Favorites: Homestead Gardens

If you're a gardener and live in Anne Arundel County, you've probably been to Homestead Gardens.  Homestead Gardens is easily the best nursery in the county.  They have a huge selection of plants, most (all?) of which are raised locally by Homestead Growers in a no-runoff facility.  They also have a huge selection of garden supplies and accessories, ranging from basics like mulch and seeds to things that are questionably garden-related (like Troll Beads or Laura Ashley accessories).

I love visiting Homestead Gardens.  However, up until the last few years, I didn't really buy much from them. 

Mainly because they are NOT cheap.

I mean, they're really, really NOT cheap.

But I still buy plants there.  This year I've probably bought more than I ever have before.  This is silly, right?  Why not just buy the flat of marigolds from Walmart or Home Depot?  Why would I spend more money to buy the same plants at Homestead Gardens?

Recently, I've been trying to support locally owned businesses, especially when it comes to plants.  I've found locally grown plants perform better.  I also feel better knowing my hard earned money is staying in the county/state, rather than being sent up to a big-box store CEO's pockets.  But the most important reason is:  I think Homestead Gardens is a great local resource and I want them to stay in business.

It is wonderful to visit a nursery filled with employees who know about gardening and care about plants.  Homestead Gardens has a diagnostic center, where you can bring in samples and get advice about your pest, disease, or other plant problem.  The staff is also happy to answer questions about how to plant, prune, and otherwise care for the plants you purchase at Homestead.

Photo from www.homesteadgardens.com

The variety of plants available at Homestead is astounding.  They have plants I have never seen anywhere else, either in person or online.  I think this has contributed to some of my flops from Homestead -- I buy something exotic on a whim without researching whether it is appropriate for the spot I end up planting it in.  This is the downside of having access to a wide variety of plants...you have to know what you're doing.  I guess I should have consulted the greenhouse staff!

Homestead Gardens constantly hosts events: Winter workshops, a Flower show in March, a Perennial Affair in June, the Crapemyrtle Festival in July, the Tomato Festival in August.  And that doesn't even include the random guest speakers who visit Homestead throughout the year.  It seems as if they have something going on every weekend, which brings me to...the holidays.  Every single year we visit Homestead gardens at least once in December.  They have a light display outside and deck out the greenhouses with trees, Christmas ornaments, enormous stuffed animals and set up a huge model railroad/village display.  This is truly a family tradition for us.


Photo from www.marylandlife.com

Regular customers can look into joining their garden club, which gives you access to an e-Newsletter, specials and discounts.  Senior citizens can join the Golden Spades gardening group, who meet monthly at the garden center.  If you're not confident with the design aspect of gardening, Homestead has a garden designer on-staff.  The designs aren't free, but you do receive a 10% discount on any plants you use from Homestead.  If you're not local, they have a great blog with a ton of gardening advice, seasonal recipes, and information about what is happening at the gardening center.

Finally, the weirdest reason I love Homestead is they have a herd of over 30 llamas at the garden center available for visitors (or for sale).  The llama barn is open daily and you can even schedule a birthday party there.

Photo from www.homesteadgardens.com

Homestead recently opened a new garden center in Severna Park last year, but I prefer to visit the original.  Do you have a favorite local garden center?

Homestead Gardens
http://www.homesteadgardens.com/
743 West Central Avenue
Davidsonville, MD  21035
410.798.5000

Monday - Friday: 9:00am - 8:00pm
Saturday: 8:00am - 8:00pm
Sunday: 9:00am - 6:00pm

Favorites: The Baltimore Herb Festival

This Saturday is the 24th annual Baltimore Herb Festival.

The Baltimore Herb Festival is a great day out - it is fun for the whole family.  I've been going since I was a kid. 

Even when I was an awful teenager, I enjoyed going to the Herb Festival with my parents.  I remember, during probably my worst years, I decided I was going to start an herb garden.  This was in the mid-nineties when herbs were getting pretty popular.

