| | Azaleas. (Photo by John Wozniak) |
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| | Angel trumpet. (Photo by John Wozniak) |
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| | Agapanthus. (Photo by John Wozniak) |
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Use LSU AgCenter resources to help you with the perfect plan for a beautiful lawn and garden.
A beautifully landscaped yard doesn’t just happen. It’s carefully planned. You begin with these steps:
- Decide on your landscape needs.
- Analyze the property and evaluate your site.
- Determine any financial or environmental limitations.
- Prepare a land-use plan that diagrams the space needs.
- Develop an irrigation plan or select drought tolerant plants.
- Select plants and other landscape materials to match the site and purpose.
Well-managed lawns and landscaping are good for the environment as well as being attractive. Bad management, however, can negate a lot of the environmental benefits.
You can be a best manager for your lawn and landscape if you follow these rules:
- Choose the proper fertilizer for your plants and for the time of year you are applying it.
- Read and follow the recommendations for proper use. Buy only things you either know how to use properly or that have complete directions for use.
- Know how to use your application equipment properly, and calibrate it for accurate and even application.
- Blow or sweep granular materials and grass clippings back into the lawn – better there than in the gutters or drains, where they can pollute the water.
- Keep street and roof gutters clean of leaves. Nutrients in the leaves will compost and leach out, only to follow the water’s path to your local bayou or lake.
- Choose the lowest impact pest control material that will do the job and use it correctly. Identify the pest and find out what controls it and choose the least-toxic material that will control that pest.
Shrubs
Shrubs have definite growth habits in height, spread and form. Choose plants that will ultimately meet your design requirement. Don’t attempt to artificially manipulate plant form and size to conform to unnatural shapes. Instead, choose specimens that have the forms and mature sizes to match your design.
Shrubs (and trees) are divided into two groups based on their leaf-retaining characteristics. Those that drop all of their leaves at one time of the year and are bare of leaves for a period are called deciduous. Evergreen plants, on the other hand, drop their foliage throughout the year and never go through a period with no leaves. Some plants do not fall into a specific category, since leaf retention can be affected by environmental conditions. These groups may be classified as semi-evergreen or semi-deciduous.
The well-designed landscape most often contains both deciduous and evergreen plants. Seasonal change is accented by using both types. Greater contrasts in plant form, texture and color are achieved with a variety of plant types.
Shrubs are commonly sold in the nursery industry in two ways, container-grown and ball-and-burlap. Container-grown plants are available in a wide array of sizes, are easy to transport and available year round. And they don’t need to be planted right away. Ball-and-burlap plants generally have roots that won’t survive bare-root transplanting so growers dig them up, wrap the root ball in burlap and secure the burlap with twine. This type of plant is generally planted in late fall, winter or early spring. Once they are dug, the time frame for transplanting is very short unless special precautions are made.
Preparation and planting
Optimum soil pH is critical for success with shrubs. “Acid-loving” shrubs such as azaleas, gardenias, hydrangeas and camellias prefer a soil pH of 5.0-5.5. Most other shrubs for Louisiana do well at a soil pH of 5.5-6.5. Apply sulfur to lower pH and lime to raise pH. Consult your county agent for help with soil tests and recommendations.
Several factors need to be carefully considered when you’re developing landscape beds for ornamental plants.
Improving internal drainage can be done by amending the existing soil, but more intensive work may be needed in more poorly drained areas. Any amendment needs to be chosen carefully. Adding sharp sand and some form of organic matter is recommended for amending clay soils – a significant amount needs to be added; a small amount will only make conditions worse. Add organic matter only for amending a sand or loamy soil. Every 6 inches of clay soil needs 1 to 2 inches of organic matter. Adding gypsum (calcium sulfate) at the rate of 50-100 pounds per 1,000 square feet also may improve internal drainage of some clay-based soils. Ideal soil consists of 25 percent air, 50 percent solid matter and 25 percent water.
How to plant
For container-grown and ball-and-burlap plants, begin by digging a hole at least twice as wide and a depth to leave the top of the root ball about 1 to 2 inches higher than the surrounding soil. For container-grown plants, loosen with your hands or a knife any roots that have become matted while growing in the container. Water-in the plant to release any air pockets, and use any remaining soil to build a berm around the hole to create a watering basin. For ball-and-burlap plants, untie or cut the burlap from the top of the root ball and spread it out to uncover approximately half of the root ball. The lower portion of untreated burlap, which is brown, can be left intact. Treated burlap, which is green, and other synthetic materials will not degrade readily and must be carefully removed, or holes must be cut in it to allow roots to grow out of it.
To fill the hole, use the same soil that was removed.
When to plant
Most shrubs do best if they are planted in the cooler months, particularly deciduous plants. More attention and care are required for summer plantings. Although container-grown shrubs are available throughout the year, ball-and-burlap plants are generally available only during late fall through early spring. Ideally, fall is the time to plant.
