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Carex pensylvanica, commonly called Pennsylvania sedge, is a shade-loving perennial sedge that is native to thickets and dry woodland areas in Eastern and Central North America. Sedges (carex) are my new love. I planted carex pensylvanica, carex plantaginea (seersucker sedge) and carex laxiculmis “Hobb” Bunny Blue in my garden last year. I had never heard of them before, so I am enjoying learning all about sedges. They definitely are an overlooked garden asset. Read More
Groundsel: A highly-tolerant fall-blooming native
Groundsel can be found in Holts Landing State Park. Photos by Susu Fiske Groundsel: A highly-tolerant fall-blooming native Also called sea-myrtle, consumption weed, eastern baccharis, salt marsh-elder and salt bush, native groundsel is found all over this area, and I love that it is fall-blooming, with densely clustered white flowers. Groundsel (Baccharis halimifolia L.) […] Read More → 
Prairie dropseed – A grass with a fragrance?
Prairie dropseed – A grass with a fragrance? Sporobolus heterolepis or as we commonly know it, Prairie dropseed, does have a fragrance of a hint of coriander, cilantro or some say soap or buttered popcorn(hmm), licorice or even sunflower seeds (I guess we will have to find out for ourselves). Dropseed is a long-lived perennial […] Read More → 
Willow Oak, a Beautiful Native Shade Tree
Quercus phellos, Beech family (Fagaceae) One of my favorite trees, the Willow oak, is stunning in the fall! Willow oak trees are also called swamp willow and peach oak. They have spear-shaped leaves around 2-5″ long, like the weeping willow, each with a tiny bristle at the tip. They are beautiful oaks with willow-like […] Read More → 
Rudbeckias – not rude but beautiful and tough
Is it a coneflower? Is it a daisy? No, it’s a Black Eyed Susan, or a Susie. The Rudbeckias (the Latin, or scientific name) are a large genus (a group of living things with similar characteristics that is further subdivided into species), that is familiar to us all. With several different species, there is at […] Read More → 
Millville Signs the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge
On the morning of June 30, we celebrated the Mayors for Monarchs project at Evans Park. Mayor Ronald Belinko signed the Mayors for Monarch pledge for the Town of Millville. This initiative was spearheaded by Millville resident Sally Griffin and supported by Paul DuCott. Inland Bays Garden Center assisted with the design and plant choices […] Read More → 
Summer Solstice Tour at the Delaware Botanic Gardens
On June 21, we celebrated the summer solstice and pollinator week with a private tour of the Delaware Botanic Gardens led by Carol McCloud, Vice President of the Board of Directors/Tour Director/Volunteer Director, and Stephen Pryce Lea, Director of Horticulture. It was a beautiful day to walk the grounds to witness the Piet Oudolf meadow […] Read More → 
Beach Plum – sweet plant, sour fruit
If you drive down route 1 between Bethany and the bridge, you might see a shrub starting to bloom now, with white to light pink flowers. This is one of our prettiest natives, the Beach Plum, Prunus maritima. Its native habitat is the dunes, where it grows to around 8′ in dense thickets. It is […] Read More → 
The Holiday Art Gallery
Inland Bays Garden Center has created a unique shopping experience where you can find wreaths, garland, Christmas plants, fresh flowers and one-of-a kind gifts. There is no supply chain issue, no traffic to fight and no crowds. Our new green house and Little Gallery are bursting with gifts created by local craftsmen. We have assembled […] Read More → 
Roasted Butternut Squash Salad With Warm Cider Vinaigrette
Salad 1 (1 1/2-pound) butternut squash, peeled and 3/4-inch) diced Olive oil 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 3 tablespoons dried cranberries 3 radishes, sliced 1 cup shaved fennel 1 cup red cabbage, julianne 4 ounces baby arugula, washed and spun dry 2 cups romaine, torn 1 cup candied […] Read More → 
Fall Color – how plants celebrate the changing of the season
