Ready, Set, Grow!

Not that "real" gardeners don't relish the challenge of growing in every season or any fathomable condition, but spring is where the magic happens! (Wait, is this an episode of MTV's "Cribs"? Well, as a matter of fact, it sort of is!) Many, including hordes of folks who don't consider themselves in any way plant-savvy, crawl out of their hibernation from the out-of-doors to take on Mother Nature.

I personally looked her square in the eye this past weekend and challenged her to a game of "Survivor." Not between the elements and me, mind you. Rather, I planted approximately 140 pots of seeds and cuttings at home. (<-- That's part of my work!) I fully expect that, though I might have a casualty or two along the way, Jeff Probst will anoint me, and my plant children, champion of this competition at the end of the season. The tribe will have spoken, if you will. That is to say, I intend to master the garden, despite the fact that I, unlike so many of my coworkers, am not a "real" gardener.

Our Top 10 of 2010

How original, right? A countdown of the year's top moments! Don't run away though, there's some good stuff in here, some that you may not know about. Things that make a real impact on real people in Birmingham and beyond! So without further adieu, here are my top 10 moments in 2010...

10) Another Record-Breaking Fall Plant Sale

After a two-day trial run in 2009 (which set the sales record for the event), we decided to stick with the new Saturday/Sunday schedule and boy did it pay off! This past Fall Plant Sale was the biggest yet with over 3,700 shoppers helping us raise more than $36,000. And props to all of the volunteers who helped us with setup, growing, selling, cashiering, loading and any other task you can imagine!

9) John Manion Named Curator of the Kaul Wildflower Garden

Ok, so when we hired John as our new curator of the Kaul Wildflower Garden earlier this year, we had no clue what we were in store for! John has turned out to be a fantastic asset for The Gardens! He actively recruits new volunteers for his workdays, he writes his own newsletter, Botanically Speaking, on natives, and he's even a big help to the development team developing relationships with donors.

8) Bridge of Accomplishment Restored

Our Japanese Gardens got a bit of a makeover in the spring with the painting and restoration of the Bridge of Accomplishment, better known as the "zig zag bridge," over Long Life Lake. If you haven't seen it, I suggest taking a stroll in mid- to late-March or anytime in the spring to see the cherry blossoms!

7) Garden Dirt Wins Platinum Creative Award, Again

Birmingham Botanical Gardens once again represented Alabama quite well in AMCP's (Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals) Hermes Creative Awards. We brought home Platinum in the newsletter category for Garden Dirt and gold in the e-newsletter category for Dirt E-lert. Birmingham Botanical Gardens was the only botanical garden or arboretum to win a Platinum Hermes Creative Award; The University of Alabama was the only other Alabama institution to win a platinum award in 2010.

6) Junior Board Launched

The inaugural Junior Board of Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens met on February 23 at Jackson's Bar & Bistro in Homewood. At this first meeting the Junior Board named officers (Miller Allen, president; Ashley Gassner, vice-president; and Dionne Burks, secretary) and began planning for their future. So far this year the group has hosted a Family & Friends Mixer at the home of Cathy Adams on top of Red Mountain and is now planning for a very exciting event in the Japanese Gardens. (Shh, that's all I can tell you for now...I've already said too much!)

5) Volunteers of the Year Honored

The Friends hosts the annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon every December to pay tribute to the hundreds of volunteers who give their time and talent to make us successful each and every year. During the luncheon we also dole out the Volunteer of the Year awards; we added a fifth award to the slate this year: the A. Brand Walton Unsung Hero award for outstanding service behind the scenes. The 2010 Volunteers of the Year are Fox 6 (Community Partner); Carol Hinshaw (Educator); Dr. Ed Fineberg (Plantsperson); Plant Sale Treasurers Cathy Canant, Terri DiMuro, Jeanon Massien, and the late Teresa Neal (A. Brand Walton Unsung Hero); and Dr. John A. Floyd (Ida C. Burns Volunteer of the Year).

4) Antiques at The Gardens Turns Five

This past October we celebrated the fifth anniversary of Antiques at The Gardens by rolling out the red carpet at the Sterne Agee First Look Party. Lecturers Miles Redd and DeJuan Stroud provided opportunities to learn and laugh and dozens of dealers provided hordes of goodies for homeowners, decorators and architects. All told the event raised more than $290,000 to support educational programs at The Gardens, bringing the five year total to over $1.6 million.

3) Spring Plant Sale Smashes Attendance Record

More than 7,400 folks came out to Colonial Brookwood Village for the Spring Plant Sale, making it the most attended plant sale in the history of The Gardens. The 2010 Spring Plant Sale did not disappoint in fundraising either, raising over $262,000!

