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MG Fairgrounds Demonstration Garden
Montgomery County Master Gardeners once again really put their backs into it this year at the Fairgrounds Demonstration Garden, installing new plants and structural features that will help earn the garden an official "Bay Wise" certification. Trained Master Gardener volunteers were on site throughout the County Fair in August, ready to answer questions, conduct tours of the garden beds, and provide helpful gardening information (including Integrated Pest Management, composting techniques and conservation practices) to 12,000 fairgoers who visited the Master Gardener Booth, eager to learn how to get their own "green thumbs."
Located at the corner of Poplar and Hickory Avenues at the Montgomery County Agricultural Fairgrounds, this summer the garden saw its second year in its coveted corner location, having been totally moved - trees, shrubs, perennials, and stones - in 2007.
This year, a grant from KMCB enabled the Fairgrounds team to develop a rain garden with a bioswale and add a second, more sophisticated rain barrel to demonstrate to the public how easy and eco-friendly Bay Wise gardening can be. And, as in past years, the Master Gardener volunteers planted and maintained the shrubs, perennials, and annuals at the Heritage House nearby on the Fairgrounds, weeding and watering that area each week during their regular workdays at the Demonstration Garden.
The Fairgrounds volunteers also planted a wide variety of native plants and shrubs, including Aster novae-belgii, Aster novae-angliae, Chelone glabra, Lobelia, Monarda, Eupatoruim, Boltonia, Cephalanthus, Asclepias, Echinacea, Baptisia, Ceanothus, and Solidago, many of which were used to replace eight, well-established euonymous bushes. Visitors learned -- and observed -- that native plants attract more butterflies, hummingbirds, ladybugs, and other beneficial insects and pollinators that can reduce the need to treat gardens with toxic chemicals.
One of the raised beds this year featured a xeriscape bed, emphasizing a mix of drought-tolerant plants (such as Coreopsis, Solidago, and Yucca), that can stand up to the hottest, driest DC-area summers. Another, ever-popular bed showcased myriad vegetables and herbs, including Malabar spinach, all kinds of peppers, squash, melons, beans, and a mouthwatering array of cooking herbs and spices. Another popular attraction was the "salad table," which showcased all kinds of salad greens being grown in a waist-high wood-framed earth-box that even a patio-gardener could try.
The success of the demonstration garden at the County Fairgrounds was guaranteed by the able leadership of Master Gardeners Frank Lostumbo and Sheryl Freishtat. Our hats are off to these two Co-Chairs for ensuring that the garden was looking its very best despite the dog-days of June and July.
They ably mentored and inspired new and veteran MGs, including the following volunteers: Jean Byars, Leslie Cronin, Royce Denham, Rob Draper, Steve Ericson, John Fegan, Kathleen Franklin, Rosemary Friend, John Hamilton, Pam Hosimer, Madgie McGaughan, Terri Pitts, Monique Schimm, Jim Shaffer, Tom Stanton, Teri Watson, Meg Williams,
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Last updated: 03/10/2009