I did some research and came up with a list of completely random plants to buy.  Vervain (because it was mentioned in the Vampire Diaries), pennyroyal (from a Nirvana song), and valerian (to treat depression).  Hard core research, huh?  Pretty typical for teenager me.

The herbs were so "interesting", we couldn't find there anywhere except for the Herb Festival.  Well, the valerian smelled like a rotting corpse after it flowered.  The vervain self-seeded so readily  it took years for my parents to eradicate it.  The pennyroyal jumped over the edge of the bed and is still in parts of my parents lawn.

Good times!

Besides the typical plant vendors, there will be people selling bulbs, soaps and cosmetics, food, art, crafts, books, garden decorations and antiques.

I'm particularly excited to see:

• Carnivorous Plants!
• Specialty Hellebores
• Botanical Prints

 A complete list of vendors is available here: http://www.baltimoreherbfestival.com/vendors.htm.

There will also be speakers, bands, and exhibitors at the festival.  Admission is $5 for adults and children 12 and under are free.  (If you're planning on bringing your kids, there's a miniature train that gives rides to children just outside the festival entrance -- not really gardening-related, but still pretty cool.)

http://www.baltimoreherbfestival.com/index.html
May 28, 2011 - 10am-3pm
Held in Leakin Park
1900 Eagle Drive
Baltimore, MD  21207

Favorites: Knopp's Farm

Not this past weekend, but the weekend before, we took a quick trip over to Knopp's Farm in Severn.  It's just down the road from Papa John's and in many ways, the farms are quite similar.  They both sell plants in the spring and produce in the summer.  They're both family owned.  You'd think that I would only need to visit one of them, but every year, I always end up going to both and buying plants from both.

Knopp's farm is a little smaller and, in my opinion, has more of a personal touch.  I get a chance to talk to whoever is working to get an idea about how the business is going for the year.  The day we visited was quite rainy but there were still a handful of crazy dedicated gardeners out looking for plants.  As we checked out, the man at the register explained how much a rainy day sets them back.  As long as it was sunny for Mother's Day weekend, he said they'd be fine.  I'm glad they got the good weather they were hoping for.

I got a handful of annuals: some potato vine, some coleus, and a couple of six-packs of celosia and ageratum for our deck planters.  I also got two exotic geraniums - I'm a sucker for foliage and these had the most gorgeous tricolor variegation I've seen.

The main reason I always visit Knopp's Farm is their affordable selection of shade perennials.  Six inch pots cost only $5.00 and are extremely vigorous.  I've had really good luck with their perennials in the past and last weekend I got three heucheras, three foxgloves, and the husband picked out one hosta...



...which was chomped on by a deer as soon as we got it home.

If you're in the local area and have never been to Knopp's, I highly recommend you give them a visit.  They're just off of New Cut road, on Old Oak road in Severn.  There are signs on either side of Old Oak road, so it's pretty easy to find.

If you're not in the area, I found a great interview online with Mr. "Bunk" Knopp on a blog relating to Eastern Market in DC.  It paints a vivid picture of the life of a Maryland farmer and makes me proud to support my local farmers in some small part.

Address:

565 Old Oak Road
Severn,  MD  21144
(410) 969-3620

Hours:
9:00am - 6:00pm daily

Favorites: William Paca House Plant Sale

The William Paca House and Garden is a landmark in Annapolis.  It was built by William Paca between 1763 and 1765 and was one of the first five-part Georgian homes in Annapolis.  After Paca sold the house in 1780, it changed hands several times until it was acquired by William A. Larned and restyled as a hotel in 1901.  The hotel, known as "Carvel Hall", was in operation until the 1960's. 

 

 

In 1965, there were plans to demolish Carvel Hall, but the Historic Annapolis Foundation purchased it and restored the house and garden to their original colonial-era state.  The William Paca House and Garden was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1971.

