Mums: Q&A

The Christmas cactus is a long lived plant with flat, segmented stems. Most of the year its appearance is fairly unassuming. Some potted green in the corner of the living room or parked under a tree in the back yard. Around Christmas, however, something magical happens. With care, this plain looking plant will blossom with flowers of red, white, pink, purple or orange. Because of this festive seasonal bloom, the Christmas cactus is a tradition in many European and North American homes during the holidays. But the beauty of the hardy Christmas cactus isn’t limited to just the holiday season. Caring for Christmas Cactus Christmas cactus thrives in bright, but indirect sunlight. Keep it near a window when indoors or shaded by trees if kept outdoors in warmer months. Despite its name, the Christmas cactus is not a desert plant, but rather has its origins in the tropical rain forests of South America. The plant will not tolerate dry soil and requires regular watering (done at the base of the plant). Conversely, too much water will cause leaves to spot and fall off. Allow the top layer of soil to dry completely before watering. Ensuring a Christmas Bloom In fall, night temperatures around 50-55 degrees will trigger Christmas cactus to form flower buds. A carefully monitored balance of darkness and sunlight will give you beautiful blooms in time for the holidays. Six to eight weeks before Christmas, place the plant in a completely dark space where the temperature is 60 degrees (such as a closet or garage) for 12 hours each night. Be sure to bring the plant out to a sunny spot for the other 12 hours each day. Water only when the top inch or so of the soil feels dry, and you should get flowers for the holiday. A few weeks after the flowers have faded, prune stems back to encourage new growth.

-Want to enjoy the mums you purchased this fall again next year? You can! After their flowering season this year, cut them back far enough to remove all the faded flowers, (about 1/4 their height) and plant them in the landscape. -Check your yard for Sod Webworms, hundreds of moths ready to destroy your yard. We have a product to combat; come see us. -Plant hardy trees, shrubs, ground covers and vines. -Plant spring flowering bulbs (except for tulips & hyacinths, which must be refrigerated and planted in late December/early January). -Watch azaleas for lace bugs. Control with a horticultural oil spray or one of our recommended products. -Build a compost pile. Leaves, grass, and remains from a veggie garden are great components. -Plant cool season annuals. Pansies are a great choice now that night-time temps will hopefully stay around 65 degrees.  - Clean leaves up in and around roses to remove any possibility of diseased leaves staying over winter and causing black spot next year. - Yellowing herbaceous perennials should be trimmed back now. As leaves deteriorate, the removal is important to maintaining overall vigor of the plant. - As cold weather arrives, be sure to keep your bird feeders full of seed. Local birds will appreciate a free meal. Keep in mind, birds love berries from holly, winter berries, crab apples, beauty berry and many other shrubs. You may want to snip some now for winter decorations and keep in a sheltered area before they disappear. -If you have not aerated your lawn, do so now. Aerating your lawn pulls plugs out of the ground and allows water, and fertilizer to reach roots easily. If you dig out a plug of your lawn and find you have an inch of dead matter between the roots and blades of grass, you should aerate your lawn. As cold arrives start to reduce the height of your lawn mower and shorten your grass in preparation for winter. -Continue to rake and discard leaves as they fall. If you have the ability to shred them or mow them and bag them, do so before adding them to your compost bin. If they are diseased, get rid of them! -Install pond netting over your garden ponds to stop leaves from floating and eventually sinking to the bottom of the pond causing problems down the road. If you have fish 5-6" long, be sure you add a water aerator which pumps bubbles into your pond for the winter. Fish this size and larger need constant oxygen when pumps are shut down for winter. -Take time to enjoy the season, stop and look around you or take a stroll through a park. Mother Nature offers some incredible picturesque selfies this time of the year. Enjoy them before they are gone. The world moves way to fast and we all need time to slow down and enjoy the moment.

