Four plants carry the distinction of Louisiana Super Plant for spring 2011 – Serena angelonia, Frostproof gardenia, Butterfly pentas and Shoal Creek vitex.
The LSU AgCenter’s Louisiana Super Plant program highlights tough and beautiful plants that perform well under Louisiana’s growing conditions.
Regina Bracy, resident coordinator of the LSU AgCenter Hammond Research Station, said the plants selected for the program have endured several years of university evaluations and observations.
Serena angelonia
This outstanding summer bedding plant provides dependable garden performance through the hottest summer weather. Serena angelonia produces masses of flower spikes that cover the plants from late spring to frost. The four soft colors Serena Purple, Serena Lavender, Serena Lavender Pink and Serena White in this series blend together beautifully.
“This plant, once you plant it, will bloom all summer long,” Bracy said. “It’s a wonderful plant, and it’s low maintenance.”
Growing Information:
- Warm-season annual
- Full sun
- Grows 12-14” tall by 10-12” wide
- Space 8-12” apart
- Plant in late spring through summer
- Plant in sunny beds after danger of frost is past and the weather is warm and settled
- Exceptional heat and humidity tolerance
- Requires little maintenance
- Low water needs; provide good drainage
- Pinching or pruning will delay flowering and make plant habit unattractive
Serena angelonia grows well in flower beds or in containers and attract butterflies.
Frostproof gardenia
The Frostproof gardenia is a low-growing evergreen shrub that produces heavily fragrant flowers without much fuss.
“We’ve had low-growing gardenias in the past, but we’ve had some problems,” Bracy explained. “Frostproof is not as finicky. It’s a more durable plant.”
Frostproof, as its name implies, is more cold hardy than other gardenias. The shrub will flower heavily in May and then sporadically through the summer.
Growing Information:
- Evergreen shrub
- Full sun to part shade
- Grows 5’ tall by 4’ wide
- Space 4’ apart
- For best success, plant in fall, winter or early spring
- Prefers moist, well-drained, acidic soil
The Frostproof gardenia is an excellent choice to "perfume" your garden with an easy-care, low-growing gardenia.
Watch this video about the Frostproof gardenia.
Butterfly pentas
Butterfly pentas, also called ''Egyptian starflowers,'' produce clusters of five-petaled flowers. These flowers are rich with nectar and highly attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds. A single plant may produce 15 to 20 flower clusters at one time. The large flower makes an excellent cut flower.
“Butterfly pentas thrives in the heat and humidity. If you plant this plant, you’re going to have blooms until the first frost,” Bracy said.
The series includes a variety of colors – Butterfly Deep Rose, Butterfly White, Butterfly Blush, Butterfly Deep Pink, Butterfly Light Lavender, Butterfly Lavender and Butterfly Red.
Growing Information:
- Warm-season annual
- Full sun to part shade
- Grows 18-24” tall by 12-18” wide
- Space 12-16” apart
- Plant in late spring through summer
- Produces larger flowers than other pentas varieties
- Prefers moist, well-drained soil
- Suitable for growing in flowerbeds and containers or planted en masse in landscape borders
- Pinch or "deadhead" spent flower heads to promote future blooms
Shoal Creek vitex
Gardeners looking for a tough, yet beautiful shrub or small tree should try Shoal Creek vitex. Like the angelonia and pentas, it also is a spectacular, butterfly-attracting plant.
“It’s magnificent when it’s in bloom. It’s covered with spikes of purple flowers,” Bracy said.
The 12-inch, fragrant flower spikes provide a wonderful summer color without the work involved with bedding plants. The flowers appear in May or June with a second flush of flowers in August.
This versatile plant can be trained as a large shrub or a small multi-trunked tree. Shoal Creek vitex is more vigorous and produces larger flowers and deeper color than common vitex.
Once established, vitex is very drought tolerant and fits in well to a lower-maintenance landscape. It prospers in hot and dry environments.
Growing Information:
- Deciduous, flowering, large shrub or small tree
- Full sun to part sun
- Grows 10-15’ tall and wide
- Very drought tolerant
- Prefers well-drained soil
- Remove spent flowers to enhance blooming
- Vigorous growth habit
- Makes a beautiful small, multi-trunked tree
So if you want to stimulate the presence of butterflies in your backyard with a drought-tolerant, pest-resistant plant, this Louisiana Super Plant will make a statement in your garden.
Louisiana Super Plant success
This is the second season the LSU AgCenter releases a series of Super Plants. Last fall, ShiShi Gashira camellia, Camelot foxglove and Amazon dianthus were named the initial Louisiana Super Plants. Bracy said the first season was very successful.
“There was a lot of interest. The consumers were going in to the garden centers and saying we want those Louisiana super plants,” Bracy said. “The retailers and the wholesale garden centers reported tremendous sales. Overall we are very pleased with the program.”
Louisiana Super Plants are selected 1-2 years in advance of release to the public. The Louisiana Super Plant Selection Committee, composed of LSU AgCenter research and extension personnel, select plants based upon observations made in replicated plots and demonstration trials across the state.
The Louisiana Super Plant Advisory Committee, composed of green industry personnel (producers, retailers and landscapers) from across the state, meet with the plant selection committee for further scrutiny of the plant’s landscape ability and marketability. This selection process gives each Super Plant the combined rating of “university tested and industry approved.”
Looking for Louisiana Super Plants? Check out this list of nurseries and garden centers that carry the plants. Find them marked with the Super Plants logo.
Tobie Blanchard
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 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. |