It's high Spring, and Alabama gardeners don't have a moment to lose! In Alabama, we have crazy weather, as everyone knows. We have short, English springs and long hot Texas summers, which breed both contentment and character in a gardener. That's why there is so much to do in the next couple of months. We have to get in what I call the Spring Swing, so we can sit back, sip lemonade and enjoy our gardens this summer.

By mid-April, most areas of the state are past danger of frost, but in north Alabama, late cold snaps have been known to occur in the last two weeks of the month.

MAY GARDEN CHORES:

• Prune and shape up spring-flowering shrubs after they quit blooming.
• Pinch back mums and asters to promote bushier growth.
• Move these and other perennials to get them settled before the heat gets bad.
• Pull spring weeds-meditatively-on a beautiful morning.
• Feed azaleas and bulbs after they quit blooming.
• Feed roses, perennials and herbs a layer of composted pine bark or composted manure; cover with a 1 to 2 inch layer of organic mulch.
• Fertilize Zoysia and Bermuda lawns once they green up (Centipede needs little fertilizer).

Now is the time to plant perennials and old-time roses so they can get settled before the heat sets in. Perennials include Lenten rose, candytuft, dianthus, columbine, phlox, daylily, iris, purple coneflower, sedum, yarrow, black-eyed Susan and ox-eye daisies.

Hardy foliage plants, such as ferns and hostas, and roses can also be planted now, if they are regularly watered. It's not too late to set out carpet roses which are easy to take care of.

Does your dream garden include a kitchen garden? If you didn't set out tomato, pepper and basil transplants in late April, do it NOW! Add some marigolds for color and a garnish (marigold blooms are edible; just don't spray them with any chemicals you don't want to eat.)

If you want to make lots of pesto this summer, try growing basil from seed. Hardy herbs, such as chives, rosemary, sage, thyme, lavender, oregano and mint can be set out now. To flavor your iced tea this summer, be sure to grow some peppermint. And, if you love the fragrance and taste of lemon, plant some lemon balm (in the mint family) or my favorite lemon herb, lemon verbena: a woody shrub with aromatic and flavorful leaves.

In May, force yourself to pull up your cool-season pansies before they die of heat stroke. In their place, plant sun-loving summer annuals (such as petunias, narrowleaf zinnia or marigolds).

In shady areas, impatiens, caladiums and coleus add color and lightness. If you wait another month before swapping out bedding plants, your summer annuals won't have time to get well established before the heat sets in. You can also sow seeds of summer flowers-cosmos, zinnias, cleome, sunflower, nicotiana, four-o-clocks and tender salvias now. Plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and lilies (Asiatic, spider and rain).

If you enjoy being outdoors in the summer and watching wildlife, now is a good time to set out plants that attract butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. These important garden visitors are also pollinators. Sadly, they are losing their habitat. Planting lantana, butterfly bush, petunias, cosmos, French marigolds, impatiens, perennial verbena, cleome, red salvia, althea, pineapple sage, and hibiscus will attract these bright-winged visitors.

Keeping bird feeders full in summer as well as winter, and adding hummingbird feeders and a birdbath or two, will keep bevies of eager insect-eaters visiting your garden.

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