2) New Master Plan Unveiled to Public

On March 25, 2010, Executive Director Fred Spicer and Scott Scarfone of Oasis Design Group revealed The Gardens' new Master Plan. The new vision for Birmingham Botanical Gardens includes new gardens (like a Persian-themed garden), creation of event and education spaces (such as completion of the Arrington Plant Adventure Zone), and long-term fixes to facility issues (accessibility, stormwater drainage and parking). Stay tuned for projects as they get underway!

And now, the moment you've been waiting for...#1!

1) YOU!

Because of you, our readers, Facebook fans, donors, members, volunteers, visitors and other supporters, we have not laid off a single person or cut a single program! 2010 wasn't the year that we smashed all fundraising records, but we succeeded in so many big ways (see above!) during an otherwise very difficult year, and it was because of you. We gave free, science-based field trips to 10,000 schoolchildren again, and provided educational opportunities to tens of thousands of adults and children. We may not be fending off takeovers by Google like some companies, but we feel good about what we've accomplished over the past 12 months, and we could not have done it without each and every one of you. Thank you, and happy new year!

Keep Cool, Don't Be A Fool

In lieu of doing another Plant of the Day entry, today seems like a perfect opportunity to highlight some safety tips and give some gardening advice for the month of August.

Safety Tips for Summer Gardening

1) First of all, the main thing to remember in the heat of a Hot Southern Summer is that it's all about water - for both you and your plants. Make sure you hydrate if you're working outdoors. Don't make the mistake of waiting until you're suddenly thirsty to take a sip of water; instead, know that you must stay hydrated and drink periodically while gardening. It may be tempting to grab a beer or a Lynchburg Lemonade, but alcohol is one of the worst things you can drink on a hot summer day.

Exploring New Horizons

The Horizons School, a unique program for young adults with learning disabilities, recently blessed Birmingham Botanical Gardens with a summer intern. The school, now an autonomous 501(c)3, was started in 1991 by the UAB School of Education and has since helped a number of young adults (18-26) learn life lessons ranging from money management  to social skills to cooking to career training. They attend classes and seminars, take on work studies and attend socials with fellow students. After two years, these young men and women have gained invaluable lessons on independent living.

Brett Nichols has had a circuitous journey to Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Originally from Birmingham, Brett’s family moved to Alabama’s coast several years ago, where they still reside today. They spent a few years in Colorado, in between, as Brett is a lifelong lover of mountains and skiing. Brett returned to Birmingham to pursue the two-year program at the Horizons School; his parents visit him whenever they can get away from running Orange Beach’s popular Live Bait Restaurant.

Gardening in the Shoulder Period

by Katherine King, Intern

Katie was recently chosen from eight finalists as our 2010 intern, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Shades Valley. From Bristol, Tennessee, Katie is a recent graduate of Samford University with a B.S. in biology--she has even studied botany in Belize (are you as jealous as we are?)! The internship gives a rising senior or recent college graduate hands-on experience with greenhouse production, planting, grounds maintenance, arboriculture, pest management, curatorial aspects of plant collections and garden display/design.

---

Between the intensity of spring flora and the beginning of summer bloom, there exists what is sometimes referred to in the garden as the “shoulder period.” Compared to spring and summer, fewer plants are in bloom during this time of the season. As a newly graduated biologist (and aspiring botanist) and summer intern at Birmingham Botanical Gardens, an assignment was given to me to research native southeast wildflowers blooming within the shoulder period to plant in the Kaul Wildflower Garden.

Understanding this concept and learning which plants bloom during the shoulder period will help you add color to your plantings during what would normally be a “down time” in the garden.

In turn, I am attempting to catch up with the new Kaul Wildflower Garden curator’s vast knowledge of scientific plant names (he makes it up as he goes!) and help you add a little vibrance to your garden.

Gettin' Wild in The Gardens

John Manion recently assumed the post of Curator of the Kaul Wildflower Garden, and he would now like to invite you to get involved as he settles into his new role. John will be hosting regularly scheduled volunteer sessions for any plant enthusiasts, gardeners or otherwise curious volunteers to join him in the Kaul Wildflower Garden to learn about pruning, propogation, plant history & folklore, design, botany (including those ever-elusive botanical names) and much more! The consummate plantsman, John is certain to share personal plant stories, tips, trivia and other priceless info on a variety of plant issues.

These sessions will take place on the second and fourth Thursday as well as the third Saturday of each month. That means that starting Thursday, June 10, anyone interested in joining these sessions can meet at the gazebo in the Kaul Wildflower Garden at 8 a.m., lasting until about 11 a.m.

Giving Back: North Roebuck Needs Your Help

North Roebuck Elementary School has been planning and fundraising for an outdoor classroom for more than eight years now. The green learning space has been a dream of Principal Irene O’Neil (and a committee of teachers, as well) for years, and that dream is soon to become a reality. Naturescapes, Inc. recently began construction on the courtyard that will soon be a thriving natural setting for the 500-plus students and their teachers to take their work outdoors to learn about plants and nature, to do art in a beautiful environment and to simply get outdoors, a foreign concept to many of them.

