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.

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.

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 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.

Class: Medicinal Plants of North America

Medicinal Plants of North America

Instructor: Tellur Fenner, Clinical herbalist/educator, Oakland, CA

North America is home to a diverse array of medicinal plants long valued for their therapeutic effects. We will explore both common and lesser known plants used historically and presently in American herbal practice. Indoors, we’ll discuss the basic taxonomical and phytochemical characteristics of selected plant families.

Outdoors, we’ll observe many species of medicinal plants of the southeast U.S. Preparation methods, harvesting ethics, and botanical safety issues will be addressed. We’ll conclude with a simple medicine-making demonstration.

Details
Sunday, March 22
Noon – 5 p.m.
$40 Members/$80 Non-Members
www.bbgardens.org