LSU AgCenter's Weekly Message

LSU AgCenter’s Website Offers Time-Tested and New Resources To Gardeners

During this time of year when working outside in the garden isn’t as pleasurable, you might consider using the time to do some garden-related reading. The LSU AgCenter has a lot of resources that address a variety of topics, and there are certain ones that we give out repeatedly.

Below is information on some resources that you might take time to read as you sit in the cool of your house or on your porch. Most of these publications are available on our website, www.lsuagcenter.com. If you don’t have internet access, you can call the LSU AgCenter’s Washington Parish office (985-839-7855) and ask that a copy be sent to you.

The Louisiana Vegetable Planting Guide contains much of the information you need to plant a home vegetable garden, including recommended cultivars of specific vegetables, when to plant, and how much and when to fertilize. Additional information about growing specific vegetables is available by going to the “Lawn & Garden” section on our website and then choosing “Fruits, Nuts and Vegetables,” followed by “Vegetables” and then “Individual Crops.” If you would like to plant your garden in a raised bed, also look for the Raised Beds publication, which is part of the Home Garden Series.

The Louisiana Home Orchard publication has basic information on growing a wide variety of fruit crops, ranging from blueberries and muscadines to mayhaws and peaches. Like the vegetable gardening publication, it includes cultivar and fertilizer recommendations, as well as planting information. It also has information on training/pruning and some common disease and insect issues.

While the Louisiana Home Orchard publication covers a wide range of fruit crops, there are resources that provide more in-depth information about several popular fruit crops. These include Louisiana Home Citrus Production, Blackberry Growing Guide, Louisiana Home Muscadine Production, and Figs for Commercial and Home Production in Louisiana. For blueberries, Mississippi State University Extension’s website offers Establishment and Maintenance of Blueberries.

For information about growing herbs, check out Herb Gardening in Louisiana, A Guide to Growing a School Herb Garden, or the Culinary Herbs publication in the Sustainable Gardening for School and Home Gardens series.

The vegetable, fruit, and herb resources mentioned above are available online or from our local offices, at no charge to you. The LSU AgCenter also offers Louisiana Home Fruit and Nut Production (79 pages) and Louisiana Home Vegetable Gardening (121 pages) books for $20 each. To order one of these, go to https://store.lsuagcenter.com/ or call 225-578-2263.

In the landscape arena, publications include Trees for Louisiana Landscapes and Shrubs for Louisiana Landscapes. Information on Louisiana Super Plants can be found on the respective section of our website.

Within the past few years, LSU AgCenter Hammond Research Station’s Drs. Damon Abdi and Jeb Fields, with others, have produced several fact sheets in the Landscape Ornamentals Series, including the following: Best Practices for Landscape Bed Preparation, Best Practices for Pruning Ornamental Trees in the Landscape, Proper Balled-and-Burlapped (B&B) Tree and Shrub Care, Managing Girdled Roots in the Landscape, Using Drought Stress Indicator Plants in the Landscape, Insect Insights for the Home Garden, Hand Pruner Selection in the Landscape, Sanitizing Tools to Prevent Disease, Mower Maintenance -

Cleaning Lawn Residues Off of Mower Decks, Landscape Edging Concepts, Installing and Maintaining a French Drain, Principles of Permeable Paving, Seat Walls in the Landscape, and Designing and Building a Pergola.

Hammond Research Station faculty, staff, and graduate students have also created a series of Louisiana Landscape Guide fact sheets, including Evergreen Shrub, Sun-Loving Bedding Plants for the Warm Season, Shade-Loving Plants for the Warm Season, Colorful Cool-Season Plants for Sunny Areas, Colorful Cool-Season Plants for Shady Areas.

For those who would like to have a garden that is both attractive and supports pollinating insects, we have Pollinator Gardening in Louisiana (part of the Urban Pollinator Conservation Series), Use of Flowering Plants (in the Protecting Pollinators in Urban Areas series), and Butterfly Gardening for Louisianians.

Those interested in cut flowers may find the newly released Growers Guide for Cut Flowers for Louisiana and the Gulf Coast helpful.

There are a number of helpful resources on lawn care in the Louisiana Home Lawns Series. To get to these resources, go to our website and choose “Lawn & Garden” and then “Turfgrass.” The Louisiana Lawns Best Management Practices publication also has useful information. I like the tables on p. 5 that summarize fertility and mowing height recommendations for common turfgrasses.

Of course, you can read articles I’ve written on my page within the LSU AgCenter website.

If you like watching videos, the LSU AgCenter has a YouTube channel with videos about a variety of topics, including gardening. Additionally, my colleagues in the Greater New Orleans area have put together several video series – available on the LSU AgCenter website – including the vegetable-focused Home Gardening Class and a Home Composting Certificate Course.

Let me know if you have questions.

Click here for previous LSU AgCenter's Weekly Messages

Dr. Mary Helen Ferguson is an Extension Agent with the LSU AgCenter, with horticulture responsibilities in Washington and Tangipahoa Parishes. Contact Mary Helen at mhferguson@agcenter.lsu.edu or 985-277-1850 (Hammond) or 985-839-7855 (Franklinton).

LSU AgCenter's Weekly Message

LSU AgCenter Taking Orders for Sweet Potato "Seed"

Sweet potatoes are well-adapted to our hot, humid summers. Besides the nutritious roots that we normally eat, young leaves of sweet potato can be consumed as well. They can be sauteed, boiled, or even eaten raw.

Growing sweet potatoes is different from growing white (“Irish”) potatoes or vegetables that are grown from true seed. The production cycle begins when sweet potatoes (“seed”) from the previous harvest season are planted in the spring, to produce slips for transplanting.

Gardeners who just want to plant a few hills of sweet potatoes can often find slips for sale at local garden centers. They can be planted between late April and the end of June in southern Louisiana.

Those who plan to plant a large area of sweet potatoes or want a specific variety may prefer to grow their own slips. Sweet potatoes can be bedded for slip production beginning around mid-March in southern Louisiana. Allow six to eight weeks for slips to grow.

It’s important that the roots used for slip production are free of disease and of good quality. The LSU AgCenter’s Sweet Potato Research Station offers seed potatoes grown from virus-tested planting material through its foundation seed program.

The variety Beauregard is available for $25 per 40-pound box. Avoyelles, Bayou Belle, Evangeline, and Orleans roots can be purchased in a 40-pound box for $30 or a 20-pound box for $16. Murasaki-29 and Sakura are available at $16 per 20-pound box.

The Sweet Potato Research Station will sell slips of these and other varieties – including Bonita, Burgundy, Heart-o-Gold, O’Henry, Okinawan, Porto Rico, and Vermilion – in the spring. The price is expected to be $0.45 per slip with a minimum order of 100 slips ($45). This is more than you would pay for slips from local retailers, but it does offer people the chance to purchase slips of varieties that they might not otherwise be able to find.

Beauregard is a classic Louisiana sweet potato variety that was released by the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station in 1987. Orleans is similar to Beauregard but produces more uniform roots. This is important for commercial growers who are trying to maximize production of U.S. No. 1 grade sweet potatoes but probably not that important in a home garden.

Evangeline produces roots that have a high sucrose content and taste especially sweet. While microwaving typically does not result in sweet potatoes that are as sweet as those baked in an oven, because of its high sucrose content, Evangeline sweet potatoes can be microwaved and still taste sweet. From a production standpoint, Evangeline has the advantage of being resistant to southern root knot nematodes.

Avoyelles is the LSU AgCenter sweet potato breeding program’s newest release. It can be harvested earlier than other varieties, with roots maturing in approximately 90 days instead of the 110 to 120 days after slip planting that most varieties need. Like Evangeline, it’s resistant to southern root knot nematodes.

