Search
Louisianians take pride in the appearance of their landscapes, and weeds detract from this beauty. Along with being aesthetically displeasing, weeds in flower
The most important cultural practice the homeowner with pecan trees needs to consider is proper fertilization. This publication includes information and guidelines for fertilizing pecan trees. (PDF Format Only)
(Distributed 10/16/15) HAMMOND, La. – Since the debut of a landscape horticulture research and extension program at the LSU AgCenter Hammond Research Station eight years ago, we have continued to expand the research gardens. One of the largest efforts each year is evaluating new annual warm-season bedding plants and perennial flowers in the sun garden and shade garden.
(Distributed 10/09/15) HAMMOND, La. – Fall is here, and the LSU AgCenter along with the Louisiana Nursery and Landscape Association and other groups encourage you to add new plants to your landscape at this time of year. There’s no better horticultural time than now.
(Distributed 10/02/15) HAMMOND, La – One of the great flowers that continues to be popular in our Louisiana landscapes is perennial verbena.
(Distributed 09/25/15) HAMMOND, La. – Golden dewdrops is a common name for durantas, also known as sky flowers
(Distributed 09/18/15) HAMMOND, La. – Fall is the time of year when we include gardening maintenance and upkeep in our list of outdoor activities. Fall is also a great time to add new plants to the landscape. Many home gardeners also mulch new plantings or add new mulch to older, established plantings before winter.
(Distributed 09/11/15) HAMMOND, La. – American beautyberry, sometimes confusingly called French mulberry, is a great Louisiana native shrub deserving increased use. The genus is Callicarpa, and both native and non-native species of this plant can be found in Louisiana.
(Distributed 09/04/15) HAMMOND, La. – Garden mums are among the most popular landscape plants for fall. These plants are also known as chrysanthemums, and some folks in north Louisiana and other parts of the state refer to them as “pinks.”
(Distributed 08/28/15) HAMMOND, La. – What a rough July and August in Louisiana for hot temperatures and droughty conditions. The LSU AgCenter Hammond Research Station in Hammond had 43 straight days of temperatures 95 or above. During that time we measured only 0.60 inches of rainfall. Similar high temperature durations and low rainfall totals were recorded across the state.
(Distributed 08/20/15) HAMMOND, La. – As we enter fall, many home gardeners are considering adding new plants to dress up the landscape. Two great plants for fall are celosia, which some of us also call cockscomb, and ornamental peppers.
(Distributed 08/14/15) HAMMOND, La. – The second hottest July on record in many parts of Louisiana coupled with below-normal rainfall statewide over the past eight weeks has led to drought symptoms in most landscapes. Lawns and landscape beds are suffering. Irrigation is vital through the rest of summer and through fall to prevent long-term damage to plants.
(Distributed 07/31/15) HAMMOND, La. – We are still a couple months away from fall, but there are several plants to consider now that will be showstoppers come October.
(Distributed 07/24/15) HAMMOND, La. – A tough plant that will keep blooming through summer and into fall, gomphrena likes really high temperatures. Also called globe amaranth, legend has it that the original planting was at the gates of Hades.
(Distributed 07/17/15) HAMMOND, La. – Since the debut of a landscape horticulture research and extension program at the LSU AgCenter Hammond Research Station nine years ago, gardens supporting the research at the station continue to expand.
(Distributed 07/10/15) HAMMOND, La. – Summer is not the most enjoyable time to work in the yard in Louisiana, but rose bushes need attention to ensure good performance through the summer and into early fall.
(Distributed 07/02/15) HAMMOND, La. – Several years ago the LSU AgCenter developed a program called Louisiana Yards and Neighborhoods to inform home gardeners about sustainable landscaping and home horticulture practices.
(Distributed 06/24/15) HAMMOND, La. – One of the most popular non-woody perennials in Louisiana is the purple coneflower. The scientific name of this plant is Echinacea purpurea. It is native to an area from the Midwest into the southeastern United States.
(Distributed 06/19/15) HAMMOND, La. – If you’re looking for some great summer color for your landscape beds from now through our first killing frost this fall, the Butterfly series of pentas will give you that, and maybe even more.
(Distributed 06/12/15) HAMMOND, La. – An abundance of hibiscus varieties do well in Louisiana.Many of us are very familiar with the tropical hibiscuses Hibiscus rosa-sinensis. We see them frequently. They’re typically not cold-hardy for the majority of the state.
(Distributed 06/05/15) HAMMOND, La. – With rain following a cold winter, early spring growth was not good on crape myrtles this year. But we are seeing very nice blooms on these great summer-flowering landscape trees as we approach their peak performance time of late June through July.
(Distributed 05/29/15) HAMMOND, La. – If you like the flowering habit of shade-loving impatiens, you’ll be excited to know more about the impatiens that boldly go when no impatiens have gone before – into full sun.
(Distributed 05/22/15) HAMMOND, La. – The past ten years have seen increased interest in growing olive trees in the southeastern United States. In Louisiana, a number of individuals and businesses have planted a few olive trees. In addition to culinary and processing quality of the fruit, olives can be long-lived trees with finely textured
(Distributed 05/15/15) HAMMOND, La. – Daylilies are one of the most popular flowering plants for late spring and early summer Louisiana landscapes. They have reached peak bloom about three weeks early this spring because of the lack of significant cold weather in February and March.
(Distributed 05/08/15) HAMMOND, La. – Roses are completing their initial spring bloom across Louisiana, and one group of roses is getting a good deal of attention.
(Distributed 05/01/15) HAMMOND, La. – With spring in full swing, it’s time for another Louisiana Super Plant announcement from the LSU AgCenter.
(Distributed 04/24/15) HAMMOND, La. – Home gardeners have long enjoyed zinnias, one of our most popular warm-season bedding plants. New zinnia varieties have been introduced regularly over the past few years.
(Distributed 04/17/15) HAMMOND, La. – Every few years, a new variety of bedding plant comes along that takes the country by storm. Greenhouse growers instantly fall in love; retailers cannot sell enough once they get it on the shelves; and home gardeners go crazy when they truly realize how great of a new plant it is.
(Distributed 04/02/15) HAMMOND, La. – Early April is here, and that signifies the peak flowering season for azaleas across the state. Some years, flowering is earlier; some years, flowers come later.
(Distributed 03/27/15) HAMMOND, La. – Our spring- and summer-flowering trees and shrubs are growing and preparing for another great bloom season. One of favorite landscape plants for late spring and summer is the popular and loved crape myrtle.
(Distributed 03/20/15) HAMMOND, La. – The National Garden Bureau has named 2015 the “Year of the Gaillardia.”
(Distributed 03/13/15) HAMMOND, La. – As we transition from late winter to early spring in the landscape, many gardeners start thinking about weather conditions, last frost and freeze dates and consider whether it’s safe to plant this plant or that plant in the landscape.
(Distributed 03/06/15) HAMMOND, La. – Beneath the mighty, majestic live oaks surrounded by gardenias, Southern magnolias, azaleas and sweet olives stands the camellia – what many in the South may refer to as “the queen of the garden.”
(Distributed 02/17/15) HAMMOND, La. – Have you noticed that Southerners have a love affair with the live oak (Quercus virginiana)? And rightly so! Noted for its strength and longevity, this stately tree was one of the major tree species that survived the wind and flooding of Hurricane Katrina.
(Distributed 02/20/15) HAMMOND, La. – Landscapes around the state are in various stages of their spring awakening, but it’s still February.
(Distributed 01/13/15) HAMMOND, La. – Roses continue to be popular in our residential landscapes, so home gardeners would be well served to increase their knowledge and awareness of recommended management practices for roses. Proper care at the proper time goes a long way to enjoying landscape success.
(Distributed 02/06/15) HAMMOND, La. – One of the most widely planted landscape shrubs in Louisiana is the azalea. Dwarf, intermediate and the larger-growing Southern Indica varieties are common in our landscapes.
(Distributed 01/30/15) HAMMOND, La. – Winter and early spring are when many gardeners prune plants, which is the correct time for most plants in the home landscape.
(Distributed 01/23/15) HAMMOND, La. – New plants make gardening exciting. About five years ago, a new sweet alyssum variety started appearing in trial gardens and garden centers around the country. These are now well-established in the greenhouse trade and have added a great cool-season-to-warm-season transitional plant to the retail marketplace.
(Distributed 01/16/15) HAMMOND, La. – One of the most widely planted landscape shrubs in Louisiana is the gardenia. Many times from the late fall through winter, you may see gardenias with yellow foliage and “poor-looking” growth. This is more of an “end-of-the-growing-season” look when old leaves are being lost and new foliage is preparing for spring emergence.
(Distributed 01/09/15) HAMMOND, La. – Now is a great time to plant a tree in Louisiana. We observe Louisiana Arbor Day this year on Friday, Jan. 16.
(Distributed 01/02/15) HAMMOND, La. – Eight vegetables and four flowers have been named All-America Selection (AAS) winners for the 2015 gardening season. Each year, the best of the best in new flowers, bedding plants and vegetables receive this national recognition.
(Distributed 04/25/14) HAMMOND, La. – We all crave color in our landscapes. Beds full of annual and perennial flowering plants are often the primary source of landscape color, but they require a lot of work to keep them looking nice.
(Distributed 04/17/14) HAMMOND, La. – Buddleia, known by most home gardeners as butterfly bush, is becoming an increasingly popular plant in the home landscape. Mostly because this perennial is highly favored by butterflies as a nectar plant.
(Distributed 04/11/14) HAMMOND, La. – Azalea blooms were outstanding this spring, even though the flowers were about two to three weeks later than normal and the cold weather this winter limited the early bloom. In the end, however, many plants bloomed in unison beginning in mid-March. Flowers are continuing now, and bloom on some varieties will stretch through May.
(Distributed 04/04/14) HAMMOND, La. – In the continuing program of identifying Louisiana Super Plants, the LSU AgCenter has identified the Kauai series torenia as a Louisiana Super Plant for spring 2014. These are improved from some of the older seeded varieties and have been proven great in landscape trials the last three years at the LSU AgCenter.
(Distributed 09/28/12) Shrubs make up the main background plants for most home landscapes. Many home gardeners plant shrubs during spring because that is when most of us think about gardening and that is when garden centers have the best availability. But, fall is the best time to add shrubs to the landscape.
(Distributed 09/14/12) With fall approaching and football season getting into full swing, garden mums become one of the popular plants available for home landscapes. These plants are also known as chrysanthemums, and some folks in north Louisiana and other parts of the state refer to this popular plant as “pinks.”
News Release Distributed 06/22/12By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings Many coreopsis are available for our landscapes in Louisiana. Coreopsis, sometimes called tickseed, are herbaceous perennial flowers. Sometimes we treat these as annuals in Louisiana, and sometimes we treat them as perennials. The larger-flowered varieties are usually most popular with home gardeners. Popular coreopsis varieties on the market include Jethro Tull, Sunfire, Early Sunrise, Rising Sun, Corey Yellow and Sunray. Flowers on all of these are some shade of golden yellow. Some varieties have more of a semi-double to double flower form, which is characteristic of the Early Sunrise variety. A variegated form of Early Sunrise is called Tequila Sunrise. These plants do well in a sunny, well-drained landscape bed. They do best planted in late winter through early spring or even in fall. You can often find a nice selection of coreopsis in bloom at garden centers in late spring. Their typical peak blooming times are May through July, but they still provide some additional flowers through late summer and fall. Plants prefer limited irrigation and perform best when we have less-than-average rainfall. Over-watering or excessive rainfall can lead to root rot and other disease problems, so we recommend preparing beds to maximize drainage. Fertilize at planting with a slow-release fertilizer. You also can use liquid feed as needed during the growing season to keep plants at their best. Plants can be divided every two to three years. This is best done early when new growth begins in early spring or when growth slows later in the fall. For best flowering, you can lightly remove old flowers as they fade. This will bring on additional blooms and slow seed pod development. Sometimes coreopsis will lightly reseed themselves in a landscape bed. Anytime your coreopsis totally finishes a flowering cycle, cut the entire plant back one-third to one-half. A new flower cycle should commence in three to four weeks if growing conditions are favorable. Coreopsis have few insect problems. They are a nectar and larval plant for butterflies, so they’re recommended for butterfly gardens. Coreopsis have long been favorites with gardeners across the South. Use them combined with annual warm-season flowers or in a perennial planting with buddleia, rudbeckias, salvia, coneflowers, lantanas, shasta daisies, verbenas or other hardy favorites. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse or www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 06/14/12By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings What’s the most popular summer-blooming tree in Louisiana? Crape myrtles. Pretty easy question. Louisianians plant many crape myrtles in their landscapes every year. The lovely, long-lasting blooms make them attractive. Most years, crape myrtles start blooming between mid-May and early June. Flowering continues for 90-120 days depending on the variety. You may sometimes see crape myrtles not blooming well. “Why?” you might ask. Here are some factors to consider: – New growth. How much new growth did your crape myrtles have this spring? Crape myrtles need to have new growth each spring in order to produce summer flowers. These flowers come on current-season growth, so late winter/early spring fertilization can aid crape myrtle flowering in the summer. It is not too late to fertilize this year if you haven’t yet. – Shade. Crape myrtles require eight hours of direct sun daily to bloom well. Crape myrtles planted in areas that receive less than six hours of direct sun do not get enough sunlight for adequate bloom development. – Variety. Some varieties don’t flower as vigorously as others. Hybrid crape myrtles usually flower first. Natchez, Tuscarora, Basham’s Party Pink and Muskogee are the easiest-flowering varieties. The semi-dwarf varieties such as Tonto, Acoma and Sioux follow a week or two later. – Insects. Heavy infestations of aphids decrease flowering. This is the most common insect problem on crape myrtles. Ever feel like you’re being “rained” on under the canopy of a crape myrtle? That “rain” is actually bodily fluid being excreted from aphids. White flies and other insect also can cause problems for crape myrtles. – Improper pruning. Drastic pruning or pruning after new spring growth can delay summer flowering. Drastic pruning, in fact, may promote excessive growth and less flowering. Sometimes the “crape murder” method of pruning can initiate too much growth at the expense of flowering. – Too much fertilizer. Excessive fertilization, especially high amounts of nitrogen, in conjunction with other factors, primarily improper pruning, can eliminate or delay flowering. – Leaf spot. Foliar diseases decrease plant vigor and flowering, especially in the absence of new growth in spring. The main cause of leaf spot in crape myrtles is the fungus Cercospora, and it’s bad this year. Long term, this disease is not detrimental to the plant. Using fungicides for control has not been very effective because they would have to be applied repeatedly throughout the growing season, and getting adequate coverage on larger trees is difficult. – Wet soil. Crape myrtles need well-drained areas to grow well. Lichens growing on bark is common on crape myrtles growing in shady areas accompanied by poorly drained soils and low levels of native soil fertility. So, that’s the list. Consider these reasons if your crape myrtles are not performing to their potential. Hopefully, your crape myrtles will bloom and bloom some more for you this summer. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse or www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 06/08/12By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings One of the most popular non-woody perennials in Louisiana is the purple coneflower. The scientific name of this plant is Echinacea purpurea. It is native to an area from the Midwest into the southeastern United States. Coneflowers have long been favorites with gardeners across the South. You can use them in a perennial planting with buddleia, rudbeckias, salvia, coreopsis, lantanas, Shasta daisies, verbenas or other hardy favorites. Butterflies love purple coneflowers, too. Purple coneflowers are drought-tolerant, tough and long-lived. Flowering usually starts in late April or early May, and most coneflowers re-bloom through summer and fall. If you’re looking for a plant to enhance your landscape, new selections of this old garden plant are making it highly desirable for our Louisiana landscapes. Flower petals in coneflowers have typically been in the soft lavender to purple color ranges. Now white forms are available. Magnus is a popular variety that was the Perennial Plant of the Year in 1998. This selection has vibrant, rose-purple flowers. Bravado is a variety with 4- to 5-inch fragrant flowers. White Swan is a white-flowering form. With hybridization of coneflower species, a whole new group of coneflowers, called the Big Sky series, has added to the color range. The Big Sky coneflowers come in shades of oranges, reds and yellows. These plants originated from Itsaul Plants in Georgia and are being marketed by the Novalis “Plants That Work” program. The varieties Twilight (rose-red flowers), Harvest Moon (earthy-gold flowers), Sundown (russet-orange flowers), Sunrise (citron-yellow flowers) and Sunset (orange flowers) comprise the series collection. These varieties have been available at garden centers in Louisiana the past three years, but they are not as reliably perennial as we would like to see. New in the purple coneflower world is the seed-propagated PowWow series. PowWow Wild Berry is an All-America Selection winner from 2011. In addition, a white version is called PowWow White. These have performed nicely in LSU AgCenter trials. Also new are the vegetatively propagated Sombraro series and the double-flower series Doublescoop. A new purple coneflower that will be an All-America Selection winner in 2013 is Cheyenne Spirit. You can do several things to help coneflowers perform ideally. These plants prefer a mostly sunny location with well-drained soil. You can buy coneflowers at the garden center in 4-inch pots or quart or one-gallon containers. A light application of a slow-release fertilizer is recommended at planting and once or twice annually thereafter. Mulch with pine straw or a similar material. Remove old flowers to encourage quick re-bloom. Coneflowers are reliably perennial in Louisiana. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse or www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 06/01/12By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings Spring bloom on roses is just about completed. Roses in most home landscapes have their best bloom performance at first flowering in the spring (mid-April) and at the fall bloom in October. We are now rapidly approaching the summer months. Rose bushes will not necessarily look their best during summer. This is especially true as we get to July and August. We should be thinking now about how to maintain our roses through summer to enjoy them to their fullest. Most gardeners now are planting landscape or shrub roses in abundance. This includes the popular Knock Out varieties. However, many home gardeners in Louisiana still enjoy growing the traditional modern roses like hybrid tea, floribunda and grandiflora varieties. During summer, flower colors on roses are less intense and blooms are smaller. Petal count will decrease. A Knock Out rose with 10-12 petals in midspring may only have five to six petals in late summer. You can also see petal count reduction on hybrid tea roses. They typically have 40-50 petals per flower, but petal numbers are not quite as high in summer, and flower size is smaller. Also, flower pigmentation is not as good during summer due to the high temperatures and unfavorable growing conditions. Heat stress was common on all roses last summer with exceptionally high temperatures and drought conditions from May through September. Heat stress can be identified by flower performance, but also just by an overall reduced, almost stagnant, growth rate and pale green foliage. Leaf crinkling can occur when heat stress is severe. Roses need disease management from now through the end of summer for good flowering and performance into fall. Normally, the varieties with high to moderate susceptibility to blackspot disease need to continue to be sprayed with fungicide on a 10-to-14-day schedule. Even though it is hotter than ideal for the blackspot fungus to reproduce as fast in summer, the disease inoculum from spring will still be present. You may see foliage burn due to fungicide application during summer. Fertilizer should probably not be applied during the middle of summer, but a light application may be of value in some situations. Irrigation also needs to be maintained during droughty periods. Apply water to the mulched, root zone area around the plants. Avoid getting water on the plant foliage. Do not prune roses in June and July other than taking off old flowers as they fade. If you continually “deadhead” roses during summer, you’ll need to do less pruning later. The recommended late-summer pruning of modern rose varieties such as hybrid tea, floribunda, grandiflora and shrub roses should be completed by early September in south Louisiana. Bloom will return on the pruned bushes 40-45 days after pruning. Other rose gardening work that needs to be done during summer includes: – Watch roses for insect pests. Spider mites, aphids, thrips and cucumber beetles are usually the main problem insects on roses. Some can be easily controlled; some are more difficult to control. Monitor your plants weekly for insect infestations. – Clear debris from rose beds and pull any weeds that may be present. Add pre-emergent granular herbicide such as Preen or Amaze for summer weed control. – Add new mulch if you did not refresh the bed earlier in the year (pine straw is an excellent material). Even if you did add mulch earlier in the season, a new application on top of the older mulch may be beneficial. Three inches of pine straw is ideal. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse or www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 06/01/12By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings Spring bloom on roses is just about completed. Roses in most home landscapes have their best bloom performance at first flowering in the spring (mid-April) and at the fall bloom in October. We are now rapidly approaching the summer months. Rose bushes will not necessarily look their best during summer. This is especially true as we get to July and August. We should be thinking now about how to maintain our roses through summer to enjoy them to their fullest. Most gardeners now are planting landscape or shrub roses in abundance. This includes the popular Knock Out varieties. However, many home gardeners in Louisiana still enjoy growing the traditional modern roses like hybrid tea, floribunda and grandiflora varieties. During summer, flower colors on roses are less intense and blooms are smaller. Petal count will decrease. A Knock Out rose with 10-12 petals in midspring may only have five to six petals in late summer. You can also see petal count reduction on hybrid tea roses. They typically have 40-50 petals per flower, but petal numbers are not quite as high in summer, and flower size is smaller. Also, flower pigmentation is not as good during summer due to the high temperatures and unfavorable growing conditions. Heat stress was common on all roses last summer with exceptionally high temperatures and drought conditions from May through September. Heat stress can be identified by flower performance, but also just by an overall reduced, almost stagnant, growth rate and pale green foliage. Leaf crinkling can occur when heat stress is severe. Roses need disease management from now through the end of summer for good flowering and performance into fall. Normally, the varieties with high to moderate susceptibility to blackspot disease need to continue to be sprayed with fungicide on a 10-to-14-day schedule. Even though it is hotter than ideal for the blackspot fungus to reproduce as fast in summer, the disease inoculum from spring will still be present. You may see foliage burn due to fungicide application during summer. Fertilizer should probably not be applied during the middle of summer, but a light application may be of value in some situations. Irrigation also needs to be maintained during droughty periods. Apply water to the mulched, root zone area around the plants. Avoid getting water on the plant foliage. Do not prune roses in June and July other than taking off old flowers as they fade. If you continually “deadhead” roses during summer, you’ll need to do less pruning later. The recommended late-summer pruning of modern rose varieties such as hybrid tea, floribunda, grandiflora and shrub roses should be completed by early September in south Louisiana. Bloom will return on the pruned bushes 40-45 days after pruning. Other rose gardening work that needs to be done during summer includes: – Watch roses for insect pests. Spider mites, aphids, thrips and cucumber beetles are usually the main problem insects on roses. Some can be easily controlled; some are more difficult to control. Monitor your plants weekly for insect infestations. – Clear debris from rose beds and pull any weeds that may be present. Add pre-emergent granular herbicide such as Preen or Amaze for summer weed control. – Add new mulch if you did not refresh the bed earlier in the year (pine straw is an excellent material). Even if you did add mulch earlier in the season, a new application on top of the older mulch may be beneficial. Three inches of pine straw is ideal. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse or www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 05/25/12By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings Ornamental sweet potatoes are a popular warm-season annual for adding foliage colors to the summer landscape. The original varieties include plants with leaves that are chartreuse-lime green (Marguerite), blackish purple (Blackie, Black Beauty, Ace of Spades) and tricolored (Pink Frost). New ornamental sweet potato varieties recently introduced have various leaf shapes and growth habits in addition to new foliage colors. These sweet potatoes have been selected for shorter stem lengths between the leaves and reduced root size. They are more compact than most other ornamental sweet potato varieties. Some of the new sweet potatoes are more conducive to trellising and for being “spiller” or “filler” plants in containers when compared with older varieties. Some of these new varieties may produce significant flowering in the landscape during summer through fall, while others seldom flower. The Sweet Caroline series of ornamental sweet potatoes are a newer group. This series has varieties with green-yellow, red, light green, bronze and purple foliage. The Sweet Caroline Sweetheart series (with heart-shaped leaves) is available in light green, red and purple, while the stand-alone Bewitched variety has maple-leaf-shaped, purplish-black foliage. The best foliage colors come when plants are in full sun. They will have less colorful foliage in a shaded or partially shaded location. An ornamental sweet potato series introduced in 2009 is Sidekick from Syngenta Flowers. This series is available in black, black-heart and lime colors. The lime-colored variety is lighter in color than the chartreuse-lime green foliage of Marguerite, and the growth habit is low-growing and less spreading. The new Illusion series from Proven Winners is probably the best of the new introductions. They have thread-leaf foliage and are smaller-growing and much less vigorous than any others on the market. Illusion colors are available as Emerald Lace, Midnight Lace and Garnet Lace. Ornamental sweet potatoes in the landscape are easy to plant and care for. They do best when planted later in the spring and seldom need irrigation or fertilization. Lightly prune during the season to control growth on the most vigorous varieties. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse or www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 05/1812By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings Gardenias are blooming in Louisiana landscapes now. Known as cape jasmine to some Southern gardeners, gardenias are one of the most widely planted landscape shrubs in Louisiana. The LSU AgCenter has recommended several species and varieties for landscape use, and they continue to be very popular among home gardeners. When you select gardenia varieties, look for the better performers. The best currently available now is the variety Frostproof. It was a designated a Louisiana Super Plant in 2011. Other good choices include the new Jubilation variety in the Southern Living plant program along with Mystery and August Beauty, which are older varieties. And one more to consider is the daisy gardenia. Although popular, gardenias regularly are plagued with problems. This is especially true with dwarf gardenias, but other varieties have their difficulties, too. A planting group may do very well, with no plants lost the first year. Or a planting may do poorly, and all plants are lost in the first year. Sometimes a few plants in a grouping may die each year, so after two to four years, no living plants remain. We have a few guidelines to consider that can improve gardenia landscape performance. Soil pH is important for gardenias and other plants. Gardenias belong to the “acid-loving” group of ornamental plants. This means they prefer low soil pH. The recommended soil pH for gardenias is 5.0-5.5. This is similar to what azaleas, camellias and blueberries also require. Plants may do fine at a soil pH in the upper 5s to low 6s, but adverse nutrient availability and root growth problems occur when soil pH climbs above 6.5. We all need to know the soil pH in our landscape beds. Adjust soil pH by lowering with sulfur or raising with dolomitic lime. Always follow recommendations of a soil test, which you can get for a fee from the LSU AgCenter. Contact your AgCenter parish office or go to the soil lab page. As with many other shrubs, roses and flowers, improving internal drainage and building raised beds are usually necessary when planting gardenias in Louisiana. Our heavy rainfall in short periods of time saturates landscape bed soil and will lead to root rot issues. You can lessen this problem by making a raised bed 6-8 inches tall prior to planting. This helps prevent root rots that may occur if irrigation is not properly managed and/or if beds aren’t properly prepared and provided with adequate drainage. When you plant, don’t plant gardenias too deep. Watch your planting depth and be careful about piling mulch around the base of the stems, which simulates planting too deep. Plant gardenias slightly higher than how the plants were growing in the original containers. Allow for soil settling. Be sure to “water in” the plants during the backfill process. Avoid over-mulching. Mulch with pine straw to a depth of 2-3 inches. A slightly stressed gardenia will decline rapidly when over-watered. At the same time, we need to make sure plants are not under-watered. Uniformity in soil moisture is the key to success with gardenias, so monitor soil moisture closely between rains. Once-a-week irrigation should be sufficient. Make sure water distribution is uniform. Water quality also can play a role in gardenia performance in the landscape. Irrigate slowly, deeply and infrequently rather than quickly, shallowly and often. Once root rot occurs, plants can usually not overcome the problem, and homeowners have limited fungicide options for control. Gardenias need a moderate amount of nitrogen fertilizer but also are harmed when nitrogen is applied excessively. Apply a recommended slow-release fertilizer shortly after spring bloom. This should handle nitrogen needs for that growing season. Gardenias also are frequently fertilized with foliar or soil applications of iron, such as Ironite. This basically is offsetting a slightly higher-than-recommended pH that is inhibiting iron uptake from the soil. Gardenias are not difficult plants to grow. We just need to follow these recommendations to improve their landscape performance.Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse or www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 05/11/12By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings Many of us may not realize it, but the last 20 years have been some of the most exciting times in the history of home landscaping. It would be impossible to list all the new ornamental plants – from trees to shrubs to perennials to annual flowers – that have been recently released. We now have new flower colors in plants where specific flower colors had not been found, blooms at times during the year when blooms normally did not occur, improved disease resistance, improved plant adaptability to different growing regions and so much more. Some of the new herbaceous flowering plants from the past three to five years making an impression in Louisiana include such plants as the Serena angelonias, new Lo and Behold butterfly bushes (Buddleia), the Celebration series purple fountain grasses and Lanai series verbenas. Some “new” butterfly bushes have been available from Proven Winners for a couple years now and are beginning to see considerable industry acceptance. Blue Chip is a variety that is well known. It is in the Lo and Behold group that also includes Purple Haze and others. Blue Chip has bluish-purple flowers on a mounding plant that grows to a height of 24-30 inches. Dark green foliage is characteristic of the plant. It, as all butterfly bushes, is best planted in full sun with well-drained soil. Ice Chip and Lilac Chip are new colors in this group. All of these new dwarfer butterfly bushes are excellent bloomers and are reliably perennial (with foliage retention through winter) in south Louisiana. You can also try Miss Molly and Miss Ruby. Angelonias are new to many gardeners. They were virtually unknown even as recently as 10 years ago. Now, many angelonias are on the scene. In Louisiana we plant the Serena series – it is a Louisiana Super Plants. This outstanding summer bedding plant can be relied upon for dependable garden performance though the hottest summer weather. Five colors in the Serena series blend together beautifully – Serena Purple, Serena Lavender, Serena Lavender Pink, Serena White and the new Serena Blue. Plants are compact, growing 12 to 14 inches tall and about as wide. Masses of flower spikes cover the plants from late spring to frost. Plant them through May for best results in sunny beds. Minimum irrigation and fertilization are needed. The Celebration series Pennisetums are great improvements over what we used to call purple fountain grass. Purple fountain grass was used abundantly in landscapes in the 1980s and fell out of popularity. Now, the plant is back with new and improved varieties. Fireworks, with red foliage, was introduced two years ago and is being widely used and accepted in the industry. Sky Rocket was introduced in 2011 – it has green and white variegated foliage. The new addition for 2012 that is still very limited in availability is Cherry Sparkler, with purple and white variegated foliage. These ornamental grasses are best treated as annuals, although they will overwinter in warmer areas of south Louisiana. The plants prefer full sun and can be planted in groups of three to five to add height (42-48 inches by fall) to flower beds. The Lanai series verbenas from Syngenta Flowers include flower colors not found in many other verbena groups. New colors are introduced each year. These plants do best when purchased at the garden centers from February through April and then in fall. They have good cold hardiness down into the mid- to lower 20s and can be perennial when properly cared for. They also make great container plants. New colors in Lanai verbenas that will be coming soon include Candy Cane, Vintage Rose and Lime Green. Lime Green is recommended for mixed containers. Lanai verbena continues to gain market share in the southeastern United States. Many other plants that are not new have been introduced in the past 10-15 years and have been responsible for changing what we grow. One example is Profusion zinnias. Others are the Lucky and Bandana lantanas. Although we are not at petunia planting time now, the Supertunias and Wave petunias have changed the marketplace for these plants. Other relatively new plants include Snow Princess lobularia, SunPatiens, PowWow purple coneflower and many more. Even more great plants are coming, and we will continue to see great new flowering plants each spring and fall. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse or www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 05/04/12By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings Daylilies are one of the most popular flowering plants for late spring and early summer landscapes in Louisiana. They have reached peak bloom about three weeks early this spring due to our lack of significant cold weather in February and March. Gardeners always seem to want daylily information, and many new flower forms and colors are now available. Serious gardeners know daylily by its scientific name of Hemerocallis –Greek for “beauty” and “day.” As the name implies, daylily flowers open for just one day. The best daylilies for today’s landscapes, however, make many buds and can bloom for upwards of three months. Daylilies are low-maintenance plants in the landscape. Planted in full to partial sun, daylilies prefer a well-drained bed but can tolerate poorer soil conditions. At planting, make a slightly raised bed for daylilies by incorporating organic matter. Adjust the soil pH so that it is slightly acid – 6.0-6.5 – and fertilize in early spring and again in early summer, if needed, to promote plant vigor. You can find many flower colors– white and blue are about the only exceptions. Flower shapes also vary, and multiple colors are common on a single bloom. Daylilies reach a mature height of 1-5 feet depending on the variety. Flower size can range from small flowers no more than 2 inches across to large flowers 8 inches across. Daylily varieties are classified based on flower color, plant size and other factors. One important classification now commonly used is hardiness type – dormant, semi-evergreen or evergreen. Dormant daylilies offer little if any resistance to cold temperatures, and foliage will disappear in winter until new growth emerges from the soil the following spring. Semi-evergreen varieties will have foliage that dies down briefly in early winter, and new growth begin slowly until more rapid re-growth starts in early spring. Evergreen daylilies are common now in commercial landscaping. These varieties maintain foliage through winter in the warmer climate of the Gulf South. One valuable benefit of daylilies is their ability to multiply. Avid daylily grower Dale Westmoreland, owner of WestFarms Nursery in Folsom, says most daylily plantings peak in flowering performance about four years after the initial planting. Daylily plants multiply from year to year and can be divided at almost any time of year to produce new plants. A clump of two to three plants may not flower the first year after division (although they generally will), but a clump of five to 10 plants will flower well. It’s hard to provide a recommended list of daylily varieties. Many are available, and most varieties recommended for Louisiana can be found at local retail garden centers. When you look for daylilies, select for resistance to daylily rust. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse or www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 04/26/12By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings Keep environmental conditions in mind when you select plant materials for a home landscape. The size of the planting area is important along with other site characteristics, such as sun or shade exposure, wet or dry locations, and exposure to windy conditions. Selecting the proper plants based on regional adaptability to climate and environmental conditions is a sustainable landscape practice. Selected plants should tolerate existing conditions and should be hardy in the appropriate climatic zone. Louisiana’s 50-60 inches of annual rainfall are also an important consideration in selecting landscape plants. We need to keep in mind, though, that Louisiana rainfall is not well distributed, so some times during the year we can be excessively dry while at other times we are very wet. Louisiana is located in U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 8 and 9. Hardiness zones indicate the average minimum temperature that occurs during winter in different geographical regions of the country. Hardiness zone 8 indicates average minimum temperatures of 10-20 degrees, and hardiness zone 9 indicates average minimums of 20-30 degrees. Ever since the hardiness zone map was published in 1960, experts have been recommending plants for different areas of the country based on these zones. Besides hardiness, you also need to consider summer heat extremes in selecting landscape plants. We know this is critical, but now we have some new information that can simplify the process of plant selection based on their ability to tolerate Louisiana summers. Summer growing conditions are just as important, if not more important, than winter growing conditions, in determining long-term hardiness and survivability for many plant species. In 1997, the American Horticultural Society released the Plant Heat-Zone Map. This was a revolutionary idea coordinated by the late H. Marc Cathey, president emeritus of the society. The Plant Heat-Zone Map contains 12 zones in the United States and classifies areas of the country based on the average number of days per year when the temperature is above 86 degrees. Why 86 degrees? This is the temperature where cellular proteins in plants start becoming damaged. Louisiana is located in heat zones 8 and 9. Zone 8 has 90-120 days annually above 86 degrees, while zone 9 includes 120-150 days in that temperature range. Coastal portions of the state, portions of northwest Louisiana and the area near the Mississippi River in northeast Louisiana are in zone 8. The rest of the state sits squarely in the middle of zone 9. Most plants suffer heat-stress damage, but it occurs more gradually than cold-weather damage. Heat stress occurs over an extended period – anywhere from a month or so to over a couple of growing seasons. Withering flowers or flower buds, drooping leaves, loss of green foliage color (bluish-gray color), diminished root growth and increased attractiveness to insects are some indications of stress. Many Louisiana ornamental plants had heat-stress symptoms last fall after our unusually hot, dry summer. Environmental factors other than heat may affect our plants, but we can minimize these problems and maximize success. Humidity, water availability, oxygen exchange, light quality and quantity, day length (photoperiod), wind movement, soil conditions and available nutrients all play a role in success with your garden plants not only through summer but also at other times of year. Water availability – or limiting water stress – goes a long way in eliminating plant stress. Maintaining optimal soil moisture levels is critical. It is hard to do without proper irrigation management. Plants cannot adapt without irrigation when we receive a 4-inch rainfall in a 24- to 48-hour period then go through 30-day droughty periods at other times of the year. These are difficult conditions for plant adaptation. Plants need oxygen exchange for respiration; roots need oxygen to breathe. This requires ideal bed preparation that creates sufficient pore space between individual soil particles. Be aware of light quality, quantity and day length, also referred to as photoperiod. These conditions are important as plants undertake their physiological processes during summer. Plants need light and carbon dioxide for food manufacturing (photosynthesis). Light also affects the plants’ temperature – plants growing at the limit of their heat zone may die due to environmental stress in summer if planted in full sun or with a southern and/or western exposure where heat buildup is more likely to occur. When you head for the garden center to select new plants for your landscape, evaluate your planned location and keep these factors in mind. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse or www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 10/28/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings Your landscape can include many trees and shrubs that will provide significant color in fall and winter year after year. Although decidedly less than spectacular this far south, many trees in late November or early December produce leaves that turn various colors as they get ready to drop. A few trees that reliably color up well in Louisiana include: ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua), Chinese pistachio (Pistachia chinensis), Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana), black gum (Nyssa sylvatica), crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica), dogwood (Cornus florida), Japanese maple (Acer palmatum), southern sugar maple (Acer barbatum) and some oaks. Generally, the farther south you live in Louisiana, the less fall color you will see. Plants also provide color in fall and fruit in winter. Hollies, with their brilliant red berries, are notable in this regard. Excellent choices for Louisiana include the popular Savannah holly and Foster’s holly (Ilex x attenuata Savannah and Fosteri), both small trees. Beautiful native hollies include the yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria), deciduous holly (Ilex decidua) and winterberry (Ilex verticillata). A great thing about holly berries is that they are excellent wildlife food for birds. Shrubby hollies also produce colorful berries. Varieties include Burford, Dwarf Burford, Nellie R. Stevens, Needlepoint, Dixie Star, Dixie Flame and many others. For flowers in fall and early winter, choose sasanquas (Camellia sasanqua). Sasanquas are one of those indispensable shrubs for Louisiana landscapes and bloom from October well into December. Camellias (Camellia japonica) will begin to bloom in November and continue through winter until spring. Roses are also important for fall and early-winter color. Everblooming roses put on a wonderful show in October and November and will often continue to bloom through mid-December and beyond, weather permitting. Although generally not known for their fall blooming, azaleas that bloom during seasons other than spring are becoming more popular. The Encore azalea series is well known for fall bloom. Also notable are some of the Robin Hill azaleas such as Watchet and Conversation Piece and the popular Glen Dale variety Fashion. We often associate spring with colorful landscapes, but we need to remember that foliage and flowers can be achieved in the fall season with proper plant selection. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse or www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 10/20/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings Last fall, the LSU AgCenter announced a new plant marketing and promotion program called Louisiana Super Plants. The program identifies superior plants for Louisiana landscapes and assures wholesale growers are growing and retail nurseries are carrying the selections. Then, we get the word out to the gardening public about these outstanding plants. One of the debut Louisiana Super Plants from last fall was the Camelot series foxglove. This new foxglove earned its Super Plants title because it’s a significant improvement over varieties planted in the past. Foxgloves (Digitalis species and hybrids) are biennials or short-lived perennials. In Louisiana, we grow them as cool-season annuals from October-November to April-May. They bloom in spring or early summer and then typically die in the summer heat. Because Camelot foxgloves planted from seed bloom their first year, they are excellent for use in our climate. The Camelot series foxgloves come in four colors – Camelot Rose, Camelot Lavender, Camelot Cream and Camelot White. This hybrid series is bred to be especially strong and vigorous-growing. And these foxgloves are somewhat more heat-tolerant than foxgloves used in the past, allowing Camelot foxgloves to bloom well into late May or early June. Especially notable is an improvement in the flower spikes. The flowers are larger, and the spikes are taller than previously grown varieties. The bell-shaped flowers of foxgloves are arranged around a strong, tall stem that grows from the center of the plant. Typically, the flowers tend to hang down so you cannot see into the beautifully spotted throats. The flowers of Camelot foxgloves, however, are held more horizontally, creating a fuller-looking flower spike and revealing the spotted interior of the flowers. Louisiana gardeners are accustomed to (and even demand) that bedding plants be in bloom when they are purchased. Some cool-season bedding plants, however, will provide far superior results if they are purchased when young and before the colorful display begins. Good examples are ornamental cabbage and kale, delphiniums and hollyhocks. Young, not-yet-blooming transplants of these plants are best planted in fall or late winter – from November to February – for blooming in April, May and early June. Foxgloves also belong to this group. During winter these plants are perfectly hardy to whatever cold may occur, and there is no need to cover and protect them. During mild winter weather the plants will grow strong root systems and rosettes of large, slightly fuzzy leaves that are a beautiful addition to the winter flowerbed. For best results, get plants in the ground no later than the end of February to give them time to grow into large, vigorous plants before they bloom. A fall or late-winter planting will produce the most spectacular plants with the tallest and largest number of spikes. Most cool-season bedding plants prefer full sun, and Camelot foxgloves will grow in sunny locations. But they also do very well in beds that receive only 4 to 6 hours of sun per day. The foliage is typically darker green and larger in partly shaded spots. Plant foxgloves into well-prepared beds that have been generously amended with compost or other decayed organic matter and a light application of general-purpose fertilizer. Good drainage is important. Place the plants toward the back of the beds where the colorful 3- to 4-foot-tall flower spikes will form a dramatic background. These robust-growing plants should be spaced about 12 inches apart. After the main spike finishes blooming, cut it back, and the plants will send up numerous side shoots to continue the floral display for additional weeks. Eventually, with the hot weather of early summer, the plants will begin to play out and can be removed, composted and replaced with summer bedding plants. Camelot foxgloves are in your local nurseries now. It is best to plant them in the fall for best results. But garden centers also sell them in late winter and early spring. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse or www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 10/14/11 By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings Are you looking for something new to try in your cool-season landscape this fall and winter? There is much to select from in the way of annual flowers for planting during the cool season of the year. Most of us know about pansies, snapdragons, petunias, garden mums and older varieties of dianthus, but there is much more. Violas are the cousins of pansies and continue to gain in popularity. The Sorbet series of violas always perform well in LSU AgCenter landscape plant evaluations. The series blooms early and performs well from mid fall through May. Try these great alternatives to pansies. They should be planted in mass for a great flower show. The blooms will last two weeks longer into the later spring. Nicotianas are good alternative, cool-season bedding plants for south Louisiana. Nicotiana is flowering tobacco. Most of these for landscape use are “dwarf” in size but still reach heights of 24 inches. Nicotianas have less cold hardiness than some other cool-season flowers, so that needs to be considered. In south Louisiana, they should be able to withstand winter temperature conditions as long as plants are hardened off some before the first frosts and freezes. You also can plant them in mid- to late February. Plants will last until late spring. Flower colors available include white, lime, rose, red and more. They do best during the cool season in a full sun planting, but will perform better into late spring if partial shade is provided. Popular in the series are Nicki, Perfume and Saratoga. The best of new dianthus is the Amazon series. These are very prolific flower producers and should be planted in September, October or November. Flower heads are large and will last until mid-May in south Louisiana. The series also has cut-flower potential. Flower colors available in the Amazon series are Rose Magic, Purple, Cherry and Neon Duo. The Amazon dianthus are Louisiana Super Plants from 2010. Camelot foxgloves are new to the market. These are also called digitalis. For best results, plant in the fall, and 2 foot-tall spikes of flowers occur in the spring. Flowers come on 2-3 weeks before the popular Foxy variety and last 2-3 weeks longer. Camelot foxgloves were also Louisiana Super Plants in the fall of 2010. Flowers in the Camelot foxglove are lavender, cream, rose and white, with lavender, cream and rose being the better-performing colors. We know tall-growing delphinium, but now there is smaller variety for landscape beds. Diamonds Blue delphinium has intense blue flowers and is a new seed-propagated Delphinium chinensis. This plant is considered a first-year-flowering perennial but should be treated as an annual. Plant in full sun in the fall for great flowering performance from February through May. Space plants 12-14 inches apart. Plants reach a height of 18 inches with a 10- to 12-inch spread. If you want to try a tall grower for cut flower use, try the Guardian series. They are available in lavender, white and blue. We know ornamental kale and cabbage, but do we know the best? Redbor ornamental kale is incredible. It is a Louisiana Super Plant for this fall. It is one of the most vigorous-growing and heat-tolerant ornamental kales on the market. Extremely curly foliage, early dark purple foliage and a spring height of 3 feet are characteristic of this plant. You may also want to try Glamour Red, a new ornamental kale that is a 2011 All-America Selections winner. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse or www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 10/07/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings Encore azaleas have gathered consideration attention over the past 10 years, but we need to remember we had great, fall-flowering – sometimes referred to a multi-seasonal-flowering – azaleas before the Encore varieties. A great example is the Fashion azalea variety. But another azalea group widely planted in Louisiana for fall blooming is the Robin Hill hybrids. These azaleas resulted from hybridization work conducted by Robert Gartrell of New Jersey in the 1950s and 1960s. These have large flowers on hardy plants, good form and foliage, and an intermediate growth size. Other main attributes are cold hardiness and an extended blooming season. Most years, Robin Hill azalea varieties will bloom for six months in Louisiana. You can get two to three months of bloom in spring and another three to four months in late summer through early winter. This group includes 70 varieties with 10-12 readily available in Louisiana. Louisiana nursery growers begin growing these popular azaleas in the 1980s, and they continue to be used around the state today. Varieties of the Robin Hill azaleas for Louisiana include Conversation Piece, Watchet, Nancy of Robin Hill, White Moon, Dorothy Rees, Roddy, Gwenda, Sir Robert and Sherbrook. Flower colors vary from white to pink, blush, bicolors and more. The newest variety is Freddy, a beautiful white-flowering sport of Watchet. It, however, is limited in availability for home gardeners right now. Some of the Robin Hill azaleas are being considered for Louisiana Super Plant status in the future. These azaleas are evergreen, just as most of the traditional azaleas. Most Robin Hill varieties are slow- to medium-growth-rate plants and reach mature heights of 3-4 feet with an equal spread. Just as with other azaleas, they prefer a partial sun to partial shade and need acid, well-drained soil. After planting and during the establishment phase, irrigate as needed to aid in plant establishment. Robin Hill azaleas should be pruned in spring within 2-4 weeks after the bloom cycle is completed. Fertilize in the spring also with a slow-release fertilizer after flowering. Mulch azalea beds with pine straw. Intermediate-growing azaleas, like Robin Hill varieties, work well in foundation plantings with Knock Out roses, Indian hawthorn, loropetalums and other popular shrubs. They are also great for use in beds underneath trees as a companion plant with hydrangeas and native shrubs. Including small-growing trees, such as redbuds and Japanese magnolias, add appeal to an azalea planting, and Japanese maples go great in azalea gardens as a smaller, signature, focal tree. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse or www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 09/30/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings Cool-season bedding plants continue to be popular in Louisiana. Most home gardeners do more warm-weather than cool-weather flower gardening, but we all need to realize that we have many great cool-season flowers that will do well in our climate from mid-fall through late spring. Home gardeners need to consider the following practices to ensure they get the desired performance from cool-season flowers: – Prior to planting, properly prepare the landscape bed to allow for good internal drainage and aeration. – Incorporate fresh, nutrient-rich, finished compost or landscape bed builder soil into beds to provide nutrients. – Apply a slow-release fertilizer at planting. For extending the season, fertilize again at half the recommended rate in late February to early March. – Manage irrigation properly. Many times cool-season flowers need less irrigation than we think. Warmer days of spring will increase irrigation demand. Monitor rainfall. Overwatering leads to many problems with cool-season bedding plants. – Remove old flowers from plants in spring to extend the bloom season. Most cool-season bedding plants are planted in October through November, but if you did not get the opportunity to add some cool-season flowers to your landscape, planting can continue through December, January and February. Most plants will last until May or even June in some years if properly cared for. Pansies dominate the cool-season flower market and are available in a wide choice of colors, including blue, rose, pink, yellow, white, purple, red and scarlet. Flower sizes come in large, medium and small. Some varieties have solid color ("clear") flower petals, and others have blotched flower faces. Normally, clear-faced flowers are the most popular for landscape use, but some folks like the colors of the blotched flowers in mixed plantings. Violas, also called johnny jump ups are smaller versions of pansies and are equally impressive in landscape beds and containers. Petunias are all the rage as a good, cool-season bedding plant in south Louisiana. Plant petunias from mid-September through mid-October for the best fall results. Other cool-season annuals include alyssum, dianthus, ornamental kale, ornamental cabbage, stock and snapdragon. You also can try biennial and perennial flowers such as foxglove, columbine and hollyhock. You should definitely include the Camelot series foxgloves and Amazon series dianthus in your cool-season planting plans. These two plants were fall Louisiana Super Plants last year. Cool-season flowers add color to landscapes at a time of the year when we have fewer trees and shrubs in bloom. If we have improved growing conditions the next couple months, your cool-season bedding plants will shine in late winter. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse or www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 09/23/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings September begins the transition to cool weather and fall activities in the Louisiana landscape. It is important to get started with cool-season flowers and bed preparation, assess your lawn status, consider mulching for trees and shrubs, and more. The season for cool-season plants starts in September. Although it may be most ideal to plant most cool-season bedding plants in October, petunias would not mind being planted now. Late September is a great time to start planting petunias, which can be continued into early to mid-October. Try the Wave, Easy Wave and Tidal Wave petunias if you really want to make an impression. Some other bedding plants recommended for fall planting in Louisiana include pansies, violas (johnny jump ups), dianthus, calendula, snapdragons, stock and flowering kale or cabbage. Check your local garden centers for bedding plant varieties that are available. Most of these do best when planted mid-October through November. But September is the time to start by cleaning up any debris from your warm-season flowerbeds and preparing the beds for planting in October. Do a soil test if you suspect pH problems. Ideal pH for many bedding plants is 5.5–6.0. This is considered to be an acid soil and is similar to the pH preferred by azaleas and gardenias. September is an important month in home lawn care. Many of us may want to apply additional fertilizer to the lawn to "keep it going" through fall – but this needs to be avoided. Putting nitrogen fertilizer on warm-season lawn grasses after early September is not recommended. The nitrogen will stimulate growth that will be prone to disease during fall and cold damage during the coming winter. Many times a fall application of a “winterizing” fertilizer is recommended. This is a good idea in some cases. A winterizing fertilizer for home lawn use in Louisiana has a low amount of nitrogen (the first number on the fertilizer bag), a low amount of phosphorus (the second number on the fertilizer bag) and a high amount of potassium (the third number on the fertilizer bag). Never use a winterizing fertilizer that has more nitrogen than potassium. Fertilizers with these ratios are recommended for fall application to cool-season grasses and are not for use in Louisiana (even though these fertilizers are sold here). A potassium application in the fall is recommended only when a soil test of your home lawn area indicates low or medium levels of potassium in the soil. If you have high or very high levels of potassium, a fall application of potassium is not needed. If you apply potassium, do it at the rate of 1-2 pounds of actual potassium per 1,000 square feet of lawn area. You may notice brown patch disease on your lawn during September. This disease is characterized by circular, brown patterns that will green back up on the inside as the circle extends outward. Contact your local LSU AgCenter county agent for current fungicides recommended for this disease. Controlling brown patch in the fall yields improved green-up in the spring. If you are considering overseeding your lawn with a cool-season grass, such as ryegrass, wait until late October through mid-November, depending on where you are located in the state. Many of us want to do some pruning in the fall. When you prune, use thinning-type cuts instead of topping your plants. Wait until later in the fall or even until winter to prune most trees, such as crape myrtles. Sometimes pruning stimulates new growth, which we need to avoid in fall due to the possibility of cold damage. September also is an ideal time to add a new layer of mulch to your landscape beds. What does mulch do for our landscape plants? It minimizes soil temperature fluctuations, controls weed seed germination and subsequent growth, adds organic matter to the soil and plays a major role in moisture conservation. Mulch also insulates the lower stem and root system of the plant from cold winter temperatures and hot summer temperatures. The best mulch is pine straw. Mulch trees to a depth of 3 inches and shrubs to a depth of 2 inches. Avoid piling the mulch around the base of the stems. Working in your landscape in September will properly prepare your plants for the rest of the fall. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse or www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 09/16/11 By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings As we head toward fall, you may want to consider ground covers for those problem areas in your landscape. You may have shady areas that can no longer support lush turfgrass. Maybe you have a sloping area where mowing is difficult. Planting a ground cover may be an option. The term ground cover is applied to low-growing plants, other than turfgrass, used to cover areas of the landscape. Perennial, evergreen plants having a sprawling, or spreading, habit are most often used. The plants used for ground covers generally are 1 foot or less in height, but taller plants can be appropriate in certain situations. In addition to the beauty they provide, ground covers have many practical uses. They provide barriers to foot traffic and can guide movement through a site. Some ground covers are effective in erosion control. Because they don’t have to be mowed, ground covers reduce landscape maintenance and are especially useful in problem areas such as on steep slopes, under low-branched trees and shrubs, where large tree roots protrude and in confined areas where mowing is difficult. They also are the best solution to areas under trees that have become too shady for grass to grow. You must carefully consider the characteristics you would like the ground cover to have – height, texture, color and so forth – when making your selection. You also need to think about the growing conditions where it will be planted – such as sunny or shady, dry or moist. Then look at the size of the area to be planted. Only the most reliable, fast–spreading and reasonably priced ground covers should be considered for large areas. Monkey grass or mondo grass, creeping lily turf (liriope) and Japanese ardisia are good choices for shade-to-part-shade areas, although many liriope perform well in full sun also. Asian jasmine is excellent for sun to part shade. Whatever type of ground cover you choose, proper preparation of the planting area will help ensure good establishment and faster growth. Ground covers provide several functions in the home landscape, including: – Erosion control on slopes. – Vegetative growth where grass is difficult to grow. – Reduced temperature and glare. – Less lawn maintenance. – Filling in of narrow or oddly shaped areas in the landscape where mowing is difficult. Give careful consideration when selecting ground covers. Selection will depend on the location where it will be used. Consider the amount of sunlight present, irrigation availability, height, growth habit and growth rate. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse or www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 09/09/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings Planting palms in home landscapes has gained considerable interest in the past few years for several reasons. For one, many new, exotic palm species and varieties are more readily available. But because cold temperatures the past couple winters damaged some of the species, people are searching for the most reliable palms While most of us now realize that fall and winter are the best times to plant the majority of ornamental plants in our landscapes, the best time to plant palms in Louisiana is May through September. The soil is warmest this time of year, and warm soil is one of the most necessary criteria for palm root growth. Rough handling of palm trees or severe vibrations during transport can break the tender bud, causing death many months down the road. It also is important to transplant the palm as soon as possible after removing it from the soil. Never allow the roots to become dry, although this would not be a problem with container-grown plants. Louisiana is located in USDA hardiness zones 8 and 9, and many palms will do well for us. Keep in mind, though, that there is a large difference in average minimum temperatures between these zones. Climate is without a doubt the single largest limiting factor in selecting palms. Some palms will do fine in zone 9a (New Orleans, Lafayette, Lake Charles) but may be damaged in zone 8b (Alexandria, Baton Rouge) and will definitely exhibit damage in zone 8a (Shreveport, Ruston, Monroe). Reliable palms for some of these areas include: Needle palm (Rhapidophyllum hystrix) Probably one of the most cold-hardy palm species, the needle palm forms a clumping, understory palm with many palmate leaves. This palm is native from South Carolina to Florida and west to Mississippi. Foliage is dark green with silvery undersides. Plants are typically slow-growing and reach heights and spreads of about 5 feet. Needle palms need light shade and adequate moisture. Dwarf palmetto (Sabal minor) This palm is native to Louisiana and is found from Texas to Florida and northward to South Carolina. Mature height is 6 to 8 feet with leaves 1 to 3 feet wide. It produces white flowers May to June. A subterranean trunk makes transplanting these palms difficult. They are also slow-growing. Windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) Windmill palms are very popular all over Louisiana. These trees have average heights of 10 to 20 feet but can be as tall as 40 feet. Trunks are slender. Mats of dark brown, hair-like fibers coat the trunk on younger palms. Windmill palms like ample water but don’t do well in extremely moist soils or standing water. Windmill palms are relatively slow growing. Cabbage palm (Sabal palmetto) Florida has an abundance of cabbage, or palmetto, palms, but they are becoming increasingly popular in the central Gulf Coast. This palm can reach heights of 80 to 90 feet, but most only reach about 20 feet or so tall. Leaves are fan-shaped and 3 to 6 feet in length. These palms are adaptable to wet, poorly drained soil and have a moderate growth rate. Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) This clumping palm forms thickets and is native from South Carolina southwest through Florida and westward to Louisiana. Common height is 3 to 4 feet. Saw palmetto does very well in the southern part of Louisiana. It is not common in the nursery trade. Mediterranean fan palm (Chamaerops humilis) This is a clumping fan palm and is slightly less hardy than the windmill palm. Mediterranean fan palms tolerate a wide range of growing conditions. Cocos or jelly palm (Butia australis or Butia capitata) Cocos or jelly palms (also known in the nursery trade as butia palms) are becoming better known and are the most cold-hardy of the palms with feather-shaped foliage. A popular palm-like plant for Louisiana is the sago palm. These plants are actually not palms but cycads. The sago is a native of Japan and is hardy to 15 degrees. Its leaves are 2-3 feet long. They can be even larger on older plants and are divided into many narrow, needlelike segments. The primary problem with sago palms in south Louisiana is a fungal, leaf spot disease to which they are especially susceptible during periods of high humidity. Sago palms, however, are highly recommended and should be planted in the late spring and early summer, just as true palms should be. LSU AgCenter horticulturists Severn Doughty and Dan Gill conducted an extensive survey of palms growing in south Louisiana a number of years ago. They found 14 genera comprising 21 species of palms. Of these, less than half have been found to be statistically reliable for planting due to climate limitations. So you can see that species selection is important. Realize that many home gardeners, nursery growers and landscapers use palm species that may not be reliable for long-term performance due to cold weather. The desirable characteristics and fast growth rates of some overcome the necessity to replace them once every 10-20 years due to winter damage. Washingtonia species of palms are hardy to about 15-22 degrees and will be damaged extensively by several consecutive days of temperatures in the teens. For palm success, select for cold hardiness. It is also important to consider vertical and horizontal space limitations. As mentioned earlier, plant in May through September for best establishment. Once established, palms should be maintained under a moderate fertilization program. During late spring and early summer, remove old leaves and flowering parts of the plants as they become unsightly. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse or www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 09/02/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings The LSU AgCenter has been promoting research-based best management practices in the home landscape for several years to inform residents on how to properly manage their landscape plants. Many problems associated with landscape plants can be overcome easily if proper practices are maintained. Inadequate preparation of landscape beds frequently tops the list of problems with ornamental plants. But home gardeners also need to be more aware of soil pH and related issues in addition to how to use fertilizer properly. Improper bed preparation leads to many of the problems with home landscape plants in Louisiana. With high annual rainfall and poorly drained native soils around much of the state, proper bed building is critical. Even with dry weather patterns these days, Louisiana still receives considerable rainfall. We need to make raised beds – normally 6-8 inches high. Anything that can be done to improve internal drainage of soil and help with aeration and oxygen exchange in the root zone will aid in landscape success. Raised beds help overcome root rot and related disease issues. Make sure your beds are adequately prepared before planting to help avoid problems later. Soil testing is an important tool in home landscapes. We often see problems with ornamental plants due to improper pH. Most of the ornamental plants grown in Louisiana prefer a soil pH of 5.5-6.5. And some of our common landscape plants actually prefer soil pH in the lower end of this range. Examples include azaleas, gardenias, petunias, blueberries and vinca (or periwinkle). Now is a good time to take soil samples and have them analyzed by the LSU AgCenter’s Soil Testing and Plant Analysis Lab in Baton Rouge for $10 per sample. You can find more information online at www.lsuagcenter.com/soillab. Soil pH is raised by adding lime and lowered by adding sulfur, but these additions should always be based on the results of a soil test. Proper fertilization is one of the key factors to be considered in combination with managing soil pH. It is helpful to know if your native soil has low, medium or high levels of fertility. Do you tend to fertilize less than recommended or more than recommended? What are the fertility requirements of the different ornamental plants you grow? The answers to these questions need to be considered to properly employ sustainable management practices in a residential landscape. Many times newer landscape beds need more fertilizer than older beds. Spring is the generally accepted “best time of the year” to fertilize the vast majority of established ornamental plants, and it is better to broadcast fertilizer uniformly over a bed than to treat individual plants. So getting your soil tested now will put you in a position to get started on time next spring. Preparing a landscape bed, checking and monitoring soil pH and correctly applying fertilizer go a long way in home landscape success. Consider all of these as you return to your landscape activities after a long, hot summer. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse or www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 08/26/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings The new Drift series roses were created in response to increased consumer demand for smaller, everblooming plants. Drift roses fit a special niche in the shrub-rose market. These roses are from Conard-Pyle/Star Roses, the same folks that gave us the Knock Out series of low-maintenance landscape roses. Drift roses are a cross between full-size groundcover roses and miniatures. From the former they kept toughness, disease resistance and winter hardiness. From the miniatures, they inherited their well-managed size and repeat-blooming nature. The low, spreading habit of Drift roses makes them perfect for small gardens and combination planters. The first colors available in the Drift series were Coral, Pink, Red and Peach – all these varieties have been evaluated in LSU AgCenter plantings at the Hammond Research Station and Burden Center since 2009. Pink has been the best landscape performer, followed by Peach, Coral and Red. The newest colors released are Apricot (double apricot blooms), Sweet (clear, pink double blooms) and Icy (pure white, double blooms). These seven varieties bloom from spring to early frost. Ranging from scarlet red to bright soft peach, they provide a complete range of color solutions for landscape use or in containers. We find that Drift roses have about five flower cycles yearly. The spring bloom in April and the fall bloom in October, like with most other roses, are the peak times for best performance. The late-spring-to-early-summer second bloom is also impressive. Plant Drift roses in a well-prepared landscape bed. Fall is a great time to plant. Space individual plants a minimum of 3 feet apart. It would be best to plant them 4-5 feet apart if you are thinking long term. The soil pH for roses needs to be between 6.0-6.5. As with other roses, plant Drift roses in a location that gets full sun. Eight hours of sunlight daily is recommended. These ground-hugging, ever-blooming shrubs are perfect as a border or bedding plant. Drift roses should be fertilized in spring with a good dose of slow-release or timed fertilizer, which releases nutrients to the plant when it needs it most, and you're set for the season. Another application in late summer would help plants bloom better into the fall, especially in new landscape beds where nutrients may be lacking. Mulch is very important for roses. Mulching helps to buffer the cycle from wet to dry, keeps the feeder roots from drying out and helps to establish the roots more quickly. And you water less. Make no mistake; these are not finicky miniature roses. These hardy groundcover roses are true, low-spreading, dwarf shrub roses that grow only 2-3 feet tall by 2-3 feet wide and are covered with blooms that open to 1-1/2 inches. Drift roses are perfect in small gardens, splashing your landscapes with visual delight. Appealing to today's busy gardener, these low-maintenance roses are highly disease-resistant. They require no spraying. Blackspot disease has been very minimal on plants grown in Louisiana. Bed preparation, irrigation and proper fertilization management are the keys to success. This fall try planting some of the new Drift series roses in your landscape. They combine wonderfully with flowering perennials, ornamental grasses and more. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse or www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 08/19/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings Late summer through fall when temperatures begin to moderate and growing conditions become more favorable is one of the best times of the year to plant flowering perennials. This includes plants such as purple coneflower, Shasta daisies, gaillardia, rudbeckia, daylilies, verbena and more. Of these, you need give rudbeckia a try if you have not already done so. Rudbeckia is what we also call “Black Eyed Susans.” The best of the rudbeckia is the Goldsturm variety. It is widely available in Louisiana. Normally, this variety flowers twice during the year. A good bloom occurs in late spring through midsummer, and you also can get some fall flowers. This is the most reliably perennial rudbeckia variety for Louisiana. Divide them every three years to keep your planting vigorous. Indian Summer is another popular variety. It is a former All-America Selection winner and also has been named a cut-flower-of-the-year by the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers. Indian Summer produces gorgeous, golden flowers. Many of the flowers can have diameters of 7-8 inches, but 6 inches is probably the average. Plants reach between 3 and 4 feet tall. Mass plantings of these combined with purple- and blue-flowered plants are a real winner in Louisiana landscapes. These plants typically behave as an annual in Louisiana, but they may be perennial in north Louisiana. Bloom time of 3-4 months is common in late spring and summer. You have many other popular rudbeckia varieties to consider. These include Prairie Sun, Becky Mix, Toto and Cherokee Sunset. Prairie Sun is an All-America Selections winner from a couple of years ago, while Cherokee Sunset was an All-America Selections winner in 2002. Cherokee Sunset has rich autumn-like flower colors, and flowers are semi- to fully double. Plants reach about 30 inches tall. Prairie Sun has 5-inch, golden yellow flowers that have light green central cones. This makes the flowers very eye-catching. Toto is more compact-growing – it reaches only about 12 inches in height. It is early-blooming and tends to support itself better than other varieties. Toto is available in lemon, rustic and gold colors. Becky Mix is another compact grower with very uniform growth and flowering habit. Plants reach 12 inches tall and flowers are about 4-5 inches across. Colors vary from golden yellow to red with chocolate-colored centers. Rudbeckia are ideal for mass plantings in sunny locations. They need occasional irrigation but generally are considered fairly drought tolerant. Heat tolerance is also there. Seeds can be readily germinated in a couple weeks under ideal conditions. If you prefer, plants of many of these varieties are readily available at your local garden centers in 4-inch, quart and one-gallon containers. Rudbeckia are recommended for Louisiana landscapes. Give them a try this fall, or add some to your landscape next spring. You should be very pleased with the landscape color and low maintenance. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse or www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 08/12/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings Copper plants are great foliage plants for the landscape. These go by the scientific name of Acalypha, and they really put on a fantastic show in late summer and fall. You can choose from a tremendous number of these varieties – some old, some new. Proven Winners has introduced several the past few years, and we also have a number that are industry standards in Louisiana – such as Louisiana Red and Opelousas Red. The LSU AgCenter is working on collecting and evaluating copper plants. We have about 20 varieties thus far. Bourbon Street, Jungle Dragon, Tahiti, Curly Q and Bronze are some of the variety names you will see at garden centers. Copper plants that are planted early in the year can be in 4-inch pots. But if you plant them in late summer and early fall, try to get 1- to 3-gallon containers. Ornamental peppers are a unique, specialty-type plant for home landscapes. These are mostly sold in the fall and have appealing characteristics such as colorful berries and foliage. Ornamental peppers produce colorful fruit (which actually are peppers) in a wide range of sizes, forms and colors. Purple, orange, yellow, red, brown, blue, and white are common. Multiple colors can appear on the same plant. Flowering on ornamental peppers is not obvious – the fruit are the desirable feature. Plants can reach heights of 8 inches to 3 feet depending on the variety. Green foliage is common, but variegated foliage and plants with purplish-black leaves are also available. Popular varieties of ornamental peppers available at garden centers in late summer and early fall include Chilly Chili, Purple Flash, Black Pearl and the Explosive series. These are not cold-hardy. They are warm-season annuals usually used for 3-4 months of foliage and berry color in the landscape, containers or patio garden setting. Marigolds can also be called meri-mums and are used in fall even more successfully than in spring. They are a great replacement for garden mums in the fall landscape. You get eight-10 weeks of flower power with marigolds but only a month of flowers with garden mums. Select African types for larger plants with big flowers or select French types for shorter, smaller plants with smaller flowers. It is best to plant marigolds from mid-August through mid- to late September. Marigolds prefer full sun and do best when irrigation is minimized. Zinnias are another good fall-weather bedding plant that we normally think of for spring. Try the Profusion or Zahara zinnias. These are smaller-plant, smaller-flower varieties. Try the Dreamland or Swizzles, when available, if you want larger flowers. It’s getting late to sow zinnia seed in a landscape bed, so purchase plants already started for you. Plant them in the August-to-September window. Zinnias love the dry weather of fall. Typically by this time of year, your spring-planted zinnias are not performing very well, so replacing them may be in order. The new plants will last until killing frost arrives. Petunias can be planted a little bit later in the fall than the other plants previously mentioned. When planted early enough in the fall (October), they will bloom and give one to two months of nice flowering prior to a frost or freeze. Typically, petunias will live through winter in Louisiana, but they’re more prone to cold damage in north and central Louisiana than in south Louisiana. Petunias usually will not bloom through winter, but plants will produce new foliage as weather warms in February and perform well through May or June. Plants in the Wave series are popular varieties. If you want more of the old-time petunia look, try the Madness series. Try some color plants in your landscape the next few months. Whether color from foliage or color from flowers, all of these will perform well for you if you follow proper horticultural practices. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse or www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 08/05/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings Late August and early September are the time to begin preparing for fall blooms on your roses. Rose flowering and overall performance aren’t great during Louisiana summers, but each year we have the potential to have great fall blooms due to the cooler conditions and typically drier weather. During summer the flower colors on roses are less intense and the blooms are smaller. This is simply a function of summer heat. The best flower color on roses occurs at first bloom in spring and at peak bloom in fall. Size is also best at these times of the year. You will see foliage color become darker green, too, especially if roses are maintained with a good fertilization program. Hybrid tea roses can be pruned back to a height of 30-36 inches. Remove crossing and competing canes, and remove canes in the center of the plants. This thinning-type of cane removal is generally recommended for late-winter pruning, but it’s beneficial in late summer, too. Floribunda, grandiflora and landscape shrub roses are typically pruned in late summer to reduce plant height by one-third. In north Louisiana, finish rose pruning by the end of August. In south Louisiana, complete pruning by the first or second week in September. Fall blooms normally will peak 45-50 days after pruning, although this somewhat depends on growing conditions. In conjunction with pruning, clear debris from rose beds and pull any weeds that may be present. Add a granular, pre-emergent herbicide for weed control and mulch with a 2- to 3-inch layer of baled or shredded pine straw. Any new mulch can just be added on top of old mulch already in the beds. Pine bark and other mulch materials can be used if pine straw is not available. Be sure to fertilize, too. Most people fertilize when they prune and mulch. A recommended rate of a slow-release fertilizer will produce nice, uniform foliage growth through September and promote October flowering. Rose beds that have been regularly fertilized and contain soil high in phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium may need less fertilization than newer beds or beds that have not been regularly fertilized. Liquid feed also can be included to encourage larger bloom size in early October. If your soil pH is wrong, fall is a good time to address this issue. The ideal soil pH for roses is 6.2-6.5. Irrigation also needs to be maintained during droughty periods. We have been dry many times this year and wet at other times. Roses need 1 inch of irrigation weekly when rainfall is lacking. Although it’s possible insects will appear on roses in the fall, they are more of an issue in spring and summer. Examine your roses once weekly. Spider mites, aphids, flower thrips and cucumber beetles are usually the main problem insects. A new insect causing major problems on roses in Louisiana is chilli thrips. These are foliage-feeding thrips instead of flower-feeding thrips. They are hard to identify and hard to control once a population is established. It’s important to continue disease control on roses in late summer and fall. If weather is dry, foliage diseases may not be a major problem. But if we have significant rainfall or overwater, have plants in partial shade or have air circulation issues, disease will be present. The amount of disease you have on roses largely depends on the kind of roses you grow. Landscape shrub roses rarely need regular fungicide applications, but the roses most susceptible to black spot fungus – hybrid teas – need spraying on a 10-day schedule until the first killing frost. Late summer also is a good time to plant new roses. Try low-maintenance landscape shrubs like the Knock Out varieties and Home Run. Good floribundas include Cinco de Mayo, Hot Cocoa, Julia Child, Easy Does It and Easy Goin’. You also can select lower-maintenance hybrid tea roses, but these are more available at garden centers in spring. The LSU AgCenter will be naming a Louisiana Super Plant rose variety this fall. Watch for the announcement in September. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse or www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 07/29/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings It’s the time of the year, or at least one of the times of the year, when home gardeners have crape myrtle questions. We will answer a few here. Crape myrtles are battling Cercospora leaf spot. In addition, aphids and the resulting sooty mold can be prevalent this time of the year. And finally, it’s time to practice sucker control – do you need to cut them off and can you spray them with something to keep the suckers from growing or coming back after they are pruned off? Leaf spot The weather was hot and very dry this spring and this past fall, but Cercospora leaf spot can still be found on crape myrtles, especially in south Louisiana. This fungal disease usually begins appearing in late May to early June and continues into fall. Initial symptoms are the appearance of dark brown spots that develop first on the lower leaves and progress upward in the canopy from midsummer through fall. In most instances, infected leaves develop a yellowish to orangey red coloration due to the production of a toxin by the Cercospora pathogen. These leaves then fall prematurely, particularly in highly susceptible cultivars, and serve as a source of inoculum for spreading the pathogen and further disease development. Because of this, raking and destroying the fallen leaves should be a routine practice. Older varieties of crape myrtles are more susceptible than the newer varieties to this disease. Hybrid crape myrtles are also less susceptible. The crape myrtle varieties that are most tolerant to Cercospora leaf spot are Natchez, Muskogee, Basham’s Party Pink, Sioux and Tonto. Long term, this disease is not detrimental to the plant. It will slow down growth on younger plants, and if plants are growing in conditions that are not ideal, the leaf spot will weaken individual plants more than if the growing conditions are ideal. The use of fungicides to control this disease has not been very effective because they would have to be applied repeatedly throughout the growing season. Getting adequate coverage on larger crape myrtles is also problematic. Aphids Another problem that is frequent on crape myrtles is insect damage. Actually, most insects do not do much damage except for aphids that may feed on the new shoot growth in spring. White flies also are sometimes a problem on crape myrtles. Left unchecked, these insects will release bodily fluids onto the foliage, and the resultant honeydew leads to sooty mold on the leaves. This black discoloration occurs normally in early summer through fall. If you control the insects, no sooty mold will develop. Most insecticides control aphids. You can apply a systemic material early in the spring to control aphids before they appear or spray a contact insecticide once aphid problems become apparent. Sucker control Tired of suckers on crape myrtles? Many home gardeners and landscape professionals ask about sucker control on this popular tree. Suckers are more prone on juvenile, young trees. In addition, mechanical damage by weed trimmers to the lower stem and upper portion of the root system can cause sucker development. Trees with surface roots also have more suckers. When removing suckers by pruning, use sharp pruners and do not leave a stub. Most sucker control products work best when suckers that are present are cut off, then the sucker-control product is sprayed on the cut-over areas. You can spray napthaleneacetic acid (NAA - an organic auxin) to control suckers. Products available with this active ingredient are Sucker Stopper from Monterey Lawn and Garden Products and Fertilome Prune Smart Sprout Inhibitor. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse or www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 07/22/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings Vinca is the most popular, most sold and most planted warm-season bedding plant in Louisiana. We sometimes call this plant periwinkle. Many home gardeners and landscape professionals claim that vinca is the only summer flower they want to plant. When asked, “Would you like to plant the Louisiana Super Plants Serena angelonias or Butterfly pentas this year?” people usually usual answer – “Oh no! I plant vinca.” Vinca is very drought-tolerant and has an extremely long blooming season. It can also tolerate the highest temperatures we face during the summer growing season. Great improvements have been made in vinca flower colors and varieties during the past 25 years. In the 1980s, gardeners had few choices in terms of vinca growth habits, flower colors or disease resistance. In the 1990s, new forms and new flower colors arrived with rapid expansion occurring between 2000-2005. Vinca flower colors now include pink, deep rose, red, blush, scarlet, white, white with a red eye, lavender blue, peach, apricot, orchid, burgundy and many others. You can have vinca varieties that are upright and vinca varieties that are spreading. Plants generally grow 18-20 inches tall with a spread of 12-14 inches. Spreading types, though, have more trailing or ground cover habits and reach only 6-8 inches tall (at the most) with spreads of 18-14 inches. We do have vinca problems in the landscape, and based on the number of calls with vinca issues this spring, this is a bad year for vinca. This is surprising considering we now have disease-resistant varieties and we had a very dry spring and early summer. The main disease culprit is a fungus called Phytophthora, which always is present in our soils. It is often responsible for root rots and crown rots, and it attacks many types of plants. This fungus causes a disease seen shortly after planting, but it also can be found later in the year. Rhizoctonia is another disease common on vinca in Louisiana. It normally shows up in the summer after plants are established. Plant pathologists can also find Botrytis (gray mold) and Alternaria (leaf spot) on vinca in summer and fall. To get the best performance out of vinca in your landscape, consider the following LSU AgCenter recommendations: – Begin with good quality plants. Inspect plants obtained from the greenhouse grower or retail garden center for healthy roots. – Select a full-sun location. Vinca need at least eight hours of direct sun daily for optimum performance. – Properly prepare the landscape bed to allow for drainage and aeration. Raise the bed at least 6 inches if drainage is questionable. If beds are already established, all debris from the previous planting needs to be removed. Possibly, mulch should be removed also and add another couple inches of landscape soil prior to planting. – Although late April through early May is the ideal first planting date for the spring, you can continue planting vinca through the summer. The main thing to remember is that vinca love warm soil. – Plant so that the top of the root ball is level with or slightly higher than the soil of the bed. Proper spacing also is important because a crowded planting limits air circulation and can create conditions more favorable to disease development. Space transplants at least 8-10 inches apart. The more quickly plants grow together, the higher the likelihood of disease moving through foliage later in the year. – Mulch to decrease splashing of rainfall and irrigation water from soil onto the lower stems and foliage of the plants. Bedding plants should be mulched to a depth of about 1 inch. Pine straw is the preferred mulch material. – Manage irrigation properly. This is the main culprit in plant decline in commercial landscape beds. Vinca need very little irrigation once they’re established. Avoid regular overhead irrigation. Even if the landscape bed drains very well, an adequate volume once a week is the most water that should be applied. – Don’t plant periwinkles in the same bed year after year. Rotate them with other summer bedding plants that like sunny locations, such as blue daze, lantana, pentas, angelonia, scaevola, verbena, melampodium or sun-tolerant coleus. Varieties of vinca available in Louisiana include Pacifica, Cooler, Mediterranean, Victory, Titan, Nirvana and Cora series. Cooler and Pacifica are older varieties that still perform well with correct care. Mediterranean vincas spread and should be planted only in hanging baskets and containers. Titans have the largest flowers of all the vinca groups. The newer and more expensive Nirvana and Cora vincas have genetic resistance to Phytophthora. A few other vincas we have evaluated at the LSU AgCenter recently are not being sold in any significant quantities in Louisiana. It is late in the bedding-plant season, but pay attention to vinca in landscapes. Are you noticing them looking good or looking bad? Try to figure out why a particular planting is performing well or not performing well. Vinca can have trouble through the summer and fall if proper practices are not followed, so consider the above options to improve your success. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse or www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 07/01/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings Louisiana has many great plants that thrive in summer and fall. Some are tropical-like in appearance. They include cassias, princess flowers (also called tibouchinas) and durantas. All are low-maintenance. Cassias are among the popular plants that flower from late summer through fall and can be found at many retail garden centers. These plants are sometimes called sennas. They produce yellow flowers on prolific plants and are a landscape “showstopper” in September and October. Several cassias are common in Louisiana. Probably the best that fits a mostly tree-like description is Cassia splendida. Other species are Cassia alata (which we may know as candlestick tree) and Cassia corymbosa. Cassia splendida is usually the tallest-growing – making a 10- to 12-foot-tall tree. Cassia corymbosa is most often a medium to large shrub, and the candlestick tree can vary greatly in size depending on age and location. It is common to see them 12-15 feet tall in the more southern portions of the state with a 6- to 8-foot height common in the Florida parishes. Candlestick trees have more herbaceous-type growth, and the other species have more woody-type growth. All species have a tendency to need trimming and pruning occasionally to keep the plants in a manageable growth pattern. Although the best time to remove dead wood is right after new growth commences in the spring, you also can prune slightly during the growing season to manage growth. But don’t get carried away with pruning after early summer or you’ll sacrifice fall flowers. Cassias are trouble-free and easy to grow. Plant them in full to partial sun and fertilize them regularly. Cassias need minimum irrigation once established. These are perennial in south Louisiana and can return in other areas of the state after a mild winter. Princess flowers (Tibouchina) include several species. One of the lesser known species is glory flower (T. grandifolia), also known as big leaf tibouchina. It has much larger foliage and larger flowers than the other commonly grown princess flowers. Considered a tropical or tender perennial, the plant is winter-hardy most years in USDA hardiness zone 9A, which is generally south of I-10/I-12. Purple flowers start in late summer and continue through the fall. Plants can be easily rooted using softwood cuttings. A few garden centers in Louisiana sell this plant, which needs to be used more. Another great species is T. urvilleana. It is also called Athens Blue tibouchina or dwarf tibouchina. We have been growing it at the LSU AgCenter the past three years, and it is a great landscape performer with profuse blooms from late spring through fall on 18- to 24-inch-tall plants. A variegated-foliage form of this plant is now available. Dewdrops is a common name for durantas, which also are called sky flowers. One dwarf variety is Cuban Gold. It is low-growing, reaching only 16-20 inches tall in the landscape by fall. Durantas prefer full sun. Because chartreuse foliage color is its main characteristic, it can be a great substitute for chartreuse-foliaged ornamental sweet potatoes. It is recommended as a perennial in south Louisiana and is a great annual elsewhere. The variety Gold Edge produces few if any seed pods or flowers and grows to a height of 5 feet each year. Other varieties available in Louisiana include Lemon Drop, Variegated, White, Purple and Silver Lining. As we move into the heat of midsummer, try some cassias, tibouchinas or durantas if you can find them at your garden centers. You will be pleased with having some great plants that really will be showstoppers through fall. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse or www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 06/24/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings Home gardeners around Louisiana frequently have fruit trees in their landscapes, and the fig is certainly one of the most popular. Ficus carica is a native of Asia and was imported into the United States in the 16th century. The fruit is tasty and can be eaten fresh, made into preserves and jams, or used in baking. Figs make nice additions to landscape plantings. Figs are commonly grown in all of Louisiana and have the potential to produce an early crop, called the breba crop, on last year’s wood in the spring, a main crop on the current-season wood during the summer and a third crop in the fall. These different crop productions vary from one variety to another. Proper variety selection is important. Frequent rainfall and high humidity in Louisiana make many varieties unsuitable because of fruit splitting and souring. Varieties with “closed eyes” have fewer problems with fruit souring. The eye is the opening at the end of the fig opposite the stem. Figs are either open-eyed, less-open-eyed or closed-eyed. We prefer a closed eye because bacteria, fungi and moisture are less prone to enter the fig. Winter injury has killed plants of the cold-sensitive varieties in some years. Selecting varieties with cold tolerance is critical in north and central Louisiana. Figs are one of the easiest fruit trees to care for in the home orchard or home landscape. With little care, they will produce crops of juicy, sweet figs every year. Popular fig varieties in Louisiana include Celeste, LSU Purple, LSU Gold and Brown Turkey. Celeste produces small- to medium-size fruit that is resistant to splitting and souring. The fruit is violet to brown with a light strawberry-colored pulp. LSU Purple has been out for a few years and has medium-size, dark purple fruit and good resistance to foliage diseases. Its tendency to produce three distinct crops – a light crop in early spring, a heavy main crop in early July and a later crop sometimes lasting into December – makes it popular. LSU Gold is a new yellow-fruited variety that may still be hard to find, but it is well worth growing. The LSU Purple and LSU Gold cultivars were developed from crosses made by Ed O’Rourke in the 1950s. New figs released by the LSU AgCenter recently include Tiger, O’Rourke and Champagne. Fig trees need room. They can reach heights of 10-15 feet with an equal spread. Plant them in a sunny location away from large trees with overhanging branches. Figs will not produce well unless they receive at least six hours of direct sun daily. Pruning established figs is best done by late February. Yearly pruning helps to maintain vigor, create the desired shape of the tree and control its size (which makes harvesting easier). It is better to cut a fig tree back a moderate amount every year or two than to let it get to the point where severe pruning is required. Most of the branches cut back should be no larger than 1 inch to 2 inches in diameter. Newly planted figs definitely will need to be watered their first summer as they become established. During dry spells in summer, water young trees weekly. Also, mature, fruit-bearing-age trees need irrigation regularly during dry spells. Fig trees may drop fruit if they are drought-stressed. And once the crop is damaged, supplemental watering will not correct the problem. Mulch with pine straw or leaves to conserve soil moisture. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse or www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 06/16/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings Azaleas either do great in Louisiana, or they do poorly. The LSU AgCenter regularly receives questions on azalea issues this time of year, but more inquiries than usual have come this spring. Many azalea problems this summer suggest drying foliage with partial to whole-canopy dieback. A number of reasons may be responsible for this. The weather from April through early June was dry enough for drought-stress symptoms to be appearing on azaleas that weren’t adequately watered. On the other hand, over-irrigation is common in commercial and residential landscapes. If azaleas were over-watered in an effort to counteract drought conditions, those plants could be suffering from fungal organisms in the soil that attack and damage or kill the roots. Dead roots cannot absorb water, so when the upper part of the plant is deprived of the water it needs, it withers and dies. This can often be distinguished from drought stress because it generally occurs sectionally. That is, a section of a plant will wilt and die (because it’s connected to roots that have been killed) while other sections (connected to roots that are still functioning) remain green. If lack of water in the soil is the problem, the entire plant wilts uniformly, but some portions of the canopy can show dieback faster than others. The LSU AgCenter earlier reported cold damage on azaleas this year. Cold can cause internal damage that affects the plant's circulatory system. In other words, it interferes with the plant's ability to move water through the branches and into the leaves. Although it occurs in winter, branch death often doesn’t occur until warm weather arrives. Cold-damaged azaleas will show numerous splits and cracks in the bark and even peeling bark. These symptoms are often sectional as well, with some parts staying green and some dying. Finally, azaleas may suffer from fungal infections of the branches themselves. These spots of infection cause cankers. The cankers block the flow of water to the branch beyond where they occur, and that branch withers and dies. This disease is called azalea dieback. These are some possible answers to current azalea problems we are seeing. Leaf gall was also present this spring. This is a fungal issue that creates unsightly malformation of azalea flowers and foliage. This has currently dissipated, so control is not currently warranted. In addition to these problems, azalea lace bugs were very active this spring. If you see them, control them now in order to reduce the late summer/early fall populations. Systemic insecticides work well. You can also spray with horticultural/summer oil products. Stressed azaleas have more lace bugs than nonstressed azaleas, and azaleas in full sun have more lace bugs than azaleas in shady areas. We hope this information will help with your azalea problems as we go through summer. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse or www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 06/10/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings Home gardeners have long enjoyed zinnias, one of the most popular warm-season bedding plants. New zinnia varieties have been introduced regularly over the last few years. Extended bloom and fewer disease issues are some of the primary criteria in development of new zinnia varieties. Some of the newer zinnias include the Profusion and the Zahara groups. These landscape-type zinnias resulted from hybridization between the old cut-flower-type zinnias and the Mexican or narrowleaf zinnias. Flowers and foliage are smaller than the old cut-flower-type zinnias but larger than the narrowleaf zinnias. Plants reach heights of 14-18 inches and will bloom from planting date until first killing frost. They are also a great improvement over the Dreamland and Peter Pan zinnias, which have been the primary varieties used the past 10 years for landscape plantings. These also are good replacements in the landscape for the Crystal White narrowleaf zinnia variety. Both of these zinnia series are available in several colors. White, orange and cherry were the first introduced, and they are more of a traditional zinnia color. Newer colors include fire, apricot, coral, pink and yellow. Double forms in these flowers are now available, too. Several of these zinnias are All-America Selection winners. Zinnias can be planted throughout the warm season in Louisiana. Summer plantings work just as well as spring plantings. Zinnias flower abundantly in fall. A full-sun location is best. Old flowers can be pinched off to encourage continual bloom, but Profusion and Zahara zinnias stay in flower much better and longer than other varieties. Powdery mildew and leaf spot diseases (caused by fungus and bacteria) are sometimes a problem on zinnias but don’t occur on the Profusion series. Zinnias perform best in drier years. Also, it is important to note that a well-drained bed is preferred. Irrigation isn’t needed very often, but avoid overhead irrigation if you do water these plants. In general, zinnias are remarkably drought-tolerant. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse or www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 06/03/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings Home gardeners need to know and be aware of how to care for and manage crape myrtle trees in our landscapes. These are the most popular of our flowering trees, and questions abound regarding proper care and maintenance. Keys to success with crape myrtles include correct sunlight, ideal soil pH and drainage, proper pruning, regular fertilization, proper mulching and insect control. Crape myrtles need full sun in order to perform the best, grow the best and bloom the best. This means eight hours or more of direct sun daily. Less than eight hours of sunlight daily isn’t sufficient for ideal crape myrtle performance. Many of us underestimate the amount of sun that our landscape receives, so check sun patterns in the morning, during the middle of the day and during late afternoon to determine how much sunlight your landscape receives. Soil pH is important for crape myrtles, but it may not be as important as it is for some of our other landscape plants. Crape myrtles like a soil pH of 6.0-6.5. This is considered slightly acid. Do not guess on soil pH – soil test. You can lower the soil pH with sulfur products and raise the pH with lime products. But always do this based on the results of a soil test. When it comes to pruning, February is the time to prune crape myrtles. But your particular crape myrtle may not need to be pruned. You should prune these trees to maintain a natural shape or to thin out branches to allow light into the canopy. Do not top or “hack off the top” of crape myrtle trees. This is often referred to as “crape murder.” Major pruning to reduce height is not recommended. Fertilization is very important for crape myrtles. To maximize spring growth and the resultant summer bloom, crape myrtles should be fertilized in early spring just prior to new growth commencing. A fertilizer like 8-8-8 or 13-13-13 will work fine and is recommended for crape myrtles. It is better to place fertilizer in drilled holes in the ground (about 8 inches deep) than to just scatter fertilizer on top of the ground. You can fertilize later in the spring and in the summer, but the plants won’t benefit as much as when fertilizer is applied in late winter to early spring. Mulching is, unfortunately, incorrectly done in many residential and commercial landscape plantings. When you mulch, go “out” instead of “up.” You may see mulch piled high around the base of trees. Don’t do this. Spread mulch out under the branches and use pine straw, pine bark or wood chips to a depth of 2-3 inches and refresh the layer as needed. Keep mulch off the trunk. One problem that is frequent on crape myrtles is insect damage. Actually, most insects do not do much damage except for aphids that may feed on the new shoot growth in the spring. White flies are also sometimes a problem on crape myrtles. Left unchecked, these insects will release bodily fluids onto the foliage, and the resultant honeydew leads to sooty mold on the leaves. This is the black discoloration that occurs normally in the early summer through fall months. If you control the insects, no sooty mold will develop. Popular crape myrtle varieties in Louisiana include Natchez, Muskogee, Tonto, Acoma and Sioux. Garden centers have the best availability of crape myrtles in late spring and early summer. All of the practices outlined here will help your crape myrtles be successful long-term in the landscape. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse or www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 05/27/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings The end of May means summer is here, even though summer does not “officially” begin for a few more weeks. Summer in the Louisiana landscape usually begins in May and can run through October. We have many activities to keep in mind during this four- to five-month busy time in the home landscape. Keep all of the following items in mind to be more successful in your landscaping efforts. Control thrips, aphids, cucumber beetles and spider mites on roses by using a recommended insecticide or miticide. There have been an abundance of insect problems with roses so far this year, so monitor your plants and take care of harmful insect populations before their numbers increase. Also on roses, continue blackspot control by using a recommended fungicide at seven- to 10-day intervals. When irrigating this summer, water the soil area thoroughly. Try to irrigate less often, but irrigate well each time. Light, overhead sprinkling is not the best way to water. Continue to plant warm-season bedding plants. Our spring Louisiana Super Plants (Serena angelonia and Butterfly pentas) are hot-summer survivors and can continue to be planted throughout the summer. Lantanas can still be planted. They thrive in Louisiana’s hot summers. Try lantanas in containers where their drought tolerance is an advantage. Watch for lace bugs on lantanas. If your established lantanas are not performing well, prune and fertilize them. They do best in full sun and under limited irrigation. Dig and store gladiolus corms in a well-ventilated, freeze-proof place for planting next spring. Gladiolus perform well for us February-May. It is normally too hot and humid in summer for gladiolus to perform well. Plant sunflowers during late summer for fall flower arrangements. Flower colors include yellow, orange, red, bronze, white and combinations of these. It usually takes about 60 to 80 days from sowing seed until first flower color. Prune azaleas no later than mid-July. Pruning azaleas after early to midsummer may remove next season’s developing flower buds. This applies to many spring-flowering shrubs as well as hydrangeas and gardenias. During early summer, gardenias may have aphids, whiteflies and the associated black sooty mold. For optimum plant performance, control the insects with the insecticide acephate or a summer horticultural oil spray. Camellias and azaleas need care to set a good crop of flower buds for next year. Healthy, vigorous plants will set buds, but weak plants may not. If plants lack vigor, fertilize them, provide moisture during stressful periods and control pests. Remember that these acid-loving plants may have problems if soils are too alkaline. Submit a soil sample to your parish LSU AgCenter extension agent if you are unsure of your soil situation. Louisiana irises are semi-dormant during late summer. Prune off seedpods and yellow or brown foliage to help keep the plants more attractive. You may transplant or divide Louisiana irises beginning in August. Cut faded flowers from flowering annuals and perennials to encourage new growth and more flowers. Old blooms and seed heads left on the plants can retard flower production. These are just a few things to keep in mind as you garden over the next month or two. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse or www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 05/20/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings Buddleias, known by most home gardeners as butterfly bush, are becoming increasingly popular in the home landscape. These perennials are highly regarded by butterflies as a nectar plant. Butterfly bushes are available in an increasing array of sizes, flower colors and foliage characteristics. They have fragrant blossoms and can be used for cut flowers. Buddleias are winter hardy in Louisiana and can be used for annual color in the landscape. A recent resurgence in buddleias at retail garden centers can be partially attributed to new varieties that have been released over the past 10 years. And many more varieties are in the works. Among the newer varieties, Sungold and Honeycomb produce golden-yellow flowers. Another newer variety is Royal Red, but the flowers are not truly red – more of a dark purplish. The newest of the new is the dwarf, lavender-blue flower-producing Blue Chip from Proven Winners. The new Flutterby series from Ball Horticulture are being grown and sold in Louisiana. White, pink, blush, and purple (with varying shades of these colors) constitute the flower availability, but these newer varieties offer some bi-color combinations and size diversity as well. Plant site selection is somewhat important, as it is with many ornamental plants. Although people have long thought of buddleia as a hardy, herbaceous perennial, it makes a significantly sized shrub. Tall-growing plants can easily reach 8 to 10 feet with a 5- to 6-foot spread. Plants have an arching type of growth habit. Dwarf varieties, however, may be no more than a couple of feet tall. Buddleias should be planted in well-drained soil in full or partial sun. Consider the plant’s mature size when spacing between plants. Most people plant butterfly bushes too close together. Most varieties need at least 6 to 8 feet between plants because they’re larger-growing than we realize and need more space than this. Soil pH should be in the 6.5-7.0 range. Fertilize at planting with a slow-release fertilizer, such as StaGreen or Osmocote. Plants that have been in the landscape for several years can be fertilized once in spring when new growth commences. The main pest problem of buddleias is spider mites. Pruning plants back in spring will encourage new growth, maintain a more manageable growth habit and provide an opportunity to remove dead wood. New growth in the spring yields the blooms we are seeing in landscapes now. Blooms will continue until first frost. Tip-pruning terminal shoots during the season also encourages more continual bloom. Give butterfly bushes a try to attract more butterflies in your home landscape. And visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse and www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 05/13/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings If you’re looking for a tough plant that will keep blooming throughout summer and into fall, consider gomphrena. This very tough plant likes really high temperatures. Sometimes called globe amaranth, legend has it that the original planting was at the gates of Hades. Known botanically as Gomphrena globosa, gomphrena has relatively few pest problems. It produces flowers from early summer to first frost. The flowers look like clover, seem to last forever and have a straw-like texture. The flower heads are actually bracts, which are leaves resembling petals. The small, inconspicuous flowers are noticeable only when the yellow stamens poke out. Flower colors range from white to purple and red. All-Around Purple gomphrena was named a Mississippi Medallion plant in 2008. This 2-foot-tall plant attracts loads of butterflies to its purple flowers all summer long. We have had good performance with this variety in LSU AgCenter landscape trials. In addition, Fireworks gomphrena was a Mississippi Medallion selection in 2010. It is a large plant that can reach 4 feet tall. Its iridescent pink bracts feature yellow stamens resembling tiny, exploding firecrackers. This variety is incredibly impressive. It blooms nonstop in Louisiana from spring planting through fall. Nothing slows it down, and butterflies swarm the plant constantly. The new Audray series gomphrena were nice last year at the Mississippi State University trial grounds at Crystal Springs and at the LSU AgCenter’s landscape trials at the Hammond Research Station. Gomphrena can be big, flowering annuals in the landscape. Some gomphrena are suitable for smaller garden or patio spaces. The Gnome series are compact plants that grow 10 to 12 inches tall and have white, pink and purple flowers. This compact selection makes a fine container plant or can be used as a border along a sunny path. Gomphrena needs full sun. It sometimes will tolerate a partial-sun to partial-shade location, especially when we start getting into late summer. Flower production is best in full sun. Plants need well-drained planting beds. Once established, they are somewhat drought-tolerant. Watering is needed only when they go one to two weeks with little rain. Gomphrena makes a great cut flower and has a long vase life. Cut stems early in the morning and pair them with other flowers from your garden. The new varieties are wow factors in the landscape. Try some if you have not already. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse and www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 05/06/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings If you like the flowers of shade-loving impatiens, you’ll be excited to know about a new type of impatiens that thrive in our Louisiana summer heat and humidity – SunPatiens. You get the best of both shade-loving impatiens and the larger-flowered, variegated foliage of New Guinea impatiens with SunPatiens, a hybrid bred by Sakata Seed that thrives in full sun in our summer landscapes. SunPatiens not only survived and performed well the last couple of summers around the state, but they were one of the few varieties of summer bedding plants that seem to have the potential to excel from midspring through fall. This low-maintenance annual is available in three distinct series – seven compact varieties, two spreading varieties and five vigorous varieties. The compact group is the smallest-growing and reaches 2-3 feet tall with an equal spread. Colors in this size range are blush pink, deep rose, coral, white, orange, magenta and lilac. The spreading group only includes two colors, but both have variegated foliage – white and salmon. The spreading types get 3 feet tall by 4 feet wide. The tallest and widest growth on SunPatiens comes in the vigorous-growth varieties. Colors are coral (with variegated foliage), lavender, magenta, red, white and orange. These plants can get 4 feet tall and 4 feet wide by the fall. In our growing conditions, the spreading and vigorous types grow up to 24 inches tall and a bit larger in width. The compacts are a bit smaller all around, but one plant will fill an entire container. And you can add a trailing, flowering plant with it to cascade over the side. Overall plant size is influenced by soil fertility, irrigation and light exposure. Choose the appropriate plant height for bedding, containers and hanging baskets. Regardless of the variety or size, flowers of all the SunPatiens are large and showy and are easily seen above the dark, green, glossy foliage. They will bloom from May through the first hard frost. These plants perform best when they receive full sun. If they’re grown in semi-shady conditions, prune them in midsummer to maintain a bushy growth habit because they will otherwise become lanky and produce fewer flowers. In fact, if you have shade, consider growing regular impatiens instead. Allow SunPatiens to wilt slightly between watering, and mulch them to conserve soil moisture. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse and www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 04/29/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings Midspring is here, and it’s time to mow, mow, mow. Mowing has a measurable effect on the way a grass plant grows. The ability of grass to sustain itself through frequent close clipping is one factor that distinguishes a grass species as a turfgrass. Grasses such as wheat, corn and oats, for example, cannot tolerate the harsh treatment of frequent mowing. The rate of growth and the height of cut determine the frequency of mowing. The rate of growth depends on the type of grass, soil fertility (especially nitrogen content) and weather. Lawns in Louisiana are made up of warm-season grasses. These grasses grow fast and need to be mowed frequently in the hot summer when moisture is adequate. A general rule is to mow before the grass becomes one and a half times as tall as the cutting height of your mower. Or another way to say this is: Do not remove more than one-third of the grass at any one clipping. For example, if the height of cut is 1 inch, mow when growth reaches 1 1/2 inches in height. If you continually allow your grass to grow too tall between mowings, you may end up with a thin, weedy turf. You can decrease the frequency of mowing by choosing a slower-growing turfgrass, reducing the rate of nitrogen fertilization and raising the cutting height of your mower. The rate of nitrogen fertilization and the frequency and height of cut are major factors that determine the quality of turf. Mowing height depends on the type of grass you have, your objectives and your willingness to work. Most people mow with rotary mowers that have horizontal blades that flail the grass and fray the leaf blades. A rotary mower becomes noticeably duller after a few cuts and should be sharpened as needed. Some tough grasses like the zoysia will dull a blade quickly. Reel mowers have clean, scissorslike cuts and produce a better-quality turf than rotary mowers do. A reel mower is more difficult to sharpen, but it should require less frequent sharpening. A reel mower may be more expensive, but it is normally more rugged and uses less fuel. Most reel mowers are particularly recommended for Bermuda grass and zoysia. A smooth turf, free of sticks, stone and other debris, is necessary when using a reel mower. Removing grass clippings isn’t necessary if you mow as recommended. Research has shown that moderate amounts of small clippings decompose rapidly in warm weather with good moisture. Nutrients in the clippings are recycled without contributing greatly to the thatch layer. And if you don’t remove the clippings, you can get by with less nitrogen fertilizer. Clippings should be removed, however, if they leave clumps on the grass surface. This normally occurs only if the grass is allowed to grow too high before mowing or if it’s mowed when wet. Zoysia and centipede grass leaves do not decay as readily as leaves of other grasses, so clippings need to be collected and discarded when growth is rapid – especially with zoysia. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse and www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 04/21/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings We are approaching the time of spring to get your heat-loving, warm-season bedding plants into the ground. Anytime from mid-March through May in Louisiana is a great time to add new flowers to your landscape beds. Some bedding plants prefer early-spring planting; some prefer April planting, and some even prefer to be planted after nighttime temperatures warm and soils really warm up in May. Among these, angelonias, vinca, caladiums and pentas are a few plants to consider. The Serena series of angelonia, also called summer snapdragon, is a Louisiana Super Plant for this spring and is best planted in April. This outstanding summer bedding plant can be relied upon for dependable garden performance though the hottest summer weather. Four soft colors in the Serena series blend together beautifully – Serena Purple, Serena Lavender, Serena Lavender Pink and Serena White. A new Serena Blue will be available soon. All of these plants are compact, growing 12 to 14 inches tall and about as wide. Masses of flower spikes cover these plants from late spring to frost. Plant them in sunny beds from early to mid-April in south Louisiana or from mid-April through early May in north Louisiana. You also can continue planting them through early summer. Caladiums are actually best planted in mid-April through May, although most home gardeners plant them early. If you want a great foliage-type bedding plant for shady locations, caladiums are the perfect fit. Some caladiums will perform well in full sun, but all aren’t reliable in locations with more sun than shade. You can purchase caladiums as corms (tubers), or you can buy them already growing in 4-inch containers. Either way is fine. Don’t plant them too deep. And avoid over-watering caladiums during summer. Butterfly pentas are distinctive for their compact growth habit, large flowers and excellent garden performance. Superb heat and humidity tolerance make this summer bedding plant a reliable choice for Louisiana gardeners. Clusters of five-petaled flowers are produced continuously all summer from spring to first frost. The series includes a variety of colors – Butterfly Deep Rose, Butterfly White, Butterfly Blush, Butterfly Deep Pink, Butterfly Light Lavender, Butterfly Lavender and Butterfly Red. The flowers are rich with nectar and are highly attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds. Plant them in full sun, partial sun or partial shade. The Butterfly pentas are another Louisiana Super Plant for this spring. Vincas are reliable for summer-through-fall landscape performance. Plant them in May. Vincas, also called periwinkles, need well-drained, acid soil. They do best in a full-sun, dry location, so limit irrigation. There are many vincas to select from. New series include Cora and Nirvana. Another relatively new one is the Titan series, which has larger flowers. You can also plant the Pacifica and the Cooler series. These are just a small sampling of great flowers for Louisiana summers. You also can consider melampodium, blue daze, perennial salvias, coleus, lantana, zinnias and more. You’ll be pleased with any of them. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse and www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 04/15/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings Who knows how much rain we’ll get during spring and summer? We need to keep in mind that many areas of Louisiana are experiencing below-average rainfall amounts. And it’s common to get significant rain events followed by three to four weeks of dry weather. How do we irrigate our landscapes under these conditions? This is a question that comes up often and is sometimes hard to answer. “How much water do I need to apply?” and “How often do I need to water this plant?” are common questions from many home gardeners. Water is essential for healthy plant growth, but it can be costly to apply, depending on your water source. Remember, it’s important to get water to plant roots efficiently and effectively and keep the moisture in the root zone. Too many gardeners have a tendency to water by using the calendar. Once a week or twice a week is a common practice. Some people even water plants daily. Gardeners need to learn how to recognize drought stress in plants. You do this by monitoring soil conditions in containers and landscape beds. When one plant in a bed needs water, however, all plants in the bed may not need irrigating. Many factors determine how fast a particular soil or potting medium will dry out. When plants are dry, water them thoroughly. For lawns, water at a rate so that the moisture penetrates the soil to a depth of several inches. This encourages deeper root growth and also aids the plants in being able to handle droughty conditions that may come later in the year. Try to eliminate the desire to “sprinkle” a lawn or landscape bed for a few minutes every day. This is not very helpful and actually discourages the plant from being able to withstand dry conditions later. Gardeners often wonder what kind of sprinklers to use on their lawn or what kind of hose or sprinklers to use in their landscape beds. For lawns, an efficient type of sprinkler is called an impact sprinkler. These are commonly seen on athletic fields and golf courses. In landscape beds, use short-length soaker hoses, or use a micro-irrigation drip system that has individual emitters on shrubs and roses. For bedding-plant areas, you may use spray stakes off a micro-irrigation system, but be sure to direct the water underneath the foliage or downward toward the mulch or soil. Irrigate trees by running a hose very slowly for a couple of hours. The hose should be placed within the tree drip line of mature trees or at the edge of the planting hole for newly planted trees. Do not let excess water run off. The best time to irrigate plants is during the early morning. Avoid wetting the leaves – this encourages disease. Roses and bedding plants are most susceptible to problems with water accumulation on flowers and foliage. Organic matter in landscape beds helps to maintain soil moisture. Apply mulch in all landscape beds twice a year. Pine straw and pine bark are excellent mulches. You can use hardwood mulch around many trees. Mulch flowers to a depth of 1-2 inches, shrubs to a depth of 2-3 inches and trees to a depth of 3-4 inches. Irrigation is an important consideration in home landscapes. By following these hints, you can help your plants through droughty periods so they’ll be more productive for you. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse and www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 04/08/11 By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen OwingsMost Louisiana gardeners are familiar with Knock Out roses. They have introduced roses to many home gardeners who otherwise never would have grown them. And they fit perfectly into a sustainable, low-maintenance landscape. Knock Out is classified as a landscape shrub rose. This type of rose doesn’t make great cut flowers, but it will give a landscape an abundance of flowers for 75 percent of the year. They practically bloom nonstop from March to November in south Louisiana and April through October in north Louisiana. In warm winters, they may even flower in December, January and February. Knock Out roses are less prone to blackspot disease than traditional hybrid tea, floribunda and grandiflora roses. Although they may be promoted as blackspot resistant, that’s not necessarily true. You don’t need to spray fungicides on the majority of the Knock Out roses, and the double forms have great disease resistance. Double forms of Knock Out roses are available with pink or red flowers. Most of the Knock Out roses have single flowers with six to eight petals per flower. The double forms feature 18-22 petals per flower. This produces a pronounced visual impact when the double forms are compared with the single forms in the landscape. The petal count and flower color are best during spring and fall blooms. Summer blooms are usually smaller with fewer petals and less intense color. Plant these roses where you would plant other roses. They need full sun, minimum irrigation and well-prepared, well-drained landscape beds. They prefer a soil pH between 6.0-6.5. Although most gardeners plant roses in late winter through spring, Knock Out roses can be planted almost anytime of the year. Double Knock Out and Pink Double Knock Out are advertised to grow to a height of 4-5 feet with a spread of 4-5 feet. Space individual plants 4-5 feet apart. If left unpruned, these plants can easily reach 8 feet tall. Double Knock Out roses, like all roses, do best when pruned in mid-February and in late August to early September. A number of home gardeners, though, who are serious about their roses, lightly prune and/or remove old flowers constantly during the growing season. Try some Double Knock Out roses in your home landscape. You’ll be amazed with the blooms and easy care for these great rose varieties. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse and www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 04/01/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen OwingsLantanas continue to be one of the most popular herbaceous perennials for Louisiana landscapes. Many varieties – some old and some new – offer a multitude of growth forms and flower colors. Lantanas can be added to the landscape from now through summer for great color into late fall. Lantana growth habits include trailing, mounding and upright. Trailing types are scientifically called Lantana montevidensis and typically reach a height of 18 inches. Foliage texture is finer, and flower colors are white, lavender and purple. Common older varieties of this type are Trailing Purple, Imperial Purple, Trailing Lavender and White Lightnin. Trailing-type lantanas are normally evergreen in Louisiana. They also flower in late winter and early spring when you wouldn’t expect lantanas to be in bloom. Trailing lantanas don’t set fruit like the mounding and upright varieties. Mounding-type and upright-type lantanas are primarily classified as Lantana camara. Mounding lantanas reach 30-36 inches tall while upright growers, including the old “ham and egg”-type lantanas, can reach 4-5 feet tall in one growing season. Mounding and upright growers are reliably perennial, as are the trailing types. You need to occasionally prune these varieties to encourage repeat bloom and discourage fruit (berry) formation. Older lantanas include the mounding varieties New Gold and Gold Mound with gold-colored flowers, Silver Mound with white flowers and Lemon Drop with yellow flowers. An older upright variety is Dallas Red with red flowers. Newer groups of lantanas include the Patriot series, which come in about 15 varieties and are broken down into even more diverse growth habits. You also can find Landmark, Lucky and Bandana series lantanas at garden centers in Louisiana. All of these are introductions from the last five years or so. The Lucky series has always performed very well in LSU AgCenter landscape evaluations. The new Bandanas also excel and have flower colors not found in smaller-growing mounding types. The Sonrise, Sonset, and Sonshine lantanas from Mississippi also are great plants. You can also find Chapel Hill Yellow and Chapel Hill Gold at garden centers this year. Lantanas are great landscape plants and also do well in containers. They perform best in full sun. Lantanas are very drought-tolerant. Irrigation is needed only in very droughty situations. Fertilize these plants often to encourage growth – once at planting and again in late summer in a landscape bed. If you have old lantanas that are stagnant in their growth or are not blooming well, prune them back about halfway and fertilize them. New growth will produce new flowers. Also, watch plants for lantana lace bugs. This is the only main pest on lantana in Louisiana, but it has become more of a problem in recent years. Besides providing landscape color most of the year, lantanas attract butterflies like crazy. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse and www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 03/18/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings Blooming from late March to early May, the Louisiana iris is a floral ambassador that has carried our state’s name all over the world. Louisiana iris is the name used worldwide for a unique group of native iris species and their hybrids. Their extraordinary beauty and reliability in the garden have made them increasingly popular, but they still deserve more recognition and use here in their home territory. The Louisiana iris is our state’s official wildflower. Though a number of iris species are native to Louisiana, only five species – Iris brevicaulis, Iris fulva, Iris giganticaerulea, Iris hexagona and Iris nelsonii – are known as “The Louisianans.” Only in south Louisiana do all five species occur together. They are closely related and will interbreed with each other but with no other species. The crossing, or interbreeding, of these species has resulted in the modern hybrid varieties we grow today. Their large, attractive flowers cover a broad range of colors, including many shades of blue, purple, red, yellow, pink, gold, brown, lavender, burgundy and white. Be sure to not confuse Louisiana irises with the yellow and blue flag irises. Louisiana irises are much better performers. The best time to plant Louisiana irises is in August and September when they are dormant, but you can buy and plant them as well while they are in bloom in spring with good success. When purchased and planted in spring, however, Louisiana irises need to be handled carefully to avoid damaging the foliage and flower buds. And you may need to stake the plants to hold them upright after planting. But once they’re established, Louisiana irises don’t need staking. Louisiana irises should be grown with as much direct sun as possible. Although they will tolerate shade for part of the day, at least six hours of direct sun are needed for good blooming. You can plant Louisiana irises in beds by themselves, combined with other perennials or even in aquatic gardens. When preparing a spot to plant them in a typical bed, incorporate a generous 3-inch layer of compost, rotted manure or peat moss and some all-purpose fertilizer into the soil. These irises grow best in a soil high in fertility and organic matter. Aquatic culture is one of the easiest and most natural ways to grow Louisiana irises – and the foliage tends to stay more attractive during the summer. Simply place a potted iris into your decorative pond or aquatic garden so the rim of the pot is a few inches below the water’s surface. These plants also grow well and look great planted in the ground on the edges of large ponds. They also are excellent plants for rain gardens. The large seedpods that form after flowering should be removed as soon as you notice them to keep the plants more attractive and vigorous. Next fall, in October or November, fertilize the irises as they begin their winter growing season. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse and www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 03/11/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings Invite a rainbow into your yard this summer – plant a flower garden. Warm-season bedding plants grow and flower best during April through October, and we can begin planting them as early as late March in south Louisiana. Gardeners who planted cool-season bedding plants generally will wait for those plants to begin to fade in late April or May, however, before removing and replacing them with warm-season bedding plants. Tender perennials, such as impatiens, periwinkles, blue daze, pentas and begonias, are used as bedding plants along with true annuals, but these plants have far more stamina and “staying power” in the summer flower garden. They make outstanding bedding plants, often blooming from late spring until cool weather arrives in fall. Sometimes they survive the winter to grow and bloom another year. True annuals, on the other hand, rarely make it all the way through our exceptionally long summer growing season. Choose annuals well-suited to the growing conditions of the location where they will be planted. While most annuals need full sun (at least eight hours of direct sun) to partial sun (about six hours of direct sun), some thrive in partial shade (about four hours of direct sun) or shade (about two hours of direct sun). Even annuals that like partial shade to shady locations, however, will generally not perform as well in full shade, where they receive no direct sun. Caladiums, planted from tubers or as growing plants, are one of the best choices for color in full shade. Prepare your beds carefully before putting in summer bedding plants. First, eliminate any weeds or other unwanted plants. Next, turn the soil to a depth of at least 8 inches. Spread a 2-to-4-inch layer of compost, rotted leaves, aged manure, finely ground pine bark or peat moss over the bed, and then evenly sprinkle a light application of a granular or organic all-purpose fertilizer. Thoroughly blend the organic matter and fertilizer into the bed and rake it smooth. Then you’re ready to plant. Make sure you plant the transplants no deeper than they were growing in the original containers and at the proper spacing. Annual plants are not low-maintenance, and you should keep in mind the care they will need when deciding where, how large and how many beds you will plant. Mulch will reduce problems with weeds, but regular weeding still will be necessary. Regular watering, pest control and grooming (removing dead flowers and unattractive leaves) will keep them looking their best. In containers, hanging baskets and window boxes, annuals need regular watering and fertilization. Here are some excellent choices for summer flower beds in Louisiana. Warm-season bedding plants for sun to partial sun (6 to 8 hours of direct sun): abelmoschus, ageratum, amaranthus, angelonia, balsam, blue daze, celosia, cleome, coleus (sun-tolerant types), coreopsis, cosmos, dahlberg daisy, dusty miller, gaillardia, gomphrena, lantana, lisianthus, marigold, melampodium, narrow-leaf zinnia, ornamental pepper, periwinkle, pentas, portulaca, purslane, rudbeckia, salvia, scaevola, sunflower, tithonia, torenia, perennial verbena and zinnia. Warm-season bedding plants for partial shade to shade (2 to 4 hours of direct sun): balsam, begonia, browallia, caladium, cleome, coleus, impatiens, pentas, salvia and torenia. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.LSUAgCenter.com/lahouse and www.LSUAgCenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 03/04/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings Beneath the mighty, majestic live oak surrounded by Southern magnolia, azalea and sweet olive stands the camellia – what many in the South may refer to as “The Queen of the Garden.” The Latin or scientific name of the plant is Camellia japonica. It is a native of Japan, China and Korea and was brought to Europe from Asia sometime in the 1700s. It is believed to have been introduced to the United States near Charleston, S.C., in 1786. However, the first formal records show they appeared in New Jersey in 1897. The camellia japonica, or Japanese camellia, is a small, flowering evergreen tree or medium shrub that has become an essential part of our Southern landscape and heritage. Known for their oval dark glossy green foliage and large beautiful flowers, camellias brighten our Louisiana landscape during winter and early spring. Camellias are long-living, slow-growing plants that can range in size from 6 to 12 feet in height and 4 to 8 feet in width, depending on the variety. Often a single-trunked shrub with a shallow root system, camellias are upright and oval in shape. It is extremely important to avoid cultivating or disturbing the soil around them to prevent damage. The size of the flower can vary from 2 1/2 inches to over 6 inches in diameter. Its colors can range from pure white to all shades of pink to the deepest of red with some varieties having multi-colored or variegated flowers of white, pink and red streaks all within the same flower. The flower’s rose-like flower petals can be a single, semi-double or double form and last up to 10 days or more before the petals begin to drop. Flowers also can be cut and floated in a shallow dish of water as a table arrangement. Because of the numerous varieties to choose from, shop for camellias at your local nurseries during wintertime. Plant them in a part-sun to part-shade location that receives around four to six hours of direct morning sunlight with protection from the hot afternoon sun. Choosing a spot that receives bright, dappled shade throughout the day will prevent stress on the plant and prevent the scorching or burning of the leaves and fading of the flowers. Once established, camellias are typically low-maintenance. They are acid-loving plants that require a well-drained soil with a pH ranging from 6.0 to 7.0. They can withstand some heavy soils; however, they perform better when planted where high organic matter – such as compost, finely ground pine bark and rotted manure – has been incorporated into the soil. When planting camellias it is important that the upper surface of the root ball is slightly above the existing soil level. After planting, water it thoroughly to remove any air pockets and to settle the plant in. Apply several inches of mulch, preferably pine straw, to help maintain moisture and prevent weeds or damage from lawn mowers or string trimmers. Camellias should be fertilized around March to early April when new growth begins. A good, slow-release fertilizer labeled for acid-loving plants works best. Although excellent drainage is necessary for camellias to survive, they do need adequate amounts of water, especially during the hot, dry spells in summer. Watch out for several insects that can harm camellias, such as aphids, spider mites and tea scale. The most serious pest is the tea scale, which primarily feed on the underside of the leaves but can be found on the upper surface during heavy infestations. If a camellia is infected with tea scale, the undersides of the leaves will be covered with white and brown, slightly fuzzy masses which will eventually lead to yellow blotches on the upper surface of the leaf. Plants that are infested with this pest may have poor vigor and will not bloom well. Tea scale will not generally go away by itself and will require the use of a horticultural oil to be controlled effectively. This should be done in the fall, winter or early spring when temperatures are between 45 and 85 degrees. To prevent reoccurrence, a systemic insecticide such as Imidacloprid can be used. Whether used as focal point, mixed-shrub planting or massed in a grouped planting in a shady woodland garden, camellias make any landscape stand out. We are fortunate that our climate and growing conditions allow us to enhance our gardens with these magnificent plants. So when considering a plant for your landscape, don’t forget camellias. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse and www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 02/25/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen OwingsGrowing roses in Louisiana is a challenge for landscape professionals and home gardeners alike. A major problem in rose production and landscape performance is disease (blackspot and powdery mildew, primarily) brought on by environmental conditions of our region. Heat and humidity have an adverse affect on many rose varieties we grow in Louisiana. The growing popularity of landscape shrub roses has stimulated new interest in roses over the past few years. Traditionally, modern roses – such as hybrid tea, floribunda and grandiflora varieties – have dominated the market. Landscape shrub roses in the modern-rose category were a small percentage of the modern rose market in the 1990s, but that has totally reversed. This trend has been driven, in large degree, by the tremendous success and popularity of the Knock Out rose varieties. One of the major rose evaluation projects under way at the LSU AgCenter is participating in evaluation of Earth-Kind roses and varieties that are candidates for this program. The Earth-Kind project was initiated about 15 years ago by Texas A&M University. One of the initial goals was to locate the best “yellow rose of Texas.” But now it includes the goal of testing and recommending roses for low-maintenance landscapes. This includes the evaluation of numerous rose varieties, particularly those classified as shrub roses. Characteristics considered in these evaluations are low irrigation requirements, minimum pruning requirements, desirable flowering characteristics, minimum insect susceptibility and resistance or low susceptibility to blackspot and other devastating rose diseases. There were eleven original Earth-Kind rose varieties: Belinda’s Dream, Caldwell Pink, Carefree Beauty (also called Katy Road Pink), Climbing Pinkie, Else Poulsen, Knock Out, Marie Daly, Mutabilis, Perle d’Or, Sea Foam and The Fairy. In the initial evaluation process conducted in Texas, these were the best-performing. In 2006, Spice and Duchesse de Brabant were added, and in 2007, Ducher and Georgetown Tea joined the list. Two new Earth-Kind roses continue to be added to the list each year. More recent Earth-Kind rose varieties are Madame Antoine Mari and New Dawn in 2008 and La Marne and Souvenir de St. Anne’s in 2009. The 2010 Earth-Kind roses are Cecile Brunner and Reve d’Or, and Mrs. Dudley Cross and Monsieur Tillier were Earth-Kind roses for 2011. This brings the total number of Earth-Kind roses to 23. A new Earth-Kind rose planting is underway at the LSU AgCenter’s Hammond Research Station. The AgCenter is an official university partner with Texas A&M University in the Earth-Kind rose program. These rose varieties may have limited availability in Louisiana, but some can be found at independent retail garden centers around the state. If you find them, you should have great success with these plants. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse and www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 02/18/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings Southern live oaks, known by the scientific name Quercus virginiana, are one of the most popular trees found in Louisiana landscapes. They certainly are considered to be a signature tree in many public places across the state and are widely used in home landscapes. They are very familiar to visitors on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge. And live oaks make the news when development threatens individual plants. You can register and name 100-year-old live oaks with the Live Oak Society operated by the Louisiana Garden Club Federation. Live oaks certainly are one of Louisiana’s most sustainable trees. The winter months are a great time to provide care and maintenance to your live oak trees. From selecting trees at the garden center to planting, pruning and fertilization, this is the time of year for live oak maintenance. Live oaks are grown at many wholesale nurseries in Louisiana and are one of the most sold trees at garden centers. If you intend to plant a live oak, select a tree with a well-developed central leader system. And be sure the tree was properly pruned at the nursery. Proper pruning at a young age is important for live oaks long term. Most home gardeners should plant trees growing in 3- to 15-gallon containers, although you can purchase live oaks that are much larger. It is hard, however, for an average homeowner to handle planting trees larger than those growing in a 15-gallon container. When planting, be sure to follow LSU AgCenter tree-planting recommendations: – Make the planting hole the same depth and two to three times as wide as the container in which the tree has been growing. – Make the sides of the planting hole rough, not smooth. – Put into the planting hole the same soil that came out of it. – Do not amend this backfill soil with compost, pine bark or similar materials. – Water the tree during the planting process to eliminate dry pockets that will desiccate the new growing roots. – Mulch trees after planting. Be sure to give your new live oak tree adequate room. Most of the time, live oaks are now planted on 30-foot-by-30-foot spacings. This is, however, way too close. You also see live oaks planted on 60-foot-by-60-foot spacings. This is OK. But ideally, live oaks need to be planted on 90-foot centers. We all see live oaks in front yards that have basically no room for a tree this large. Also, live oaks routinely are planted between streets and sidewalks. Once again, this is the wrong tree in the wrong place. Be sure to plant live oaks where they have room to grow and do what they want to do. Fertilization of live oaks is not recommended the first year after planting. You can start a fertilization program thereafter. During the first year, growth emphasis on the tree should be directed to the root system. Nitrogen fertilizer applications during this time favor shoot growth at the expense of root growth. Mature live oaks may benefit from fertilization, or they may not need fertilization at all. The tree needs to be examined for new growth. If new growth, as measured by shoot elongation, is significant, fertilization is not needed. If not much new growth or no new growth is apparent, fertilization or other cultural practices may be needed. A licensed tree-care professional should examine your mature live oak trees in most of these situations to determine a course of action. Live oaks originating from seed sources in Louisiana will grow best in Louisiana. In other words, do not expect acorns obtained from a tree in Texas to produce a tree in Louisiana that would grow as well as it would grow in Texas. We are fortunate to have the Orange Island live oak, a sexually produced variety, propagated here in Louisiana by Live Oak Gardens in New Iberia. It is a very vigorous-growing live oak and is better than other varieties. Wholesale growers also now have access to the Cathedral and Highrise varieties of live oak. These are asexually propagated from stem cuttings and produce trees that are similar in growth habit, size, etc., so they have a uniform look in a landscape planting. These are not being grown in large numbers in Louisiana, and their availability is limited for home gardeners. Live oaks are one of our most important trees. Provide proper care to these great trees. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse and www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 02/11/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen OwingsPetunias are one of the most popular flowers in Louisiana. They can be planted in fall for cool-season color or planted in late winter or early spring for warm-season color. Common questions pertaining to landscape performance of petunias include: What can be done to extend their flowering time in the landscape? Are there variety differences? What are the requirements for planting time, watering and bed preparation? You can plant petunias from September through early November and from late January through mid-March. They do better during winter months in south Louisiana. Their performance through winter depends significantly on how cold the winter is. Petunias are available in many colors. They come in single-flowered and double-flowered varieties. Normally, the single-flower forms are more reliable than the double-flower forms long-term. Some best management practices for petunias include: – Properly prepare the bed to allow for good internal drainage and aeration. – Add fresh, nutrient-rich, finished compost to beds to provide nutrients. – Apply a slow-release fertilizer at planting as part of a traditional fertilizer approach. – Make sure petunia beds have a soil pH between 5.5-6.0. – Select a full-sun planting location. If you want to extend petunias longer into summer, plant in a partially shaded location but realize flowering will be less. – Complete late-winter and early-spring petunia planting by mid-March. – Consider the Wave, Easy Wave, Tidal Wave and Madness varieties. Many others will, however, provide satisfactory performance. – Irrigate only when needed. Over-watering leads to root rot and stem dieback problems. – Be aggressive and plant in masses for the best visual enhancement. –Deadhead lightly after the first peak bloom for performance longer into late spring. Petunias are popular bedding plants and are not difficult to grow. Just follow these recommendations and select nice, vigorous, healthy plants to get started. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse and www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
Distributed 02/07/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings It’s early February, but that doesn’t mean the the season’s over for cool-season plants. You can still plant trees and shrubs over the next month or two. And you can plant cool-season flowers this month to enjoy through late spring and early summer. If you do, consider adding some of the inaugural cool-season Louisiana Super Plants. If you missed its debut, the Louisiana Super Plant program is a recommendation, promotion and marketing effort designed to provide reliable suggestions on great plants for Louisiana home gardeners. Last fall, ShiShi Gashira camellia, Camelot foxglove and Amazon dianthus were announced as the initial Louisiana Super Plants. ShiShi Gashira is a small-growing camellia, and the absolute best of the fall-flowering shrubs for Louisiana’s cool season are the camellias. Many small-growing camellias belong to the sasanqua and hiemalis species that are great for fall and winter bloom. The most popular of the hiemalis, frequently misidentified as a sasanqua, is ShiShi Gashira. This variety has a slow to moderate growth rate, so size can be managed. It also has large flowers for a hiemalis and has a long blooming period – blooms start in mid- to late October in Louisiana and last until mid-January. You can expect 90 days of bloom from these great plants. The best of the new dianthus is the Amazon series. These are very prolific flower producers and can be planted September through early November or February through March. Flower heads are large and will last until mid-May in south Louisiana and until late May or early June in north Louisiana. This series also has cut-flower potential. Remove old flower stalks to encourage the continuation of the bloom season. Flower colors available in the Amazon series are Rose Magic, Purple, Cherry and Neon Duo. Amazon dianthus are Dianthus barbatus interspecific hybrids. Camelot foxgloves are new to the market. These are also called digitalis. For best results, plant them in fall or late winter to early spring. Flowers come on 2-foot-tall spikes in spring. Flowers come on 2-3 weeks before the popular Foxy variety and last 2-3 weeks longer. Removing old flowers also will extend the bloom time on these plants. Foxgloves are best suited for a partially sunny location – light afternoon shade would be ideal. Flowers colors in the Camelot foxglove are lavender, cream, rose and white, with lavender, cream and rose being the better-performing colors. These are the three cool-season Louisiana Super Plants that you still have time to consider. All are durable and low-maintenance. Watch for information on the spring 2011 Louisiana Super Plants starting in mid-March and continuing through early May. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse and www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 01/28/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen OwingsMany new gardenia and loropetalum varieties have been introduced to the marketplace over the past few years. Older gardenia varieties are still great plants for us, but the newer varieties offer uniqueness in flowering and repeat bloom tendencies and sometimes have better landscape adaptability. The new loropetalums have unique burgundy-to-purplish foliage color throughout the year. In addition, some of the varieties have smaller growth habits. Frostproof gardenia is a great plant home gardeners need to start enjoying. It’s not really a new gardenia variety, but in the past five years it has become widely known and widely grown. Frostproof is also widely used by landscape professionals. It’s an improvement over other, older gardenia varieties. Frostproof’s characteristics include fast growth, site adaptability and suitability to poorer growing conditions, making it more desirable than August Beauty, Mystery and dwarf varieties. Frostproof was initially propagated in the Forest Hill, La., nursery area and is now distributed across the entire southeastern United States. It reaches a mature height of 5 feet with a spread of 4-5 feet. Try it soon for a low-maintenance, good-performing gardenia – which has not been common in the last few years. A newer gardenia is Jubilation. This variety is being promoted in the new Southern Living plant program (www.southernlivingplants.com) and has performed well in LSU AgCenter evaluations. Jubilation has compact growth and will mature at a height of 4 feet with a 3-foot to 4-foot spread. It has good re-blooming potential. Looking for the newest of the new in loropetalums? This plant is also commonly called Chinese witch hazel. Most loropetalums have purplish-to-burgundy foliage seasonally and pink or fuschia-colored flowers in spring about the time azaleas finish blooming. The Purple Diamond variety is highly recommended by the LSU AgCenter. Purple Diamond has the most intense purplish foliage of any of the loropetalums and has a tighter growth habit that can be maintained in a more typical, shrub-like shape instead of a small tree-like shape common of the older loropetalums. The unique foliage color of this variety lasts year-round. Plants reliably bloom for 4-6 weeks in midspring and sometimes bloom a small degree in late summer. Emerald Snow is a new, white-flowering loropetalum variety with green foliage and a mounding growth habit. Plants reach 3-4 feet tall. Loropetalum and gardenia are shrub standards in Louisiana landscaping. Consider these new varieties to improve landscape performance and use. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse and www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 01/21/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen OwingsLandscape shrubs roses like the popular Knock Out varieties are all the rage in the rose world right now, but we have a number of other great landscape shrub roses that can be considered. The LSU AgCenter evaluates roses at the Hammond Research Station in Hammond and at Burden Center in Baton Rouge. We also have rose plantings at Louisiana House in Baton Rouge. Some of the recent All-America Rose Selection (AARS) winners are good performers for us in Louisiana. While most roses now sold fall into the landscape shrub category, we have some nice floribunda roses available that have been released in the last five to 10 years that merit increased use. 2010 saw only one AARS winner – Easy Does It. This variety is a floribunda from Weeks Roses. The flower color is a mango, peach and apricot blend. Petal count is 25-30. Easy Does It performed very well in the AARS display garden at Burden Center in 2009. In addition, it was named a People’s Choice award winner at the LSU AgCenter’s landscape horticulture field day held at the Hammond Research Station in 2009. A new floribunda for 2011 and an AARS winner for this year is Walking on Sunshine. Tight clusters of bright yellow buds burst open with an anise aroma. This plant’s super-glossy, disease-resistant foliage contrasts beautifully with the cheery, eye-catching flowers. Walking on Sunshine is easy to care for and great for beginners. It’s a floribunda with fantastic bloom production and great vigor. Walking on Sunshine was hybridized by Keith Zary of Jackson and Perkins Wholesale. In addition to the two floribunda roses that are AARS plants for 2010 and 2011, some of the other newer, good floribunda roses are Cinco de Mayo, Julia Child, Easy Going, Hot Cocoa, Livin’ Easy and Moondance. Cinco de Mayo has lavender flowers with a hint of rusty red-orange. Plants are maintained at a height of 3 feet. Uniqueness of bloom color is what sets Cinco de Mayo apart from other roses. The variety has some blackspot susceptibility when over-irrigated or when rainfall exceeds normal amounts. Julia Child has obtained good popularity the past few years. It’s another floribunda rose that’s very accepted by nursery professionals. The plant has a medium-size growth habit. Flowers are buttery gold, have 35 petals and are fragrant. Julia Child is a former AARS winner and performs well in Louisiana. Easy Going was introduced in 1996 and is sold at garden centers in Louisiana. In the past, it has done well in the AARS display garden at Burden Center in Baton Rouge. It has a yellow bloom with a little bit of golden bronze. Flowers sit tightly on top of the foliage. A chocolate-orange-to-dark red-flowering floribunda is Hot Cocoa. It is an AARS winner from 2003. Flowers have a deep rusty orange reverse. Good bloom size is also characteristic of this rose variety. Livin’ Easy is an older floribunda rose. It was released as an AARS winner in 1996 and has ruffled, apricot-orange flowers with 22-28 petals. The flowers have a fruity fragrance. Moondance is a Jackson and Perkins floribunda rose of the year. It has sweet, raspberry-scented, creamy white flowers. It has received good “roses in review” ratings from Gulf District members of the American Rose Society. A taller-growing rose, this variety reaches 5 feet tall in the landscape. It is a much more beautiful rose than its parent, the popular, white floribunda Iceberg. Some floribunda roses generally are lower-maintenance plants when compared with hybrid tea and grandiflora roses. They may take a little more care than landscape shrub roses, however. They also can be grown under low irrigation and need less pruning and fertilization. Typically, shrub and floribunda roses also have reduced susceptibility to blackspot disease. Roses need good bed preparation, full sun and a soil pH of 6.5. Give some of these a try. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse and www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 01/14/11By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen OwingsLouisiana Arbor Day is the third Friday in January. But many home gardeners and landscape professionals plant shade trees during the fall and winter months. People are learning that this is the proper time of the year to plant, but improper planting practices sometimes present issues regarding the long-term landscape success of these trees. We need to be aware of some of the common mistakes made in planting, establishment and follow-up care of trees. Many times poor tree performance in our residential landscapes can be traced to improper planting techniques. Here are a few common things to consider when adding new trees to your landscape: – Select a good-quality tree. You would think this would be obvious, but some trees offered for sale aren’t good quality. Make sure the species and variety is recommended for Louisiana. Is the plant overgrown in the container? Inspect the trunk of the young tree for any bark damage. – Select the right tree for the right place. Be sure the tree you’re considering will work in the environment where it is being planted. Consider mature height and mature spread and allow enough room for the tree to develop to its full mature size without regular pruning. Make sure the characteristics of the site – such as soil pH, soil drainage and sun and shade exposure – fit the tree. – Don’t plant too deep. The top of the root ball should be at the same level or slightly higher than the soil grade. Do not cover the lower trunk with soil. And be careful with over-mulching. This has the same detrimental effects as planting too deep. We recommend 3-4 inches of mulch spread evenly underneath a tree’s canopy. But don’t plant too shallow. If the top of the root ball is exposed to air, the root system will dry out. – Dig the hole to the proper width. The width of the planting hole should be two to three times wider than the tree’s root ball. This allows for lateral root development and expansion. Remember that tree roots need to grow out from the planting hole. – Inspect for root-bound trees. Cut the encircling roots enough to encourage their outward root growth and prevent future circling. – Avoid modifying backfill soil. Backfill soil is the soil removed from the planting hole. The current recommendation is to return to the planting hole the soil that came from it. Don’t amend this soil with pine bark, compost or similar materials. A change in the soil texture from the planting hole to the surrounding soil will cause water from the surrounding soil to migrate into the planting hole and saturate the root system. This “soup bowl” effect can damage or even kill the tree by holding too much moisture. – Water appropriately after planting. Newly planted trees need to be sufficiently watered-in. This eliminates from the soil air pockets that dry out the root system. Apply water at the edge of the original root ball and outward. Don’t apply water next to the main stems. – Avoid radical pruning at planting. The only pruning that should be done at planting is to remove any dead or broken branches or suckers. Leave some branches on the lower part of the trunk for a year or so – this encourages trunk development. Excessive pruning of shoots at planting can also promote additional shoot growth at a time when root growth is is more important. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse and www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
News Release Distributed 01/07/11 By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings Proper pruning is one of the most neglected and misunderstood of all gardening practices, yet it is one of the most important best management practices in a residential or commercial landscape when done properly. Pruning is a skill and an art. It is a skill in making cuts that properly heal or callus over to seal off the wound from disease and infection and an art in making the right cuts in the right places to get the plant to take on a more pleasing form. Pruning should be practiced as a vital part of the maintenance program for all shrubs and trees. Most shrubs will require some pruning annually and may require special attention to correct defects caused by mechanical injury or attack by insects and diseases. Important items to consider prior to pruning include: – Your goal in pruning. – The method that will be used (natural vs. formal). – The ideal time of year to prune this plant. – How flowering or other plant performance may be affected. – How this particular plant responds to pruning. Why prune? Pruning is done to remove dead, diseased, dying or decaying wood. Sometimes we refer to this as the four Ds of pruning. You also can prune to manage plant size and maintain a particular form for design specifications. Pruning, in some situations, can be done to rejuvenate old plants. Pruning flowering shrubs depends on the times they bloom. Prune late-winter- and spring-flowering shrubs after they flower. If spring-flowering shrubs are pruned during winter, you’ll be removing flower buds. Examples in this category include azalea, spirea, mock orange, quince, hydrangea, weigelia, forsythia, gardenia, camellia, viburnum, deutzia and flowering almond. Azaleas that flower in spring need to have pruning completed by late June or early July in order not to affect the flower buds being developed for the next spring. Summer-flowering shrubs are pruned from mid- to late winter, before spring growth. Some plants in this group are crape myrtle, oleander, vitex and althea. Most evergreens not planted for their flowers should be pruned in the dormant, winter season, but some pruning may be done throughout the year. No rules cover all pruning. The important consideration should be preserving the natural form of a particular species. The extent of annual pruning will depend on the plant. Some shrubs may require the removal of a considerable amount of wood each year, while others require little pruning. It is much better to prune lightly each year rather than severely butcher a plant after several years of growth. When pruning, first remove weak and spindly wood inside or near the ground. Next reduce the height of the plant to the desired level by making cuts at various levels, always keeping in mind the natural form of the plant. One rule for cane-type plants like nandina and mahonia is to remove one-third of the oldest and tallest canes near the ground each year. This will keep the height of the plant at a reasonable level. Several special plant types or categories need special treatment for specific training purposes. These include espaliered plants, topiary or “poodled” plants and other landscape oddities. These may need to be pruned on a more regular basis to maintain the intended growth form. Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.lsuagcenter.com/lahouse and www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
(Distributed 05/31/13) HAMMOND, La. – The largest Louisiana landscape evaluation of ornamental plants, especially annual flowers and herbaceous perennials, is located at the LSU AgCenter Hammond Research Station on Old Covington Highway just east of Hammond.
(Distributed 05/17/13) HAMMOND, La. – Spring blooms on roses came late this year due to unusually cool conditions in March and April. But May flowering has been outstanding throughout Louisiana. In most home landscapes, roses perform their best at first flowering in spring and at fall bloom in October.
