(Video 11/20/06) Ornamental grasses are reliable perennials that are easy to care for. In the fall, there is an ornamental grass that puts on a wonderful show. It is called the muhly grass, and it is grown for its wonderful, light, delicate, burgundy flower heads. (Runtime: 1 minute, 6 seconds)
(Audio 11/20/06) Paperwhites are a wonderful spring-flowering bulb, but it is popular to force their blooms around this time so they'll have blooms at Christmas. Just remember if you grow them with too little light and in warm temperatures, like indoors, they will turn out leggy and the blooms will fall over. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
(Audio 11/20/06) Many people use tropical container plants to embellish decks, porches or patios. These plants cannot be left outside during winter. Don't wait until the first freeze is predicted to take them inside. Prepare them early for the lower light indoors. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
(Audio 11/20/06) All the leaves your shade trees are dropping this time of year should not be thrown away. If you compost the leaves, you'll end up with a valuable soil additive that you can use in garden bed preparation. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
(Audio 11/20/06) From now through February is the best time to plant hardy fruit trees and shrubs in Louisiana landscapes. Fruit trees often require more care than an average tree, but the resulting fruit makes it well worth the effort. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
(Audio 11/20/06) A wide variety of herbs can take Louisiana's winters. Plant them now for a great harvest in late winter, spring and early summer. Put them in a sunny, well-prepared bed that is convenient to the kitchen. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
(Distributed 11/15/06) Fried turkey has become a tradition for many people at Thanksgiving. Before envisioning your arteries hardening, consider that fried turkey is not as unhealthy as it might sound – if you don't eat the skin, according to LSU AgCenter nutritionist Dr. Beth Reames.
(Distributed 11/15/06) When Louisiana cooks shop for their Thanksgiving meal, they’ll find the cost of the basic dinner items will average $38.11 for 10 people, according to an LSU AgCenter survey. That’s up by $1.31 from last year’s national average of $36.80 as reported by the American Farm Bureau Foundation.
(Distributed 11/13/06) Oyster dressing and pecan pie – both made with Louisiana-grown products – may be a bit more difficult to get this holiday season and may cause consumers to dig a little deeper in their pockets when they find them.
(Video 11/13/06) This time of the year Louisiana gardeners are pulling out tired summer bedding plants and replacing them with cool-season bedding plants. That will keep our gardens beautiful and colorful through fall, winter and spring. But you could save those tender perennials you're taking out by potting them for the winter. (Runtime: 1 minute, 31 seconds)
(Audio 11/13/06) Amaryllis bulbs become available at nurseries and garden centers each fall. But fall is not the appropriate time to plant these bulbs into your landscape. It is best to pot them and let them bloom indoors. You can plant them into your landscape in the spring. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
(Audio 11/13/06) Summer-flowering bulbs grow and bloom during the summer, and many of these bulbs go dormant over the winter. When a freeze browns their foliage, you can cut them back. A thick layer of mulch will protect the bulbs during the winter. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
(Audio 11/13/06) Broccoli is a great cool-season vegetable, but there is a trick to harvesting perfect broccoli. The size of the head does not determine when to harvest broccoli. It is the size of each individual flower bud on the head that determines harvest time. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
(Audio 11/13/06) Winter vegetables have a nice aesthetic quality. The frilly foliage of mustard and the wonderful color of red cabbage make these plants great ornamentals as well as productive vegetables. You also can try curly-leaf parsley as an edging to cool-season bedding plants. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
(Audio 11/13/06) The camellia is an outstanding evergreen shrub for Louisiana. It blooms beautifully in the winter. Camellias are free from most insect and disease problems except for tea scale. When that's a problem, oil spray will help control infestations. (Runtime: 60 seconds)
(Video 11/27/06) Modern poinsettias are so beautiful, and they come in a wide variety of colors. When choosing a poinsettia for your home or office, first look at the foliage. You want it to be dark green and healthy without a lot of dropped leaves and bare stems. Also, avoid poinsettias where a lot of the true flowers have already fallen off. (Runtime: 1 minute, 14 seconds)