Information about most other varieties can be found on the LSU AgCenter Sweet Potato Research Station’s website.

The Sweet Potato Research Station has begun taking seed orders via an online form (https://lsu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8uDlYbJftXBBjzE). Orders submitted online are due by Monday, February 3, 2025. If you’re in Tangipahoa or Washington Parish and do not have internet access, please contact me by Thursday, January 30, 2025, to place your order.

If you want to order slips, contact the Sweet Potato Research Station directly (318-435-2155), beginning in early March.

Under sweetpotato weevil quarantine regulations, growers in Louisiana who raise sweet potatoes to sell are required to have a Sweet Potato Dealer’s Permit from the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry. Home gardeners are not required to have a permit but are encouraged to take measures to reduce weevil populations.

Let me know if you have questions.

Click here for previous LSU AgCenter's Weekly Messages

Dr. Mary Helen Ferguson is an Extension Agent with the LSU AgCenter, with horticulture responsibilities in Washington and Tangipahoa Parishes. Contact Mary Helen at mhferguson@agcenter.lsu.edu or 985-277-1850 (Hammond) or 985-839-7855 (Franklinton).

LSU AgCenter's Weekly Message

Sweet Potato "Seed" Available from LSU AgCenter

The sweet potato is well-adapted to our hot, humid summers. Besides the roots that we normally eat, young leaves of sweet potato can be consumed as well. They can be sauteed, boiled, or even eaten raw.

Growing sweet potatoes is different from growing white (“Irish”) potatoes or vegetables that are grown from true seed. The production cycle begins when sweet potatoes (“seed”) from the previous harvest season are planted in the spring, to produce slips for transplanting.

Gardeners who just want to plant a few hills of sweet potatoes can often find slips for sale at local garden centers. They can be planted between late April and the end of June in southern Louisiana.

Those who plan to plant a large area of sweet potatoes or want a specific variety may prefer to grow their own slips. Sweet potatoes can be bedded for slip production beginning around mid-March in southern Louisiana. Allow six to eight weeks for slips to grow.

It’s important that the roots used for slip production be free of disease and of good quality. The LSU AgCenter’s Sweet Potato Research Station offers seed potatoes grown from virus-tested planting material through its foundation seed program.

The variety Beauregard is available for $25 per 40-pound box. Bayou Belle, Bonita, Burgundy, Murasaki, Orleans, Porto Rico, and Sakura are available at $16 per 20-pound box. Quantities of Evangeline are limited this year, so roots are not offered at this time, but the Sweet Potato Research Station will sell Evangeline slips in the spring.

Beauregard is a classic Louisiana sweet potato variety that was released by the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station in 1987. Orleans is similar to Beauregard but produces more uniform roots. This is important for commercial growers who are trying to maximize production of U.S. No. 1 grade sweet potatoes but probably not that important in a home garden.

Evangeline produces roots that have a high sucrose content and taste especially sweet. While microwaving typically does not result in sweet potatoes that are as sweet as those baked in an oven, because of its high sucrose content, Evangeline sweet potatoes can be microwaved and still taste sweet. From a production standpoint, Evangeline has the advantage of being resistant to root knot nematodes.

Information about other varieties can be found on the LSU AgCenter Sweet Potato Research Station’s website.

The Sweet Potato Research Station has begun taking seed orders via an online form (https://lsu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_b8xaiTEQ6rdw610). Orders submitted online are due by Friday, January 12, 2024. If you’re in Tangipahoa or Washington Parish and do not have internet access, please contact me by Monday, January 8, 2024, to place your order.

Under sweetpotato weevil quarantine regulations, growers in Louisiana who raise sweet potatoes to sell are required to have a Sweet Potato Dealer’s Permit from the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry. Home gardeners are not required to have a permit but are encouraged to take measures to reduce weevil populations.

Let me know if you have questions.

Click here for previous LSU AgCenter's Weekly Messages

Dr. Mary Helen Ferguson is an Extension Agent with the LSU AgCenter, with horticulture responsibilities in Washington and Tangipahoa Parishes. Contact Mary Helen at mhferguson@agcenter.lsu.edu or 985-277-1850 (Hammond) or 985-839-7855 (Franklinton).

LSU AgCenter's Weekly Message

Some Licenses and Certifications Related to Landscape Horticulture Work

I occasionally get questions from people who are interested in getting into landscape-related work for pay. The easiest type to get into is general yard work, including mowing, edging, and hand-weeding. Without a state license, as long as the work is not on commercial property, one can also engage in “trimming of hedges and shrubbery, under the direction and responsibility of the owner of the property” and pruning trees “under the specific direction and responsibility of the owner of the property” if “the branch to be removed is two inches or less in diameter and is within ten feet of ground level.”

If a person is paid a fee for doing landscape work beyond what is described above, Louisiana generally requires a license. A Landscape Horticulturist license allows a person to do things such as preparing beds, installing landscape plants or sod, giving advice on plant selection and placement, fertilizing, and doing shrub pruning beyond what is described in the above paragraph. Licensing requires passing an exam administered by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) and paying a fee. The study guide for the exam is called The Louisiana Manual for the Environmental Horticulture Industry and can be ordered from the Louisiana Nursery and Landscape Association.

It’s not required by law, but some people who do landscaping work also choose to get Certified Nursery and Landscape Professional (CNLP) certification through the Louisiana Nursery and Landscape Association (LNLA). The study guide for this is the same one for the state license exam. LNLA hosts CNLP manual review and exam sessions.

One thing that a Landscape Horticulturist license does not allow people to do is to be paid for a landscape plan itself. While a Landscape Horticulturist can draw plans while preparing to install plants, they cannot sell a landscape design itself. In Louisiana, to do this, one must be licensed as a Landscape Architect. (Describing what’s required to become a landscape architect is beyond the scope of this article.)

Another profession for which state licensure is required is arborists. These are people who, as well as removing trees, care for them by doing things such as pruning, fertilizing, and cabling. As with the Landscape Horticulturist license, to attain the Arborist license, one must pass an exam and pay a fee. The study guide for this exam is the Arborists' Certification Study Guide from the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA). There is a separate certification, Utility Arborist, for those who remove trees or prune “along utility rights of way.”

There are also options to get tree work credentials beyond the required state license. For example, some people choose to become Certified Arborists through ISA.

People who do landscape work sometimes want to be able to, for example, apply herbicides for lawn weeds or use fungicides or insecticides on landscape plants. State law requires those who apply herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, or other pesticides to others’ landscapes for a fee to have a pesticide applicator’s license and commercial applicator certification. (For Arborists, there is an exception that allows application of “…pesticides only for the purposes of retarding decay or disease.”) Those who will be applying pesticides to landscape plants and turfgrass take a general standards exam and the ornamental and turf pest control exam. The study materials for these are the National Pesticide Applicator Certification Core Manual and the Ornamental and Turf Pest Management study guide, respectively. Both can be ordered from LSU AgCenter’s Online Store.

For more information about Landscape Horticulturist, Arborist, and related licenses and permits, you can check out LDAF’s Nursery and Landscape Licensing website (https://www.ldaf.la.gov/plants/nurseries-landscaping). People interested in hiring someone can also use this website to find names of licensed individuals. For information on pesticide licenses, see LDAF’s Pesticide Licensing website (https://www.ldaf.la.gov/plants/pesticides/pesticide-licensing).

There will likely be other requirements for operating a landscape-related business, such as a business license from the local government entity in which it’s based. Organizations such as the Louisiana Small Business Development Center or your local chamber of commerce can likely provide guidance.

Let me know if you have questions.

