Gardenig in state Louisiana. Tips & Guides

A Recent Garden Tour of Historic St. Francisville, Louisiana.

Louisiana has tons of swamps and fresh water, so it’s home to many lovely plants and flowers. The next time you go out, keep an eye out for one of these!

I’m Ebony, and I’m from southwestern Louisiana. I’ve been growing succulents for nearly six years, and it’s been such a great hobby for me. I’m a wife, mom, and pharmacist, and caring for my succulents has given me an outlet to relieve stress and care for myself. Here are some of my favorite photos of my plants.

The flowering time of irises depends on factors like climatic and growing conditions. However, they do have a stipulated blooming period that we’ll discuss below.

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From bold burgundies and ravishing reds to unique purples and even captivating oranges, okra offers a rainbow of colors that can add a vibrant twist to both your garden and your plate. Read on to discover Different Okra Color Varieties that can transform your gardening experience and culinary adventures.

Everyone loves falafel—it’s a year-round staple, and the frozen options at Trader Joe’s make it incredibly easy to prepare. But today, you should probably rid your freezer shelves of any Trader Joe’s falafel: In the company’s third food recall this week, on July 28 Trader Joe’s recalled its fan-favorite Fully Cooked Falafel after being informed by the supplier that rocks were found in the food.

A Recent Visit to the Afton Villa Gardens in St. Francisville, Louisiana. The plantation house was destroyed by a kitchen fire in 1963.

I recently had the opportunity to attend a gardening symposium in Louisiana. One of my favorite fall-flowering wildflowers, swamp sunflower (Helianthus angustifolius), was in full bloom all along the roadsides. Thankfully, I wasn’t driving, so I could enjoy the stunning display.

Rosedown Plantation in St. Francisville, Louisiana has 12 historic buildings. Here are a few of the outbuildings that surround the house. Rosedown was the home of Daniel and Martha Turnbull.

A tour of Rosedown Plantation in St. Francisville, Louisiana. The house was built in 1834 and was completed by May 1835. It was the home of Daniel and Martha Turnbull.

These non-native “ladybugs,” introduced by the Department of Agriculture to help combat certain agricultural pests, have made themselves right at home in America—and in my house, too. In fall, the south-facing side of the exterior can be teeming with patches of them, as they look for places to tuck into and overwinter. The USDA imported lady beetles from Japan as early as 1916 as a beneficial insect, to gobble up unwanted pests on forest and orchard trees, but it was probably later releases, in the late 1970s and early 80s in the Southeast, that took hold. Today, multicolored Asian lady beetles have made themselves completely at home around the United States, easily adapting to regions as diverse as Louisiana, Oregon, and mine in New York State.

The gardens at Great Dixter.

It’s hardly a meal in the South without green beans on the table! Fortunately, the common garden bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) is one of the easiest vegetables to grow, even if it’s your first garden. Sometimes called snap beans, garden beans are inexpensive seeds and fast growers, with some types ready in as little as 50 days. They’ll produce bumper crops so you’ll have plenty of green beans to cook fresh, freeze or pickle. With top picks fromAll-American Selections (AAS), which trials seed performance for home gardeners,  Johnny’s Selected Seeds, extension services at Clemson University, North Carolina State University, Louisiana State University, University of Georgia, and University of Kentucky, here are the best types of beans to grow in the South:

There’s absolutely nothing as amazing as a fresh-picked tomato still warm from the sun. In fact,tomatoes are one of the most popular plants in home gardens, alongsidebeans, summer squash, andherbs such as basil. But with hundreds and hundreds of tomato cultivars, or cultivated varieties, it’s tough to choose which ones you should plant to stand up to the heat and humidity of the South. Whether you’re a traditionalist and plant only heirloom types your Granddaddy grew or you’re all about experimenting with new types bred for improved disease resistance, you’ll get the highest yield when you grow a few different types. Just make sure to set plants out after all danger of frost has passed in your area, and give them at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight per day. Tomatoes do not do well in shade.

Brown marmorated stink bugs may have a funny name, but no one who has to deal with them is laughing. “They can be a significant issue for commercial growers and home gardeners in regions where the stink bug population is high,” says Jim Walgenbach, PhD, professor and extension entomologist atNorth Carolina State University. “All life stages of stink bugs can cause damage to foliage and fruit.”They feed on all kinds of plants, both edible and ornamental, but their favorites include peaches, apples, pears, pecans, tomatoes, peppers and sweet corn.

The growing season is long in USDA Zone 9, as in, it lasts almost all year thanks to mild winters. This hardiness region extends from parts of Florida, across the lower portion of Louisiana and into coastal Georgia and Southern Texas. In these locales, salty air, sandy soil, heat, and lots of sun are prevalent. You’ll want to look for choices that can stand up to drought and are resilient when it comes to both soil and weather conditions. Tropical florals like hibiscus and showy trees like the Southern magnolia will do well in Zone 9 as well as a variety of ground covers, textural shrubs, and herbs. 

Looking to upgrade your garden with a durable evergreen shrub that provides year-round interest and doesn’t require the backbreaking labor of higher-maintenance plants, such as roses or hedges?Look no further than heavenly bamboo.We link to

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We all know ginger – a tasty culinary herb (or, more accurately, a spice) that you can buy practically anywhere.Whether you’re using the whole root, paste, or powdered form, it’