-natalie 

Lamb’s ear, named for its velvety texture, produces small, light purple blooms in the late spring. It prefers to be in direct sunlight and does well in poor, well drained soil. Many people dry it and pair it with other dried wild flowers to add to dried bouquets. Also, people like to use these plants as decorative garden foliage because it has an interesting texture and is deer-resistant

Mountain Laurel is a relative to Azaleas and is sometimes mistaken for bay laurel trees. These shrubs produce dark green leaves the whole year and then also produce white flowers in early to mid-June. They survive well on the East coast, but are native to mountanous areas – hence the name “mountain Laurel.”

The White pine can be easily identified by its long white needles and small bright orange, oddly shaped cones. They prefer cool, humid climates and soil that is well drained- white pines that were planted on certain areas of the farm have died or do not grow as well because the area in which they reside does not drain well during the rainy springs and early summer. Also, many of our pines have fallen victim to a fungus that we call pine rust. This prevents them from growing large and gives them an unpleasant smell.

This my mother’s yellow mountain alyssum. Alyssum grows very well in Maryland during the summer because it is highly drought tolerant- and this one has hung on to its flowers throughout fall. It’s matted appearance makes it a good ground cover and sometimes we will plant it around plants that are more sensitive to the cold in order to surround them with its tangled leaves and provide them some warmth.