Click here for previous LSU AgCenter's Weekly Messages

Dr. Mary Helen Ferguson is an Extension Agent with the LSU AgCenter, with horticulture responsibilities in Washington and Tangipahoa Parishes. Contact Mary Helen at mhferguson@agcenter.lsu.edu or 985-277-1850 (Hammond) or 985-839-7855 (Franklinton).

LSU AgCenter's Weekly Message

It’s Time to Prune Some Types of Roses, Demonstration to be Held

Late January to mid-February is the primary time of year to prune everblooming roses in Louisiana. Examples of these include hybrid tea, grandiflora, floribunda, shrub (including those in the Knock Out series), and miniature roses. On the other hand, wait until shortly after once-blooming roses flower to prune them. Examples of once-bloomers include Lady Banks and Cherokee roses.

A first step in pruning any type of rose is to remove damaged, dead, or diseased shoots.

Hybrid tea and grandiflora roses tend to have more upright growth habits than other roses and need more severe pruning. When pruning these, remove less vigorous canes – generally ones smaller than the diameter of a pencil – at the point of origin. Leave about six to eight healthy canes that have a diameter at least as big as that of an adult finger. Cut these canes back to approximately 2 feet in height. Make cuts about 0.25 inch above an outward facing bud so that the shoot that emerges will grow away from the center of the plant.

Personal preference can largely dictate how other everblooming roses are pruned. As you decide if and how to prune them, keep in mind some general principles: Multiple shoots will likely emerge from below a cut made in the middle of a stem. If you want to open up the canopy, you can remove branches at their points of origin. If one of these other types of everblooming roses is overgrown, consider cutting it back by one-quarter to one-half of its original height.

Everblooming roses can be pruned a second time in late August or early September, with less growth being removed at this time than in January or February. Two-and-one-half to 3 feet of stems can be cut from hybrid tea and grandiflora roses. As in late winter, other everblooming roses are generally pruned less severely.

Some climbing roses are everbloomers while others are once-bloomers, so the best time for pruning these varies. When you do prune climbing roses, do so as needed to train them to the structure on which you want them to grow.

When pruning, use clean, sharp pruning shears (for smaller cuts) or loppers (for stems larger than one-half inch in diameter) to avoid wounding stems more than necessary. Bypass shears or loppers (ones with blades on both sides) are generally preferable, since anvil types may crush branches to some extent.

In cooperation with the Washington Parish Library System, the LSU AgCenter will offer a rose pruning demonstration at the Franklinton Branch Library (825 Free St.) at 1:00 PM on Wednesday, January 7, 2024. If you plan to come and would like to be notified of cancellation due to inclement weather or illness, please call 985-277-1850 or send an e-mail to mhferguson@agcenter.lsu.edu, to pre-register. For accommodations for persons with disabilities, please contact us as soon as possible. The LSU AgCenter and LSU provide equal opportunities in programs and employment.

Let me know if you have questions.

Click here for previous LSU AgCenter's Weekly Messages

Dr. Mary Helen Ferguson is an Extension Agent with the LSU AgCenter, with horticulture responsibilities in Washington and Tangipahoa Parishes. Contact Mary Helen at mhferguson@agcenter.lsu.edu or 985-277-1850 (Hammond) or 985-839-7855 (Franklinton).

LSU AgCenter's Weekly Message

You Don’t Have to Wait for Cold Weather to Plant Some Cool-Season Vegetables

It may not feel like it right now, but we’re approaching a time of year when we can plant many of our cool-season vegetables. Some can be planted earlier and some later, but almost all can be planted between mid-September and mid-October. These include cabbage, kohlrabi, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, greens (collard, kale, mustard, turnip), radishes, beets, carrots, lettuce, shallots, garlic, and green (“English”), sugar snap, and snow peas.

There are a few exceptions. Seed pieces of white (“Irish”) potatoes can be planted between August and mid-September and again in late winter, and transplants of bulb-forming onions that grow well in Louisiana should be set out between mid-December and January. Fava beans aren’t a very common crop here, but I understand that the time for sowing these is October through November.

A second sweet spot during which a lot of cool-season veggies can be planted is late January through February. Cabbage, kohlrabi, broccoli, cauliflower, greens, radishes, beets, carrots, lettuce, shallots, and white potatoes can be planted at this time. Many can be established earlier or later, too.

If you want to give the garden a rest, you might consider seeding a fall cover crop. Cover crops can be used to build up soil organic matter, take nitrogen from the air and put it in the soil (in the case of plants in the bean family, or legumes), prevent loss of nutrients from the soil during the off-season (after adding compost or manure, for example), suppress weed growth, and prevent erosion. The first half of October is a time when many cool-season cover crop species – such as cereal rye, annual ryegrass, wheat, oats, hairy vetch, and crimson clover – can be planted.

The second class in the gardening and lawn care series will take place next Tuesday, September 16, at 6 PM at the Lee Memorial Forest Main Lodge (21139 Lee Memorial Drive, Franklinton). Please join us if you’re interested! Call or email me to register or for more information. The LSU AgCenter and LSU provide equal opportunities in programs and employment.

Let me know if you have questions.

Click here for previous LSU AgCenter's Weekly Messages

Dr. Mary Helen Ferguson is an Extension Agent with the LSU AgCenter, with horticulture responsibilities in Washington and Tangipahoa Parishes. Contact Mary Helen at mhferguson@agcenter.lsu.edu or 985-277-1850 (Hammond) or 985-839-7855 (Franklinton).

LSU AgCenter's Weekly Message

LSU AgCenter Provides Opportunities to Learn about Composting

Composting is a way to take yard, garden, and kitchen “waste” and turn it into something useful.

It doesn’t have to be all that complicated. You don’t need any one type of structure to do it. In fact, you don’t have to use structure at all - one of our composting fact sheets addresses composting with a “compost mound.” If you want to do vermicomposting (composting with worms), you can even do it indoors. Composting depends in part on microscopic organisms (bacteria and fungi) to break down organic materials into organic matter that can then be used to enrich garden soil. So, you need to feed those microbes.

In addition to water and oxygen, the microbes need roughly 25 to 30 times as much carbon as nitrogen. So, when we talk about what to put in a compost pile, we talk about carbon-to-nitrogen (C:N) ratios.

“Brown” materials, like fallen leaves, have relatively high C:N ratios. “Green” materials, like fruit and vegetable scraps, have relatively low C:N ratios. You need some of each for composting to occur in a timely manner.

Sometimes, people ONLY put food scraps or ONLY put yard waste in a compost bin. Neither of these situations are ideal. Both can result in a compost pile in which things don’t break down for a long time, since the microorganisms that do the work don’t have what they need.

If you don’t have trees that drop their leaves in the fall, there are other “brown” materials that you can use. You can shred paper or even cardboard. If you do this, you won’t need as much, by weight, as you would of leaves, since paper and cardboard have higher C:N ratios than fallen leaves do.

Turning a compost pile is important for mixing “brown” and “green” materials and for even distribution of moisture and oxygen. If you don’t turn a compost pile, the materials will still decompose eventually, but it will take longer.

For those who would like to learn more about composting, LSU AgCenter extension agents in the Greater New Orleans created a Home Composting Certificate Course that can be completed at your own pace.

The AgCenter also has fact sheets related to composting on our website (www.lsuagcenter.com) or available by request, including Backyard Composting: Waste to Resources, Basic Principles of Composting: What is Composting, Troubleshooting Your Compost Pile, and a series of publications in the Backyard Composting series about different types of composting structures or methods, including the following: Cinder Block Bin, Cinder Block Multiple Bin, Compost Mound, Garbage Can Composter, Wire Mesh Bin, Wooden Box Bin, Wood and Wire Three-Bin Turning Unit, and Worm Composting Bin.

