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.

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.

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!