PLANTING AND CARING FOR SUCCULENTS

Sunday, September 11 at 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

This program will be held off-site at Leisure World in the Potomac Room, Clubhouse 1, 3700 Rossmoor Blvd., Silver Spring, MD.

Did you know there are over 10,000 species of succulents in the world? These wonderfully diverse plants can be the perfect addition to your outdoor garden or add flair to your décor. However, their care can be challenging for even the experienced gardener. In this hands-on workshop hosted by the Sandy Spring Museum Garden Club, discover the many kinds of succulents as you plant an arrangement of your own. Guided by expert horticulturist Carol Allen, you will learn the secrets behind maintaining a healthy plant, from choosing the correct soil to finding the proper light to propagation. Take home a completed project and ideas on how to use succulents in fall arrangements.

A decorative rock will be provided for each participant for their succulent arrangement, but attendees are welcome to bring their own decorative object or figurine (no larger than 1/2” wide and 3” tall) to use.

Carol Allen has over 25 years of experience in the horticulture industry. She worked as a supervisor horticulturist at the U.S. Botanical Gardens Conservancy and has a degree in Horticulture and a degree in Plant Science. Carol is also a regularly featured columnist in the Washington Gardener Magazine, providing advice on plant pest issues.

Masks are encouraged.

For accommodation requests, please contact the museum via email or at 301-774-0022.

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Montgomery County Fair August, 2022

Did you go to the fair this year? Some of our members worked at the Master Gardener's demonstration garden.

In the exhibit hall there were beautiful flowers, vegetables, fruits and flower arrangements.

Here are a few examples:

Entries in the 4H building by children aged 8-18

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Love those zinnias? Save the seeds for next year.

As flowers begin to fade, it's time to think about saving the seeds of your favorites. Save seeds of any flower that has shown qualities that you admire:

Beauty
Color
Size
Vigor
Disease-resistance

A single flower can generate dozens or even hundreds of seeds. So you also save money (especially with pricey perennials) but seed-saving is more about sustainable and successful gardening.

Many old-fashioned annuals grow quite well from seeds collected and stored at

home. Zinnias, sunflowers, cosmos, marigolds, California poppies, impatiens, petunias, cleome, snapdragons, nigella and calendula are among the easiest seeds to harvest and re-plant in the spring.

They’ll bloom as usual within the season.

Perennial seeds can also be saved.

Before you start collecting, you need to know that it may not be worth saving all flower seeds from the garden.

Hybrid varieties will not return as the exact same vareity. Hybrids come from plant breeders who purposely cross-pollinate different varieties to combine the positive traits of both. Seeds saved from a hybrid usually revert back to a distant ancestor that is not the same as the parent plant. It’s better to take cuttings or divisions of a hybrid plant to get an exact copy. Or, just buy fresh seed each year. You can still save and replant the seeds, but you never know what you are going to get so be open to experimentation!
Cross-pollination from pollinators in your garden means that any plant can have pollen from another nearby plant and the colors of your flowers could change. If the color isn’t identical, this is why!

Once you have chosen your seed plants, leave several fruits or seed heads on the plant to mature. The seeds of most flowers are ready to harvest about a month after the blossoms fade, when the seed heads turn brown.

Gather ripe seeds on a dry, sunny day.
Clean the seeds by removing any husks or pods. Try to separate as much debris from the seeds as possible since chaff can harbor insect eggs or fungi.
Even if the seeds appear dry when you collect them, spread them out on paper to dry for about a week before storing.
Place seeds in an envelope labeled with info you may need including plant name, height, color, and date them.
Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark, dry location. The fridge or freezer is a great place for seed storage because the colder the seeds are kept, the longer they will remain viable for future germination.