Guest feature: Megan Guilfoyle is a Public Information Officer for the Maryland Department of Agriculture. Follow along with MDA @MdAgDept and Maryland’s Best @MdsBest.

With more than 300 farms producing ornamentals across the state, the Maryland Department of Agriculture encourages consumers to support local Maryland nurseries when landscaping their properties this spring.

The 2017 Census of Agriculture, which was released on April 11 of this year, reported Maryland’s nursery, greenhouse, floriculture, and sod industry was the third largest agricultural commodity in the state.

“There are a lot of local options for Marylanders to consider when planting perennials and annuals around their yards this season,” said Maryland Agriculture Secretary Joe Bartenfelder. “Maryland has many local greenhouses and nurseries. From hardware stores to farmers markets, many retailers stock Maryland-grown plants.”

The largest segment of the state’s nursery industry is wholesale. Markets for Maryland-grown plants stretch throughout the entire Mid-Atlantic, the Northeast and even into Canada. The 2012 Maryland Horticulture Survey for the industry shows sales totaling nearly $357 million in woody plants, $178 million in annuals, and more than $4 million in aquatic plants.

To find a nursery near you, visit Maryland’s Best website.

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Learn more about agribusiness in Maryland