Well, we've had another Master Gardeners class and it was really driven home to many of us that we just thought we knew what we were doing all the years that we have been gardening!
Our speaker was Allen Owings, Professor (Ornamentsls), Hammond Research Station, LSU AgCenter. His topic was Ornamental Horticulture. Here are some of my notes:
1. If you want to build a new bed beneath a tree, don't use dirt! You could smother the roots of the tree. Use pine bark or pine straw. Then plant directly into the existing soil.
2. After digging a hole for a new shrub, don't leave the sides of the hole with the slick, flat sides created by the shovel. New roots have a difficult time growing through this compacted soil. Instead, rough up the sides of the hole with your three pronged garden tool.
3. When planting shrubs or trees, only fill the hole with the soil that came out of the hole! (I always bought "tree and shrub soil" with fertilizer to add to the hole! Dr. Owings said that the soil that came from the hole is best suited for drainage in the hole.)
4. Dark colored roses have fewer insect problems than light colored roses.
5. In Louisiana, plants will grow 25% - 33% larger than the plant tag states, so plan ahead.
6. Azaleas like fertilizer, but dogwoods don't SO be careful if you have azaleas in a bed with dogwoods.
7. If your plants are looking too yellow (including vegetables) add Epsom salts at a rate of 1 Tbsp. per gallon of water. Use this on roses twice a year; Spring and Fall.
8. Insecticidal soap and Spinosad are good for insect control.
9. Use mulch!!! 3 - 4" around shrubs and 2" around roses and bedding plants.
10. Add Preen, Amaze, or Demension to your beds in March, early summer, and mid-September to control weeds.
11. We are having some disease problems with our dogwoods here in Louisiana. If you lose yours a good tree to replace it with is the silverbell; white flowers in spring, likes shade, yellow fall color.
Cool-season Louisiana Super Plants (as tested and recommended by LSU Ag):
Amazon Dianthus
Camelot Foxglove
Diamonds of Blue Delphinium
Redbor Kale
Sorbet Viola
Swan Columbine
Happy gardening, Shelli
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