Sweet peas are an excellent cool-season annual for Louisiana. The flowers are popular for cutting and bundling because they come in an array of colors and have an intoxicating scent. Seeds should be sown directly in the garden in October or transplanted from containers in November. Sweet peas are vines so the plants need support (fence, netting, etc.) or a trellis to grow on. Sweet peas start blooming in late March and last up to two months, longer if deadheaded regularly.

(Distributed 09/08/08) Louisiana’s commercial ornamental horticulture industry received significant but not major damage from the effects of Hurricane Gustav, according to experts at the LSU AgCenter.

A demonstration of different landscape mulch materials is on-going at the Hammond Research Station. Here are photos of the different mulches currently being evaluated. More to come!!!

Nursery and Landscape Notes is a quarterly newsletter for Louisiana's green industry professionals. It includes production information for nursery growers and cultural practice recommendations for landscape contractors. New plant information is also included.

Forty three coleus varieties were trialed in landscape evaluation plots at the Hammond Research Station in 2008. Top performers were Red Hot Rio, Big Red Judy, Zen Moment, Lancelot, Ruby Ruffles, Mariposa, Henna, Indian Summer (not pictured), Royal Glissade, Pineapple Splash and Fishnet Stockings. Here is a photo gallery. Results are based on plant vigor, foliage attractiveness, and resistance to flowering. Plants were grown in full sun.

Louisiana and the southeastern United States has an abundance of native plants that have potential for ornamental and fruit crop use. One of these that LSU AgCenter personnel have been investigating in recent years is the pawpaw.

A new coleus for shade has been impressive in LSU AgCenter trials at Burden Center in Baton Rouge.

Interest in daylilies is still strong despite rust problems over the past several years. New daylily selections and All-American daylily winners need to be evaluated in the Gulf South for landscape performance.

The newest ornamental sweet potato cultivars are the 'Sweet Caroline' series. These are being evaluated in LSU AgCenter landscape plant trials.

A written overview of plants being evaluated in the sun garden landscape area at the Hammond Research Station in 2008.

Ornamental gingers encompass a diverse and versatile group of plants that are gaining increased popularity in the flowering pot plant, landscape and cut flower markets. They have showy and attractive foliage and flowers, which make them interesting ornamentals.

Impatiens are colorful summer-flowering annuals that provide season-long color in landscape and home gardens. The 2006 impatiens trial conducted at the LSU AgCenter Hammond Research Station evaluated some of the latest release of mini impatiens, trailing impatiens, double impatiens and New Guinea impatiens. Landscapers and gardeners can choose impatiens for shade or sun areas according to the trial results.

Violas, a close relative to the pansy but with smaller flowers, can provide a mass of color on the darkest winter day. Several viola series perform well in Louisiana, but sometimes it's difficult to choose the viola you want with so many series and colors available. The pictures included on this page are all from the annual bedding plant trials performed at the Burden Center in Baton Rouge.

A two-acre camellia garden at the LSU AgCenter’s Hammond Research Station is now open again, thanks to the efforts of the Tangipahoa Parish Master Gardeners.

Studies of water distribution uniformity and fertigation uniformity with sprinkler irrigation were conducted in a commercial container nursery. The first phase of the study consisted of determining water uniformity for two sprinkler heights. The second phase consisted of determining fertilizer application uniformity.

Application of herbicides formulated on granular carriers is a common practice in container nurseries. Depending on the container arrangement and plant species, a high percentage of the material applied may not be retained in the containers - particularly when the material is applied with a broadcast rotary spreader, as is a common practice.

Information on azaleas includes recommended cultural practices and other keys to be successful with this popular plant in your landscape efforts.

One of the great groups of ornamental plants introduced in 2004 was the ‘Crimson’ series of azaleas from Country Pines Nursery in Forest Hill, La.

The objective of this project is to evaluate garden performance of a diverse collection of ornamental bananas. This will benefit both the ornamental plant production industry and the home consumer market.

Information on economic and marketing projections for nursery/floral crop producers in Louisiana for 2008. A national outlook is also provided.

Colorful Caladiums are popular summer accents in our area; however, certain varieties are more suited to certain landscape conditions than others, and proper variety selection appropriate to the planting site is the key to achieving desired effects. The 2006 caladium trial at the Hammond Research Station documented 30 varieties for their early- and late-season performances as well as sun tolerance.

With the new ornamental horticulture program initiated at the Hammond Research Station, more herbaceous perennial varieties were tested in 2005. This report presents trial resutls that commercial growers and consumers may find useful.

The newest series of crape myrtles are the 'Razzle Dazzle' series. There are hybrids and are dwarf in form. Landscape performance evaluations are underway at the LSU AgCenter.

On the last couple years, a number of new Liriope muscari and Liriope gigantea cultivars have been released. These are being evaluated in landscape performance trials at the Hammond Research Station.

A new 20-acre site at the LSU AgCenter's Burden Center in Baton Rouge is now home to commercial ornamental and turfgrass activities to benefit Louisiana's green industry.

In the summer of 2000, daylily rust was reported for the first time in the United States. It has since spread across most of the country and continues to present problems for home gardeners, commercial landscapers and daylily growers.

This bibliography was compiled at a time of increasing concerns about the health status of baldcypress forests in Louisiana and beyond. This bibliography intends to provide researchers, decision makers and forestry professionals with a comprehensive reference in this subject. (PDF Format Only)

The green industry is the production, sale and maintenance of ornamental plants and related products. The purpose of this study was to estimate the impact of the green industry on Louisiana’s economy.

The flowering dogwood (Cornusflorida) is native to much of the eastern United States. Dogwood is a very versatile ornamental tree. This publication includes information on plant selection, watering, fertilization, disease and pest control for dogwoods.

This publication includes information on the planting, fertilization, pruning, failure to flower, insects and diseases, and varieties of crape myrtles.

LSU AgCenter experts say soil contamination in Jefferson and Orleans parishes from flooding after this summer’s hurricanes may not be as serious as originally feared. Initial results of tests conducted in October indicate no need for special preparations to the soils prior to planting and that there should be no danger for individuals digging or planting in the soil.