I am not familiar with garden centers in Maryland (other than Lilypons and Behnkes), so can't help with that, but there are some really nice gardens in that general area. HGTV had a show on some and the link is here:

http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/gl_gardens_secret_gardens/article/0,,HGTV_3594_1384261,00.html (Secret Gardens of Baltimore or some such)

Then there is Brookside Gardens and Cylburn Arboretum.

Perhaps the best thing to do before visiting is to check out the websites to see what is going on. The national arboretum for example, lists what will be blooming and when, plant sales they have, special exhibits and events, etc.

I Googled for 'community garden Baltimore' and came up with a bunch of links. You might find something interesting in your neighborhood.

Suja

Homestead gardens in Davidsonville MD
Patuxent Nursery in Bowie(?) has a nice display from the road.

Valley View gardens in Hunt Valley ( Timonium) , Baltimore County
Since you live in the city..check out your local papers or community centers for groups that grow veggie gardens in their neighborhood. Check out the senior citizen centers . They can probably tell you about all kinds of volunteer projects and perhaps a neighborhood beautification program in your area. Good Luck.

I think you'll love Valley View Gardens. It's one of my favorites. Watson's Garden Center on York Road in Towson is small but has an amazing collection of indoor tropicals - some of them quite hard to find. They also carry outdoor plants.

Behnke's is also awesome - it's in Beltsville, on Rt. 1. They have virtually EVERYTHING!

Be sure to visit the Baltimore Conservatory, on the grounds of the Baltimore Zoo. Nice glasshouses and small but nice outdoor gardens in the summer. They take volunteers - I used to help out there. Cylburn Arboretum has lovely outdoor gardens, a lot of wooded, naturalized areas if I recall correctly.

There is a Horticultural Society of Maryland and a garden club based in Baltimore.

Most of these places have web sites with directions and details about what to know before you go.

Just curious, what do you find strange and surreal about Baltimore? It does have character, and characters! What part do you live and/or work in? I've lived in Woodlawn in the western suburbs, downtown on Charles St. in Mt. Vernon as a young single, and now in Westminster, about 40 miles NW of the city.

Wow! Thank you all for the great suggestions! I will definitely check out Valley View Gardens this weekend (or before!). I will definitely check out the Baltimore Conservatory and the websites suggested.

Has anyone been to the Patuxent Nature Preserve? Is that affiliated with the Patuxent Nursery?

Watergal, I will admit...Baltimore is definitely growing me with every person I meet. It just seems as a whole very discordant, very segregated on racial and socio-economic levels in a way I've not seen before. It is very difficult to get the most simple of things done. For example, grocery shopping. I have to go to 3 different grocery stores just to get a normal order, and I don't eat anything out of the ordinary and the grocery stores are not 24-hour. Small things like that just seem to go against the grain of contemporary society...I'm from a fairly rural area and I've lived in the mountains, and we just had a more contemporary way of life.

The thing I love most about the area, though, is bull-riding events at the J Bar W.

I am just so excited to get into the dirt again!

Baltimore is definitely not the most progressive, contemporary or cosmopolitan of cities, I agree! I grew up in the Northern Va. suburbs of DC, and the two cities are so different! I spent my teenage years working at the World Bank downtown as a summer job, and saw every ethnicity there was. My daughter, in Carroll County, is in a practially all-white public school, and although the education is excellent, I wish there were more diversity.

Baltimore is definitely segregate racially and ethnically - there is Little Italy (great restaurants!), Greektown, and lots of other ethnic enclaves. Also lots of what used to be called "slums" - is there a more politically correct term for that now? And you can go 3 or 4 blocks in any direction and be in a completely different type of area. It pays to stay alert.

And what IS with the grocery stores? I have to go to 2 of them to find what I need too. Very irritating, especially since I hate to shop and cook to begin with.

Welcome to our quirky city. You'll love it before long!

Oh wow, Asheville to Bawlmore. I feel for you. It's like Madison WI to Baltimore was for me. Just in case you're wondering hon, "there are no food coops in Baltimore - it's a blue collar town".

If you feel like a little road trip, Thanksgiving Gardens in Frederick (I-70 west, get off at exite 56 and go south on Route 85 about 8 miles) has large greenhouses with lots of interesting and unusual plants. Not cheap, though.

Also 32nd Street Farmers Market on Saturday mornings is a nice place.

The aquarium in the Inner Harbor has a fantastic rainforest at the top level.

And you could come to the swap on May 5.

I don't believe the Patuxent Nature Preserve is affiliated with any Nurseries, though I do second the shout out for Behnke's. The have an INCREDIBLE selection. Not the least expensive in the world, but you do get what you pay for. Also there is Meadows Farms (http://www.meadowsfarms.com) Not quite the selection of Behnke's, but more reasonable prices for quality plants.

Here is a link for some native plant sales in the area: http://www.mdflora.org/events/plantsales.html

Also, Irvine Nature Center uses volunteers to maintain their programs/grounds/etc. (http://www.explorenature.org/support-irvine/volunteer/volunteer.html)

Happy Gardening!

Jen

Crow: Tell me more about where you lived in PA. I was going to suggest Valley View as well. My son lived in Lutherville and I discovered Valley View in my travels from PA to MD when he lived there. You mean you never discovered Greenwood Nursery (in Perry County) when you lived in PA - shame on you. Email me to arrange for the 25 cent tour...haha.

Watergal, so sorry that you have the same problem with the grocery stores, but I'm definitely glad to hear that it's not just me! Sundays are the worst days, though, to go shopping around here!

"there are no food coops in Baltimore - it's a blue collar town" - ha ha ha...the sad thing is, that was my very first lesson here! (But, despite all of the "weird" things...I have an awesome job which is why I moved here to begin with.)

I would love to come to the Spring Swap on May 5. I don't have anything to trade, but I make a killer cheese-and-bean dip. Oh, and I learned how to make this awesome paprika spread. Is that okay? I also have tons of napkins. My roommate has a an entire cupboard full.

It looks like the Central MD Audobon Society is going to be selling ferns - do you know if it's easy to keep these alive in containers?

Have you all done anything at the Cylburn Arboretum? I was just looking at their plant sale and saw that at the end of the month they are having a container herb-growing class. This is perfect!

OK - today's plan: Valley View, cat to the vet, then Behnke's.

And John, being from a complicated contemporary family...I consider the whole of central PA my home...My extended family farms in York County, I lived in South Middleton Township in the 90s...the Appalachain Trail was within walking distance of my house. I also lived in Lancaster County for a few years, so maybe SKH spoiled me. Bulk food AND great plants all in one go. What more can a girl ask for? I am trying to become more independant...one can't always be running home everytime one wants potting soil, right?

One more question about Bmore: why isn't there a mandatory recycling program? Does anyone know?

Baltimore city, from what I've seen, could do better by starting with a simple anti-littering campaign :-)

Why are you in the city? There are lots of suburbs near there which might be more to your liking. As far as groceries go, there are regional preferences/differences everywhere. Every time you move you learn new things. As long as I can find white cheddar cheese and brown eggs in one store I'm happy :-) But I'm not in the city so really don't understand what you mean. Are you talking about large chain stores or small mom & pot groceries? Trader Joe's has everything I need. There are several in Baltimore county. And isn't there a Whole Foods in the city?

Do plan to come to the swap. Everyone brings food to share, and those who have nothing to trade are encouraged to bring chocolate as well :-) We always need new gardeners to provide good homes for surplus plants, so mark your calendar and add your wants to the list on the exchange page.