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During our fall workdays, we removed the remaining warm season annuals and planned for the installation of cool season annuals. We planted Jolt Dianthus, Viola and White Swan Columbine in the LSP bed to provide color during the winter months. These winter annuals received a pre-plant fertilizer application at time of planting to assist with plant acclimation and blooming later in the season. Pine straw was applied to provide insulation to plant roots and to help the soil retain water during irrigation and rain events.
Plants installed in the Louisiana Super Plants (LSP) Demonstration Garden held over from 2019 include Bandana Lantana, Homestead Purple Verbena, Supervista Bubblegum Petunia, and Lemon Sedum. The verbena and petunia continued flowering regularly throughout the cooler winter months and began flowering profusely as the weather turned warmer. Our lantana was slow to take off coming out of winter, but, as with the previously mentioned plants, started flowering once we reached warmer temperatures in May. The Lemon Sedum is slowly starting to spread and take over as a ground cover as we enter the second year with these plants. Small Celosia transplants were installed in late March/early April, but the plants really have not done much growing up to this point. Other transplants in the front sign bed include Little Ruby Alternanthera, Butterfly Penta, and Senorita Rosalita Cleome.
Louisiana Super Plants installed with other plantings around the building in early 2019 include Belinda’s Dream Rose, Popcorn Drift Roses, Shi Shi Gashira Camellia, Mrs. Schiller’s Delight Viburnum, and Leslie Ann Camellia. The roses performed nicely throughout the remainder of 2019 and have continued to grow and bloom as the weather warmed up with the spring and summer months. We lost one of the viburnums to drought stress and will need to replace this fall. The camellias have continued to grow in their location on the north side of the building, with the Shi Shi Gashira variety fairing slightly better than the Leslie Ann.
