Nursery-propogated native plants of the Eastern U.S. for home and community gardeners. We are a retail-only, mail-order nursery; no web sales. Purchases are by cash or check only; no credit cards accepted.
Fall 2010: Our Final Season
The Fall 2010 Catalog is now available. Trees and shrubs are listed separately.
2010 will be the final year for Lower Marlboro Nursery. More details in the Newsletter, below.
Fall 2010 Open House
Saturday, September 18 - 10 am to 5 pm
Sunday, September 19 - 11 am to 4 pm
No appointments necessary. All sales by check or cash only.
Fall is a great time to plant! Take advantage of cooler weather to visit the nursery and pick up plants, ideas, and tips for a satisfying, sustainable landscape.
The Nursery is located at 7011 South Flint Hill Road in Owings, MD. For driving directions and further information, please email to: contact@lowermarlboronursery.com, or call 301-812-0808.
Fall 2010 Newsletter
Dear Gardener,
Glancing back over my spring newsletter is a slightly disorienting experience—sort of like the dream scenes in the recent movie “Inception”. When I last sat down to write the nursery and yard were buried deep under the heaviest snowfall we've had in decades; now we're in the sweaty grip of a ferociously hot—and here, at least, very dry—summer. The sound of road plows in the distance has been replaced by the noisy drone of cicadas and the sky, cobalt blue after the snow, is dulled by a hot brown haze of dust, pollen, and more sinister pollutants. The catnip that kept its green crown even under all the snow is dried up, and even Sage has temporarily foregone her ceaseless stalking of insect pray to lie on the cool bricks of the front steps and just observe. The older cats are again deep in hibernation—or estivation, I suppose. At least some things don't change.
Is it just a freak year? Weather cycles? Global warming? I don't pretend to know, but I do know that every season of every year is different in some way from the one before, regardless of long-term trends. And I'd take on anybody in a bet that no matter what our climate does in coming decades, the weather will be weird—as always. Seasons will be cooler or warmer than average; there will be severe storms and droughts, “snowmageddons” and record-breaking heat—and just the occasional perfect day to keep us going.
I also believe that whatever the future holds climate and weather-wise, gardens won't be part of the problem, but part of the solution. Possibly a large part, given our continuing loss of natural, undisturbed, or even unpaved land. Rain gardens to mitigate runoff pollution; buffer plantings to prevent stream and shoreline degradation; green roofs to reduce heat; habitat gardens to provide food and shelter for wildlife—all can play an important role in alleviating or preventing problems, and all can work as well on small residential sites as in large-scale public projects. Home and community gardens matter, and if gardeners pay attention to the environmental as well as the aesthetic effects of their gardening efforts we can be a positive force for our own good in an uncertain future.
I hope that Lower Marlboro Nursery, now in its final season, has been a positive force in some small way over the last 21 years. While I do not and have never advocated a natives-only policy, as a specialty nursery I have focused primarily on regionally native plants for a number of reasons: their relative unavailability to gardeners, undemanding culture, environmental friendliness; and, not least, their beauty and gardenworthiness. Although I'm closing, the growing appreciation of natives has led not only to (somewhat) increased availability at garden centers, but also to new specialty nurseries run by knowledgeable growers who want to share their enthusiasm. I hope my customers will seek them out. (Local plant sales are a great way to find them, and many have websites.) These are the nurseries that will always be the best source for gardeners of an inquiring mind.
As for myself, I'm truly sorry to be shuttering the nursery; it's been a wonderful experience and I've greatly enjoyed the people I've met and who have bought my plants over the years. Thank you all! However, I'm neither moving nor becoming a hermit, so I hope I'll continue to be in touch with many of you, and you're welcome to continue to contact me with questions or comments about your plants. Certainly I'll be gardening—if you hit a local plant sale you may see me standing next to you in line. And I will be open to possibilities for writing, speaking, consulting, and even limited growing. Who knows? It will be interesting to find out. One thing I do know for sure: I won't stop sowing seeds and experimenting with the results—it's just too much fun.
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Although this is my last season, I'm going into it as well stocked as I can contrive. There are both new and reintroduced plants listed below, as well as stock remaining from the spring catalog. Some things are in short supply, but no more than usual given my always limited numbers. Prices have been adjusted in a few cases where quantity permits, but I'm not planning on a close-of-business sale. And, as always, there are some plants still available in very small numbers and a few that never made it into the catalog—please feel free to inquire about plants you're interested in.
Despite this year's weather the plants have put on a lot of growth—all that heat?—and should be ready to ship and plant out once the weather cools a bit. I hope you'll find something in the list you like. Happy gardening!
Mary-Stuart Sierra