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| Fall color in New Orleans is often found in tropicals such as this Croton 'Petra,' which makes a vibrant potted accent. |
Plan to spend lots of time in your yard this month as the temperatures start to cool and we begin our most active gardening season in New Orleans. Fall is prime planting time for Louisiana gardeners -- not just for cool-season annuals but for perennials, shrubs and trees as well.
If you're looking for inspiration for your landscape project, consider visiting the Fall Garden Show October 20-21 at the New Orleans Botanical Garden in City Park. This annual event offers great educational programs, an outstanding selection of plants for sale, beautiful garden displays, plant health clinic, kids discovery area and a whimsical scarecrow trail.
The Master Gardeners of Greater New Orleans will host an exhibit on organic gardening, where you'll find tips on how to cultivate a more environment-friendly garden. Through the generosity of the Chevron Tree Farm, the Master Gardeners will also give away 100 trees, including eight species suitable for our area. The trees will be distributed on a first-come/first-serve basis, one per family.
In addition, the Master Gardeners will sell the new 2008 Get It Growing Calendar published by the LSU AgCenter. It's loaded with month-by-month gardening tips from Dan Gill and colorful photos of Louisiana plants and gardens. Visit the Master Gardener exhibit at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 20th, when Dan Gill will be on hand to personally sign your calendar. Look for the MG exhibit in the Lath House directly across from the Garden Study Center.
Until we see you at the Garden Show, please explore the many timely topics we share in the October GNO Gardener. Look for tips on digging caladiums, planting sweet peas, growing garlic, treating brown patch and much more.
Happy Halloween!
The Flower Garden | The Edible Garden | The Healthy Garden | The Garden Shed
Favorite Field Trips | Plant Sales & Gardening Classes | General Information
It’s time to:
-
Finish
digging up your caladiums by mid-October. Leave the foliage attached and lay them out to dry after brushing off any dirt. Store bulbs in a frost-free location in boxes, paper or net bags. If your bed is well drained and mulched, you may consider leaving the bulbs in the ground.
- Plant some cool-season bedding annuals: alyssum*, annual phlox, calendula*, dianthus, larkspur*, petunia, nicotiana, poppies*, snapdragon, sweet pea*and Virginia stock* (*direct seed). But it's still too early for pansies and violas, which are prone to fungus diseases that can cause root rot during hot, wet weather. Wait until November to introduce these fall favorites to your landscape.
- Overseed your lawn with annual or perennial rye this month or in November to keep your lawn green through the winter. Evenly spread about 10 pounds per 1000 square feet over a newly mowed lawn. Water every day or two if the weather is dry, and don't mow until you see the rye grass emerging.
- Begin planning which new trees and shrubs you want to add to your landscape. Prime planting season for hardy trees and shrubs begins in November and runs through March.
- Dig, divide and transplant perennials except those that are blooming now or will bloom in the fall.
- Plant new perennials, ground covers and hardy perennial vines now through early December.
- Start collecting leaves that begin to drop from deciduous trees. Store in plastic bags to use as mulch or add to your compost pile.
- Lightly fertilize bulbs now in active growth: Louisiana iris, calla and spider lily.
Early fall gardening tips from LSU AgCenter experts follow:
Fall Gardening: Preserve Your Lawn, Plant Some Flowers. Louisiana gardeners are just as active in the fall as they are the rest of the year. And the LSU AgCenter has a wealth of information to help you keep your landscaping green and blooming year-round.
