Master Gardeners Frederick County Maryland

06/17/2026

🦗 Who's Eating My Plants? Learn Before You Treat

Holes in leaves? Chewed flowers? Damaged vegetables?
Before reaching for a pesticide, take a closer look. The first step in managing any garden pest is proper identification. Different pests leave different clues, and knowing what's causing the damage helps you choose the most effective—and environmentally responsible—solution.

Some insects, such as aphids, leafhoppers, and stink bugs, feed by piercing plant tissues with straw-like mouthparts and sucking out plant sap. This can cause yellowing, curling leaves, stunted growth, or wilting.

Others, like thrips, scrape and puncture plant surfaces before feeding, often leaving flowers and leaves looking silvery or distorted.

Spider mites, which are not insects but close relatives of spiders, pierce individual plant cells and feed on their contents. Their feeding creates tiny yellow or white speckles, giving leaves a stippled or bronzed appearance.

The good news? Not every damaged leaf requires treatment. Correctly identifying the pest—and understanding the extent of the damage—can help you avoid unnecessary pesticide use and protect beneficial insects that may already be helping control the problem.

🔍 Know your pest before you choose a solution. Good identification is the foundation of successful Integrated Pest Management (IPM). https://extension.umd.edu/resource/ipm-prevent-identify-and-manage-plant-problems/

Have you discovered a mystery pest in your garden this season? Share a photo in the comments!

06/16/2026

🌿 Can Plants Help Reduce Garden Pests?

Many gardeners have heard that certain plants can "repel" pests. While no plant is a magic shield, some species contain compounds that may help reduce pest pressure or make parts of your landscape less attractive to unwanted visitors.

Here are three interesting plants to consider adding to your garden:

💜 American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
Known for its striking clusters of purple berries in late summer and fall, beautyberry may offer more than ornamental value. Research has found that compounds in the leaves can help repel mosquitoes and ticks. While simply planting beautyberry won't eliminate these pests, it can be a beautiful addition to a wildlife-friendly landscape. https://www.ars.usda.gov/news-events/news/research-news/2006/a-granddads-advice-may-help-thwart-mosquitoes/

🌱 Mint-Scented Plants and Deer
Many deer rely heavily on their sense of smell when selecting plants to browse. Strongly scented plants such as mountain mint, catmint, lavender, rosemary, and other members of the mint family are often less appealing to deer. No plant is completely deer-proof, especially when food is scarce, but these aromatic plants can experience less browsing pressure than some garden favorites.

🌼 Marigolds: More Than a Pretty Face
Marigolds have long been a favorite companion plant in vegetable gardens. Certain varieties produce compounds in their roots that can help suppress some species of soil-dwelling nematodes. Their bright blooms also attract pollinators and beneficial insects, making them a colorful addition to garden beds and containers.

🔍 The best defense against garden pests is still a healthy, diverse landscape. Combining proper plant selection, regular monitoring, beneficial insects, and good gardening practices can help keep pest problems in balance while supporting pollinators and wildlife.

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06/16/2026

🦟 Mosquitoes in the Garden: Think Beyond the Spray

There is plenty of wildlife to enjoy in the garden, but some visitors are less welcome than others. As temperatures warm across Maryland, mosquitoes are becoming more active and abundant.

If mosquitoes are making it difficult to enjoy your outdoor spaces, consider starting with the least disruptive management options first. While spraying may seem like a quick solution, broad-spectrum insecticides can affect more than just mosquitoes. Pollinators, caterpillars, fireflies, and other beneficial insects may also be impacted.

The good news? Some of the most effective mosquito-control methods don't require spraying at all.

💧 Eliminate standing water wherever possible. Mosquitoes can develop in surprisingly small amounts of water, including flowerpot saucers, clogged gutters, toys, buckets, tarps, and bird baths. Regularly emptying or refreshing water sources can significantly reduce breeding sites.

