Third Tuesday Demonstration: Pruning Vitex and Garden Rose 15 Jan 2013

Andrew Loyd offered an outstanding pruning workshop at the LA Super Plant/Enabling Garden at the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden NOMA in New Orleans City Park. His well prepared presentation provided info of interest to the experienced Master Gardeners of Greater New Orleans and to the novice members of the public who participated. He not only discussed the Shoal Creek Vitex and Belinda’s dream rose LA Super Plants but also demonstrated tools and pruning techniques. We all took turns pruning under his guidance. What a great educational experience! Thanks Andrew!

Submitted by Eileen Hollander

The Crescent City Green Thumb, January 2013

Greater NOLA Area Master Gardener
Certification/Recertification Ceremony, Jan. 7 2012

The Greater New Orleans Area Louisiana Master Gardener Certification/Recertification Ceremony is scheduled for January 7, 2013 at the Garden Study Center at the NO Botanical Gardens located at City Park. Thirty-three members of the 2011 graduating Master Gardener class will be acknowledged for their educational accomplishments and achievements. These individuals have served as leaders by dedicating their invaluable service to the Greater New Orleans community. In addition, 99 members will be acknowledged for their continued education and leadership service with the Louisiana Master Gardener Program of the Greater New Orleans Area.

Some of many projects the GNO Master Gardeners volunteer with include maintaining and enabling LSU AgCenter Super Plants at the New Orleans Museum of Art Sculpture Garden, working with ARC in Uptown New Orleans where volunteers work with the mentally disabled, and volunteering time and extending their knowledge to answer gardening questions at a few farmers’ markets in the Greater New Orleans Area.

The Greater New Orleans Area Master Gardener program has the largest group of Master Gardeners in the state with 286 total trained Master Gardeners as of last year. In 2012, a total of 5,428 service hours were worked equating to a monetary value of $ 136,792. To learn more about the Master Gardener program in the Greater New Orleans Area or how you can become a Master Gardener, and give back to your community, contact Andrew Loyd, Orleans Parish Extension Agent (aloyd@agcenter.lsu.edu) or JB Anders, Jefferson Parish Extension Agent (janders@agcenter.lsu.edu).

Photo Contest Get It Growing Calendar

 LSU AgCenter Get It Growing Calendar is calling all phytophotographers to submit pictures for next year’s calendar. The deadline for submissions is Feb. 1, 2013, and the entry form is available online. Entries must be mailed to Emma Sue McCallum, LSU Ag Center, 135 Knapp Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803. For more information contact Emma Sue McCallum at 225-578-2462.If you haven’t purchased your LSU AgCenter 2013 Get It Growing Calendar you can find how to do this online. It makes a great gift for your favorite phytophile.

La Super Plant News

The LouisianaSuper Plant program is an educational and marketing campaign that highlights tough and beautiful plants that perform well in Louisiana landscapes. Louisiana Super Plants have a proven track record having gone through several years of university evaluations and observations. Louisiana Super Plants are “university tested and industry approved”.

Each spring and fall LSU AgCenter horticulturists unveil a list of Louisiana Super Plants, evaluated and selected for their superior performance under Louisiana growing conditions. This is a group of plants that grow optimally in our state’s environments, which means less maintenance and pest pressure! Every third Tuesday of the month the Master Gardeners of GNO lead educational workshops behind the NOMA Sculpture Garden at their La. Super Plant beds. The next demonstration is January 15, 2013 where the new extension agent Andrew Loyd will be demonstrating Spring pruning of ‘Belinda’s Dream’ Tea Rose as well as ‘Shoal Creek’ Vitex. To find out more information on the third Thursday demonstrations and more events visit the GNO Master Gardener calendar.

Photo credit: Dr. Kathryn Fontenot

The Salad Bowl 

It is time to plant many greens and vegetables for your salads and stir fries for late Winter and early Spring. Lettuce, Carrots, Broccoli, and Swiss chard are a few vegetables that can be directly sowed starting now to mid-month. For all planting dates consult the Louisiana Vegetable Planting Guide.  

The LSU AgCenter tested 10 heirloom tomato cultivars across the state last year to evaluate which heirloom tomato cultivars performed the best for our area. The top five yielding cultivars were ‘Thessaloniki’, ‘Black from Tula’, ‘Red Brandywine’, ‘Pruden’s Purple’, and ‘Mortgage Lifter’. In addition, a taste test was conducted with all 10 varieties at Burden Research Station in Baton Rouge, LA. With 175 tasters, the tastiest tomato was…drum roll, please…not one of the highest yielders, but rather a cultivar named ‘Pink Brandywine’. The entire report can be read online.  Almost time to start our tomato gardens!