Let me know if you have questions.

Click here for previous LSU AgCenter's Weekly Messages

Dr. Mary Helen Ferguson is an Extension Agent with the LSU AgCenter, with horticulture responsibilities in Washington and Tangipahoa Parishes. Contact Mary Helen at mhferguson@agcenter.lsu.edu or 985-277-1850 (Hammond) or 985-839-7855 (Franklinton).

LSU AgCenter's Weekly Message

Dealing with Privet Problems

Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense) is, unfortunately, a common plant in the southeastern US. It spreads by both seeds and root suckers and often crowds out native woodland plants.

In wooded areas, Chinese privet often grows near yaupon holly, which is one of our native shrubs. It’s easy to confuse the two plants from a distance. However, the leaves of yaupon holly are arranged alternately on the stem, while those of Chinese privet have opposite arrangement (i.e., pairs of leaves are situated directly across from each other). Fruits of yaupon holly are red, while those of Chinese privet are dull black.

You’re likely familiar with Japanese privet (Ligustrum japonicum), which is commonly grown as an evergreen hedge in the southeastern US. You may also have seen glossy privet (Ligustrum lucidum). Both of these have larger leaves than Chinese privet. Glossy privet grows taller than Japanese or Chinese privet and, like Chinese privet, often spreads by seed to an undesirable extent.

LSU AgCenter research found that an herbicide with the active ingredient metsulfuron methyl was effective when applied to the leaves of Chinese privet between June and September. Several 60 percent metsulfuron methyl products – including MSM Turf, MSM 60, Escort XP, and Romestol – are available for use on non-crop sites. (See labels for details about what other types of sites these herbicides can be used on.)

Another option is to cut Chinese privet stems near the base and apply a triclopyr-containing herbicide on the freshly made cuts to prevent the stumps from resprouting. For example, one quart of Garlon 4 Ultra can be mixed with 3 quarts of diesel and applied in this manner on non-crop or forested sites. A similar mixture using Remedy Ultra, which is labeled for pasture use, worked well when applied to cut stumps in January.

Anytime you use an herbicide or other pesticide, read the label to make sure it’s suitable for the situation in which you intend to use it, and follow label directions.

Not all Chinese privets are troublesome. A cultivar called ‘Sunshine’ has yellow to light green leaves and, importantly, is sterile. In other words, it doesn’t produce seeds. It’s been used along with purple-leafed loropetalum for a “purple and gold” effect on LSU’s campus. If ‘Sunshine’ is grown in the shade, the leaves are darker green and look more like those of wild-type privet.

Let me know if you have questions.

Click here for previous LSU AgCenter's Weekly Messages

Dr. Mary Helen Ferguson is an Extension Agent with the LSU AgCenter, with horticulture responsibilities in Washington and Tangipahoa Parishes. Contact Mary Helen at mhferguson@agcenter.lsu.edu or 985-277-1850 (Hammond) or 985-839-7855 (Franklinton).

LSU AgCenter's Weekly Message

Sometimes, Gardening is for the Birds

Birds need food, water, and shelter. Gardens can provide all of these. As we approach fall, which is generally considered the best time to plant most trees and shrubs of temperate origin (i.e., not ones that are marginally cold hardy) in Louisiana, you might consider some plants that support birds.

Many types of trees and shrubs provide shelter and nesting sites. Evergreen plants have the additional benefit of providing shelter in the winter. Including plants of various heights may help draw a greater diversity of birds.

Fruit- and seed-producing plants provide food for many types of birds. Such trees include American holly, eastern redcedar, mayhaw, parsley hawthorn, magnolias, oaks, pines, sweet gum, native plums, and wild black cherry. A fruit producer that might not be as obvious is cabbage or sabal palm.

Shrubs that produce bird food include American beautyberry, arrowwood viburnum, cultivated and native blueberries, elderberry, mulberry, various fruiting hollies, Japanese yew, and wax myrtle.

This article is largely about trees and shrubs, but many herbaceous (non-woody) plants support birds, too. Blackeyed Susan and sunflower are just a couple of many examples that could be named. They may not be at their most attractive point once they’ve finished flowering and have seedheads, but it’s at this stage that they provide food for seed-eating birds.

Hummingbirds consume flowers’ nectar. Red, pink, and orange flowers, as well as those with a tubular shape, are especially attractive to them. Some plants that entice hummingbirds are bottlebrush, red buckeye, coral honeysuckle, firebush (including Lime Sizzler, which has been named a Super Plant), cigar plants, cardinal flower, scarlet or blood sage (Salvia coccinea), and Turk’s cap.

Bottlebrush varieties vary with respect to their cold hardiness, and some are often injured in very cold winters. Woodlanders Red (AKA Woodlanders Hardy) is one of the most resilient. Bottle Pop Neon Pink bottlebrush has also performed well at the Hammond Research Station. As with root-hardy tropicals, it’s probably best to wait and plant this shrub in the spring.

Some birds consume insects, small reptiles, amphibians, or even small mammals rather than fruits, seeds, or nectar. Plants also provide habitats for these. Having some native plants in the garden helps support insects that are more likely to be the foods of choice for native birds.

The Baton Rouge Audubon Society is partnering with the LSU AgCenter Hammond Research Station for a Hummingbird Celebration on September 20, 2025, from 8 AM to 1 PM. The event will include education about and sales of plants that support hummingbirds.

Let me know if you have questions.

Click here for previous LSU AgCenter's Weekly Messages

Dr. Mary Helen Ferguson is an Extension Agent with the LSU AgCenter, with horticulture responsibilities in Washington and Tangipahoa Parishes. Contact Mary Helen at mhferguson@agcenter.lsu.edu or 985-277-1850 (Hammond) or 985-839-7855 (Franklinton).

LSU AgCenter's Weekly Message

When Fig Leaves Look Under the Weather

Figs are one of our more easy-to-grow fruit plants. Unlike more challenging crops like apples and peaches, they can often be grown without a lot of attention to disease and insect management.

By choosing fig varieties like ‘Celeste’ and ‘LSU Purple’ that have a closed “eye,” problems with sour rot and splitting can largely be avoided.

At this time of year, though, leaf diseases often show up. Fig rust is a well-known problem. It causes numerous small brown spots on the upper sides of leaves and slightly raised spore-producing areas on the undersides. Tiny fly larvae that feed on rust spores are often present.

There are also leaf spot diseases of fig that are caused by fungi in the genera Cercospora and Colletotrichum. The spots caused by these fungi are typically larger than those caused by rust.

Distinguishing among these three leaf spot diseases is not all that important in practice. They can all cause leaves to fall off the plant earlier than they normally would, and management practices are similar.

Space fig trees at least ten feet apart when planting. Twenty-foot spacing will allow for even better air movement through the canopy. More air movement can contribute to faster drying of leaves and thus less disease.

Along the same lines, when you prune in late winter, prune to allow air circulation through the canopy. Avoid watering from overhead (e.g., with a sprinkler), particularly in the late afternoon and evening. Rake up and remove fallen, diseased leaves.

The good news is that, even when leaves drop during the summer because of rust or leaf spot diseases, fig trees often perform well the following year.

Another group of fig leaf diseases includes the closely related web blight and thread blight. When plants have one of these diseases, a mat of brown fungal growth can frequently be seen on the undersides of the leaves. Some leaves take on a blighted appearance, hanging shriveled on the plant, and fungal growth is often seen on the surfaces of branches close to diseased leaves. Fruit can be infected, as well. If left unmanaged, dieback may occur on a large proportion of the plant.

