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(06/24/22) With temperatures in the triple digits all week and no rain, our plants are definitely suffering.
(06/17/22) This week’s full moon drew many people out to sit in awe of the bright, beautiful moon. It reminded me of moon gardening.
(Video 06/27/22) Groundcover plants can help fill in large spaces with nice texture and color. A good one to grow is sandy leaf fig ivy.
(Video 06/20/22) So you’ve decided to plant cherry tomatoes in hanging containers. There are lots of varieties to choose from.
(Video 06/13/22) LSU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard explains how Sunpatiens handle direct sunlight well and bloom through the summer.
(Video 06/10/22) On this Get It Growing, LSU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard explains why perennial salvias are the summer 2022 Super Plant.
(06/10/22) Extend your living space outdoors by establishing zones with dedicated purposes in your landscape.
(06/03/22) Impatiens have been the go-to annual bedding plant for decades to provide bright, beautiful flowers in partial to heavily shaded areas.
(Video 05/30/22) For years, Mexican milkweed has been a popular plant to attract monarch butterflies. But, native Louisiana milkweed is better.
(05/27/22) Salvias are an excellent addition to warm-season landscapes, with a wide range of colors and sizes available.
(Video 05/23/22) Ornamental sweet potatoes offer beautifully colored foliage that works nicely to fill in spaces in your garden or landscape.
(05/20/22) Offering the best of the ornamental and edible worlds, the Treasure Island series of sweet potatoes has brightly colored vines that thrive in summer.
(05/13/22) Leaves of three, let it be; leaves of five, let it thrive.
(05/06/22) If you are looking for a small, flowering shrub that tolerates drought and heat while attracting pollinators, look no further than bluebeard.
[Video](5/16/22) LSU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard explains how to care for this beautiful shrub.
[Video](5/9/22) LSU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard explains why daylilies are such a great choice and how you can help them grow well.
(04/29/22) Are you looking for reliable, easy-care color for the landscape this summer? Look for new and improved petunias that tolerate the heat.
[Video](5/2/22) LSU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard explains how the beautiful supertunia could be a super selection for flowers in your garden.
[Video](4/25/22) LSU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard recommends some of the top tomato varieties.
Plants perform best when they are getting the optimum amount of sunlight, appropriate amounts of water and plenty of essential nutrients for good growth.
(04/14/22) Spring brings many beautiful flowers, but none more beautiful than the lily.
[Video](4/11/22) Horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard introduces you to a beautiful rose whose name is linked to a Louisiana gardener and to a disaster.
[Video](4/18/22) Heather Kirk-Ballard discusses how you can maximize the blooms on this easy-care vine that attracts pollinators to your yard.
(04/08/22) Vines are often overlooked, but can create unique looks by adding a vertical dimension to the landscape.
3/28/22) LSU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard introduces you to the latest Louisiana Super Plant — the beautiful and native Louisiana iris.
[Video](4/4/22) LSU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard discusses some gorgeous plants that provide flowers that are all uniquely blue.
(04/01/22) Peggy Martin roses — one of the most beautiful, easy-care roses of the South — are in their prime right now.
(03/25/22) Louisiana iris (Iris spp.) has been named the spring 2022 Louisiana Super Plant selection by the LSU AgCenter.
(03/18/22) Live oaks are very active this time of year — putting out pollen and shedding leaves from the canopy to produce new leaves.
[Video](3/21/22 )Heather Kirk-Ballard and vegetable specialist Kathryn Fontenot discuss the use of cover crops and green manure to enhance the soil.
[Video](3/14/22) Heather Kirk-Ballard and vegetable specialist Kathryn Fontenot discuss the economic benefits of compost and manures for the garden.
(03/11/22) Fertilizer prices are skyrocketing. Try alternative ways of providing nutrients to your garden.
(3/4/22) A statewide search for the best photos of Louisiana’s gardens, flowers, trees and vegetables is drawing to a close.
(03/04/22) Retail garden centers are beginning to fill with beautiful, fragrant spring bedding plants.
[Video](3/7/22) LSU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard explores why some live oaks produce aggravating suckers around the base of the tree.
[Video](2/28/22) LSU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard gives you some ideas for beautiful and fragrant plants that will grow well in the spring.
(02/25/22) As winter draws to a close and we eagerly anticipate warmer weather and the longer days of spring, it’s time to get to work in our lawns and gardens.
(02/18/22) Ever see different colored flowers on the same plant? Or has your variegated plant turned solid green? Strange changes in plants can be explained.
[Video](2/21/22) Heather Kirk-Ballard explains the unexpected surprise that Camellias can offer.
[Video](2/14/22) Heather Kirk-Ballard explains how you can plant trees and shrubs that help feed the birds.
February is National Bird-feeding Month, and this year’s theme is “Winter Comforts — Feed the Birds and Keep Them Happy and Healthy.”
(02/04/22) Think beyond the typical bouquet of red roses for Valentine’s Day this year. Live plants and other gardening gifts make great, unique alternatives.
[Video](2/7/22) Heather Kirk-Ballard explains on this edition of Get it Growing, now is actually a great time to prune and plant trees and shrubs.
