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(08/16/19) Chinch bug damage can be easily mistaken for lack of water and overall heat-stressed turf.
LSU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard introduces you to some fall blooming plants that can add color to your cool weather landscape.
LSU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard explains how to use some cheap materials to make a short-term, automatic watering system for your potted plants
(08/09/19) Growing flowers in shaded areas can be difficult. But if you’re up for the challenge, you can do it.
(08/02/19) It’s August. Here are some things you should be doing this month in the garden.
Weeds can quickly take over a lawn or flower bed if they’re not managed properly, but weeds can also serve a purpose.
Figs are a popular fruit tree grown by homeowners throughout the southeast. They are also not very difficult to grow and give you tasty fruit.
(07/26/19) One thing I get really excited about is the hope of cooler weather and fall plants.
(07/19/19) Weeds can actually tell you a lot about what is going in the yard and the quality of your soil.
If you want to maximize the number of tomatoes you can harvest, you should prune off suckers on the plant.
(07/12/19) Do you have trouble with grass underneath large shade trees in your landscape? Or no grass at all?
LSU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard explains the watering regimen for your plants at home while you're on vacation.
(07/05/19) With little effort, some space in the yard and plenty of sunshine, anyone can grow trees that will produce nutritious figs every July.
(06/28/19) A great way to minimize your landscape inputs while maximizing your garden’s outputs is to use plants that are edible.
(Video 6/26/19) Angelonias provide a beautiful, diverse array of color in the landscape and is a great choice for the summer heat.
(Video 2/26/19) LSU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard explains what you can do to help your muscadines grow more effectively.
(06/21/19) How do we get our plants through this hot summer, especially in extended periods of drought followed by downpours?
(06/14/19) Are your squash, cucumbers or watermelon plants not producing fruit this summer?
(Video 06/24/19) LSU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard introduces you to an excellent alternative shrub with a unique, swirling growth pattern.
(Video 06/17/19) Thinking of adding a beautiful shrub into your landscape? Then the Louisiana Super Plant Shoal Creek vitex is an excellent choice.
(06/07/19) Distylium is a native of China and a member of the witch hazel family.
(Video 06/10/19) Horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard meets with vegetable expert KiKi Fontenot to discuss the merits of growing ornamental corn.
(Video 06/03/19) If you’ve got established blueberry plants in the ground, it’s almost time to harvest their sweet, tangy fruits.
(05/31/19) Yaupon holly is probably best known these days for its use as an ornamental evergreen in the landscape.
(05/24/19) Grab a bucket. The blueberries are ready to pick.
(Video 05/27/19) LSU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard introduces you to a manageable dwarf version of the butterfly bush.
(Video 05/20/19) 2019 Louisiana Super Plant Lime Sizzler firebush not only looks beautiful, but it can also take the heat.
(05/17/19) What hits harder than Serena Williams on a hot summer day? Well, that’s easy. It’s Serena series angelonia.
(05/10/19) The LSU AgCenter has selected Lime Sizzler firebush (Hamelia patens Grelmsiz) as one of the 2019 Louisiana Super Plants.
(Video 05/12/19) LSU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard shares some ways to protect your roses.
(Video 05/05/19) Horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard shows you how to install an irrigation kit in your landscape.
(05/03/19) Pollinator gardens are all the buzz right now.
(04/26/19) Nothing describes the iconic Southern magnolia better than its given scientific name Magnolia grandiflora.
Heather Kirk-Ballard demonstrates how to remove vines that are to taking over your yard.(Video 4/29/19)
How to identify some of the most prevalent weeds and what you can do to defend your lawn against their spread. (Video 4/22/19)
(04/19/19) Ressurection ferns and Peggy Martin roses are signs of life from apparent destruction.
(04/12/19)
Spring is peak pollination season, causing a headache for allergy sufferers — literally. The main culprits right now are annual winter grasses, weeds and oaks.
(Video 04/15/19) If you want to jazz up the look of your landscape, a raised bed might help you reach that goal.
(Video 04/08/19) LSU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard explains how to plant vegetables in your spring garden
(03/29/19) One way to add to the beauty of the landscape and increase the value of your property is to create landscape beds.
Welcome spring! In the Louisiana landscape, nothing heralds the first official day of the season like the azalea and its grandiose flowers.
(Video 04/01/19)Heather Kirk-Ballard demonstrates how to prepare your garden bed so you can maximize the productivity of your tomatoes, squash or bell peppers.
(03/15/19) If you’re looking for both an attractive and a low-maintenance plant for your home garden or landscape this year, then you should try lemon sedum.
(Video 03/18/19) Heather Kirk-Ballard explains what you need to be doing now to maximize the success of your gardens and landscapes.
(Video 03/11/19) On this edition of Get It Growing, LSU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard introduces you to the vibrant Lemon Ball sedum.
(03/09/19) Despite the cold weather the past few early-March days here in Louisiana, the evidence of spring is all around us. Gardening March Madness begins!
(03/01/19) It can be difficult to find appealing color in outdoor landscapes during the winter months. In the South, we are fortunate to have the camellia.
(Video 3/4/19) LSU AgCenter horticulturist Heather Kirk-Ballard discusses the beauty of camellias and how to keep them happily growing and blooming.
(02/22/19) Although our lawns are still dormant this month, you can begin to plan your strategy to have an attractive, healthy lawn this summer.