Cyclamen plants add a splash of color to shady spot, a container garden. The red and white blooms are ideal as holiday garden centerpieces or given as a gift to someone special. Want other colors besides the holiday classic combination? Shades of pink and purple are available as well! They look delicate, but cool-weather cyclamen are actually tough soldiers on the planting fields. They spend part of the year in dormancy, and when conditions are right, they stand at attention. Taking care of a cyclamen properly is essential if you wish to keep your cyclamen plant lasting year after year. Their vibrant flowers and interesting leaves make this plant popular and many ask, “How do I take care of a cyclamen plant?” Basic Cyclamen Plant Care Cyclamen care starts with the correct temperature. In nature, cyclamens grow in cool, humid environments. Note this is you want to use it as a houseplant. If the temperature of your house is over 68 F. during the day and 50 F. at night, your cyclamen will start to deteriorate slowly. Temperatures that are too high will cause the plant to begin to yellow, and the flowers will fade rapidly. The next essential part of taking care of a cyclamen is to make sure that it is properly watered. Cyclamen are sensitive to both over and under watering. Make sure the plant has excellent drainage with a potting medium that holds water well. Water your cyclamen plant only when the soil is dry to the touch, but do not leave the plant in this dry state so long that it shows visible signs of not being watered, such as droopy leaves and flowers. When you water the plant, water from below the leaves so that the water doesn’t touch the stems or leaves. Water on the stems and leaves can cause them to rot. Soak the soil thoroughly and let any excess water drain away. The next part of cyclamen plant care is fertilizer. Only fertilize once every one to two months with water soluble fertilizer mixed at half strength. When cyclamen get too much fertilizer, it can affect their ability to rebloom.  After a cyclamen blooms, it will go into a dormant state. Going into a dormant state looks very much like the plant is dying, as the leaves will turn yellow and fall off. It isn’t dead, just sleeping. With proper cyclamen plant care, you can help it through its dormancy and it will rebloom.

Camellias are one of the most popular blooming evergreens in the Southeast US, and one of our favorite winter bloomers. There are many varieties to choose from to bring showy winter interest. Camellia japonica, commonly called Camellia, is a slow upright grower with medium to large flowers that open from mid to late winter. Camellias grow best in shade to part sun, morning sun being better for them than afternoon sun. Other than the sun/shade requirements, the MOST IMPORTANT ingredient to be successful with camellias is your soil conditions. Camellias require rich, well-drained soil with an acid pH. Rich refers to soil with organic matter like mulch, compost, peat, etc present or added at the time of planting. Well-drained is simply a raised or sloped location so the below ground soil does not stay excessively wet after irrigating or rainfall. Acid pH means the pH level of the soil is below 7 (5.5 to 6.5 is best). The best way to find out your soils pH is to have a soil test done by LSU. We have the free kits at our store; you mail it back to the AgCenter with $10, and they will send your results back. With these three ingredients in place, Camellias will grow a strong root system and in turn will perform well in your landscape for many years. Tip: Now through early spring is the best time to plant Camellias. The more time these plants have to get established before their first summer the better.  Here are a list of our Top 5 Camellia Picks! We have these and many more at the nursey, so come stroll and select your winter bloomers! Shishi Gashira Camellia A versatile performer displaying profuse, hot pink, semi-double blooms with golden yellow stamens in the center and glossy, dark green evergreen foliage. Flowers are perfect for cutting. Excellent choice for a colorful low hedge, espalier or high profile groundcover. The flowers bloom in fall/winter and this plant is an LSU SuperPlant! It’s a dwarf shrub, maturing to 4’ x 4’, and can take sun. Also try the White Shishi Camellia with the same characteristics boasting white blooms. Sea Foam Camellia This beauty boasts medium to large, formal, pure white double flowers. It is a vigorous, upright evergreen shrub with glossy, deep green leaves that contract dramatically with blooms. Since it blooms in late fall through mid-winter, it provides a beautiful “snow white” backdrop in your landscape. It matures to 10’ x 8’ in partial sun/shade. Leslie Ann Camellia This informal bloom is still stunning with its white/blush majority and its frilly pink edges. It’s an upright shrub with the lustrous evergreen foliage Camellias are known for. The semi-double blooms cover the plant in abundance from mid-Fall through winter. It matures to about 10’ x 10’ in partial sun/shade. Jacks Camellia If you are looking for a camellia to stop you in your tracks, you’ve found it. Jacks is simply stunning in bloom. The large, pink double blooms cover the upright, rounded shrub and are so ornate they don’t look real! The flowers are non-stop all winter when the rest of your landscape seems to be in hibernation. It matures to 8’ x 5’ in partial sun/shade. Pink Perfection Camellia This camellia really is a blooming perfection in pink! It produces loads of small, perfectly formed and fully double pink flowers. Blooms begin in November and can continue well into May! This evergreen shrub matures to about 10’ tall and 6-8’ wide, so it’s ideal for a larger area in your landscape.