[Video](1/31/22) LSU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard explains why it’s very important to cover your plants the correct way.
(01/28/22) Water is Louisiana’s most abundant resource, and shoreline loss can be a real problem for some homeowners and landowners.
(01/21/22) Flowering shrubs and small flowering trees serve important roles in the landscape.
[Video](1/24/22) Heather Kirk-Ballard introduces you to some cool season plants that are not only edible, but also provide beautiful color and texture.
[Video](1/17/22) LSU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard explains how setting gardening goals can help you improve your health
(01/14/22) Citrus holds year-round interest in the garden and landscape.
(01/07/22) Increasing the amount of time you spend gardening this year can help you achieve various New Year's resolutions.
(12/23/21) A foundation planting is the placement of plants in beds that frame the home. Design yours carefully.
(12/17/21) One of the most important factors that influences a garden’s success is the weather.
[Video](12/20/21) LSU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard explains how the white ShiShi camelia is also a great selection.
[Video](12/27/21) LSU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard compares several popular hollies and the advantages those trees bring to your landscape.
[Video](12/13/21) LSU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard and horticulturist Dan Gill discuss how to care for your rose bushes as we move into winter.
[Video](12/6/21) Heather Kirk-Ballard got together with former host Dan Gill. The two horticulturists discuss the great opportunity for planting herbs this fall
(12/10/21) If you are looking to add a splash of bright color to shaded areas in the fall and early winter, ligularia is an excellent choice.
(12/03/21) The ShiShi Gashira camellia is a top-performing shrub for Louisiana landscapes.
(12/02/21) LSU AgCenter’s Get It Growing educational campaign is celebrating 20 ears of offering horticulture advice tailored to Louisiana gardeners’ needs.
(11/24/21) With this last push of colorful blooms during fall, it’s time to stop and smell the roses.
[Video](11/29/21) LSU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard warns that if you want them to bloom for Christmas, you need get them in the ground now.
[Video](11/22/21) Heather Kirk-Ballard explains how you can bring dependable fall color to your patio or into your home — with crotons.
(11/19/21) Crotons are brightly colored, broadleaf evergreen shrubs that are typically grown as houseplants.
(11/12/21) Spring-flowering bulbs can be tricked, or “forced,” into blooming indoors.
[Video](11/8/21) LSU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard explains how you can grow cosmos in your landscape.
[Video](11/15/21) LSU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard explains how to select and care for your yaupon holly.
(11/05/21) Are you looking for a gorgeous flower that thrives on pure neglect? Try cosmos.
(10/29/21) Any avid gardener or plant expert will agree that an investment in your soil is an investment in the health of your plants.
[Video](11/1/21) LSU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard explains how these ornamental peppers create a warm, colorful accent to your landscape or wind
[Video](10/25/21) LSU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard provides some tips for you to successfully grow these delicious fruits.
(10/22/21) Early fall is the time to plant strawberries. Home gardeners can successfully grow strawberries with even a small area, plenty of sun and some TLC.
(10/15/21) Don’t be so quick to blame goldenrod for your seasonal allergies. It’s far most likely that ragweed is the culprit.
[Video](10/18/21) SU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard introduces you to the fall 2021 Louisiana Super Plant selection — Supertunia Mini Vista Indigo
[Video](10/11/21) LSU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard explains some of the choices and benefits of growing sunflowers.
(10/08/21) This is my favorite time of year. As the days begin to shorten and the year comes to a close, there are many exciting things going on in the garden.
(10/01/21) Perhaps one of the most brilliant and uplifting of flowers is the sunflower. The National Garden Bureau has designated 2021 as year of the sunflower.
(09/24/21) The LSU AgCenter is adding Supertunia Mini Vista Indigo to the cool-season bedding plants on the Louisiana Super Plant list.
(09/17/21) Loss of trees is a common catastrophe during hurricanes, tornadoes and other weather events.
[Video](9/13/21) LSU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard explains how to gather seeds so you can grow more wonderful herbs.
[Video](9/20/21) LSU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard explains the signs of this insect’s damage and some things you can do about it
(09/10/21) What is the No. 1 weed problem around the world? Answer: nutsedges, and they are a formidable foe!
[Video](9/6/21) Heather Kirk-Ballard explains that now is the time to prepare seeds that will grow into a delicious fall harvest.
[Video](8/30/21) LSU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard explains how this plant adds fluffy and colorful plumes to the fall landscape.
(08/27/21) Hedges serve as a practical solution to create a boundary or to guide movement of people in a specific direction.
(08/20/21) Although it doesn’t feel like it because it’s still so hot, it’s time to start thinking about your fall garden.
(08/13/21) Ornamental grasses are some of the best plant selections for an ornamental focus for the landscape, but they are often underutilized.
[Video](8/23/21) Heather Kirk Ballard explains that armyworms are particularly bad this year and suggests some ways to win the battle against them.
[Video](8/16/21) Heather Kirk-Ballard explains how to grow and care for your gingers.
(08/06/2021) As we look forward to cooler fall weather there are things to do to prepare for the fall and still time to tackle summertime gardening tasks.