(Video 02/25/19) LSU AgCenter horticulturist Kerry Heafner explains why properly pruning your fruit trees can improve their overall health and productivity.
(02/15/19) Figs are one of the most widely planted fruit trees in home landscapes in Louisiana. With little care, they will produce crops of figs every July.
(Video 02/11/19) Dan Gill explains why it’s important to use the correct potting mixes for growing your potted plants.
(02/08/19) February is an excellent time to fertilize trees. Fertilizing this month provides them with nutrients just when they can use them most effectively.
(Video 02/03/19) It sounds simple, but watering your indoor plants properly is an important part of keeping them healthy.
(02/01/19) To grow plants from seeds you buy from catalogs, you must be able to start your own transplants. Here's how.
(Video 01/28/19) It’s an ideal time to plant fruit trees and bushes now. Here are some tips for purchasing the right fruit plants.
(01/25/19) The primary features the environment must provide to invite birds into the landscape include shelter, nesting sites, water and food.
(01/18/19) The selection and placement of trees involves some of the most important landscaping decisions you will make.
(Video 01/21/19) LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dan Gill explains the best way to get your soil tested.
(01/11/19) Spring-flowering trees will add so much color and beauty to our landscapes, and now through early March is an excellent time to plant them.
(01/04/19) — Virtually all trees in our landscapes will need to be pruned during their lives — particularly in the first two decades after planting.
(Video 01/07/19) LSU AgCenter horticulturist Kiki Fontenot shows how to properly plant onion transplants.
(Video 12/24/18) LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dan Gill discusses the advantages of ornamental kale and ornamental cabbage.
(12/28/18) The oaks have become a part of American culture more than most other types of trees.
(12/21/18) As the Earth travels around the sun in its orbit, the length of our days and nights vary from season to season.
(12/14/18) With cold weather comes concern for tropical plants in our landscapes.
(12/07/18) When it comes to Christmas trees, you have two basic choices: living or artificial. And both have their place.
(Video 12/3/18) One of the best-growing herbs for the winter season is parsley.
(Video 12/3/18) Gardening can be a rewarding experience, but it can also be frustrating if you don’t know what to do at certain times of the year.
(11/30/18) Amaryllis bulbs purchased now should be planted into pots and moved to outdoor beds in spring after they've bloomed.
(11/23/18) It is important to harvest vegetables at the proper stage for best results, so here are a few guidelines.
(11/16/18) The Little Gem magnolia is a dwarf-growing cultivar that stays significantly smaller than the standard Southern magnolia.
(Video 11/15/18) Want a magnolia tree that can fit into a smaller area? Then the Little Gem magnolia, a fall Louisiana Super Plant selection, is a great choice.
(Video 11/15/18) Yes, you can grow beautiful flowers in your landscape, even though it’s cold. But partial shade can be a problem for many plants.
(11/09/18) Tender tropical plants thrive in outdoor conditions, but they must be protected over winter. Generally, this means bringing them indoors.
(11/02/18) Now is the perfect time to plant cool-season bedding plants that are wonderfully fragrant.
(Video 11/5/18) Here in Louisiana, you can plant blueberry shrubs now and into the winter.
(Video 11/2/18) Have you seen a beautiful hydrangea plant and thought to yourself I’d like one that looks just like that?
(Video 10/29/18) Shallots can help enhance recipes, and fall is a great time to get these plants into the ground.
(Video 10/29/18) Growing flowering plants during the fall can make our yards look healthy and colorful.
(10/26/18) Cool-season bedding plants thrive in the cool days and chilly nights we have here during fall, winter and spring.
(10/19/18) Widely available and relatively inexpensive, chrysanthemums are almost indispensable for providing quick color to the fall landscape.
(Video 10/15/18) Chrysanthemums, or ‘garden mums’ as they’re called, are a symbol of fall.
(10/12/18) A number of delicious and nutritious vegetables will thrive in the coming cool season.
(Video 10/8/18) It may officially be fall, but warm temperatures don’t always reflect the season.
(10/05/18) By the beginning of October, caladiums reach the end of their growing season and decline in appearance, so they must be cared for.
(Video 10/1/18) Nothing says fall like crotons. When we see them, they remind us of the splendor of the autumn season.
(09/28/18) Container vegetable gardening is an excellent way to produce quality, home-grown vegetables.
(Video 09/24/18) The Texas sage not only has beautiful flowers and leaves, but it’s also drought-tolerant.
(09/21/18) A common misconception is that the type of fertilizer you choose to use is based strictly on the type of plant you are growing.
Video 09/17/2018) Summer is still here and so is the dreaded plant, poison ivy, with its threat of causing painful skin irritation.
Home gardeners typically get along very well without delving too deeply into the science of horticulture. Genetics can be challenging.
(Video 09/12/18) The pineapple is a symbol of welcome and hospitality.
We often hear Labor Day called the traditional end of summer, but we know, however, that our Louisiana summer season extends quite a while longer.
(08/31/18) In late summer it’s time to think about pruning our roses. Roses respond best when they receive two major prunings each year.
(Video 08/29/18) On this edition of Get It Growing, LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dan Gill explains how to use the firebush to embolden your landscape.
8/24/18) Growing plants in containers outdoors is popular for a variety of reasons.
(Video 08/20/18) On this edition of Get It Growing, LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dan Gill explains how you can have a fall crop of tomatoes.