Who doesn’t love the glowing reds, yellows, oranges and all the other colors that make autumn so beautiful? Did you ever wonder what the mechanism is, or how to get more of that beauty in your yard? Growing conditions throughout the season affect fall color, as does current weather. Fall leaf colors are due to […] Read More → 
Plant Expert from Inland Bays talks sun and soil
Liz Nalle of Inland Bays Garden Center, recently presented at a luncheon meeting of the Lord Baltimore Women’s Club. Liz explained the importance of both light (southern exposure is best) and water for healthy plant growth. Watering can be tricky business, she notes, because it’s easy to make mistakes – either too little or too […] Read More → 
Brandywine Viburnum – beautiful, adaptable, and reliable
Brandywine Viburnum – beautiful, adaptable, and reliable The whole Viburnum family are great shrubs, but today we’ll be talking about one that is looking more and more beautiful everyday – Viburnum nudum ‘Brandywine’. Because the berries are desirable to birds and the flowers to pollinators, this is the ideal shrub for your garden to become […] Read More → 
Pumpkin Stew
What do you do with that pumpkin that you bought for Halloween? Make Pumpkin Stew of course! Wait until you see the expression on you family’s faces when you open the oven door to remove your delicious stew baked in a pumpkin. Just make sure before you begin that your pumpkin will fit in your […] Read More → 
Oakleaf hydrangea – amazing fall color in the shade
Oakleaf hydrangea – a spot of early summer color in the shade The Oakleaf hydrangea , Hydrangea quercifolia, is a dramatic, white-blooming shrub with four seasons of interest. Native to the eastern United States, it is a gorgeous and versatile deciduous shrub which provides a spectacular show all year round. Named after the shape of […] Read More → 
Native Shrub Underdog: Fothergilla
A beautiful native shrub that is blooming now is the Fothergilla. This native shrub deserves the spotlight for its fall foliage show, and spring flowers, ease of care, and versatility round out a profile of a beautiful and multipurpose plant. (Did I mention the gorgeous fall color?) These native shrubs are useful as foundation plants, […] Read More → 
Pink Muhly grass – pink clouds for your garden
One of the stand out plants in the fall garden is Pink Muhly grass, Muhlenbergia capillaris. With its clouds of pinkish purple plumes dancing in the wind making a stunning display, it will stop traffic in your neighborhood. Muhly grass is native to the southern and eastern United States. They often grow in dry or […] Read More → 
Coneflowers – Low maintenance, High beauty
The purple coneflower – Echinacea purpurea – is one of the most common, and loved native wildflowers. It is beautiful, easy care, not a deer favorite, and comes in different sizes and colors. We wrote about coneflowers last year, but there have been new varieties introduced, and we have learned more about them, so we […] Read More → 
Switch grass
Switch grass – Nothing to panic about, a wonderful plant Switch grass, also known as Panic grass, or Panicum virgatum, is one of the most common grasses found here on the Delmarva coast. It is easily grown in average, medium to wet soils in full sun to part shade, and it tolerates a wide range […] Read More → 
August in the Gallery
Those long, lazy days of summer come alive in the artistic and functional art on display in the “LittleGallery” located in the heart of Inland Bays Garden Center. You’ll find something to enhance the beauty of your beachhouse or to decorate your table for summer family gatherings all created by our four artists working in […] Read More → 
Clethra
In these dog days of summer, when it’s so hot and humid outside, something healthy, flowering and green is a welcome sight in the garden. There is one shrub that shines this time of year, and that is the shrub aptly known as Summersweet or Sweet pepperbush, or Clethra alnifolia. Clethra is native to the […] Read More → 
Everyone’s Summer Favorite: Hydrangeas
With immense flower heads, hydrangeas have an old-fashioned charm that is hard to resist. Colors are beautiful, with clear blues, vibrant pinks, frosty whites, lavender, and rose. Easy to grow, these are a summer staple in our area, a must in any partly shaded area. Hydrangeas don’t mind our sandy soil, you can see them […] Read More → 