When one of these leaf blight diseases is present, remove plant parts, including branches, that have fungal growth on them. Management practices that promote air movement and reduce leaf wetness – as mentioned for leaf spot diseases – are also advised.

Let me know if you have questions.

Click here for previous LSU AgCenter's Weekly Messages

Dr. Mary Helen Ferguson is an Extension Agent with the LSU AgCenter, with horticulture responsibilities in Washington and Tangipahoa Parishes. Contact Mary Helen at mhferguson@agcenter.lsu.edu or 985-277-1850 (Hammond) or 985-839-7855 (Franklinton).

LSU AgCenter's Weekly Message

Troubleshooting Raised Bed Problems: Part 1

Many of us grow vegetables and other plants in raised beds. They’re helpful where drainage is poor. Even where it isn’t, they can make weed management easier and reduce the amount of bending required to grow a garden.

However, raised beds are not always without problems. I’ve had a couple of calls recently from people who had, I suspect, used too much high-nutrient material and ended up with beds that had excessively high salt contents. When we speak of salt in this context, we’re not talking about table salt but about many types of ions, including plant nutrients, that can contribute to salt stress for plants.

The materials used in a raised bed also affect pH. Most vegetables do well between pH 6.0 and 6.5, so gardeners should be cautious about materials that are much more acidic or alkaline.

When building a raised bed, it’s helpful to include some organic materials that have high levels of plant nutrients, but consider the amount that you’re using. Composts vary widely in their contents. Those made from animal manures sometimes have high nutrient and salt contents, while those made from yard waste often have relatively low nutrient levels. (Manure-based composts also bring to mind microbe-related food safety, but I won’t try to address that here.) Mushroom composts tend to have high salt contents and high pHs. These types of materials can be good in moderation, but they usually need to be blended with other, low-nutrient materials.

When people run into problems with their raised beds, they sometimes send the substrate for testing as a routine soil sample. The process used to test soil was developed for field soil (mixtures of sand, silt, and/or clay, with a small amount of organic matter). When these procedures are used on mixtures made up primarily of organic materials, as most raised bed substrates are, the results do not accurately reflect what the plants experience. The nutrient contents shown in these soil reports from raised beds are often much higher than what the plants will be exposed to in the short term.

The LSU Soil Testing and Plant Analysis Laboratory suggests sending substrates that are less than 20% field soil as potting mix samples instead of soil samples. Routine potting mix samples cost $15 each instead of the $11 it costs for a routine soil sample, and the test used requires a greater volume of material.

Potting mix sample reports include results for pH and for concentrations of nitrate, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and soluble salts. The reports provide interpretations of the results, such as “low,” “very high,” and “optimum,” which are helpful when troubleshooting. However, they don’t provide recommendations about how to fertilize, so you may need to contact us for guidance.

In the next article, I’ll write about a couple of other issues people encounter.

Let me know if you have questions.

Click here for previous LSU AgCenter's Weekly Messages

Dr. Mary Helen Ferguson is an Extension Agent with the LSU AgCenter, with horticulture responsibilities in Washington and Tangipahoa Parishes. Contact Mary Helen at mhferguson@agcenter.lsu.edu or 985-277-1850 (Hammond) or 985-839-7855 (Franklinton).

LSU AgCenter's Weekly Message

Revisiting Viburnums

Viburnums, as a group, have long been a bit nebulous to me. My interest in them was piqued recently when I purchased a southern arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum) from the Tangipahoa Parish Master Gardener Association at the LSU AgCenter Hammond Research Station’s Fall Garden Day and Plant Sale. I chose the variety ‘Ben’s Creek’ because of its origin. It was propagated from a plant collected by nurseryman Rick Webb near its namesake in Washington Parish. Of course, I want all the plants named after locations in my home parish. (I already had ‘Bogalusa Highway’ yaupon.)

Southern arrowwood is native to much of the eastern US. Within Louisiana, it’s found in the Florida Parishes and the western half of the state. Southern arrowwood is deciduous and grows to approximately 8 feet tall, though it can get larger. Like many viburnums, it produces a flower cluster with white petals in the spring. The flower clusters reach 4 to 5 inches wide. Blue-black fruits suitable for birds form if adequate cross-pollination occurs. The plant can grow in partial shade to full sun. In the wild, southern arrowwood is often found in moist woods and along stream banks.

Another viburnum native to the Florida Parishes is possumhaw (V. nudum). (Note that this is different from the deciduous holly, Ilex decidua, that’s also called possumhaw.) This plant tends to grow on wetter sites than southern arrowwood does. Like southern arrowwood, possumhaw is deciduous and produces a white (or off-white, for possumhaw) flower cluster in the spring. It sometimes flowers in the fall, too. Fruits turn from green to pink to blue-black over time. Possumhaw has smoother leaf margins than other native viburnums, and leaves tend to be glossy. It typically reaches about 10 feet tall but can grow larger.

Several other viburnums – including mapleleaf viburnum (V. acerifolium), blackhaw (V. prunifolium), and rusty blackhaw (V. rufidulum) – are native to Louisiana but more commonly found in the northern half of the state.

Among non-native viburnums, one of the best-known in Louisiana is Chinese snowball viburnum (V. macrocephalum). In spring, this shrub produces flower clusters that resemble those of panicle hydrangeas but are more rounded. Petals are light green when they first appear and become white over time. Chinese snowball viburnum sometimes flowers in fall, also. It can grow to 15 feet tall or greater. Flowers are sterile so, unlike most other viburnums, it does not produce fruit. Leaves are semi-evergreen in Louisiana.

Another viburnum planted in southern Louisiana is sweet viburnum (V. odoratissimum). This is a fast-growing evergreen shrub that’s sometimes used as a hedge. It can grow to approximately 15 to 20 feet tall. Sweet viburnum sometimes experiences cold damage in USDA Hardiness Zone 8. Like other marginally hardy plants, it shouldn’t be pruned or fertilized in late summer, since these activities can encourage growth that lacks cold hardiness.

‘Mrs. Schiller’s Delight’ viburnum is a Louisiana Super Plant. It’s a cultivar of the species known as small viburnum, Walter’s viburnum, or small-leaf arrowwood (V. obovatum). The species is considered native to the southeastern US though not to Louisiana. The small viburnum gets its name from the size of the leaves. The plant itself can get quite large. ‘Mrs. Schiller’s Delight’, however, is a compact variety that reaches approximately 5 feet tall if unpruned. The white flower clusters are not as large as those of some viburnums, but ‘Mrs. Schiller’s Delight’ produces an abundance of them in spring. It grows in partial shade to full sun, but afternoon shade is likely beneficial. The plant is considered evergreen in Louisiana.

I’ll make a final note about viburnums in general. One characteristic that’s often used when identifying plants is leaf arrangement. Alternate leaf arrangement is most common, with opposite and whorled arrangement being less so. Because viburnums have oppositely arranged leaves – meaning that two leaves will occur across from each other on stems – this can be helpful in the process of determining if a plant is a viburnum or not.

Let me know if you have questions.

Click here for previous LSU AgCenter's Weekly Messages

Dr. Mary Helen Ferguson is an Extension Agent with the LSU AgCenter, with horticulture responsibilities in Washington and Tangipahoa Parishes. Contact Mary Helen at mhferguson@agcenter.lsu.edu or 985-277-1850 (Hammond) or 985-839-7855 (Franklinton).

LSU AgCenter's Weekly Message

Growing Your Own Vegetable Transplants

It may be hard to imagine it right now, as we just came through come of the coldest temperatures many of us have ever seen in Louisiana, but it is or will soon be time to prepare to plant warm-season vegetables.

It’s not at all too early for things like soil sampling and, if needed, liming. If you plan to grow your own transplants, it will soon be time to seed them.

It takes about 8 to 10 weeks to grow tomato, pepper, and eggplant transplants in the winter for spring planting and about 3 to 4 weeks to grow cucumber, squash, cantaloupe, and watermelon transplants. To decide when to start seeds, count back from when you plan to transplant the seedlings into the garden.

One of the main perks of growing your own transplants is that you can choose from a more diverse range of vegetable varieties than those offered for sale locally as transplants. You can try ones recommended for this area by the LSU AgCenter, or you can branch out and try others. Varieties not previously trialed nearby may result in failure, or they may be your new favorite. When possible, look for ones with resistance to diseases common to our area.

Growing transplants does require labor and supplies, so take this into account when deciding whether to grow your own.

Not all vegetables are good candidates for transplanting. Among warm-season crops, corn, beans, and peas are almost always direct-seeded. On the other end of the spectrum, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants are almost always transplanted. In the middle are cucurbits (cucumbers, squashes, etc.), most of which establish well when direct seeded (triploid or seedless watermelons are an exception) but can be grown from transplants for an earlier harvest.

Various containers can be used to start seeds. Options include reused things like egg cartons and cut-up half-and-half containers, biodegradable peat pots, expandable peat pellets, and the plastic cell packs in which transplants are often sold. Containers with 1.5-inch-wide cells are appropriate for most vegetables.

Regardless of the type of container you use, be sure it is clean and has adequate drainage holes. If you reuse cell packs, clean them and then sanitize using a 10 percent bleach solution or other product labeled for this purpose.

Germination or seed-starting media typically contain fine particles of peat moss and perlite. Use sterile media to avoid problems with diseases and other pests. Water it well before planting seeds.

Vegetables have different optimum temperatures for seed germination and growth. Temperatures between 70 and 75 degrees F during the day and about 65 degrees F at night are good for most warm-season vegetables. “Seedless” (triploid) watermelons are an exception. For these, the temperature should not get below 70 degrees F, and temperatures between 85 and 90 degrees F are recommended.

If you have a home greenhouse, make sure to ventilate it adequately during the day so that transplants don’t get excessively hot. This can happen even in winter.

Plants need adequate light. To grow transplants inside a house or apartment without grow lights, you’ll need a spot with very bright light coming through the window.

Seedlings also need an adequate but not excessive amount of water. Lifting transplant containers is often helpful when determining if they need water or not. When they feel lightweight, they likely need to be watered.

Use of a water-soluble 20-20-20 fertilizer, beginning when seedlings have their first true leaves, is often recommended. These fertilizers can be ordered. Alternatively, a half-and-half (1:1) mixture of the 24-8-16 and 15-30-15 water-soluble fertilizers commonly found in stores would produce a 20-19-16 fertilizer, which would probably be satisfactory. A dilute mixture of such fertilizer (approximately 1 teaspoon per gallon of water) could be applied once per week, or an even more dilute mixture (1 teaspoon in 5 gallons of water) could be used each time they’re watered.

When you get close to the time you plan to plant in the garden, take steps to harden off transplants.

While you prepare for your spring garden, keep in mind that you still have time to plant many cool-season vegetables. We can garden year-round in Louisiana.

Let me know if you have questions.

Click here for previous LSU AgCenter's Weekly Messages

Dr. Mary Helen Ferguson is an Extension Agent with the LSU AgCenter, with horticulture responsibilities in Washington and Tangipahoa Parishes. Contact Mary Helen at mhferguson@agcenter.lsu.edu or 985-277-1850 (Hammond) or 985-839-7855 (Franklinton).

LSU AgCenter's Weekly Message

For Beautiful Blooms, Consider More Manageable Alternatives to Commonly Grown Wisterias

You may have noticed wisteria blooming recently in yards and along roadsides. I find wisteria’s flowers lovely, but Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) and Japanese wisteria (W. floribunda) are quite aggressive and can overtake trees if not managed. They’re considered invasive by many.

If you choose to grow one of these, make sure you don’t let it spread into unmanaged areas. One option is to plant the vine by itself, in the middle of a mowed area. One can grow Chinese or Japanese wisteria on a trellis, but ensure that the trellis is very strong. Wooden structures may eventually collapse under wisteria’s weight.

It can be difficult to distinguish between Chinese and Japanese wisteria, though there are differences. Leaves of Japanese wisteria emerge earlier than those of Chinese wisteria. Chinese wisteria generally starts blooming before it leafs out. Flower clusters (racemes) of Japanese wisteria tend to be about 8 to 20 inches long, compared with 6 to 12 inches for Chinese wisteria. Japanese wisteria doesn’t generally have as many flowers at one time as Chinese wisteria does but flowers over a longer period. Chinese wisteria vines climb by twining counterclockwise, and Japanese wisteria twines in a clockwise direction.

While Chinese and Japanese wisterias are more common in landscapes, American wisteria (W. frutescens) is a non-invasive alternative that’s native to Louisiana and most of the eastern US. In the wild, it tends to grow on moist or wet sites such as streambanks. Flowering begins later in the spring than on Chinese and Japanese wisterias and continues during the summer. (Unlike the other two, American wisteria flowers primarily on new growth.) Flower clusters reach 4 to 6 inches long and support bees and butterflies. Adequate sun exposure is needed for good flower production. Cultivars include ‘Amethyst Falls’, which has lavender-purple flowers, and the white-flowered ‘Nivea’. American wisteria is considered hardy in USDA Hardiness Zones 5 through 9, so it’s suitable, temperature-wise, for most of Louisiana.

Another alternative to the more invasive wisterias is evergreen wisteria (Wisteriopsis reticulata; AKA Millettia reticulata or Callerya reticulata). This vine is native to Asia but isn’t as aggressive its Chinese and Japanese wisteria cousins. An additional feature is that it’s partially or fully evergreen in Zones 9 and 10. It’s cold hardy enough for Zone 8, too, but likely to lose its leaves in the winter there. Evergreen wisteria blooms in summer and fall, producing purple racemes that reach 6 to 10 inches long.

Evergreen wisteria isn’t considered a true wisteria but is a cousin within the bean or pea family (Leguminosae). Next week, I’ll discuss some other relatives, the indigos and wild or false indigos.

Let me know if you have questions.

Click here for previous LSU AgCenter's Weekly Messages

Dr. Mary Helen Ferguson is an Extension Agent with the LSU AgCenter, with horticulture responsibilities in Washington and Tangipahoa Parishes. Contact Mary Helen at mhferguson@agcenter.lsu.edu or 985-277-1850 (Hammond) or 985-839-7855 (Franklinton).

LSU AgCenter's Weekly Message

Use Good Techniques When Planting Trees and Shrubs

Fall is one of the best times to plant most types of trees and shrubs. With enough coddling, containerized plants can be installed at any time of year, but planting after temperatures cool in the fall gives them a good deal of time to establish their root systems before the hottest weather and greatest water demand occur the following year.

There are exceptions to the planting-containerized-trees-and-shrubs-in-the-fall-is-best rule. It’s advised that citrus trees be planted in January or February and that fig trees, which are more cold-sensitive when young, be planted just before bud break in late winter.

Like most types of containerized trees and shrubs, those sold in the balled-and-burlapped (B&B) form can be planted in the fall. Bare-root plants should be planted while they’re dormant.

When choosing a plant for a location or, vice versa, a location for a plant, make sure to match the plant to the site. Account for the amount of sun/shade the site gets, how wet or dry it is, how much space there is between it and a building or fence, if there’s a powerline overhead, and your USDA Plant Hardiness Zone (8B in most of the area, 9A on the southern end of Tangipahoa Parish).

