Beltsville Flower Shops

Beltsville MD News

Mar 16, 2017

Snow, ice and cold temperatures take damaging toll on plants, crops ...

We will see some damage," says Bill Mann, the horticulturalist at Behnke's Nursery in Beltsville, "we just don't know how much."Growers at the nursery are in the process of 'hardening off'--- getting the plants used to colder temperatures.Their greenhouse is 55 degrees during the day, and 34 at night.Mann says even the flowers sprouting in giant pots sitting outside... covered with snow, no less, have a good chance of recovering.And for those impatient gardeners, he says it's important to cover shrubs with burlap or a frost protector blanket.As far as trees and flowers go? With temps dipping below 25 degrees, the best thing may be to just let nature take it's course.There is one other problem, albeit a temporary one: people simply aren't gardening right now... at least until warm weather returns."Directly it impacts our business," Mann says. "We were anticipating an early spring, but now we just have to wait and see. Mother Nature is not cooperating."... (WJLA)

Dec 28, 2016

North Laurel family turns kitchen into holiday cookie factory

Baker family cookies have always been "warmly welcomed and appreciated" at Consolidated Waterproofing Contractors in Beltsville. "Come cookie delivery day, no matter what is going on or how busy the day is, we always stop what we are doing to enjoy the fresh treats," Stevens said. Laurel resident Craig Flater, of Kenseal Construction Products, in Beltsville, said he's worked with Brian Baker at Preservation and Protection Systems for the past six years. Fourteen staff members at Kenseal are looking forward to the arrival of a huge tray of cookies as in years past, and they'll be gone within two to three hours, Flater said. He believes the gift contributes to "a more personal relationship" with Preservation and Protection Systems. "All the cookies are super delicious, but my favorite is the chocolate chip," he said. "I know Leah puts a lot of effort into making the cookies, so that extra time and effort means a lot in today's fast-paced world." The Bakers do keep some cookies for themselves. And Leah Baker said she delivers small packages to her trainers at Power Train Gym, in Columbia, and she mails some to family and friends in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and North Carolina. Last year, Baker said she was touched to find "Best Day Ever" on North Carolina resident Christina Kassop's social media status; Kassop credited receiving her cookies as the reason. The two women met several years ago at a Stroller Strides class called Fit4Mom Howard County (where Baker was an instructor), and struck up a close friendship. The Kassop family moved to Southern Pines when Christina's Army husband was stationed at Fort Brag; they received their first package of Christmas cookies from the Baker family last Christmas. "It was very sweet; I was missing home and it was so thoughtful of her," Kassop said. "I'm definitely looking forward to my package this year." Baking tips Some of the tips Baker said she's picked up after baking thousands and thousands of cookies include using parchment paper on her baking sheets, cooling the baked cookies on brown paper bags instead of wire racks and adding a little extra flour to standard recipes to make the cookies extra fluffy. And unlike in 2006, when the newlyweds first began the tradition, Baker said she doesn't attempt to make cut-out cookies, which takes too much prep time. Today, she works smarter. Her easiest recipe (and Kasa's favorite), the Funfetti cookie, simply requires adding one third cup of oil and two eggs to a box of Funfetti cake mix and rolling them into balls to bake for 6–8 minutes, yielding about three dozen pretty cookies per batch. Baker's other specialties — Snickerdoodles, M&M cookies, chocolate chip, chocolate peanut butter chip, peanut butter cup and salted peanut chews — are a little more involved, but also very popular, she said. And packaging 1,500 assorted cookies in trays, tins and boxes for more than 30 deliveries requires a bit of planning. The overall cost for everything, she said, runs about $200. Although she has her process down pat, Baker said she couldn't consider going commercial, at least not unless a double oven appears under the tree in the Christmas future. The Bakers have fallen in love with their new home in Howard County; they had their Christmas card photo taken this year at Bollman Bridge. And the littlest Bakers are looking forward to a community visit from Santa Claus, courtesy of the Savage Volunteer Fire Dept., on Dec. 20. "I love it here," Leah Baker said. "I would never move away." ... (Baltimore Sun)

Feb 3, 2016

Prince George's County home sales

Loan Servicing Corp. to Abebe Zewde, $56,500. 23rd Ave., 7605-Leon G. and Julieta Sacro to Jose C. Rios and Maria Antonieta Rodriguez, $230,000. BELTSVILLE AREA Blueridge Dr., 11500-Gracianie Bosquet and Gracianie Dariste to Jose M. Martinez and Ana Diaz Rojas, $320,000. Greenmount Ave., 13014-Jamienguyen to Ruben M. Aguilar and Juana Arevalo, $349,000. Romlon St., 4409-Federal National Mortgage Association to Eva Rodriguez, $69,900. Stephen Lane, 11309-Kaycie Marie Williard and the estate of David Alan Willard to Erick N. Perez Loayes, $334,000. BLADENSBURG AREA Volta Ave., 5523-Jared M. and Lauren Williams to Estela J. Sandoval and Teresa Martinez Alvarado, $233,000. BOWIE AREA Caswell Lane, 12516-Robert B. Eigliozzi and Robert A. Gray to Peggy Denise Hatton, $349,000. Grenfell Loop, 6200-Christine L. Bowen to Federal National Mortgage Association, $261,774. Kensington Lane, 12417-Kamo Deen Okedeyi to Donna Hodge, $304,000. Morning Glory Trail, 4723-Federal National Mortgage Association to Tpring Poe, $290,000. Quaking Branch Ct., 12618-John R. Weikart to Shirley Wimberly, $399,000. Tapered Lane, 2916-John C. and Gail E. Steinmetz to Orville Taylor, $237,000. Yarmouth Lane, 3917-Anne M. and Charles H. Kienast to Hye Lim Yoo, $305,000. BOWIE-MITCHELLVILLE AREA Eldbridge Lane, 16600-Florence and Abraham George to Christopher Grant, $265,000. Pennypacker Lane, 1210-Stone Financing Corp. and Brookfield Relocation Inc. to Randy S. Austin, $300,000. BRANDYWINE AREA Chaddsford Shoreside Ct., 7310-Christopher Michael and Sharon L. Zavestoski to Lawrence J. Hester II, $304,000. BRENTWOOD AREA 38th St., 4520-Greenhouse Property Solution Corp. Series to Tidankay C. Dainkeh, $320,000. CAPITOL HEIGHTS AREA Carmody Hills Dr., 312-Steven W. Johnson II to John Solomon Scott III, $159,900. Dateleaf Ave., 418-Brickfront Properties Corp. to Orin Stefan Greene, $179,600. G St., 6402-Your American Dream Foundation Inc. to Tamesha K. Smith, $259,900. Halsted Ave., 6122-NVR Inc. to Shana ...