🪣 Consider a "Mosquito Bucket" as part of a larger management strategy. The Homegrown National Park Mosquito Bucket Challenge (https://homegrownnationalpark.org/mosquito-bucket-challenge-are-mosquito-buckets-effective/) uses a targeted approach designed to attract container-breeding mosquitoes and interrupt their life cycle before they become biting adults. It is not a silver bullet, but it can be an effective tool when combined with reducing standing water around the yard.

🐉 Support nature's helpers. Dragonflies, birds, bats, spiders, and other wildlife all play a role in reducing mosquito populations. A healthy, diverse landscape helps support these natural predators.

🔍 Just like managing any garden pest, understanding the mosquito life cycle is the first step toward effective control. Small changes in the landscape can often provide meaningful results while helping protect the pollinators and beneficial insects we work so hard to support.

https://youtu.be/mSRw4MnHaX8?si=akdVcJgk3Qq4XlHB

Mike Raupp, "The Bug Guy" for the University of Maryland Extension,...

06/15/2026

Are you a Frederick County resident and attending the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources or will be this fall? Please apply for our new Master Gardener scholarship. The minimum amount that is given is $500 up to $1000.

06/15/2026

It's KITCHEN GARDEN MONDAY!! Grande Rio Verde is an heirloom tomatillo variety known for large light green fruit and high productivity. Did you know that efficient tomatillo fertilization requires an exchange of pollen between two plants? Make sure you plant in pairs to ensure you get healthy fruit production. We recommend starting indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost and transplanting to a spot that receives full sun.

06/13/2026

Looking for a fun thing to do today? The Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage is taking place today in Frederick County with 7 locations throughout the county.
You may purchase tickets at the Main Street Middletown Welcome Center from 9:30am to 3:00pm.
An added bonus is that many locations will have our Frederick County Master Gardeners on hand to assist and answer questions.
We hope to see you at this special event.

06/13/2026

Today we had the pleasure of visiting ClearView Community and officially designating its landscape as a Bay-Wise certified property!
What really stood out to us was ClearView’s commitment to educating residents about environmentally friendly landscaping practices and helping everyone understand an important fact: we all live in a watershed. What happens in our yards and communities doesn't stay there—everything eventually flows downstream and impacts our local waterways.
A big thank you to ClearView, its dedicated staff, and its residents for their hard work and commitment to protecting our environment. It's inspiring to see a community making a real difference, one landscape at a time!

06/12/2026

It's FEATURE FRIDAY!! "Ninebark is a flowering, deciduous shrub in the rose family and native to central and eastern North America. It displays white or pink flowers from late spring into early summer. If needed, prune just after blooming, but no later than mid-August. Keep in mind that next year's flowers will appear on old growth. It can be cut to the ground in the winter to rejuvenate. It may be found growing on rocky hillsides and banks of streams as well as in moist thickets.

Ninebark is a tough and adaptable plant that does well in slightly acidic, dry to medium, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. It will tolerate a wide range of soil conditions. This plant will do well in full sun in the northern part of its range, but appreciates some shade in its southernmost locations."

Keep reading: Physocarpus opulifolius (Atlantic Ninebark, Common Ninebark, Eastern Ninebark, Ninebark, Nine Bark) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox https://share.google/ugCzbBGrS20OGPMk9

Photos: Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia & NC State University Extension website

06/11/2026

🦋🐝 Gardening for Wildlife in June 🌿🐦

June is one of the busiest months in the wildlife garden. Native plants are blooming, pollinators are active, and birds are busy feeding their young.

One Maryland native that is coming into its prime right now is Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea). Its colorful blooms attract bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects throughout the summer, while its seed heads later provide food for birds.
As temperatures rise and rainfall becomes less predictable, water becomes increasingly important for both plants and wildlife.

💧 Water deeply and less frequently to encourage deeper root growth.
🌱 Add mulch around plants to help retain soil moisture and reduce evaporation.
🦋 Place a shallow dish or birdbath in the garden and refresh it regularly.
🪨 Add a few stones so bees and butterflies have a safe place to land while drinking.

By providing food, water, and shelter, your garden can become a valuable refuge for wildlife during the hot days of summer.