May is perhaps one of our most enjoyable gardening months, and June is when we really start to enjoy the rewards of spring-planted vegetables. One of the biggest assets of gardening during this time is that the soil is warm, which creates perfect growing conditions for many of our favorite plants. It’s not too late to plant almost anything in the garden, so continue planting summer-flowering annuals and perennials, as well as summer vegetables.

This is the time of year that your oriental and Asiatic lilies are growing or are about to come into bloom. The lilies are so beautiful, but sometimes the flower cluster outweighs the stem to stand upright. I like to stake these plants before they come into bloom, if possible. Thin bamboo stakes work well for this. Simply slide them as close to the stem as possible and tie them firmly, but not tight, at several spots below the blooms so as not to distract from the sensational flowers. I leave these stakes up until the stalks die and then remove them at the same time I cut down the stalks.

May and June are also the perfect months to plant dahlias for fall bloom. Remember that these are tuberous roots and should be planted as such. For best results, good fertile soil and a sunny location are important. After I dig a deep hole that is about one-and-a-half times the width of the tuber, I add rich organic soil or compost mixed with the native soil. Then I add ¼ cup of a low-nitrogen fertilizer (like 5-5-10) and mix this well in the planting spot. Once this is done, I plant the tubers in the hole about a foot deep. Be sure not to cover the tuber with the soil more than an inch until the growth on the tubers is visible. Over a period of the next few weeks, I slowly add soil until the tuber reaches the original soil line.

Roses are another favorite in my summer garden and can be planted now with no problems. Many rose varieties tend to be high-maintenance, so I like to look for roses that will not involve as much work but will still bloom all summer and into fall. I have had a lot of luck with the flower carpet roses. With only water and fertilizer, they will continue to bloom until the fall nights get below 50 degrees. I do suggest two things that really help with the flower production of these bushes. Before the roses begin to flower, treat them with Bayer All-In-One Rose and Flower Care. Then, after every flowering, remove the spent blossoms and lightly fertilize the plants.

I look forward to seeing three trees bloom this time of the year: dove tree, loblolly bay, and southern catalpa. These trees are not common landscape trees and may be more difficult to find, but they are worth tracking down as they offer sensational white flowers that bloom in very different ways.

Dove trees and loblolly bays (more often called by the genus Gordonia) are small trees that showcase their flowers in late spring until it gets hot in our area. They like good soil, I also make sure to plant them where they get some late afternoon shade. The flowers of dove trees look like tiny white handkerchiefs waving in the breeze. The tree is a member of the blackgum family, so it is okay to plant in damp locations. The same is true of loblolly bay, as its native habitat is swampy pinelands. To me, its flowers resemble a single anemone.

One of the best large trees you see in bloom around Birmingham this time of the year is the southern catalpa. It was one of the earliest street trees planted here but fell out of favor as new trees became available. If you see this large tree covered with its clusters of white blooms in early May, rest assured it is a showstopper. If you need a large tree in your home landscape, this one would be beautiful. In fact, the great thing about all of these trees is that once established, they are curiosities for your garden.

Floyd’s To-do List: May/June

Continue planting flowering annuals and perennials. Lantana, Angelonia, marigold, and all of the salvias do better when planted once the soil has warmed up rather than in early spring. The keys to successful summer flowers are water and fertilization. Be sure to water before your plants look like they are beginning to wilt. Liquid feeding every other week throughout the hot days of late June and July is recommended. After that, monthly fertilization should be sufficient.

Remove all of the suckers at the base of crepe myrtles, as well as any awkward shoots that seem out of place in the plants. Cut the suckers as close as possible to the central trunk. If they are tender enough to pull off, that is an even better way to remove them.

Mulch now if you haven’t already done so. My favorite mulch is pine straw. It makes no difference whether it is longleaf pine that usually comes in the round bales or the regular straw that comes in square bales. Remember that the main purpose of mulch is to help protect plants from dry conditions, so place it as thick as possible around plants without covering them up. I like to water the mulch to stabilize it, especially if it’s windy. An added benefit of mulch is that it helps the landscape look more manicured.

Prune and shape azaleas that have finished blooming. Remove tall shoots, crossed branches, and spent blooms that are still present. Then reduce the size of the plants if needed. Using a hand pruner is best. Once the pruning is complete, fertilize with a formulation like 15-0-15 to promote new growth and good plant color.

