By: Mandy Hatman
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As the days grow shorter and the air crisp, Louisiana gardens can burst with color and life thanks to native plants. These autumn stars not only provide beautiful fall interest but also support local ecosystems.

Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
Native to Louisiana, this shrub steals the show in autumn with its clusters of vibrant purple berries. The berries persist well into winter, providing food for birds and adding a pop of color to the landscape. Beautyberry thrives in partial shade to full sun and is drought-tolerant once established.

Gulf Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris)
This native grass, found naturally in Louisiana, produces a stunning display of pink to purple feathery plumes that catch the light beautifully in fall. It's drought-tolerant and attracts butterflies. Plant in full sun for the best color show.

Winged Sumac (Rhus copallinum)
Native to Louisiana, winged sumac offers brilliant red fall foliage and red fruit clusters that persist into winter. It's an excellent choice for attracting wildlife and adding autumn color to the landscape.

Late Purple Aster (Symphyotrichum patens)
This native aster, found throughout Louisiana, blooms in late summer through fall, providing nectar for pollinators preparing for winter. Its lavender to deep purple flowers are a beautiful addition to the autumn garden.

Oak Leaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia)
Native to the southeastern United States, including parts of Louisiana, this hydrangea offers multi-season interest. It truly shines in fall when its leaves turn brilliant shades of red, orange, and purple. It prefers partial shade and moist, well-drained soil.

By incorporating these native plants into your garden, you're not only creating a beautiful autumn landscape but also providing critical support for local wildlife. Remember, while fall is a great time to enjoy these plants, it's also an excellent time to plant them. Many natives establish well when planted in autumn, developing strong root systems over the winter to support vigorous
growth in spring.

 By: Mandy Hatman

Fall in Louisiana offers ideal conditions for many plants. The soil is still warm, encouraging root growth, while cooler air temperatures reduce stress on plants. Here's your guide to fall planting in the Pelican State.

Best Bulbs to Plant Now for Spring Blooms
In Louisiana's warm climate, many traditional spring bulbs need special care. Plant these in late November to early December:

• Narcissus (Daffodils): Choose heat-tolerant varieties like 'Carlton', 'Ice Follies', or 'Sweetness'.
• Louisiana Iris: Plant these native beauties in moist areas.
• Crinum Lilies: These heat-loving bulbs thrive in Louisiana.
• Amaryllis: Plant outdoors in south Louisiana for spring blooms.
• Tulips and Hyacinths: Pre-chill these bulbs for 6-8 weeks before planting. Treat as annuals in Louisiana's warm climate.

Cool-Season Vegetables for Louisiana Gardens
Plant these from September to February, depending on the specific vegetable:

• Leafy Greens: Lettuce, spinach, collards, mustard greens, and Swiss chard
• Root Vegetables: Carrots, radishes, turnips, and beets
• Brassicas: Broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage
• Alliums: Onions and garlic (plant October to December)
• Peas: English and snow peas (plant September to October)

Trees and Shrubs That Thrive When Planted in Louisiana's Fall
Fall is the best time to plant woody plants in Louisiana. Plant these from October to March:

• Deciduous Trees: Southern live oak, bald cypress, southern magnolia
• Fruit Trees: Citrus, figs, persimmons (plant in early spring in north Louisiana)
• Shrubs: Azaleas, camellias, viburnums, and native hollies

Planting Tips for Louisiana

• Prepare soil well, incorporating organic matter. Louisiana soils benefit from added compost.
• In south Louisiana, create raised beds to improve drainage in heavy soils.
• Water thoroughly after planting and monitor moisture levels, especially if rainfall is scarce.
• Apply a layer of mulch to regulate soil temperature and retain moisture.
• For vegetables, consider using row covers to protect from unexpected cold snaps.
• Follow LSU AgCenter guidelines for specific planting dates in your region of Louisiana.

By taking advantage of Louisiana's fall planting season, you'll set your garden up for a beautiful spring display and a productive cool-season vegetable harvest. Remember to adjust planting times based on your specific location within the state.

Happy planting, Louisiana gardeners!

I'm a bushy annual native to Africa and Asia, happiest in a woodland bed, shady border, hanging baskets or in a patio planter. Container plants may be brought indoors for winter bloom. In Zone 9, I can be seeded directly outdoors in early spring. In Zones 10 and 11, I may overwinter. I can tolerate some morning sun, but need shade from the heat of the afternoon sun in hot climates. My soil needs to be well-drained, but moist.

My main attraction is my small lilac-blue, pink, rose, white or burgundy flowers, and mint-looking mounding foliage. Inside my upper and lower-lobed lips, a pair of fused yellow stamens resemble a poultry wishbone, giving me my nickname. My size ranges from six to twelve inches tall, and just as wide.

My seeds need light to germinate, so cover lightly or press gently into moistened soil. Germination occurs at 10 to 15 days at 70 degrees. Pinch back the growing tip of my stem to encourage branching. Keep me watered, cool, and with good air circulation. My "Summer Wave" series is tolerant of heavy rains, heat, and occasional dry soil. Do you know what plant I am?



Torenia fourieri : Wishbone flower, Clown rose, Blue torenia

Patience.

This is probably one of the hardest virtues for someone to achieve, especially when it comes to dealing with plants and hard freezes. Almost everyone in Acadiana has had some type of freeze injury to plants in their landscapes. Many of you have already pulled up some of the brown plants that were injured but maybe you should have had a little more patience and given the plants a chance to recover on their own. If your budget allows you to move along faster than Mother Nature, that is okay but for many patience is your key.

