Twin Beaches Library (Calvert County)
- Stewards: Sue Williams and Robin Madel
- Container Garden
- Established: 2025
- Sponsor: Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay
About
Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay members Robin Madel and Sue Williams began trial container gardens on the balconies at the Twin Beaches Library in North Beach in the spring of 2025. The intent was to determine what native plants would thrive in the shallow containers. In the past these containers were planted with non-native annuals by library staff.
We have four containers on the 3rd floor balcony which would be considered full sun, as that area faces east towards the Bay. It is pretty much in direct sun from dawn until nearly 2 pm when the shade of the building creeps across the balcony.
We have four containers on the second floor – two are in deep shade and two get a little indirect sunlight.
We were delighted in April of 2026 to find that many of the initial plants had survived our cold snow/icey winter, and it took very little time to remove the few that did not make it and replace with some new plugs.
Plant List (Sun Containers)
- Philadelphia Fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus)
- Robin’s Plantain (Erigeron pulchellus)
- Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
- Blue-Eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium)
- Common Violets (Viola sororia)
- Sweet Coneflower (Rudbeckia subtomentosa)
- ‘Huskers Red’ Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis, ‘Huckster Red’)
- Blazing Star (Liatris spicata)
Plant List (Shade Containers)
- Coral Bells (Heuchera americana)
- Wild Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
- Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum biflorum)
- Common Violets (Viola sororia)
- Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides); replacement for Wood Fern (Dryopteris sp.) that did not survive