It is almost time for Christmas trees! Our fresh fir Christmas trees will be arriving very soon! In no time, the smell of our favorite season will be in the air, and families will be making memories by selecting their tree by name! Yes, all of our Christmas trees are named! You can have “Mickey Mouse” or “Princess Elsa” in your living room all season! There are some factors to choosing a healthy tree. A straight trunk is great, but there is more to consider. There should be no damaged bark, cracks in the trunk, or oozing sap, as these will cause needles to become brittle more quickly. Needles should feel supple, somewhat waxy, and provide resistance against the hand. Those that are limp, dry, and easily bent may be ready to drop. Freshly cut trees should be put in water as soon as possible. The trick is to get the tree into water within 30 minutes of the fresh cut. Don’t allow the basin to dry once it runs out of water because after 30 minutes of being dry, the tree will not take up any water. If a stand is not ready, set the trunk in a bucket, or put warm, damp towels over the base. Don’t put trees in direct sun – for those in a sunny window, a sheer curtain will help. Tree preservatives contain wood softeners to help water reach the needles. Remember that a large tree can drink a gallon of water its first day. If it does not, give another fresh cut, or use hot water to soften the sap and add tree preservative to get water flowing. We offer Christmas tree services to further enchant your holiday season! Click here to contact us and pre-book your Christmas tree services. We offer the following services, and the price depends on the size tree you select: -Delivery - We all love fresh Christmas trees, but we don’t all have a vehicle to bring it home ourselves. No worries. We offer delivery for the normal delivery fee. Please note that delivery dates cannot be guaranteed. -Snow Flocking - This service does something that nothing else can do: bring a “snow-filled” tree into your Louisiana living room! We flock your tree in either light, medium or heavy- depending on your preference. Your flocked tree will have its own custom-built stand, so you will not need to purchase that. After its flocked, it will require at least 24 hours to dry before being delivered. Trees that are flocked are NOT WATERED! Do not water your flocked tree ! The water is taken up from the trunk and will sluff off all the flocking. - Lighting- Have your Christmas light up your life with us lighting your tree! Lights are LED, and are required to be purchased from us . We have white and colored lights available. How many boxes you will need depends on the size of the tree you select. The lights are a separate purchase from the lighting service.  We can combine any of these services to help you and your family celebrate the magic of Christmas with a fresh Christmas tree!

Visiting our Garden Center right now is like stepping into a rainbow. We have gone crazy for the pansy flowers! We have them in every color, with some even showing off multi colors! Pansies are jewels of a cool-season flowerbed. Their constant perky blooms throughout the winter into Spring (and sometimes early summer) seem to sparkle. They definitely turn heads, giving them, and your house, deserving attention. Plant them in containers, as a border, or in your garden beds. Plant a single color in mass or plant a variety of colors- whatever way you choose to plant, you will dig them! Violas are pansies “younger sister.” These are just like pansies, but with a smaller flower. Violas pair well into container gardens as “fillers” mixed in with other cool season and evergreen favorites. There are numerous varieties available now, with more arriving just about daily. Here are the top three types… Matrix Series: This series of pansies come in an assortment of colors that range from solid to multi-colored, and from no markings to pretty little “faces” on heart-shaped petals. These plants have excellent branching, able to support an abundance of blooms. Cool Wave: Super cold-hardy, cool wave pansies produce an abundance of colorful, medium-sized blooms on a vigorous spreading plant, making them the perfect choice for filling hanging baskets and planters or as a ground cover. Clear Mix Panola: Panola pansies are a cross between a pansy and violas, giving this series excellent cold hardiness, large flowers, and a high bloom count. These prolific blooms are perfect for decorating beds, borders and containers. Pansies and Violas enjoy the cooler weather the fall through winter offers us. You may be wondering how they handle our warmer “winter” days. As long as the nighttime temperature stays in the 60s or below, they will handle those wild warm Louisiana winter days just fine. They can take the higher day temps if they have a cool off break at night. Planted while we have higher temperatures, we would recommend you planting them in the partial sun/shade. They can handle good morning sun, but tend to get “leggy” if given too much sun and the hotter afternoon sun. If they are planted when it’s consistently cold/chilly outside, the full all day sun will be fine for them. A common question we get asked often is if pansies/violas need to be covered in a freeze event. Nope. They’ll survive a frost, bouncing back from even single digit temperatures. If the blooms wither in the cold, the plants will likely stay alive to bloom again. Hi-Yield’s Blood Meal is a great addition to add to your pansy planting! This slow-release granule provides high amounts of nitrogen to the soil to encourage foliage to green up and last longer. This product also works great for roses, caladiums, trees, shrubs, and any other plant you want the foliage to green up. Remove faded/dead flowers to encourage the plants to produce more blooms and to prolong the blooming season. Remember to water pansies regularly. One of the most common reasons pansies fail is because they are not watered enough, so if your pansies are not doing well, try watering them more. A general rule of thumb is to stick your finger in the soil. If your finger comes back moist, hold off watering. If the soil is dry, time to water! All plants benefit from a good soaking as opposed to light surface watering.  Did you know that pansies are one of several edible garden flowers? They have a mild minty flavor and make for a lovely edible flourish on a salad or dessert. This makes growing them even more fun, especially in time for the holiday parties!

