Which Flowers to Plant For a Pop of Color?We get a lot of questions about what warm-season flowers to plant in Louisiana. Questions specifically about Baton Rouge, Slidell, Mandeville, and New Orleans. To help, we have compiled a list of some common flowers you can plant, along with the sun requirements, distance from other plants, and the average height of each species. Taking these into account will be the difference between struggling flowers and a thriving flower garden. We hope this helps with adding beautiful flowers to your landscape. Contact GreenSeasons for your landscape projects. List of Spring and Summer Flowers for Southern Louisiana:
^ Louisiana Super Plant
* Perennial
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 It seems more and more people are growing food at their homes. It is easy to understand why with both the price of food rising and the manipulation of food by large industries. Who doesn't want wholesome food for cheaper than you can pay at the store. What most people are finding out is it is pretty easy to grow food to supplement your regular grocery shopping. Growing your own food has the added benefit of getting your household excited about eating vegetables! Raised Vegetable Garden Building Supplies
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Where to Buy Louisiana Super Plants
Most nurseries will carry at least one or two Louisiana super plants. Click on this Louisiana super plant nursery list for names, locations, and phone numbers for all registered Louisiana super plant suppliers in the state. It would be best to call before you go to make sure they have the plants in stock since they have been known to sell out.
Additional Help
GreenSeasons is always proud to offer Louisiana super plants in any of our landscape designs. If you are looking for a landscape plan that focuses on using Louisiana super plants, just click here and we will give you a call.
If you would simply like some landscaping advice with Louisiana super plants, please contact us.
If you would simply like some landscaping advice with Louisiana super plants, please contact us.
Mums are a very popular choice for fall color in Baton Rouge, New Orleans and throughout South Louisiana. Mums have a large array of colors to choose from to brighten up dull areas in your garden landscape. There are two ways to have mums in your landscape and that would be to either plant them as a perennial or to buy mums every year as an annual. Buying them is as easy as going to any store with plants, but planting them and having your mums come back every year seems to give gardeners some trouble. We will go through some steps for mum success.
Caring for Mums
Location is important since it determines the amount of light your mum will receive. Mums should have eight hours of sunlight every day. Most varieties of mums can get by with a minimum of five hours, but would look much better with additional hours of sunlight. Also, if you have a choice, morning sunlight would be better if they are only getting around five hours.
Mums should be watered whenever you see signs of wilting or dry soil. Watering this way will average about three times per week in the absence of rain. A layer of mulch, even in a planter or pot, will help to keep your mums healthy. Do not water excessively since mums can get root rot and that would defeat the purpose of putting extra time into watering them.
Since mums flowering is so brief, they may not need additional fertilizer if they are in good soil. If you find they need a little something more, try a fertilizer with a higher rate of phosphorus (the middle number in the N-P-K numbering on all bags of fertilizer).
Mums should be watered whenever you see signs of wilting or dry soil. Watering this way will average about three times per week in the absence of rain. A layer of mulch, even in a planter or pot, will help to keep your mums healthy. Do not water excessively since mums can get root rot and that would defeat the purpose of putting extra time into watering them.
Since mums flowering is so brief, they may not need additional fertilizer if they are in good soil. If you find they need a little something more, try a fertilizer with a higher rate of phosphorus (the middle number in the N-P-K numbering on all bags of fertilizer).
How to Grow Mums in Louisiana
A lot of people will tell you to plant your potted mums in late October before the first frost of the year. The next time you hear this you can firmly tell them they are wrong. If you plant your mums in October, they rarely have enough time to develop their roots to survive the winter. You will have a much higher chance of success if you keep them potted during the first few frosty days and nights of the year. Move them inside during frosty nights until all of the blooms and leaves have fallen off. This shows the mum has gone dormant.
At this point you will want to plant the mum in the ground. Till the soil a good six inches deep to loosen it up and mix soil that drains well. Plant mums eighteen inches and two feet apart. Add mulch, leaves or garden debris up and over the base of the plant to prevent freezing. In late January or early February, prune the tops of the mums to under one and a half feet. Begin watering mums in early spring as they start getting their new growth and color. Apply some slow release fertilizer, 20-10-20, when the mums start to grow to ensure they take off. Your mums should be established then and will return for many years to add color to your home landscape.
Alternatively, you could leave them in pots in a climate controlled environment until the following spring if you have the room. That would also mean having what would look like a bunch of sticks in a pot with soil in your home for months and most people would not care to look at that for so long.
At this point you will want to plant the mum in the ground. Till the soil a good six inches deep to loosen it up and mix soil that drains well. Plant mums eighteen inches and two feet apart. Add mulch, leaves or garden debris up and over the base of the plant to prevent freezing. In late January or early February, prune the tops of the mums to under one and a half feet. Begin watering mums in early spring as they start getting their new growth and color. Apply some slow release fertilizer, 20-10-20, when the mums start to grow to ensure they take off. Your mums should be established then and will return for many years to add color to your home landscape.
Alternatively, you could leave them in pots in a climate controlled environment until the following spring if you have the room. That would also mean having what would look like a bunch of sticks in a pot with soil in your home for months and most people would not care to look at that for so long.
GreenSeasons is always glad to help with any concerns regarding your garden, landscape or flowers. If you would like for us to plant some flowers, shrubs or trees, just click here and we will give you a call.
If you would just like some more advice on flowers or landscaping, please contact us.
If you would just like some more advice on flowers or landscaping, please contact us.