Out in the Cold - Part Two

This is the second half of Out in the Cold, which contains more tips and factoids from our Executive Director, Fred Spicer, about wintertime gardening in Alabama. Read up, comment, and pass it along to fellow gardeners or "Curious Georges," if you will. If you have any questions not answered in parts one or two, give us a call at 205.414.3900 and we'll find someone who can answer your query!

NON-HARDY PLANTS
Considering our climate, a major distinction to make initially is whether a plant is intended (or expected) to live out-of-doors through a Birmingham winter. For example, if you moved your fig (Ficus benjamina) outside for the summer – making a house plant a patio plant – and you haven’t brought it inside yet, it’s way too late. It’s dead. It’s not realistic to expect it to have lived. (The same could be said about the same plant having been planted in the ground; it’s not even close to being hardy.)

PLANTS IN CONTAINERS
Normally winter-hardy plants, Japanese maple (Acer palmatum), for instance, grown outside in containers through the winter, have an excellent chance of living through a typical winter here. Moist, well-drained soil in the container is important. Given that, if the container can withstand the expansion of frozen soil without cracking, and if the plant is well-watered, hardy plants will have their best chance of survival. The hardier the plant, the longer it can withstand frozen soil and plunging temperatures. We don’t expect any damage to container plants at The Gardens from this recent weather. We’re watering as we can.

Out in the Cold - Part One

very time the seasons change, we get a flood of gardening questions and requests for best practices. These questions are all over the proverbial horticultural map, ranging from topics like transplanting shrubs to growing native plants to tips on not killing flowers. Last week's (very) cold spell got us to thinking, so we asked our executive director for some pointers. In true Fred fashion, his counsel is highly educational and extraordinarily thorough. What follows is Out in the Cold - Part One, the first half of Fred's answers to pretty much any wintertime gardening-related question an Alabama gardener might have.

OUT IN THE COLD
by Fred Spicer, Executive Director, Birmingham Botanical Gardens

INTRODUCTION
It is specifically during frigid times like these that I am asked (mostly by non-gardeners) what Birmingham Botanical Gardens (BBG) is doing to protect our plants from the cold weather. My response, typically accompanied by a blank stare, is usually along the lines of, “What do you think we should be doing?”  I’m not sure if people think we erect a temporary, heated dome over our 67 acres, or set up phalanxes of small heaters, or enshroud our living collections in big blankets – I really don’t know what they’re thinking. We’re not running a citrus plantation, after all.  It seems to me that they’re hoping I will enlighten them with horticultural secrets carefully guarded by the gardening cognoscenti. Mostly, I think I disappoint them.

At this point, with winter firmly upon us, there’s really not much we can do. To be sure, we’re monitoring temperatures in our conservatory and greenhouses on an hourly basis (24/7), to make sure the heaters are working, but outside? Aside from some watering of new plantings and annuals (more on that later), not much at all. From our evaluative perspective, we are curious as to what our plants will do in the face of all weather, whether heat, drought or prolonged cold: what will they tell us? Our intention – following a collections mission of acquisition to determine suitable plants for our area – is to see what happens. But home gardeners don’t necessarily have the same mission, so I’ll discuss the factors that determine whether plants live, die, or partially die, in the winter, and a few things we’ve already done to maximize our potential success.

Gardening Tips for July

Here are some good tips for gardening in Alabama during the month of May. We update these regularly each month, so stay tuned for more in the Gardening Tips series!

Tips courtesy of Alabama Cooperative Extension System; for more information, see www.aces.edu.

• Protect figs and other ripening fruit from birds.
• Continue to root shrub cuttings until late in the month and mulch to keep soil moist.
• Remove faded blooms promptly from crape myrtle and other summer-blooming plants.
• In lawns, watch for diseases. Mow regularly, and water as needed.
• Keep roses healthy and actively growing.
• Apply fertilizer as needed. Wash off foliage to prevent burning if any fertilizer falls on plants.
• Water annuals and perennials as needed to keep plants active.
• Iris and spider lily bulbs may be planted late this month.
• Keeping flowers, shrubs, trees, and lawns healthy is the major task this month. This demands close observation for insects and diseases, and frequent watering.
• Plant beans, field peas, rutabagas, squash, New Zealand spinach, and Irish potatoes. Plant cabbage, collards, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and celery for the fall crop.
• Plant tomatoes in Central and North Alabama.

Gardening Tips for May

Here are some good tips for gardening in Alabama during the month of May. We update these regularly each month, so stay tuned for more in the Gardening Tips series!

Tips courtesy of Alabama Cooperative Extension System; for more information, see www.aces.edu.

Fruits and Nuts

• Continue spray program.
• Keep grass from around trees and strawberries.
• Peaches and apples can still be budded.