Support the Gardens

Now is a great time to support the Birmingham Botanical Gardens by becoming a Friend of the Gardens. Membership dollars benefit the ongoing stewardship and enhancement of the Gardens, as well as educational programs and outreach activities. As a member, you’ll receive benefits such as access to members-only classes and events, free general admission to Antiques at the Gardens, and discounts on certain workshops, as well as many other perks. Visit bbbgardens.org to learn more and sign up to become a member.

John Floyd has been gardening in the Birmingham area for more than 30 years. In addition to his day-to-day experience, John has degrees in horticulture from Auburn and Clemson Universities and was editor-in-chief of Southern Living. For daily tips and more garden information, visit birminghamgardeningtoday.com.

Garlic is not an unusual scent to encounter in a chef’s kitchen, but in Becky Satterfield’s garden, the minced cloves aren’t going into a salsa or marinade. Scads of them are steeping in hot water to make garlic tea that Becky will use to organically combat the Japanese beetles trying to lay waste to her beloved roses.

Becky is a stickler for how her garden is maintained, keeping it free of pesticides and chemicals. She is equally passionate about pollinators and makes a point to plant species that butterflies, honeybees, and birds are naturally attracted to—a giant towering trumpet vine, butterfly bushes, milkweed, zinnias, fennel, and sunflowers. Part ornamental and part filled with produce, her backyard seems to literally hum with activity.

In the vegetable garden, Becky starts almost everything from seed (heirloom varieties, if possible) in the most fantastic setup in her garage, with grow lights on timers and calibrated ventilation and fans to build strong stems. Early growth specimens are transplanted to an outdoor sheltered spot with good light so they may acclimate before going into the ground.

A smaller chef’s garden filled with fresh herbs offers the perfect garnishes for a piece of grilled fish or skewered kabobs. This is a garden that has grown over time as new plants are installed and others are culled. Here and there, Becky has let some varieties go to seed to replenish themselves while allowing others to be nibbled on by visiting creatures (rabbits more likely than beetles).

No matter what is in season, it’s all fodder for her restaurants, Satterfield’s and El ZunZún. Working with two very different types of menus, Becky finds plenty of reasons to plant, grow, pick, and experiment for fabulous dining (in-house or takeout).

Sunset in Tulum

Try your hand at re-creating this favorite cocktail from El ZunZún. Serves one but is easily doubled.

1.5 ounces Mezcal
1.5 ounces freshly squeezed blood orange juice
½ ounce Ancho Chile Reyes
½ ounce fresh lime juice
½ ounce agave
2 dashes orange bitters

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with a scoop of ice. Shake and strain into the colorful tumbler of your choice over a large cube of ice. Garnish with a wedge of fresh orange.

Satterfield’s, 205.969.9690, satterfieldsrestaurant.com
El ZunZún, 205.791.7711, el-zunzun.com

March means the start of spring for Birmingham. Warmer days paired with cold nights delight many of our early blooming plants. And when April rolls in with even more warmth, our city bursts into full bloom. While daffodils, deciduous magnolias, quinces, and forsythia give us a taste of spring color in March, the real riot of color appears in April.

I do love gardening in March because I can bundle up for the cool mornings and then shed some layers mid-day as the temperatures rise. Throughout this month, I enjoy adding shrubs and trees to fill in my garden where needed. However, I always wait until mid-April or later to plant any tender summer annuals or perennials. Of all the bulbs we grow in our gardens around Birmingham, I think daffodils are the easiest and most critter-proof. Once planted, you can basically leave them alone until they are so crowded that bloom count is reduced. This signals the need for thinning and separating. Many people think that since you plant daffodils in the fall, you should wait until then to separate the clumps that are not blooming. I prefer not to wait. Once the foliage starts to yellow and die on the overcrowded clumps, I dig the bulbs, separate them either singly or in clusters, and then replant. It is certainly okay to separate and dry them for later planting as well, but I have found that this is not necessary. Before planting the separated bulbs, you need to prepare the soil for replanting. The better the soil is prepared, the better they will bloom next spring. When I plant at this time of year, I make sure the bulb tips are covered with soil and marked so that I won’t disturb them when doing additional planting in the area.