Watermelon will grown on a large vine sprawling out from the seed you plant. The plant loves heat and sunlight. In southern Louisiana this means planting watermelon seeds in late March to Mid April for best results. There are two beautiful things about growing watermelon. First, once they start growing, they need very little attention. Second, they are great to eat!
| 1 2 | items to grow watermelon
steps to planting watermelonPick a spot. Make sure the area has full sun for at least 6 hours a day and good soil. If it doesn't have good soil, you can always add some new soil or compost. Time for some landscaping work. You can either build a gardening box or make crop rows. I will cover making a crop row today, but both choices work the same for growing watermelon. |  |
| 3 4 5 6 7 8 | Break up and remove any plants growing on top of the crop area. Till the soil and making sure to break up clumps of soil. If you have trouble doing this or are doing a large area, you can look into renting a gas powered tiller. Make Mounds of soil using your hoe. Space these three to six feet away from the next row.The raised soil will allow water to drain and air reach the plants roots. The lower areas retain more water also. Level off the tops of your mounds and use either your spade or your hand to make a narrow one inch deep hole for the watermelon seed. Put a few seeds in each hole and pull soil over the top of the hole until it is even with the rest of your mound. Do not press or pack in the soil on top of your seed. Instead, water the newly planted landscape bed using either your finger on the tip of the hose or a setting for your nozzle that imitates rainfall. For the next week, keep the soil around the seeds damp. About of a week or so later you will see signs of life. Get rid of any plants that look far worse than the others. This will allow for more nutrition for the strong plants. When your new watermelon plants are about 5 inches, add some mulch directly next to the young plants to keep away weeds. Make sure to not cover up your plant. I foresee a very difficult time for you if your plant isn't getting sunlight. You are in business once you start seeing flowers on your watermelon vines. You can now water your plants twice a week, but only if the soil is dry. If you have gotten a lot of rain in your area, chances are your plants have had enough to drink. Matter of fact, watermelons don't like having water around them. Excess water kind of leads to disease, fungus and sometimes death for the melons. If your watermelons are always wet, you can lay out a 2X4, a piece of tarp or flat rocks and sit your watermelon and its vines on top of them. Keep your garden free of weeds regularly so they don't block out the sun and consume the nutrients from your watermelons. Also, if you notice your watermelons looking discolored or weird you may have a fungus or bug problem. If you notice your plants or fruit missing, you have an animal or a people problem. If you plant your melons in April, they will probably be fully grown by August. Smaller melons will take less time while larger melons take longer. To check if they are done, flick the melon with your finger and if it makes a lower pitch sound, it is probably ready. You can also check the bottom of the melon. If the bottom is yellow, it should also be a good sign it is ready. Do not water your watermelon for five to seven days before harvesting. This will give a better sugar to water ratio in your melons so they will taste great! Cut the watermelon from the vine and enjoy your hard work. |
If you have any questions, please ask in the comments section below. We would love to hear from you.
What are the classifications of trees?
We will be discussing three different types:
Deciduous Trees
Basically trees which drop all of their leaves in winter. Examples would be maple, ash, elm.
Evergreen Trees
Trees which hold onto their leaves and stay green all year. Examples would be southern magnolia or Douglas Fir.
Tropical Trees
Think of these as trees or plants that have to be cut back or die if the temperature drops to freezing for more than a few days. Examples would be palm tree, banana tree.
Deciduous Trees
Basically trees which drop all of their leaves in winter. Examples would be maple, ash, elm.
Evergreen Trees
Trees which hold onto their leaves and stay green all year. Examples would be southern magnolia or Douglas Fir.
Tropical Trees
Think of these as trees or plants that have to be cut back or die if the temperature drops to freezing for more than a few days. Examples would be palm tree, banana tree.
When is Tree Planting Season?
Autumn
This is the best time to plant a deciduous tree. Between mid August to mid-October is the best time for a tree's root development. Planting a tree at this time will allow for the tree to adjust and come back strong the following spring.
Winter
When a tree is dormant, as in the leaves have all dropped, is the best time to transplant a tree. There is the least chance of the tree dying due to the stress of being transplanted. Be sure to water your plant if there is an absence of rain. Even though the tree has lost it's leaves, water is still needed to sustain it.
Spring
Spring is a great time to plant a tree, especially evergreen trees. The temperature is still generally mild for a long period of time and there is plenty of precipitation. There is a danger of root rot and fungus in areas having excessive rainfall.
Summer
New tree plantings should be avoided during this time of year. You should wait until the average temperature drops below 90 degrees. An exception to this would be tropical trees, such as bananas, and tropical plants in general, as summer is an excellent time to plant tropicals.
This is the best time to plant a deciduous tree. Between mid August to mid-October is the best time for a tree's root development. Planting a tree at this time will allow for the tree to adjust and come back strong the following spring.
Winter
When a tree is dormant, as in the leaves have all dropped, is the best time to transplant a tree. There is the least chance of the tree dying due to the stress of being transplanted. Be sure to water your plant if there is an absence of rain. Even though the tree has lost it's leaves, water is still needed to sustain it.
Spring
Spring is a great time to plant a tree, especially evergreen trees. The temperature is still generally mild for a long period of time and there is plenty of precipitation. There is a danger of root rot and fungus in areas having excessive rainfall.
Summer
New tree plantings should be avoided during this time of year. You should wait until the average temperature drops below 90 degrees. An exception to this would be tropical trees, such as bananas, and tropical plants in general, as summer is an excellent time to plant tropicals.
Author
Charlie Casselberry
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