Learn how to make and install a rain barrel at a workshop at 9 a.m. Saturday, August 6, at the Historic St. Mary’s City Visitor Center, off Rosecroft Road. Rain is a naturally soft water and devoid of minerals, chlorine, fluoride, and other chemicals. For this reason, plants respond very well to it. The hands-on workshop, taught by Jackie Takacs of the Maryland Sea Grant, is one of several classes sponsored through the year by the St. Mary’s Arboretum Association, and will also tell you the many practical uses of rain barrels and how they reduce runoff. Pre-registration is required and space is limited. For information, contact jutakacs@smcm.edu.
The St. Mary’s Arboretum Association labels trees and plantings on the St. Mary’s College of Maryland campus; sponsors public lectures and workshops; identifies, creates, and protects habitats for native animals and plants; and is committed to planting primarily native species to support birds and beneficial insect populations. Partners for this year’s events include Historic St. Mary’s City; Maryland Smart, Green & Growing; Maryland Sea Grant; and St. Mary’s River Watershed Association.