Amaryllis bulbs are easy to grow and produce blooms to captivate you. They can be grown indoors or out, and over an extended period of time. Wondering where they are native? Amaryllis originated in South America's tropical regions and has the botanical name Hippeastrum. The large, showy flowers and ease with which they can be brought to bloom make Amaryllis a popular bulb selection. The Amaryllis comes in many beautiful varieties including various shades of red, white, pink, salmon and orange. There are also many striped and multicolored varieties, usually combining shades of pink or red with white. If you plant Amaryllis bulbs in the garden now, they will be triggered to bloom during the winter (Dec. & Jan.). It usually takes around 8 weeks for a bloom once they are planted. The planting period for Amaryllis bulbs are from October until the end of April. They flower from late December until the end of June for lasting beauty. The flowering time is about 7-10 weeks, and larger bulbs produce more flowers. Unplanted bulbs should be kept in a cool place for storage. Preparation for Planting The base and roots of the bulb should be placed in lukewarm water for a few hours. If you cannot plant the bulbs immediately after receiving them, store them at a cool temperature between 40-50 degrees F. Planting Ideally, plant bulbs in a nutritious potting compost. We have mixes available and can help you with beginning your own pile! Plant the bulb up to its neck in the soil, being careful not to damage the roots. Press the soil down firmly to set the bulb securely in place after planting. They need to be planted in well-drained soil, regardless of the medium you choose! Placement and Watering Plant the bulb, or place the potted bulb in a warm place with direct light since heat is necessary for the development of the stems. The ideal temperature is 68 to 70 degrees F. Water sparingly until the stem appears, then, as the bud and leaves appear, gradually water more, keeping the soil evenly moist. At this point, the stem will grow rapidly and flowers will develop after it has reached full growth. Flowering Period Generally, bulbs will flower in 7-10 weeks. In winter the flowering time will be longer than in spring. This is ideal for cool-season flower interest in your garden. To achieve continuous bloom, plant at intervals of 2 weeks for stunning color in your home or garden. If planted in pot, rotate the pot two turns ever few days so the plant will grow straight when you see flower stalks begin to emerge. After-Bloom Care After-Flowering After the Amaryllis has stopped flowering, it can flower again. Cut the old flowers from the stem after they bloom, and when the stem starts to sag, cut it back to the top of the bulb. Leaf Growth and Development Continue to water and fertilize as normal all summer, or for at least 5-6 months, allowing the leaves to fully develop and grow. When the leaves begin to yellow, which normally occurs in the early fall, cut the leaves back to about 2 inches from the top of the bulb and remove the bulb from the soil. Bulb Storage Clean the bulb and place it in a cool (40-50 deg. F), dark place such as the crisper of your refrigerator for a minimum of 6 weeks. Caution: Do not store Amaryllis bulbs in a refrigerator that contains apples, this will sterilize the bulbs.  Plant Again After 6 weeks you may remove bulbs whenever you would like to plant them. Plant bulbs 8 weeks before you would like them to bloom. They will get into their natural cycle and bloom again! We have many beautiful bulb varieties of this amazing Amaryllis!