 

The William Paca House and Garden is a great resource in Annapolis.  It is open for tours daily and there are concerts, summer camps, art classes and more hosted on the grounds.  It is even possible to use the house and garden for weddings or other special occasions.

 

It is probably no surprise that my favorite event at the Paca House is their plant sale, which is held on Mother's Day weekend every year.


This plant sale is crazy.  Even thought it opens at 10:00am, people start lining up at 9:00am.  Certain plants have very limited numbers, and as soon as the gates open, people charge through the garden to get them first.  All of the plants are grown locally by Paca Garden volunteers.  Most plants are native, heirloom, or hold some historical interest (for instance - cuttings of William Paca Holly or Washington's Buckeye).

A list of plants available for sale this weekend is available online at www.pacagarden.org.

I've had very good luck with the plants I've gotten at this sale in previous years.  The prices are also quite good - from what I can remember, the plants are usually between $3 and $6.  The only problem I've ever had with the sale is that the shrubs and trees they offer are a bit on the small side.  Again, though, if you're paying $5 for an oakleaf hydrangea, you can't expect it to be in a gallon pot.

Although I'm not supposed to buy any plants until July, I am willing to make an exception for the sake of tradition.  I've looked through the plant catalogue and will try to get a couple of of the following:

• Asarum canadense - Wild Ginger
• Chelone lyonii - Turtlehead
• Sanguinaira canadensis - Bloodroot
• Sedum sp. - Creeping sedum
• Sedum ternatum 'Larineum Park'
• Stylophorum diphyllum - Celandine or Wood Poppy

If you're going to attend the plant sale this weekend, I recommend getting there early.  

1 Martin Street
Annapolis, MD

 

Saturday 10:00am - 4:00pm
Sunday 12:00pm - 4:00pm

Favorites: Papa John's

No - not the pizza place.

Most people in Anne Arundel county have driven past the big red barn and know that Papa John's is a great place to buy plants in the spring, produce in the summer, and pumpkins in the fall.

Papa John's has been around for as long as I can remember.  When I was a teenager, some of my friends even worked there during the summer.  The farm is run by the Schillinger family and is one of the few working farms left in northern Anne Arundel County.  With the exception of tropicals, all of the plants they sell are grown on the farm from seed or plugs. 

My daughter and I visited the farm on Saturday and left with a flat of mixed annuals (10 four-packs) and a 4 inch potted fuchsia for about $19.  We enjoyed walking through the greenhouses (there are nine total), which were packed full of annuals, herbs, and vegetables.  They had a wide range of hanging baskets and other "pre-made" garden items.  My daughter really liked a large pink plastic pig which looked like it might be a watering can, but was planted with annuals.  There was also a smaller selection of perennials out on the lawn.

One of the things I like best about Papa John's annuals is you have some choice in the size of the plant you're buying.  At the nearest big box hardware store, the annuals they're selling are tall and blooming.  This may seem like a good thing, but it really means the plants are most of the way through their short growing cycle and probably won't put much effort towards growing more roots and getting bigger once they're planted.

Papa Johns has those plants as well, but they also have plants that are only a few weeks old with buds and even plants that don't have buds yet.  After reading an article about annuals on the Renegade Gardener's website, I always try to buy the annuals that are the least mature.

I've been getting my annuals and herbs from Papa John's for about five years.  In my experience, they are cheaper than the hardware store plants and they consistently outperform them.  I don't know whether it's because they're grown locally and are suited to the weather, because I choose the smallest plants, or for some other reason, but they always do well.  I spent about $50 at Papa John's last year, and I swear those annuals helped sell our old house.

More background information about Papa John's in available in this 2010 article from Examiner.com.

Address:
8065 New Cut Road
Severn, Maryland 21144
(410) 969-8810
http://www.papajohnsfarm.net/Home.html

Hours:
8:00am - 7:00pm, Monday - Saturday
9:00am - 6:00pm, Sunday