Flowers
A good way to begin planting annual and perennial flowers is to create islands of flowers in an open lawn, but because such beds are easily viewed from many sides, they often require high maintenance to keep them attractive.
Border plantings along a wall, fence or hedge can soften the transition of landscape structures into the rest of the landscape or can create alleys of color. Perennial borders often are 6 feet to 8 feet wide, allowing adequate space for at least a combination of six or more species, front to back, yielding a continual blooming period.
More than 80 percent of bedding plants sold for landscape use in Louisiana are classified as warm-season annuals, which die in the winter. Cool-season bedding plants in Louisiana can survive the winter but die in the persistent heat of the summer. The key management practice with annual flowers in Louisiana landscapes is the proper use based on the purpose and site location.
Herbaceous or flowering perennials are plants that live for several years. They need less maintenance, less water and fewer pesticides than annuals. Many gardeners include flowering bulbs and ornamental grasses in this category. Unlike trees and woody shrubs, which are also perennials, herbaceous perennials appear to die down part of the year, only to emerge again the following season from underground roots, stems, bulbs or rhizomes. The simple term “perennial” is commonly used when referring to herbaceous perennials.
Consider the site before selecting your plants. Although many perennials, such as ferns, tolerate heavy shade, most perennial plants require abundant sunshine. Air circulation is important for avoiding diseases, which thrive in stagnant, warm and humid air. Perennial plants also require properly prepared soil, and a few have specific drainage and fertility requirements.
Ferns
Almost every landscape has shady areas, especially when shade trees have grown large. Many hardy ferns will thrive in the shady areas of your landscape. The different species range in size from under a foot to as much as 3 feet tall. Fern leaves are called fronds and provide the primary ornamental feature of the plants.
Ferns are easy to grow. Generally not prone to any major insect or disease problems, ferns are one of those plants you can plant and ignore. They will grow best in areas that receive 1-4 hours of direct sun or dappled light during the day. Morning sun is greatly preferred.
Plant hardiness
Plant hardiness is the ability of a plant to withstand environmental excesses or deficiencies. The wide variation in temperature from North to South Louisiana determines, to a considerable extent, whether certain plants may be grown. Protecting a plant from cold by covering it is beneficial only for a few degrees. In extremely low temperatures, tropical or semi-tropical plant cannot survive. For best results, select from native or introduced species that have proved themselves in a given region.
Mulch
Mulch adds more than aesthetic value to your landscape. It also conserves soil moisture, reduces weed competition, helps to stabilize soil temperature around the root zone and adds organic material to the soil. Mulches also reduce soil compaction, making for better aeration and drainage. Additionally, mulches can provide a boundary between your plant and turf areas, preventing damage caused by power lawn equipment. Although many materials are commercially available as mulches, pine bark and pine straw are by far the most common.
Where our plants come from
U.S. gardeners garden for food and for pleasure. Since the earliest European colonists arrived here almost 600 years ago, we have relied on an enormous number of plants from all parts of the world to populate our gardens. For the earliest settlers, gardening was a necessity. But as meeting the needs of everyday living became easier, we moved from a nation of practical gardeners to ornamental gardening enthusiasts.
The move to pleasure gardening has led to a demand for new species and varieties of plants. Today, many of our favorite garden plants come from other parts of the world. Here in the South, introduced plants in ornamental gardens are especially noteworthy. Look in your yard and you will find many of our so-called Southern heritage plants originate in other parts of the world.
With the introduction of so many different species over the years, a small number of ornamental plants have become naturalized, which means that the plant can survive and reproduce outside of the confines of the garden and the yard. When naturalized plants have a negative effect on other organisms, they are considered invasive.
In truth, not all invasive plants were introduced deliberately, and only about half of the invasive plant species here are sold or traded for ornamental gardening. But when you shop for plants for your landscape or garden, you may wish to consider the potential for being invasive when you make your selection. If a plant sounds very, very easy to grow and it comes from another part of the world, it just might be too good to be true. Remember that your garden and your yard are part of a larger landscape. The choices you make in your garden can have an effect elsewhere.
Helpful links –
A Guide to Louisiana-friendly Landscaping - Louisiana Yards & Neighborhoods
Annuals
Planning Your Landscape
Perennial Flowers
Planting and Mulching
Shrubs
Ferns Ideal for Shady Areas
Be a ‘Best Manager’ for Your Lawn and Landscape
February-March Can Be Busy Times in Home Landscapes
World Roots of Southern Gardens and Non-Native Plant Invasions
The LSU AgCenter is one of 11 institutions of higher education in the Louisiana State University System. Headquartered in Baton Rouge, it provides educational services in every parish and conducts research that contributes to the economic development of the state. The LSU AgCenter does not grant degrees nor benefit from tuition increases. The LSU AgCenter plays an integral role in supporting agricultural industries, enhancing the environment, and improving the quality of life through its 4-H youth, family and community programs.