Rain Underground is hosting a Pollinator Planter Workshop:

 
Saturday, June 28, 2014
7 - 9 pm
Near Hampden in Baltimore, MD
For Adults--Drinks and Appetizers will be served

     Pollinators have been getting more attention and rightly so. Here at Rain Underground, we've been thinking about planting design for pollinators. Not everyone has the space for a garden of native perennials, but we want to do what we can to help create lots of "flower pot stops" for these important members of our environment. Enter a pollinator planter workshop! Butterflies, bees and other pollinators will love the pot you plant up at this one of kind workshop (how can it be 'work' when drinks, flowers, laughing and learning are involved?) Please forward the invitation to those who may be interested.       
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     The evening gives participants a chance to see a residential rain garden planted with native plants, while creating a pollinator haven in a pot (medium or large). We provide pots, plants, potting soil, gardening gloves, tools, and an experienced plants-woman to lead the workshop. The workshop takes place in Baltimore near Hampden. Address is provided to participants.

     The cost to participants is $40.00 for the medium planter (approx. 12x14x12) and $75.00 for the large planter (approx. 18x20x18). Participants will leave with the potted up planter, instructions for care and more info about pollinators.

     Email info@rainunderground.com to register for the workshop. Please specify size of pot and include your name and phone number.

Come join us and we will all plant happy together!

--Zoe

So we can’t get enough of them! They buzz, they pollinate, they make their homes in nooks and crannies, they’re not as aggressive as their European cousins. Native bees come in all shapes and sizes. They are solitary and wild—meaning they don’t live in hives like the honeybee, but they do the same work—pollinating our flowers, fruits, and veggies. While we don’t harvest honey from our native, wild bees, we do benefit from them. Many native bees eat aphids and other garden pests. When inviting native bees to your patch of paradise, it is important to keep it insecticide free.  

Because native bees don’t live in hives, inviting them to live near your plants is ever is such fun. Look at the inventive ways folks have been mimicking the wild bees nesting sites. 

In Hampden, my neck of the woods, you can pick up a ready made wild bee hotel on the Avenue at Trohv. 

Or make your own: use a variety of materials, such as stone, branches, logs, bark, bound reeds and bamboo. Make sure the materials for the nesting site are clean and that the wood is untreated. The various components and sizes of the holes attract different species. According to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Maryland nearly 400 species of native bees.  The holes serve as burrows in which the females will lay their egg and raise their larvae. Elderberry, blackberry and rose shoots added to the nesting site can serve as a food source. Most important are protection from rain—either cover the nesting site or assure that the drilled holes are slanted so rain drains out—and southern exposure—bees like to be warm. Because bee hotels are made from natural materials, these nesting sites will eventually decay. This can be a wonderful part of enjoying the passage of time in a garden.

Jenny and I have been enjoying the bees so much that we are planning a June 28th workshop to do a gorgeous planter of native perennial pollinator plants. Those who join the workshop will leave with their potted planter in hand, ready to serve the bees.

Plant thoughtful, plant happy!
--Zoe

More native bee resources:

https://www.pollinator.org/PDFs/BeeBasicsBook.pdf

www.pollinator.org

http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/Habitat/WildAcres/wabees.asp

Thanks to Christopher Goins in Southern Maryland Online, we were inspired to graphically represent the stormwater fees by county. What do we want to see in two to five years? Graphics comparing the cost per county with the amount of water quality improvement. 

The fees are intended to encourage pro-active behavior in both the public and private realm. While some might prefer another policy approach, clean water is a worthy goal.  Here's hoping that the fees move Marylanders in that direction. 

The table lists Maryland Counties in alphabetical order and gives fee information for residential, commercial and non-profit entities. For those who want to get credits to apply toward the fee, now is a good time to educate yourself. 
We've tried to include links that will direct you toward fee reduction/credit and hardship information for each county. Some counties are still updating information. We will keep our eye out and update the matrix and links as needed. 

Maryland Stormwater Remediation Fee Information

We found the process of gathering the information interesting, but let us know if you find the information helpful or if you have other questions or uncertainties that need clarifying.

Jenny

Keeping up with each county’s stormwater remediation fees has been like watching toddlers play soccer.  It can be hard to keep track of the game and easy to lose interest.  Several counties have gone back and forth, leaving residents, business owners, and non-profits to wonder how the fees will impact them.

Jenny and I have been trying to follow along. The Maryland Association of Counties’ blog, Conduit Street, has been a good resource for following the twists and turns since the Watershed Protection and Restoration Program legislation passed in April of 2012 (House Bill 987). So has Rona Kobell in her both her blog with the Bay Journal and on her visits with Dan Roddrick’s monthly Midday on the Bay radio show.  At Clean Water Action you can find links to the counties’ legislation.

However, what we wanted was a quick reference and comparison of the counties policies and fees.   So we gathered the information.  Next week you will be able to come here to find Maryland county stormwater remediation fee information in one easy-to-understand chart.  Jenny has compiled the fees (residential, commercial and non-profit) for each county and other fee implementation information.  If the county provides the opportunity of reducing the fee through credit programs, links will be provided.  Pursuing credits is a win-win:  better water quality for the bay and less fee for you.

How have you been keeping track of the Maryland Stormwater Remediation fees? Have you made plans for pursuing credits? Let us know if our chart is helpful.

Plant thoughtful, plant happy!

—Zoe