Ornamental grasses are some of the best plant selections for an ornamental focus for the landscape, but they are often underutilized. In addition to being an excellent choice for their aesthetic appeal, ornamental grasses are great for wildlife, especially birds. One of the favorite features of ornamental grasses is the texture it brings to the garden. Landscapes can be designed with wildlife in mind. Or perhaps you want an entertainment space, a quiet sitting area or a play area for children. When you are planning your landscape, it’s important to think of the types of plants you are drawn to. But you also must plan for the needs of the plants and consider what purpose they will serve in your garden. You may be asking yourself — what exactly is texture when it comes to landscapes? Texture is one of the design elements that does not come from the physical feel of the plant as you might expect. Rather, it is an eye-catching element that interacts with the light and shadows of specific spaces in the landscape. One way to achieve texture is by combining fine foliage with heavily textured or coarse foliage. Grasses can help fit the fine-textured bill. They typically have an airy, feathery, soft look. Muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) can add texture and flair to your landscape with its feathery pink inflorescences, or flowers, during fall. The LSU AgCenter thinks so much about this ornamental grass that it has been named a Louisiana Super Plant for fall 2021. Muhly is a native grass to North America found in Florida and the eastern half of the United States. It grows well in full sun to partial shade with an average height of 3 to 4 feet tall by the same width, growing best in well-drained soils. The growth habit is clumping. Flowers are typically pink, but white varieties are also available. The long grass blades and wispy flower plumes give it a fine texture. Planted en masse at a spacing of 2 feet, muhly grass can be very eye-catching in the landscape. The grass is extremely low maintenance and well adapted to Louisiana. It is very drought tolerant once established. Plants will go dormant in winter and turn brown. Leave the dormant grass to serve as a winter habitat for birds. Speaking of birds, they love the seeds from the flowers, so these grasses provide year-round interest for wildlife. It’s a good idea to trim dead blades in late winter or early spring before new blades of grass emerge. You also may choose to fertilize with a general all-purpose fertilizer at the recommended rates in springtime. Muhly grass does not have many, if any, pest or disease problems.  As plants grow over the years, they will multiply and make additional clumps. Those can be divided in fall or early spring by simply digging up a few clumps that you can then share with friends or move to new areas. Overcrowding of the grasses can decrease the number of flowers, so dividing every three or so years will help keep them healthy and vigorous. The grass may not always be greener on the other side, but as Walt Whitman once said, “a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars.” Add some texture and beauty to your landscape with muhly grass, a Louisiana Super Plant. Article by LSU Ag Center. View online here.

Are you looking to add extra appeal to your fall through winter landscape or container gardens? Ornamental Cabbage & Kale have all the frills! Planted alongside chrysanthemums, snapdragons and pansies, among others, ornamental cabbage and kale add distinctive bold texture and vibrant seasonal color. Frequently called “flowering” cabbage and kale, these fall favorites are not flowers at all, but large dense rosettes of colorful, frilly foliage richly variegated with cream, white, green, pink, rose and purple- the purple fall palette. While these plants are similar to the cabbage and kale cooked in the kitchen and consumed in salads, soups, stews, etc, it is important to note that ornamental varieties are cultivated for color and shape rather than taste. If you would like to plant these ornamental selections and use them in your kitchen, use them as a garnish only. Trust us- they are more attractive than tasty! We also have the edible varieties of cabbage and kale that should be planted to consume through your winter! Ornamental Cabbage- Leaves tend to have a smoother appearance with a wavy leaf edge. Ornamental Kale- Leaves are frilly-edged and sometimes deeply cut or lobed. These cold-tolerant annuals improve in appearance after a frost or two, bringing out more intense and brilliant colors in their foliage-perfect for use as both an autumn accent plant It is popular to plant them in your fall-winter borders, or planted in containers. They typically grow around 12-18’’ high and wide, and need about 12’’ spaced between them when used as a border. They enjoy full sun in an area with rich, moist, well-drained soil. When you plant them in the ground, add some compost or Happy Frog Soil conditioner to each planting hole to enrich the native soil. Also, sprinkle in a small handful of starter fertilizer, like Osmcote, to get your cabbage/kale off to a healthy start. When you plant them in a container, it is best to plant with a light-weight, nutritious potting soil, like Happy Frog or Strawberry Fields potting soil. We have these and several other options to pick from, but always go with a potting soil blend as these are specially formulated for plants going into pots. Don’t forget to add a slow-release fertilizer, like Osmocote. This will feed your plants all season long with no effort from you! You will enjoy ornamental cabbage and kale during our colder months. Once they begin to “bolt” in the Spring, they send up their flower stalks; that can be your signal to pull them out and replace them with Spring-Summer annuals.  For this cool season, try planting them in your flower/landscape beds and/or container gardens for the long-lasting color and texture interest they will bring into your surroundings!