Feb 2, 2016

Father Carr led Curtis Bay, Glen Burnie parishes

Central Catholic High School. He was taught there by the Christian Brothers, and entered their novitiate in Beltsville eight days after his high school graduation. Father Carr earned a bachelor’s degree in French education and a master’s degree in theology from what was then La Salle College in Philadelphia, and later a master’s degree in Spanish from the University of Notre Dame. Taking his final vows as a Christian Brother in 1957, he taught for 15 years, in Canton, Ohio; Pittsburgh; Philadelphia; Orange, N.J.; Miami; and finally at Calvert Hall College in Towson, where he taught multiple languages and over eight years was moderator of six different athletic teams. Father Ryan joined the Calvert Hall teaching staff in 1967 as a Christian Brother. He said it was not a coincidence that he followed Father Carr into the priesthood. “He was a good mentor,” Father Ryan said. Father Carr studied for the priesthood at St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore. Ordained a priest for the archdiocese in 1971, he served brief stints at Sacred Heart Parish in Glyndon; St. Francis of Assisi in Baltimore; Stella Maris; and St. Clement I in Lansdowne. After four-plus years at St. Thomas More Parish in Baltimore and two at St. Dominic in Hamilton, he became a pastor for the first time in 1983, at St. Athanasius in Curtis Bay. A book celebrating the parish’s centennial in 1991 referenced the challenges he faced. “As soon as Father Carr arrived,” the book reported, “he received a notice from the city to clean up the property. … Father responded by asking for help from the parish and doing much of the work himself.” He was credited with instituting ethnic celebrations and raising environmental awareness in a community known for its industrial waterfront. He served as an administrator of St. Patrick in Mount Savage from July 1994 to December 1995, when he became pastor of Church of the Crucifixion in Glen Burnie. In February 2000, Father Carr became associate pastor of Holy Trinity Parish in Glen Burnie, and continued to serve weeke... (The Catholic Review)

Nov 1, 2015

Flower-growing hobby fades in popularity

China and Japan. Howell, this weekend's runner-up and a longtime grower, could be found a week before the show in his Beltsville, Md., backyard with protege Polo Diaz, who, at a mere 49, is the youngest member of the Potomac Chrysanthemum Society. Diaz is a landscaper who noticed Howell's blooms while working in the neighborhood four years ago. When Diaz asked about them, the octogenarian took the younger man under his wing, giving him cuttings to pot up in the spring and grow through the summer. Another encouraging presence at the show was the prize-winning blooms grown by middle school students from Canton, N.C., whose entries were driven to Fairfax by their (now retired) biotechnology teacher, David Curtis. The problem is that once the students hit high school, horticulture isn't offered, he said. Capobianco, who was standing nearby, said his hope is that if teenagers are introduced to growing flowers, they will return to them later in life after the distractions of young adulthood. The question is: Will there be a local or national society for them to return to? For a while this past weekend, such fears were put aside as growers and visitors alike savored the spectacle of the exhibition flower. In her pep... (messenger-inquirer)

Oct 28, 2015

Once blooming, a flower-growing hobby fades

China and Japan. Howell, this weekend's runner-up and a longtime grower, could be found a week before the show in his Beltsville, Md., backyard with protege Polo Diaz, who, at a mere 49, is the youngest member of the Potomac Chrysanthemum Society. Diaz is a landscaper who noticed Howell's blooms while working in the neighborhood four years ago. When Diaz asked about them, the octogenarian took the younger man under his wing, giving him cuttings to pot up in the spring and grow through the summer.Another encouraging presence at the show was the prize-winning blooms grown by middle school students from Canton, N.C., whose entries were driven to Fairfax by their (now retired) biotechnology teacher, David Curtis. The problem is that once the students hit high school, horticulture isn't offered, he said.Capobianco, who was standing nearby, said his hope is that if teenagers are introduced to growing flowers, they will return to them later in life after the distractions of young adulthood. The question is: Will there be a local or national society for them to return to?For a while this past weekend, such fears were put aside as growers and visitors alike savored the spectacle of the exhibition flower.In her pep talks to her new members, Matthews tells them: "It's not just about what you get but what you give. You're giving these plants the ability to take your breath away, the ability to exist."Breathless admiration has been the reaction since the first show in the United States. "It was in 1884 in Massachusetts," Howell said. "I wasn't there."... (Astro Awani)