Easy Gardener • Pat Howell
	The great "Carry-In, Carry-Out" trash program and other fantasies

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission chair Derick Berlage came to the Takoma Park City Council meeting on January 19 to suffer the "slings and arrows" of the citizenry regarding the commission’s new policy to remove trash cans from parks, known as the "Carry-In, Carry-Out" trash policy. He left bloody but unbowed, and promised to "think about" reversing the policy in Takoma Park.

Judging from the quantity and high quality of the questions and comments to Chairman Berlage that night, there is no question that the residents of the City and nearby areas care passionately about their environment in general, and particularly about their parks. All spoke eloquently of the necessity for stewardship of our environment.

Nature is under constant siege from human-introduced factors. The issue of exotic invasive plants is a very important one for us, now highly visible in Sligo Creek Park.

Just a few years ago, invasive plants did not seem to be an issue at all. Yes, there were a few plants in our gardens that spread easily (read: ivy, kudzu). At times we cursed them, at other times we appreciated their fast-growing, tough characteristics.

Now we are seeing these prolific ornamentals in natural areas, where we don’t have the manpower or equipment to keep them in check. They have escaped cultivation and are posing a serious threat to our natural ecosystems by invading wildlife habitats and choking out native species.

It is likely, then, that many of you already know that on Friday, February 27, 2004, there will be a day-long Green Matters Symposium regarding exotic invasive plants. The symposium will be held at Brookside Gardens from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The speakers at the symposium will reveal how we all can recognize these plants and do our part to control the spread of non-native invasive species.

Topics and speakers include: "Invasive Exotic Plants: A Tangled Bank?" with Johnny Randall, North Carolina Botanical Garden; "Botanical Bullies: Mid-Atlantic Invasive Plants" with Carole Bergmann, M-NCPPC; "Weeding in the Garden of Good and Evil" with Jil Swearingen, Center for Urban Ecology, National Park Service; "The Right Plant for the Right Place: Invasive Plants and the Nursery Industry" with John Peter Thompson, The Behnke Nursery Company; "Native, Introduced, Naturalized, Invasive: How Do We Categorize Plants?" by Sylvan Kaufman, Adkins Arboretum; "Identifying Non-Native Invasive Species in the Field," a walk with Carole Bergmann, M-NCPPC; "Great Alternatives: Nobody Needs to Plant Ivy Ever Again" with Joan Feeley, U.S. National Arboretum (and Takoma Park resident) and Carol Bordelon, U.S. National Arboretum; and "Recipes for Invasive Spread: Venison with Garlic Mustard" with Susan Kalisz, University of Pittsburgh.

The cost of the Symposium is $69.00 and you may register by calling Brookside Gardens at 301-962-1400 or at www.brooksidegardens.org.

CORRECTIONS

Last month’s column was about the retirement of John Hartmann as chairman of the Tree Commission, and detailed John’s commitment to the Master Gardener programs in our area. Fact correction time. Mea culpa. Your cub reporter couldn’t read her notes very well in outlining the Master Gardener program elements.

The training runs 55-60 hours, but it is not free. In Montgomery County this year it is $250. (A bargain!)

The fees, number of instructional hours, and volunteer hours required in return are all set by Steve Dubik, head of the program. This year, Steve is requiring 45 hours of volunteer time for the first year, then 25 hours in later years (not 125 hours as reported).

Additional correction: the Master Gardener Hotline telephone number is: 301-590-9650.

A very exciting new idea is being introduced by the Master Gardeners: Junior Master Gardeners. Stay in touch with John to learn more: 301-270-4782.

Pat Howell is a Takoma Park gardener and landscape designer/garden-builder, and welcomes comments, advice, suggestions, complaints. She is available for hand-holding and answering questions through Deephaven Landscapers.