr. Raupp will be joined by graduate student, Angela Saenz, who will be a co-presenter.

Several factors threaten the sustainability of our forests and residential landscapes. Two existential threats include an influx of exotic invasive pests as a global economy creates a global biota and the warming of our planet which alters the distribution and ecology of plants, insect pests, and beneficial organisms. Dr. Raupp will dis-cuss these threats, explore strategies for mitigation, and discuss one of the newest invaders, the spotted lan-ternfly. On a lighter note, he will highlight the fun, fear, and fantasy surrounding the imminent visit of billions of periodical cicadas coming soon to a neighborhood near you.

Dr. Michael J. Raupp is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Entomology at the University of Maryland College Park campus. He has published many articles, made numerous presentations, and frequently appears on television and radio. His most recent book, 26 Things that Bug Me, introduces youngsters to the wonders of insects and natural history. Managing Insects and Mites on Woody Landscape Plants is a standard for the arboricultural industry. His websites www.BugOfTheWeek and www.youtube.com/user/BugOfTheWeek are viewed by thousands of visitors weekly.

A Zoom link will be sent to you prior to what will be Dr. Raupp’s 3,122nd presentation to a community group!

The Beltsville Garden Club will welcome Dr. Gary Felton of the University of Maryland, on Wednesday, February 24, at 7:30 pm for his presentation of “Yours vs Theirs”, a virtual talk about compost, via Zoom.  When asked if he would be willing to speak to us about this area of his expertise he cheerfully responded: “Yes, I can talk about compost all day.”  We appreciate his generosity and enthusiasm and look forward to hearing how commercial compost is different from backyard compost, things you can do to enhance your compost pile, and cautions when using compost.

Dr.Gary Felton is Director of Extension for the Environmental Science and Technology department at the University of Maryland.  He earned a BS and MS in Agricultural Engineering at the U. MD, and a PhD from Texas A&M University, also in Agricultural Engineering.

Dr. Felton has been working in non-point source pollution, focusing on nutrients, since 1978. He has included work on composting since 2004, which also involved organizing and teaching at the Mid-Atlantic Better Composting School.  He has been an instructor and an organizer for some US Composting Council Compost Operators Training Courses. He organizes and teaches Large Animal composting short courses and Poultry Mortality Composting short courses in Maryland.

Dr. Felton has served as the Extension Water Quality Specialist at the University of Maryland and works on poultry litter management, biosolids, and urban nutrients.  He has taught Master Gardeners homeowner turfgrass care and management since 1997 and has researched fate and transport of nitrogen from suburban settings as part of that work.  He is Chair of the Urban Nutrient Management Work Group (an advisory group to Maryland Dept. of Agriculture)  and author of the Maryland Professional Lawn Care guide.

A Zoom invitation will be sent to members before the event.

Richard T. Olsen, Director of the U.S. National Arboretum will present a virtual talk to the Beltsville Garden Club on Wednesday, January 27, 2021, at 7:30 p.m. A Zoom invitation will be sent to members before the event. His subject is “An Arboreal Amble: A Curated Walk Among Magnificent Trees of the World”. Dr. Olsen, who has graciously spoken to us in the past, will provide a welcome glimpse of exotic plants and warm climates.

Dr. Olsen’s premise is that trees are truly among the most noble and wonderful organisms on the planet. In lieu of another garden talk on what you should grow or how to grow it, his presentation is simply intended as an excuse to join him as he shares his experiences with trees and other woody plants from around the world. He will conduct a photographic virtual tour of cultivated and non-cultivated landscapes highlighting incredible tree specimens, botanical curiosities, and the beautiful diversity of trees.

In addition to his administrative role, Dr. Olsen has been a research geneticist at the National Arboretum, guiding urban tree breeding and plant genetic resource programs. Dr. Olsen has degrees in horticulture from North Carolina State University (BS & PhD) and the University of Georgia (MS).

On Wednesday, October 28, 7:30 p.m., BGC will welcome Susan Harris for a Zoom presentation entitled “Virtual Garden Tours”. Susan is a highly productive and enthusiastic garden communicator via her garden blog (GardenRant.com), her gardening websites including DCGardens.com and GoodGardeningVideos.org. She is also editor of GreenbeltOnline.org, a nonprofit community website and blog.

In lieu of organizing an in-person garden tour this year, Susan worked with Greenbelt Access TV and others to make video tours of outstanding Greenbelt gardens. Eight short videos will be shown during the meeting, and some of the gardeners will be online with us to offer comments and answer questions.

BGC is going virtual!

Join us on Zoom, Wednesday, September 23, 2020, 7:30 p.m., for a virtual presentation by Emma Weiss, our 2019 University of Mary-land scholarship recipient. Emma will speak about growing mushrooms in your home or garden.

Do you love to cook with mushrooms, but find that their price tag or availabil-ity makes that a rare occasion? Have you ever dreamed about growing your own? Now you have the chance! Learn about the basic cultivation of shiitake and oyster mushrooms, and why they’re good for you, with just a few materi-als and a bit of space in your kitchen or backyard. No experience needed!

Emma Weiss is a senior plant biology major at the University of Maryland. She has experience in lab research, public horticulture, farming, and foraging. She has a passion for permaculture and the uniting of all aspects of agriculture – soil, plants, animals, fungi, and people – into wholistic, symbiotic systems. After graduation, she plans to work with subsistence farm-ers to achieve their economic goals, build community, and regenerate their natural resources.

In writing about her BGC scholarship, Emma stated "I can't thank you enough for your contribution to my education. Gifts like yours are what make my education possible every day, and it encourages me to give my all, knowing that there are people out there who believe in me."

Please join the Beltsville Garden Club for a monthly meeting at the Duckworth School, 11201 Evans Trail, Beltsville, on Wednesday, February 26, 2020, at 7:30 pm.  We are pleased to welcome speaker Ann McClellan. “Cherry Blossoms, Symbols of Friendship and Courage” will explore the images and tales associated with the ethereal Japanese cherry blossoms.  People have celebrated the blooming of these trees for more than 1000 years, and today they serve as instruments of diplomacy and signifiers of military fortitude, as landscape enhancements, and as eternal signs of spring and romance. 

Ann McClellan is the author of two books about the flowering cherry trees of Washington, D.C.: National Geographic’s Cherry Blossoms and The Cherry Blossom Festival, Sakura Celebration. She is also the author of a book about the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum at the U.S. National Arboretum. All three books reflect her lifelong love of trees that came from her growing up at an arboretum-like campus in New Jersey laid out by Frederick Law Olmsted. Earlier in her professional career, she held executive positions at several renowned non-profit organizations, including the Smithsonian Institution and World Wildlife Fund. We thank Ms. McClellan for bringing samples of her three books for us to look at. We can purchase or order them from our chosen book stores.  She will also bring cherry blossom bookplates that she can customize which sell for $1.00.

Meetings are open to the public, there is no fee.  Refreshments are served after the speaker’s program.  We thank all attendees who contribute to the refreshment table, and who bring a plant or plant-related item for the door prize drawing.  

If Prince George’s County Public Schools are closed due to inclement weather, the meeting will be canceled.