The two things that we all want to do in early spring are prune plants that need shaping and cut back hard shrubs that have gotten out of hand. My general rule is that plants that have not put out leaves can be pruned as desired, with the exception of florist/mophead-type hydrangeas that flower on last year’s growth. Of course if you want to prune spring flowering shrubs, I would wait until the flowering is finished. Also remember that if you cut back evergreens that fruit, you can expect a reduced number of berries produced.

With the warmer weather in early April, our inclination is to go buy summer annuals and perennials that are in the garden centers now. However, I like to wait until April 15th or later to plant these, as we will often still have frost a night or two before then. If you decide to risk it and plant earlier, be prepared to cover them to keep the tender plants from being killed by the frost. Also keep in mind that until the soil warms, these tender plants won’t grow much.

While marigolds, petunias, vinca, and other common annuals are great for this time of year, it’s also fun to try a few of the new things that are exceptional in our gardens like angelonia, portulaca, superbells, blue salvias, and all the new colors and looks of coleus for your sunny spaces. If your garden is shady, opt for some of the new colors of tried-and-true favorites like impatiens, begonias, and browallia. Or choose salvias, which are sometimes annuals and sometimes perennials. They grow very well in Birmingham gardens. Mexican sage is a must-have salvia for my garden and is a vital part of my fall flowering border. Other great bloomers include black-and-blue salvia, Victoria blue salvia, cirrus salvia (gray-white flowers), mystic spires blue salvia, and coral nymph salvia. Many garden centers carry a good selection of these plants, but don’t be afraid to use mail-order nurseries to secure unique ones.

While March and April are showstoppers when it comes to color in our gardens, these months are also the time to plan and plant your summer and fall garden annuals. After the danger of frost has passed in April, go ahead and make your choices while there are still good selections of plants available.

Floyd’s To-Do List: March/April

When cutting flowering branches to arrange indoors, cut the stems deep into the plant instead of just cutting the size you need. This will keep the plants attractive and will, in effect, prune them. Cut the branches that are partially open and showing color, place in tepid water, and bring indoors. When arranging them, be sure to recut the branches and remove any foliage or flowers that would be covered with water in the vase.

All gardens need a soil test, as it’s the best way to tell what you need in order to amend your soil for maximum plant growth. It’s easy to do, and the results are invaluable for plant health. Secure the soil test boxes and instructions at the Hanna Center at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Once you collect the sample, mail it to the soil-testing lab at Auburn University. You can get your online results quickly.

Overgrown flowering shrubs that need to be cut back hard after flowering should be done now. Forsythia, quince, spring flowering spirea, deutzia, and kerria can be cut to within a foot of the ground and will essentially generate new shrubs. Evergreen hollies, boxwoods, camellias, and barberry should be stage-pruned over a series of years for best results. This means you should reduce their size no more than a third of the plant each year. Make sure you remove foliage and branches that will allow light in the middle of the plant to encourage new growth.

The last seeding of lettuce, spinach, and other spring greens can be made in March. In late April, green beans, squash, cucumbers, and other summer vegetables can be planted. It’s okay to wait on planting tomatoes in order to have fruit throughout July and August. The soil is still too cold to seed okra, so I wait until May for best germination of my seeds.

One of my favorite things to do in the spring is to share wandering plants in my beds with my friends. I survey my garden and remove out-of-place plants. Once I dig them up, I divide them and repot into small pots. I like to see the dug-out plants growing in the pots before I give them away. Many well-established perennials can also benefit from removing a section of the clump before they put out their foliage.

Don’t forget about the great selection of summer “bulbs” that can be planted now. Asiatic and oriental lilies, dahlias, callas, crocosmias, gingers, and pineapple lilies are exceptional additions to my garden and can all be planted now. All of these have specific planting requirements, so be sure to follow the planting directions that come with them. One tip on planting lilies in our area is to dig a hole much deeper than the bulb. Then I add a 2- or 3-inch layer of compost followed by a fourth- to a half-inch layer of pea gravel. Place the base of the bulb on the gravel and cover with fertile soil. This will allow the lilies to grow in your garden for many years.

John Floyd has been gardening in the Birmingham area for more than 30 years. In addition to his day-to-day experience, John has degrees in horticulture from Auburn and Clemson Universities and was editor-in-chief of Southern Living. For daily tips and more garden information, visit birminghamgardeningtoday.com.