Top-performing Petunias, Violas, Pansies Named In Cool-Season Trials. The LSU AgCenter has named the top performing petunias, violas and pansies in its evaluation of 200 cool-season cultivars tested between September 2006 and May 2007 at the Burden Center in Baton Rouge. [Allen Owings, LSU AgCenter]
Growing Sweet Peas. Sweet peas are excellent cut flowers for spring in Louisiana. The flowers are delightfully scented and come in an array of colors. Seeds can be sown directly into the garden in October. View sweet pea photo gallery. [Anthony Witcher, LSU AgCenter]
Look For Fall Decorations In Your Landscape. There are a lot items in nature that can help you dress up your home for fall. Look for things such as seed pods, dried flower heads and pine cones. [Dan Gill, LSU AgCenter, audio]
Rose Enthusiasts Can Expect A Fall Display This Month. Roses in Louisiana typically bloom beautifully in October and November. If you pruned your roses back in August or September, there is not much pruning needed now. You will need to deadhead your roses after they fade. This keeps the rose bush looking fresh and attractive. [Dan Gill, LSU AgCenter, audio]
Ornamental Grasses Ideal For Low-Maintenance Landscapes. Ornamental grasses are an often-overlooked group of herbaceous perennials that thrive in our climate and will grow beautifully with minimal effort. [Dan Gill, LSU AgCenter]
It’s time to:
- Plant transplants of these vegetables: beets, broccoli (by mid-month), cabbage, carrots, cauliflower (by mid-month), celery, Chinese cabbage, collards, garlic toes, kale, kohlrabi, leaf and semiheading varieties of lettuce, leeks, mustard, onions, radishes, shallots, Swiss chard.
- Plant cool-season annual and perennial herbs: rosemary, parsley, sage, thyme, oregano, French tarragon, chives, garlic chives, borage, burnet, cilantro, mints, lemon balm, lavender, catnip and dill.
Gardeners Have Many Options When Planting Vegetables This Month. Many great vegetables can be planted this time of the year. Transplants of broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower are available at local nurseries. Root crops can be direct-seeded into the garden. [Dan Gill, LSU AgCenter, audio]
Garlic Is Critical To Louisiana Cuisine. It is easy to grow, and now is the time to plant it. Choose a well-prepared bed in a sunny area with good drainage. Garlic can be planted through the month of October and into early November. [Dan Gill, LSU AgCenter, audio]
Fresh-grown Herbs Can Spice Up Your Cooking. Gardeners can plant a wide variety of herbs in their gardens this time of the year. A few plants provide a big harvest, so there is no need to plant more than you can use. [Dan Gill, LSU AgCenter, audio]
Proper Harvesting And Storage Of Pecans Improves Quality. Pecans should be harvested soon after they fall. A lot of things can happen to pecans on the ground. Loss from wet weather and hurricanes can be a serious problem. Wet pecans can deteriorate rapidly on the ground if the weather remains warm. [John Pyzner, LSU AgCenter]
Gather more tips for your edible garden from the LSU AgCenter publication, Louisiana Vegetable Planting Guide.
Louisiana's Suggested Chemical Weed Control Guide. This guide includes helpful information on herbicides and weed control with detailed suggestions for aquatics, commercial nursery stock, field crops, forestry, fruit crops, home gardens, lawns and many other Louisiana crops. It includes information on different types of herbicide registrations, as well as information on herbicide labels and restricted uses. Also included are sprayer calibration techniques, suggestions for reducing herbicide drift and a guide to proper spray tip selection. [Paul Vidrine, LSU AgCenter]
Brown Patch Can Be A Problem In The Fall. Brown patch is a fungal infection that affects lawn grasses, especially St. Augustine. It likes cool, mild and damp weather conditions. Watch for discolored areas in the lawn. [Dan Gill, LSU AgCenter, audio]
Falling Leaves – Pretty, But Dangerous To Waterways. Grass clippings are a constant in yard maintenance, but fall introduces falling leaves into the mix. Many years, the nuisance is worse because hurricanes or tropical storms defoliate more trees sooner. Leaves and lawn clippings not only are a nuisance to clean up, they are potentially a surface-water pollutant. [Thomas Koske, LSU AgCenter]
Leaf Blowers: Selection, Use and Safety. Leaf blowers are an efficient and effective grounds maintenance tool. They are widely used by homeowners and professionals to clean up after mowing, move leaves and other lawn trash, and clean patios, porches, sidewalks and driveways. Studies have shown that blowers are more efficient than other methods such as raking, sweeping or hosing with water. [Richard L. Parish, LSU AgCenter]
Leaf Blowers: Good Or Bad? For many homeowners and grounds maintenance professionals, hand-held or backpack leaf blowers are a wonderful invention. Other people consider leaf blowers a terrible nuisance that should be outlawed. [Richard L. Parish, LSU AgCenter]
Katrina Recovery Gardens Tour
Sunday, October 14
2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Botanical Garden - Garden Study Center
Four New Orleans homeowners have graciously opened their gardens for your visit. Each garden had been devastated by Katrina’s floodwaters. Come see their recovery and meet the intrepid homeowners who restored beauty to their gardens. $10 tour also includes entry to the New Orleans Botanical Garden. Register online. For more information, call (504) 483-9386.
