Happy spring everyone! We hope you are all enjoying the slightly warmer weather and sunnier days.

This month's newsletter include a BIG announcement of our brand new website, cicada Brood X resources, continuing education, the latest Garden Thyme podcast all about permaculture, and a seed transplanting video with Harford County Master Gardener Coordinator, Joyce Browning.

University of Maryland Extension has a brand new website! As always, many of the pages and links that will be useful to you can be found in our Volunteer Resources section that includes continuing education opportunities, information about VMS, teaching templates, and more. Please note that many local Master Gardener Program pages are still under construction and will have a new URL. Check out our new website as well as HGIC's to get familiar with the new format!

Did you miss the March 2021 GIEI meeting? Watch the recording below!

This one-hour program will begin with a brief introduction to the medium of watercolor and basic materials. Then the instructor, Mary Ellen Carsley, will demonstrate how to paint a flower in watercolor. Participants are encouraged to “paint along.”

Advice on different watercolor techniques, basic composition, and keeping a “Gardener’s Sketchbook” will be included. The demonstration will be followed by a question and answer session. You can use your own supplies or purchase a kit here. She recommends the Koi Watercolor Travel Value Set, 2 pencils, and an eraser.

Spring is here! We are so ready to get in our gardens and hope you are as well. In this episode, we are joined by Justinian Dispenza, who runs the Eastern Shore Permaculture Institute. We talked all about what permaculture is and how to incorporate its ideas into our own gardens. Permaculture is an approach to land management and philosophy that adopts arrangements observed in flourishing natural ecosystems.