(Distributed 10/29/04) October is a transitional month in Louisiana flower gardens. Many warm-season annuals have finished or are finishing, and gardeners’ thoughts begin to turn to cool-season bedding plants for fall, winter and spring color.

(Distributed 10/22/04) Fall is a prime planting season in Louisiana. How well you prepare the soil prior to planting has an enormous effect on the health and growth of your plants.

(Distributed 10/15/04) The chrysanthemum, more than any other flower, seems to represent the fall season in the garden. These plants, which also are commonly called "mums," have been cultivated for centuries and are popular with gardeners around the world.

(Distributed 10/08/04) Cool fall weather makes me hanker for a big mess of greens cooked with smoked meat and a piece of cornbread on the side to sop up the "pot likker." Eating doesn’t get much more Southern than that.

(Distributed on 10/01/04) Some plants seem to save up all summer for the spectacular display of flowers, fruit and foliage showing up in our gardens now through November.

(For Release On Or After 03/05/04) Gardeners often gripe about how difficult it is to grow plants in shady areas of their landscapes – although trouble occurs mostly when sun-loving plants are planted in the shade.

(For Release On Or After 06/04/04) Some of the most beautiful flowers of the summer garden are produced by vines. Better yet, since vines climb, the flowers often are produced at eye-level or overhead – allowing us the chance to easily smell the fragrance or closely examine the details of the blooms.

(For Release On Or After 04/02/04) In mid-April it’s time to do two things – pay taxes and fertilize your lawn. If you’ve already taken care of the taxes, now you should decide whether or not to fertilize your lawn.

(For Release On Or After 05/21/04) Perennials are an amazingly diverse group of plants.

(For Release On Or After 04/23/04) It’s hard to imagine a more delightful perennial than the daylily. Available in an amazing variety of colors, shapes and sizes, there are daylilies to fit virtually every taste and garden situation.