In the Garden with Kerry Heafner

We’re a quarter of the way through 2024 and this is the month we anticipate our last frosts.  And, the 2024 Louisiana Super Plant selections have been announced!  Louisiana Super Plants offer something for every landscape whether you’re looking for specimen-quality shade trees, evergreen foundation plantings, or seasonal color that will make your landscape pop and attract pollinators.

TWO NEW LOUISIANA SUPER PLANTS
First, let’s start with ‘Jane’ Magnolia, one of the so-called Japanese Magnolias that has actually been around for a good while.  ‘Jane’ is but one variety in the ‘Little Girl Series’ developed by the U.S. National Arboretum back in the 1950s.  Varieties in this series flower a couple of weeks later than other deciduous magnolias, making them more likely to miss late winter freezes that we often see here in the ArkLaMiss.  ‘Jane’ is a burst of color.  Large, fragrant purple flowers have white centers and cover the tree in spring.  ‘Jane’ will rebloom in mid-summer, but to a much lesser extent than in spring.  ‘Jane’ Magnolia is versatile, and will make a perfect specimen-quality small tree, reaching about 15 feet tall and about 12 feet wide.  And, because of its rather compact size, ‘Jane’ Magnolia will also make an excellent informal hedge.  It will perform best if not sheared off flat on top like most other hedges.  In fact, most hedges will perform best for the long haul if not sheared off flat.  Like other deciduous Magnolias, ‘Jane’ should be planted in organically rich, well-drained soil that is slightly acidic.  Full sun is best but partial shade will do in a pinch.  A good mulch will help the soil retain moisture and set ‘Jane’ off like a picture in a frame.  If that’s not enough, ‘Jane’ will tolerate clay soils, too.  And that’s important considering how loads of clay soil are often trucked onto new home sites.  Once ‘Jane’ is situated in your landscape like you want her, it’s best to leave her where she is.  Her fleshy roots may be damaged if transplanting is attempted, so choose the site carefully.  ‘Jane’ Magnolia can provide years of brilliant spring color and it’s good to see her selected as a 2024 Louisiana Super Plant!

I’m sure we’re all thinking ahead to warm weather.  Hopefully, this summer will be nothing like last year in terms of heat and drought, but we never know.  The second 2024 Louisiana Super Plant selection won’t care because Porterweeds (Stachytarpheta sp.) are right at home in hot summer temperatures and dry conditions.  And, if attracting pollinators to your landscape is the goal, you can’t go wrong with Porterweeds.  They produce small flowers on long spikes that curl under when they reach a certain length.  And, flowers produce copious amounts of nectar all day long.  You’ll find Porterweeds available in a variety of bright colors with red and blue being the most popular.  They are adaptable to many soil types and the sunnier their location in your ornamental beds, the better.  Like anything else in our gardens, Porterweed will need soil that has good drainage, and it earns bonus points for being essentially pest-free and needing little fertilizer throughout the season.  Porterweeds should be treated as annuals because the first killing frost will take them out.  But you will enjoy a long summer season of their brilliant color when you make them an addition to your warm season color palette.  For a tough and colorful nectar producer, be looking forward to finding Porterweeds in local garden centers and save a spot or two or three for this 2024 Louisiana Super Plant in your landscape! 

VEGETABLES
If you started seeds in February for spring and summer vegetables, you may find it necessary to move them up to larger pots sometime during this month.  Tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants are all surprisingly forgiving when it comes to transplanting, so don’t worry too much about damaging the young seedlings.  Use your thumb and index finger to hold the seedling by a true leaf and a plastic fork works perfectly for gently digging out the young root system.  Once your seedlings are transplanted up to a larger pot or container, regular watering with a water-soluble fertilizer (the blue stuff works just fine) will get your vegetable seedling off to a good start.  Keep the potting medium moist, but not saturated and always make sure good drainage is provided.  If you missed getting Irish potatoes planted last month, you still have a brief window of time to do so but don’t put it off much longer.  Also, vegetable gardeners will be looking for the first asparagus (A. officinalis) spears this month.  Asparagus is a great perennial addition to the vegetable garden.  Harvest from established crowns for several weeks then let the final spears grow into the lush fronds so the plant can store energy for next year’s crop.  Asparagus is a heavy feeder, so generous helpings of compost in the planting hole will ensure a crop for years to come.

ROSE CARE
Roses can be fertilized for spring in late March.  Both inorganic and organic fertilizers can be used.  Inorganic fertilizers are often available as slow-release formulations.  This means nutrients are available for a longer period of the season with less frequent applications being necessary. Organic fertilizer, such as aged manures, compost, blood meal, and bone meal may be applied for supplemental nutrients and to improve soil health.  Nutrients may still be bonded to organic molecules and may not be immediately available to the plants, though.  Some pruning can still be done this month, namely the removal of any dead or diseased canes.  Cool nights and mild days will be conducive to fungal pathogens like black spot.  Control with a systemic fungicide that is applied to the soil for uptake by the plant.

LAWNS
With spring rains comes an increased incidence of fungal disease in Deep South turfgrasses, especially in St. Augustinegrass and Centipedegrass.  Talk-all Patch and Large Patch are fungal diseases (Rhizoctonia sp.) that cause yellowing and eventually browning in large circular patches. Control these with fungicides containing propiconazole or mancozeb.  Deep South turfgrasses are undergoing root decline this month, so they’re putting energy into growing new roots instead of putting energy into new shoot growth.  Fertilizing lawns this month really won’t be helpful even though temptation is strong.  Wait until your lawn has come completely out of dormancy before applying fertilizers.