Around the Gardens Blog

Citrusy, striped, stuffable, and one habanero with no heat at all. Meet five heirloom peppers that keep the Bruno Vegetable Garden producing all season.

In their bumbling, buzzy hurry to get to the good stuff, pollinators are sprinkled with pollen and carry it with them as they visit other plants nearby, enabling the plants to reproduce. These pollinator plants are true crowd pleasers!

In their bumbling, buzzy hurry to get to the good stuff, pollinators are sprinkled with pollen and carry it with them as they visit other plants nearby, enabling the plants to reproduce. These pollinator plants are true crowd pleasers!

It’s the perfect time to get new trees in the ground and there’s no better place to find them than at this week’s Fall Plant Sale, hosted by Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Shop for hundreds of plants and directly support the Friends’ mission to protect, nurture, and share the wonders of Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

What primarily attracts butterflies to nectar sources goes beyond the color of the flower—the shape of the flower matters most. Butterflies are attracted to flowers that have large petals that serve as a landing pad for them to access the nectar. They are also attracted to flowers that grow in clusters, where they can land and enjoy multiple feasts. Flowers with slender tubes are also favored, allowing butterflies to insert their proboscis (tongue) to reach the nectar. For these reasons, the following flowers all make the perfect surroundings for the sculpture.

A centerpiece of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, the Dunn Formal Rose Garden is a glorious marvel throughout the warmer months and into fall. The profusion of color, the lovely, ethereal scents floating on the breeze; and the symmetry of the garden design all transport the senses into the sublime. This past spring, thanks to generous donors, in collaboration with the Birmingham Rose Society, the Friends planted 466 new roses in the garden. Here are a few of the different varieties, including some award-winning roses to look out for as you stroll the garden paths.