Shrubs

• Newly planted shrubs need extra care now and in coming weeks.
• Don’t spray with oil emulsions when temperature is above 85 °F.

Lawns

• Now is the best time to start lawns from seed.
• Water new lawns as needed to prevent drying.
• Keep established lawns actively growing by watering fertilizing and mowing.
• Spray weeds in lawns with proper herbicide.

Roses

• Spray or dust for insects and diseases.
• Fertilize monthly with complete fertilizer or rose special.
• Container-grown plants in flower may be planted.
• Prune climbing roses after the first big flush offlowering.

Annuals and Perennials

• Late plantings of bedding plants still have time to produce.
• Watch for insects on day lilies.

Bulbs

• Summer bulbs started in containers may still be planted.
• Do not remove foliage from spring flowering bulbs.
• Do not let seedheads form on tulips and other spring flowering bulbs.

Miscellaneous

• Mulch new shrub plantings if not already done.
• Avoid drying out new shrub, tree and lawn plantings.

Vegetable Seeds

• Plant heat-loving and tender vegetables.
• Start cauliflower, brussels sprouts and celery in coldframe for fall garden.

Vegetable Plants

• Plant tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and sweet potatoes.

Gardening Tips for April

Here are some good tips for gardening in Alabama during the month of April. We'll update these regularly each month, so stay tuned for more in the Gardening Tips series!

Tips courtesy of Alabama Cooperative Extension System; for more information, see www.aces.edu.

Fruits and Nuts

• Season for strawberry planting continues.
• Start spray program for all fruits.
• Plant raspberries and blackberries and continue budding apples and peaches.

Shrubs

• Prune spring flowering shrubs after flowering.
• Fertilize azaleas and camellias.
• When new growth is half completed, spray all shrubs with a fungicide.

Lawns

• Planting continues.
• New lawns may need supplementary watering.
• Also, fertilize at 3- to 6-week intervals.
• Keep ryegrass cut low, particularly if over planted on bermuda lawns.

Roses

• Watch for insects and diseases
• Keep old flower heads removed
• Plant container-grown plants from nurseries or garden centers.

Annuals and Perennials

• Plant early started annuals or bedding plants from nurseries or garden centers.
• Divide mums or root cuttings.
• Dig and divide dahlias.

Bulbs

• Plant gladiolus, fancy-leaved caladiums, milk and wine lilies, and ginger and gloriosa lilies.
• Feed bearded iris with superphosphate and spray for borers.
• Avoid cutting foliage of narcissus or other bulbs until it has turned brown naturally.

Miscellaneous

• Spray camellias, hollies, etc., for scale insects.
• Carefully water new plantings of shrubs and trees.
• Pinching out tips of new shoots promotes more compact shrubs.

Vegetable Seed

• Plant tender vegetables such as beans, corn, squash, melons, and cucumbers.
• Plant heat-loving vegetables in lower South Alabama.

Vegetable Plants

• Plant tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, sweet potatoes, and parsley.

Gardening Tips for March

Here are some good tips for gardening in Alabama during the month of March. We'll update these regularly each month, so stay tuned for more in the Gardeing Tips series!

Tips courtesy of Alabama Cooperative Extension System; for more information, see www.aces.edu.

Fruits and Nuts

• Continue strawberry and grape plantings.
• Bud apples and peaches.
• Start planting blackberries.
• Remember, if weather conditions prevent prompt planting, heel the plants in by placing the root system in a trench and covering the soil.

Shrubs

• Fertilize shrubs (except azaleas and camellias) according to a soil test.
• Late plantings may be made, particularly if they are container-grown.
• Watch shrubs for harmful insects.

Lawns

• Plant bermuda, zoysia, and centipede in South Alabama.
• Seed bluegrass and grass mixtures in North Alabama.
• Fertilize established lawns.

Roses

• Watch new growth for aphids.
• Begin a spray or dust program.
• Begin fertilizing.

Annuals and Perennials

• Tender annuals may be planted in South Alabama.
• Check garden centers for bedding plants.

Bulbs

• Plant gladiolus every two or three weeks if a long blooming season is desired.
• Plant tuberous begonias in pots.
• Plant dahlias.

Miscellaneous

• Check and repair sprayers, dusters, and lawn mowers.
• Control lawn weeds with chemicals.
• Delay pruning of fruiting shrubs such as cotoneasters, pyracanthas, and hollies until after flowering.

Vegetable Seeds

• Plant hardy crops recommended for January and February.
• After danger of frost is past, plant tender vegetables.

Vegetable Plants

• Plant cabbage, onions, lettuce, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts in North Alabama.
• Plant tomatoes and peppers in lower South Alabama.

Visit the Gerlach Plant Information Center inside the Garden Center during March and April for the exhibit Tomatoes: there is more to this crop than you think!