- Jerry Scavo/Kenny Walker 67 Versailles Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70125
- Mr. & Mrs. Ron Fisk (Pratt Gardens) 4801 Pratt Drive, New Orleans, LA 701223
- The Stone Home 49 Allard Drive, New Orleans, LA 701194
- Bonnie & Harry Smith 343 28th Street, New Orleans, LA 70124
Support our local Farmer's Markets. There are several good ones in our area:
- Crescent City Farmer's Market
Tuesdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Uptown Square, 200 Broadway
Saturdays 8 a.m. to 12 noon
Downtown 700 Magazine Street at Girod
- Gretna Farmer's Market
Every Saturday 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Huey P. Long Avenue between 3rd and 4th Streets in Gretna
- Upper 9th Ward Farmer's Market
Every Saturday
1 pm - 4 pm
3500 St Claude ("Holy Angels")
482- 5722
Second Saturday Plant Sale - Mums
October 13, 2007
9 a.m. to noon
Parkway Partners
1137 Baronne St., New Orleans 70113 (corner of Clio and Baronne)
Plant Sale - Fall Garden Show
New Orleans Botanical Garden
October 20-21, 2007
10:00 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Shop unusual and native plants throughout the Botanical Garden and Garden Show. Admission is $6 adults, $2 children 5-12, free for children under 5 and Friends of City Park.
Good Bugs, Bad Bugs, What's Eating Your Garden
Thursday, October 11, 2007
7 p.m.
New Orleans Botanical Garden Study Center
Gardening Arts series sponsored by the Selley Foundation. Admission is $10. Register online. For more information, call (504) 483-9386. More educational events at the NOBG.
Wholistic Gardening
Monday, October 15
7 p.m.
New Orleans Botanical Garden Study Center
What do you get when you combine aspects of stretching exercises for flexibility, “power gardening” tips for fitness, visualization and guided imagery for peace of mind, plus sharing plants and teaching techniques for community building? Wholistic Gardening! Sharon Henry is a Louisiana Master Gardener, a clinical social worker with thirty years experience, and currently teaches stress management practices through Louisiana Spirit for Hurricane Katrina recovery. Admission is $10. Register online. For more information, call (504) 483-9386. More educational events at the NOBG.
Holiday Decorating
Thursday, October 25th
Noon
New Orleans Botanical Garden Study Center
Learn from the experts who help decorate Celebration in the Oaks how to use natural materials from your garden to make your home an inviting place to celebrate the holidays. Mary Ellen Miller, past president of the Federated Council of Garden Clubs of Louisiana, gives so much to City Park and all New Orleanians through organizing the Scarecrow Trail at the Fall Garden Show and the garden club Christmas wreath project during the holidays. Admission is $10. Register online. For more information, call (504) 483-9386. More educational events at the NOBG.
We know what it means to garden in Orleans ... Jefferson, Plaquemines and St. Bernard too!
Master Gardeners of Greater New Orleans
Serving Orleans, Jefferson, Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes