About Us The 440-acre area now referred to as the Burden Center, originally Windrush Plantation, was owned by the Burden family from the mid 1800s until the final segment was donated to LSU in the early 1990s.

Events

Would you like to contact the Burden Center or the Burden Horticulture Society? We'd love to hear your comments, answer your questions or provide you with any information you may need to plan a visit to the Burden Center or participate in our many special programs. Feel free to contact us in any of the following ways.

The LSU AgCenter’s Burden Center is located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Essen Lane at I-10. Driving east on I-10 towards New Orleans: Exit #160 (Essen Lane); bear right onto Essen Lane; at the first traffic signal turn right to enter the grounds of the LSU Burden Center. Driving west on I-10 towards Baton Rouge: Exit #160 (Essen Lane); turn left onto Essen Lane at the traffic signal; go under the interstate overpass; at the second traffic signal turn right to enter the grounds of the LSU Bu

Partnering with other ‘green’ organizations is a priority with BHS. Below are links or contact information for to find out more about their activities.

Situated on a tract of 420 acres of open land in the heart of Baton Rouge, Burden Center is one of the LSU AgCenter’s hidden treasures. Acquired by John Charles Burden in the mid 19th century and originally dubbed Windrush Plantation, Burden Center is the home of a wide array of horticultural research projects as well as formal and informal gardens and urban forests.

Burden Horticulture Society welcomes those who would like to donate their talents to Burden Center. Please contact one of the below committee heads or call 225-763-3990

The Burden Horticulture Society (BHS) is a 501 (c) 5 non-profit organization comprised of people interested in participating in and supporting LSUAgCenter’s Burden Center. It operates under the auspices of the LSU Foundation for the sole purposes of education, fundraising, and assisting in the promotion and development of Burden Center.

Board of Directors for the Burden Horticultural Society

The Burden Horticulture Society (BHS) is a 501 (c) 5 non-profit organization comprised of people interested in participating in and supporting LSU AgCenter’s Burden Center. It operates under the auspices of the LSU Foundation for the sole purposes of education, fundraising, and assisting in the promotion and development of Burden Center.

We now have a new website for online ordering your produce!

The history of Steele Burden's creation and development of Windrush Gardens at Burden Center including plant content and his landscape designs.

Photo gallery of caladium varieties.

List of varieties in the All America Rose Selection Display Garden at Burden. List also serves as a map dipicting the location of each variety in the garden.

Provides a list of current varieties and their location in the garden.

An overview of visiting scientists from LSU AgCenter.

This collection of okra cultivar photographs is provided as a resource for illustrating and identifying different varieties of okra. Each photograph is individually labeled for identification purposes.

The LSU AgCenter has been actively involved in evaluating ornamental sweet potatoes for landscape performance.

Research conducted at the Burden Research Plantation involves field plots on disease resistance and/or cultivar decline in sweet potato.

Provides information on the Louisiana native dwarf palm, Sabal minor, which has intriguing foliage.

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

(Distributed February 2005) With each new year, new ornamental plants are released. All-America Rose Selection winners for 2005 include four varieties that should do well in Louisiana, says LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dr. Allen Owings.

(Distributed January 2006) At the start of the year, several new varieties of ornamental plants debut. Winning rose varieties are among the most anticipated.

(Distributed 01/10/07) With the start of the new year comes the announcement of the All-America Rose Selections. AARS winners for 2007 are Rainbow Knock Out, Moondance and Strike It Rich.

(Distributed 01/18/08) With the New Year come announcements of ornamental plant winners. One popular competition is the All-America Rose Selections. AARS winners for 2008 are Mardi Gras and Dream Come True.

It would be hard to find a flower more universally loved than the rose. Over humanity’s long history with this plant, the rose has found its way into our gardens, cuisine, medicine, art and cultures. It is easier than ever to find undemanding, reliable roses that will enhance your landscape. This publication will help you decide what types of roses to grow, as well as explaining how to plant and take care of them. (revised 4/07)

Contains Reaction of Rose to Black Spot Disease, 2001 and Comparison of Rose Cultivar Reactions to Powdery Mildew, 2002 reports.

The LSU AgCenter Burden Center is a member of All-America Rose Selection’s (AARS) nationwide network of approved Public Gardensmaintaining an inventory of 1,500 plants representing 150 varieties, including AARS winners as far back as 1946. Starting each June, the gardens offer an exclusive preview of the coming year’s outstanding new varieties.

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.

Landscape evaluation observations were taken on new plants from Ball Seed, Pan American Seed and Ball Flora Plant in 2007. Here is the completed report from LSU AgCenter work at Burden Center and the Hammond Research Station.

The Safari series marigolds have been evaluated at the LSU AgCenter the last several years. This is a group of French marigolds.

The Durango series marigolds have been evaluated at the LSU AgCenter the last several years. This is a group of French marigolds.

Louisiana's warm, humid weather encourages the development of several serious diseases that can damage rose bushes. This publication describes the major rose diseases found in Louisiana and offers disease management tips.

(Distributed January 2004) The New Year ushers in new rose varieties and winners of the All-America Rose Selection, according to LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dr. Allen Owings.

Of all the flowers to be found in gardens throughout the world, the rose is the most popular and the most widely grown. In 1938, the All-America Rose Selections (AARS) program was established to evaluate and promote exceptional roses. The LSU AgCenter’s Burden Center in Baton Rouge is a designated AARS Display Garden where the public can view roses awarded the AARS distinction.