BLUEBERRY ORANGE NUT BREAD
What could be more fun in the summer than picking blueberries. My husband Jack has created a method for picking with both hands. He takes a large clips and attaches it to his belt and then hooks on the bucket making it easy to pick with both hands. I love freezing blueberries to use all […] Read More → 
Unique Blooms & Fruits
Our three favorite native picks for this month are unique in their own way. Each one is a fabulous choice for lanscaping with native plants since they will bring an abundance of wildlife to your backyard. Read More → 
Native Plants local to Delmarva
We’re excited to introduce 5 new plants that are specifically local to the coastal Delmarva area. Read More → 
“Coreopsis – called tickseed, but not for ticks”
This week’s Coastal Point newspaper feature is “Coreopsis – called tickseed, but not for ticks” by Liz Nalle. Thank you Coastal Point newspaper! COASTAL POINT: The coreopsis family, also known as tickseeds, are just about the ideal garden plant – long bloom time, low maintenance, gorgeous flowers and good foliage. What more could you ask […] Read More → 
From the Garden: French Potato Salad
Isn’t is just wonderful that the Farmer’s Markets are open and filled with the bounty of the early summer garden. I like nothing g better than to fill my shopping basket with fresh local produce. Try this twist on potato salad which is perfect for picnics and outdoor summer meals. Feel free to add any […] Read More → 
July in the Gallery
Experience Coastal wildlife woven through the camera lens, glass and found objects by three creative artists who bring natural beauty to life in our gallery during the month of July. Ken Arni Photographer began Wildlife Photography began after retirement when he moved to Delaware Inland Bays with Kayak. When out in the bays, it became […] Read More → 
From the Garden: Summer Crudite Shots
The concept of a blog is very new to me but cooking and gardening certainly aren’t. They’ve been a love of mine since I was very young. I hope in the following weeks to share with you simple and creative ways to share the joys of both. One of my favorite ways to feature early […] Read More → 
June in the Gallery
Art is the perfect way to capture Coastal Life and keep it alive all year long. Our three artists have done just that using ceramic flowers, unique garden stepping stones and “pigments of the imagination”. Margie Samero – Stepping Stones began in 2000 when a close friend gave Margie a big bucket of stained glass […] Read More → 
Thinking about a Bradford Pear? Read this.
It’s in full bloom now, so you may have noticed a small/medium sized tree blooming white along our roadsides the past few weeks – blooming white, in round flower clusters. It’s everywhere, up and down our major and minor roads and in fields. These trees are descendants of the Bradford Pear, a cultivated variety of […] Read More → 
Early Spring Habitat Gardening
If you look closely, many pollinating insects and their eggs can be found under fallen leaves and in the stems of your plants as they wait to emerge with the warmer temperatures. The Xerces Society points out, “just like bears, many pollinators hibernate through the winter-and they may need a little help to survive until spring.” So, […] Read More → 
MAY IN THE GARDEN
May is the busiest month in the garden with plenty to do and lots to enjoy! Time to plant trees, shrubs, vines, ground covers, perennials and fruit plants of all types. Read More → 
APRIL IS ALL ABOUT GETTING READY
Clean Your Garden and remove weeds, winter mulch and debris before digging and preparing the garden for planting. After clearing all the debris, nourish your soil with compost or well-rotted manure. If you don’t have compost or manure, apply a slow-release fertilizer. Select and Plant Perennial Herbs such as Thyme, Lavender, Oregano, Chives, Mint and […] Read More → 
NOTEWORTHY NATIVE – Red Maple
Red Maples are easy to grow, provide great shade, have beautiful flowers in the spring and gorgeous fall color. Have you seen a tree with branches that look like they are tinged red or pink recently? It’s probably a Red Maple, Acer rubrum if you want the Latin name, one of our most common native […] Read More →