Dig the planting hole at least twice as wide as the root ball but no deeper than its height. (For B&B plants, make the hole a little shallower than the height of the root ball.) We don’t want the root ball to sink as soil settles. If you accidentally dig the hole deeper than it needs to be, firm the soil in the bottom of the hole so that it won’t settle very much after the plant has been put in place.

If you’re planting a tree, the trunk flare should remain aboveground. Don’t bury the base of the trunk, as this can result in problems down the road.

Put the native soil that you’ve removed back into the planting hole rather than replacing it with soil conditioner, compost, etc. If you use some amount of such an amendment, mix it well with the native soil. For a plant to grow well in the long run, it will need to be able to grow roots in the native soil beyond the planting hole. Break up any clods in the soil that’s being put back in the hole.

If you’re planting containerized plants, watch for roots that have hit the edge of the container and started growing downward or begun to circle the root ball. Do not allow roots to continue growing in this manner. You can use pruning shears or another tool to shave off the outer edge of the sides of the root ball. (Doing this to the bottom of the root ball isn’t necessary. It’s most important that roots are able to grow horizontally near the surface of the soil.) On large, containerized root balls, removing a 1-inch-thick layer is usually appropriate.

Remove any stake (bamboo, metal, etc.) that came with the plant so that it won’t wound the plant as it grows. Most plants will not need to be staked, but if a plant is unable to stand on its own under windy conditions, an appropriate post-planting staking system can be used.

Two to four inches of mulch, such as pine straw or bark, is helpful for discouraging weed growth near plants. However, don’t place mulch so close to the plant that it comes in contact with the trunk. Avoid “volcano mulching.”

Water plants adequately while they’re getting established.

Let me know if you have questions.

Click here for previous LSU AgCenter's Weekly Messages

Dr. Mary Helen Ferguson is an Extension Agent with the LSU AgCenter, with horticulture responsibilities in Washington and Tangipahoa Parishes. Contact Mary Helen at mhferguson@agcenter.lsu.edu or 985-277-1850 (Hammond) or 985-839-7855 (Franklinton).

LSU AgCenter's Weekly Message

Should You Have Several Small Beds or One Large Garden?

A while back, someone suggested that I write an article comparing the attributes of multiple small vegetable beds and one large garden. I welcome suggestions and, as some of you may be preparing to plant a fall garden, I decided to address the topic now.

Small gardens are often raised bed gardens or even container gardens. The structure of these can help keep weeds out of the garden and avoid soil compaction. If raised beds are narrow enough that people can reach the centers from the sides, people rarely need to step in them. Furthermore, if people have mobility issues, the raised nature of these can be helpful.

Small garden plots can also simplify crop rotation. Rotating where we plant vegetables susceptible to the same pathogens is an important part of managing many diseases. If we have multiple small beds, it’s easy to keep track of what vegetable was planted in what plot and when. If we plant tomatoes in bed 1 in 2024, then with some basic notes, we can remember not to plant tomatoes in that bed for another three to four years. (With crop rotation, longer is generally better. Some disease-causing organisms will be gone within a year or two, while some can survive for many years. Even with those that survive for many years, the population will generally decrease over time.) Since the beds are physically separated, there is likely to be less of a chance that pathogens in the soil will move from one bed to another than that they would move from one row to another within the same bed. You’ll still need to be careful about cleaning tools between beds, though, as many pathogens can move from one place to another on equipment.

Raised beds are helpful where the ground tends to be too wet for an in-ground garden. While people often form raised rows in in-ground gardens, if the area tends to stay wet, it can still be difficult to get water to drain well enough from between rows.

Large gardens are generally in-ground gardens. These don’t require structural materials like the cinderblocks, wood, or other materials that we would use around raised beds, thereby eliminating that expense. While compost or another amendment might be purchased to spread in a thin layer on the garden and till into the soil to add organic matter, in-ground gardens likely won’t require as much expense as bringing in a soil-based or soilless substate for raised beds.

In large gardens, you can use a walk-behind tiller or implements pulled by a tractor (disc harrow, rototiller, etc.) to prepare the soil. If you have access to this type of equipment, this can make your work much easier. Raised beds will typically need to be worked with hand tools like shovels and hoes. (At the same time, working raised beds with shovels and hoes is likely to be easier than working an in-ground garden with the same equipment.)

Compared to multiple small beds that make up the same total growing area, one large garden will have fewer edges and less edge length around which to manage encroachment of grasses and other weeds. Even though you’d likely have cinderblocks, wood, or some other material around the smaller beds, which would help keep weeds out, you would still need to use a string trimmer or appropriate herbicide to maintain vegetation around them.

Irrigation is likely to be simpler in one large garden, whether you’re using a drip irrigation system or one or more sprinklers. (For disease management purposes, water early in the morning if you use sprinklers.)

In summary, the best option for a person or group of people will depend on several factors, such as how much total garden space they want, what supplies and equipment they have access to, any mobility limitations, and how well-drained the site is.

Let me know if you have questions.

Click here for previous LSU AgCenter's Weekly Messages

Dr. Mary Helen Ferguson is an Extension Agent with the LSU AgCenter, with horticulture responsibilities in Washington and Tangipahoa Parishes. Contact Mary Helen at mhferguson@agcenter.lsu.edu or 985-277-1850 (Hammond) or 985-839-7855 (Franklinton).

LSU AgCenter's Weekly Message

Distilling Information About Distyliums

It was just a few years ago, after I started working in my current job, that I learned about distyliums. These evergreen shrubs are suggested as alternatives for hedge and foundation plants like boxwoods, hollies, Indian hawthorn, Japanese privet, and junipers. Many commercially available varieties are hybrids between Distylium racemosum and D. myricoides. Some are just D. myricoides.

Distyliums have spreading, outward growth forms that are different from those of many plants used for hedges and foundation plants.

They grow in full sun to partial shade and produce small red flowers in late winter. Resistance to deer damage is one of the claimed attributes.

Cinnamon Girl distylium has been named a 2023 Louisiana Super Plant. The name relates to the reddish color of new growth. Leaves are green when mature.

Cinnamon Girl has smaller leaves than most distylium hybrids. It’s also one of the more compact distyliums. It’s advertised as reaching 2 to 3 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide, although a plant labeled as Cinnamon Girl has grown to 11 feet wide and 6 feet tall since being installed at the Hammond Research Station in 2018.

Other distyliums on the smaller side are Bayou Bliss, Blue Cascade, Cast in Bronze, Coppertone, Spring Frost, Swing Low, and Vintage Jade.

On the other end of the spectrum is Linebacker, which has a more upright form. Unlike most distylium hybrids, it tends to grow taller than wide. It’s advertised as growing to 8 to 10 feet tall, though specimens at the Hammond Research Station appear to have exceeded this range. One could use Linebacker as a tall evergreen hedge in place of something like Japanese privet or sweet viburnum.

Emerald Heights is smaller than Linebacker but grows taller than other mentioned varieties.

Let me know if you have questions.

Click here for previous LSU AgCenter's Weekly Messages

Dr. Mary Helen Ferguson is an Extension Agent with the LSU AgCenter, with horticulture responsibilities in Washington and Tangipahoa Parishes. Contact Mary Helen at mhferguson@agcenter.lsu.edu or 985-277-1850 (Hammond) or 985-839-7855 (Franklinton).

LSU AgCenter's Weekly Message

Lettuce is a Cool-Season Vegetable

I eat quite a bit of lettuce, and I expect that many of you do, too. Lettuce is not a very demanding vegetable, but it needs to be grown at the right time of year, and some types are easier to grow in our climate than others. Because we’re growing leaves when we grow lettuce, it will still produce in the presence of some shade, and it can be grown in containers.