I was at a home yesterday, the client's fire bush was brown, and he had pulled back all the mulch away and wanted me to take a closer look. At first, I thought the plant was dead but as I got down on my knees and looked closer, I saw evidence of small reddish leaves coming up at the base of one of the branches. You need to remember that the roots of plants benefited from the warm soil temperature and received little to no damage from the cold. That being said, all the stored food in the root system will be going into those buds that survived the cold and the plant will take off and begin to fill in the space it once occupied last year.

The citrus in your yard follow the same trend. Have patience and wait to see if any small buds begin to appear on the trunk and branches of your trees, then prune the dead wood above the new growth.

Some palm trees may not send up a new spear leaf until August or September so remember to practice Patience!

Hello Master Gardeners,
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April presents us with more opportunities to expand our gardening activities. April affords us additional warm or hot-weather vegetables to plant. April allows us to plant many vegetables that will be more productive if planted this month instead of waiting. The earlier certain vegetables are planted, the more productive they are. Especially if they can avoid very high temperatures when they are at the peak of their productive cycle and also if they are less challenged by insect pests. Vegetables that are recommended to be planted in April are cantaloupe, collards, corn, cucumber, eggplant transplants, snapbeans, Southern peas, squashes, watermelon and tomato transplants. Tomatoes are staked to keep the plants form sprawling on the ground where the fruit would be more likely to rot. Wait for the first flowers to appear, and place the stake on the opposite side of the plant’s stem. All of the flower clusters will grow from the same side of the stem and this will keep developing fruit from getting caught between the stake and the stem.

For those who love to plant herbs, basil, sesame, lemon balm, mints, lemon grass, lemon verbena and rosemary can be planted in April. Excellent hot weather vegetables that can be planted in late April include eggplant, peanuts, pumpkin, Southern peas, hot pepper, lima beans, luffa gourds, and okra.

Pruning of spring flowering shrubs such as spirea, viburnum, quince, azalea, camellia, jasmine and mock orange can be done as soon as they complete their blooming period. Remember though, that pruning should be the result of a specific purpose. Unless you are trying to achieve a clipped formal hedge, pruning should be done to preserve the natural shape of the shrub. Clipping or shearing creates a hedge look, but if you’re trying to lower the height of a shrub, selective pruning should be done by taking the tallest branch or shoot and lowering it by cutting down into the shrub. Then take the next longest and continue this procedure, moving on to the next tallest branch until the shrub is lowered to the desired height. By selectively pruning, you preserve the more natural shape of the shrub instead of shearing across the top making it look more like a hedge.

Be sure to mulch newly planted beds or shrubs or bedding plants with a 1 -2 inch layer of leaves, pine straw, pine bark, or other organic material. The benefits of mulching include suppression or control of weeds, conservation of moisture, reduced soil compaction, and improved soil structure. As mulch decomposes, it provides nutrients to the plants and moderates soil temperatures.

Generally, during hot dry weather spider mites become active and the damage may show up on many vegetables and ornamentals. Spider mites are not easily detected by the naked eye. Using a magnifying glass to inspect the plants, look for tiny red or green eight-legged mites. The foliage of infested plants appears dull, dusty and unhealthy, and eventually turns brown. The spider mites are located primarily under the leaves. Spray with a horticultural oil, insecticidal soap, Malathion or a miticide called Kelthane.

Plant caladiums this month. Caladiums are excellent for shady areas and combine beautifully with ferns, begonias, liriope, impatiens, hosta and coleus. Some outstanding perennials that many nurseries have available at this time of the year in gallon containers include perennial salvia, bee balm, butterfly weed, chrysanthemum, coneflower, coreopsis, four – o’clock, gaillardia, gerbera daisy, daylily, mallow, Goldsturm rudbeckia, sedum, Shasta daisy, stokesia, verbena, yarrow, and violets. Even though some nurseries may still have cool season annuals for sale, think twice before purchasing those for transplanting since cool season annuals will struggle in hot temperatures. Even though petunia will tolerate some heat, even the heat-tolerant ones like the Wave series may last longer but still tend to struggle in the intense heat in late June and into July and August.

Azaleas with leaves that have tiny light spots all over them have been attacked by the azalea lace bugs. Treat with Malathion or Orthene (acephate) as needed through the summer and fall. Any damage that has already occurred will not go away, but insecticide applications will prevent further damage. Spray crape myrtles with mancozeb, chlorothalonil, or other labeled fungicides to control powdery mildew. Powdery mildew appears as a white powdery material on the leaves. Unlike many fungus diseases that are worse during rainy weather patterns, this disease is favored by humid, warm weather without rain. Powdery mildew can also be a problem on a variety of other landscape plants such as dogwood, euonymus, gerbera daisy, rose and hydrangea.

Master Gardeners, the time has come for me to bid you all good bye. Beginning in 1976 immediately after college, I began going to work every day hoping make a difference in the lives of people. As a young person beginning a career in a profession that serves people, I was told by someone older and wiser than myself to always remember that people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Thank you all for caring, and I hope my attitude with each of you individually and collectively reflected how much I cared. The Lafayette Parish Master Gardeners Association will continue to serve and thrive because of each of you. Your passion for serving others speaks volumes for how much you care. Let us all look ahead with the greatest amount of optimism possible, and never look back with regrets. Thank each you for making me better as a person. I’m light years ahead of where I was when I came to you all in January of 2010. Thanks also to the LSU/Southern Universities AgCenters for giving me a chance. To the Evangeline, St. Landry, and Lafayette Parish Extension Staffs, I hope I’ve given you all as much as you all gave me. I feel that you gave me all the support and encouragement that a person could ever expect.

​FAREWELL!!!