a Tisket, a Tasket, a Lily for Your Garden
Blooming Easter lilies are part of how we celebrate the holiday.Did you know there was once an Easter lily production area in Plaquemines Parish? Back then -- in the 1940s and 1950s -- they called them...
View ArticleMuch Ado About Mulch
Mulching is an easy to do, labor-saving technique that all gardeners should be taking advantage of.
View ArticleHenna Coleus: A Louisiana Super Bedding Plant
The Coleus is a popular bedding plant here in Baton Rouge. Known for their amazing diversity, the colorful foliage of Coleuses brightens flower beds and containers through the long summer season.
View ArticleFlashy Grass
The LSU AgCenter has named Fireworks purple fountain grass a Louisiana Super Plant selection for Spring 2015. And wow, are you going to be impressed by the colorful foliage of this ornamental grass.
View ArticleThe Wake Up Call of Falling Trees
We all were surprised by the big storm that moved through on Monday. This is a wake up call to all of us about our trees with hurricane season about a month away.
View ArticleA Garden Match Up: Marigolds v. Nematodes
You may sometimes read or hear about "companion planting" -- planting certain kinds of plants around other plants to prevent pest problems. When it comes to nematodes in a vegetable garden, marigolds...
View ArticleLily of the Nile, and Also the Mississippi
The Agapanthus, also known as the "Lily of the Nile", is a beautiful, early summer flowering bulb. it's native to South Africa, but it thrives in Louisiana's climate. They're blooming now all around...
View ArticleDon't Like the Heat? Get Out of the Garden
To be honest, our best and most diverse herb gardens grow in the milder part of the year. The intense heat of summer takes a toll on many of our favorite culinary herbs. But there are heat-loving herbs...
View ArticleIt's Time to Harvest Those Summer Vegetables
June is the peak month for harvesting summer vegetables. One reason why people grow their own vegetables is the outstanding quality of freshly harvested produce -- right out of the garden and right to...
View ArticleWoody Plants: Low-Maintenance Summer Color
We gardeners crave color in our landscapes. We provide that color primarily through the use of colorful bedding plants and bright flower beds. Colorful flower beds are one of the highest maintenance...
View ArticleSo you want to attract the hummingbirds
Few sights are more thrilling in the garden than to see rapidly moving hummingbirds darting among the flowers. So favored are the jewel-colored birds, feeders are put up to entice them into the...
View ArticlePreventing nematodes
You may sometimes read or hear about planting certain plants around other plants to prevent insect problems. This is called companion planting. The idea is certain plants will give off aromas that will...
View ArticleGetting through your tomato problems
Home vegetable gardening has become increasingly popular over past few years. We often see an increase in vegetable gardening when we have an economic downturn like the one we recently got through...
View ArticleHow to deal with poison ivy
I recently came across some poison ivy as I was working in an out of the way part of my landscape. Poison ivy is abundant in the summer time in urban, suburban, and rural landscapes. I keep an eye out...
View ArticleFall is the time to plan your landscapes
November thru February is the prime planting season for hearty trees, shrubs, ground covers, and vines in Louisiana. So now is a time to assess your landscaping situation and make plans for what you...
View ArticlePlan your spring flowering bulbs now
These days we're used to the instant gratification of planting blooming bedding plants for immediate color in our landscapes. But if you want spring flowering bulbs to brighten your gardens this...
View ArticleReplace warm season colors with cool season colors
Flower beds in our landscapes can stay colorful and attractive here. We put up with a ridiculously long and hot summer season, but we're compensated for this with a relatively mild winter. Because our...
View ArticleHelp your tropical plants get used to the dark
Louisiana gardeners often use containers of tender tropical plants on decks, patios, porches, and in courtyards. They provide color and beauty through the summer season. These plants thrive in the...
View ArticleColder weather is immanent, but don't panic
Colder weather is coming this week. As always, whenever the first cold snap hits in this season, gardeners panic just a little bit. Remember that this will not be a hard freeze. Temperatures below 30...
View ArticleCool weather means it's time to talk herbs
Culinary herbs can be used to make all our cooking more delicious and they're wonderful for the yard. Herbs can be loosely grouped into cool season annuals and warm season annuals. Annuals live for a...
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