In Louisiana, we can plant lettuce from mid-September through October and again between late January and early March. Once temperatures stay above approximately 85 degrees F for several days in a row in the spring, it tends to “bolt,” or produce a flower stalk, and become bitter. A bitter taste can result from hot weather alone, as well.

Lettuce varieties are divided into four groups: crisphead (iceberg), romaine (cos), butterhead (including bibb and Boston), and loose-leaf. I consider loose-leaf lettuce the most forgiving: It is generally ready to harvest sooner (in approximately 40 to 50 days) than the other types and, really, if you don’t mind eating smaller leaves, can be harvested anytime. Crisphead lettuce is on the other end of the spectrum. From the time of transplanting, it takes about 70 to 85 days to be ready for harvest. Crisphead lettuce tolerates handling well and has thus long been one of the more common types in grocery stores.

Recommended varieties of the different types follow. Loose-leaf: Grand Rapids, Nevada, New Red Fire, Oakleaf, Red Sails, Red Salad Bowl, Salad Bowl, Sierra, and Tango. Butterhead: Buttercrunch, Caliente, Esmeralda, Harmony, Skyphos, and Summer Bibb. Romaine: Cimarron Red, Cuore, Flashy Trout Back, Green Towers, Ideal, Parris Island Cos, and Red Eye. Crisphead: Crispino, Great Lakes, Ithaca (for spring planting), Keeper, Maverick, and Raider.

Loose-leaf lettuce seeds can be sown directly in the garden, but it’s best to transplant other types. If you grow lettuce from seed – in the garden or while growing transplants – be sure not to plant it too deeply. Some lettuce seeds need light to germinate, so barely cover them with soil. Keep the soil surface consistently moist while seeds germinate and plants get established.

For every 10 feet of row or 30 square feet, 0.5 pound (1 cup) 8-8-8 or 0.33 pound (0.67 cup) 13-13-13 can be mixed into the soil before planting. Side dress plants about 3 to 4 weeks after planting (when leaves are 2 to 4 inches wide) and, if desired, 10 to 14 days after that. Either 0.1 pound (0.2 cup) 33-0-0, 0.15 pound (0.25 cup) ammonium sulfate, or 0.2 pound (0.33 cup) calcium nitrate can be used each time, per 10 feet of row / 30 square feet. (A soil test can be taken to get more information about soil nutrient levels and pH.)

Romaine, butterhead, and crisphead lettuce can be planted 10 to 12 inches apart within a row. Loose-leaf lettuce seeds are often sown thicker than the desired final spacing and thinned to 4 to 12 inches between seedlings. Plant several times to extend the harvest.

Caterpillar pests and aphids can be problematic on lettuce, so watch for these.

Let me know if you have questions.

Click here for previous LSU AgCenter's Weekly Messages

Dr. Mary Helen Ferguson is an Extension Agent with the LSU AgCenter, with horticulture responsibilities in Washington and Tangipahoa Parishes. Contact Mary Helen at mhferguson@agcenter.lsu.edu or 985-277-1850 (Hammond) or 985-839-7855 (Franklinton).

LSU AgCenter's Weekly Message

There are Legions of Lilies

Many people end up with potted Easter lilies after Easter. Besides being attractive adornments for altar rails, Easter lilies are perennials in the landscape in most parts of Louisiana. Plant them in a well-drained site with full to partial sun exposure. They may benefit from some afternoon shade in our climate.

Plant them so that the bottom of the bulb is approximately 6 inches below the surface, considering both soil and mulch. For example, you can place the bulb 4 inches below the soil surface and then add 2 inches of mulch. I’ve seen plant spacing recommendations ranging from 4 to 18 inches. The bulbs will multiply if healthy, so planting them farther apart may delay when you’ll need to divide them.

The leaves of potted Easter lilies will generally die back sometime after they’re planted. Dead foliage can be removed. New growth will likely emerge, but you probably won’t get more flowers till the following year. Outdoors, Easter lilies flower later in the growing season than those that are “forced.”

Easter lilies are poisonous to cats, so be aware of this, especially if you have potted plants indoors.

Besides Easter lilies (Lilium longiflorum, L. wallichianum, and hybrids), there are other Lilium bulbs that can be grown in the Louisiana landscape. The Stargazer bulbs that my mother recently gave me are in a group referred to as the Oriental hybrids. These have resulted from crosses among different Lilium species. They have large, fragrant flowers and, among Lilium species and hybrids, are some of the more tolerant of our warm climate.

While many Lilium species are native to Asia, pine lily (L. catesbaei) and Carolina lily (L. michauxii) are native to Louisiana, including parts of the Florida Parishes.

Besides the many Lilium species, we call a lot of other plants lilies, too.

Peruvian lilies (Alstroemeria species and hybrids) are popular cut flowers. Most are not reliably hardy in the landscape in Louisiana, though parrot lily (A. psittacina) is naturalized in the southeastern US and spreads readily.

Less closely related to Lilium and Alstroemeria lilies are the popular daylilies (Hemerocallis spp.) and lilies of the Nile (Agapanthus spp.). Southern swamp lily or seven sisters (Crinum americanum) and spring spiderlily (Hymenocallis liriosme) are white-flowered wetland plants native to Louisiana that I would encourage you to consider planting in poorly drained areas of your yard. I recently saw spring spiderlilies flowering at the Louisiana State Arboretum near Ville Platte. Southern swamp lilies begin flowering a little later in the season.

Let me know if you have questions.

Click here for previous LSU AgCenter's Weekly Messages

Dr. Mary Helen Ferguson is an Extension Agent with the LSU AgCenter, with horticulture responsibilities in Washington and Tangipahoa Parishes. Contact Mary Helen at mhferguson@agcenter.lsu.edu or 985-277-1850 (Hammond) or 985-839-7855 (Franklinton).

LSU AgCenter's Weekly Message

It’s Time to Think About Fall Vegetables

The rains and lower temperatures of recent days have likely given some people thoughts of returning to the garden. It so happens that it’s time to think about planting fall vegetables.

You still have time to plant a last round of a few fast-maturing warm-season vegetables so that they can produce before the first freeze. Cucumbers, yellow squash, zucchini, and bush snap beans can be planted until mid-September. (Pole snap beans take a little longer to produce than bush beans do, so it’s recommended that they be planted by the end of August.)

While white (“Irish”) potatoes are considered a cool-season crop rather than a warm-season one, you can plant them between August and mid-September for a fall harvest.

Many of our cool-season vegetables can be planted in September and October. These include cabbage, kohlrabi, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, greens (collard, kale, mustard, turnip), radish, beets, carrots, lettuce, shallots, garlic, and green (“English”), sugar snap, and snow peas. Some of these can also be planted later in the fall.

If you want to give the garden a rest (and take a rest yourself), you might consider planting a fall cover crop. Cover crops can be used to build up soil organic matter, take nitrogen from the air and put it in the soil (in the case of plants in the bean family, or legumes), prevent loss of nutrients from the soil during the off-season (after adding compost or manure to the garden, for example), suppress weed growth, and prevent erosion. The first half of October is a time when many cool-season cover crop species – such as cereal rye, annual ryegrass, wheat, oats, hairy vetch, and crimson clover – can be planted.

Let me know if you have questions.

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Dr. Mary Helen Ferguson is an Extension Agent with the LSU AgCenter, with horticulture responsibilities in Washington and Tangipahoa Parishes. Contact Mary Helen at mhferguson@agcenter.lsu.edu or 985-277-1850 (Hammond) or 985-839-7855 (Franklinton).