LSU AgCenter’s
Trial Garden Report
March 15, 2012
(Volume 1, No. 14)
Welcome to the March 15, 2012, trial garden report from the LSU AgCenter. This report is published semimonthly and highlights new ornamental landscape plants being evaluated at the LSU AgCenter’s Hammond Research Station.
‘Fields of Dream’ Ornamental Corn
A new ornamental corn (Zea mays) from Floronova has gotten considerable press this year.
‘Field of Dreams’ was new for 2011, and those of you interested in growing should be able to locate seed or plugs to get started. Highly variegated green and white with touches of rose, Field of Dreams
adds color and structure to large combination pots and accents in the landscape. For a fast retail product in as little as 30 days, sow 3-4 seeds per pot. Plants can reach 4 to 5 feet tall in the landscape and produce ears that are as attractive after the season as the plants were beautiful during the season. The dark kernels can be popped to add even more interest to this exciting new introduction. Plants to not maintain great appearance throughout the warm season of the year in the more southern climates, like south Louisiana. Space plants 12-18 inches apart and plant in full sun.
Vinca Tidbits
Possibly the most planted summer bedding plant for full sun in Louisiana is the vinca or periwinkle. Plant vinca later in the spring, limit or avoid irrigation, locate plants in full sun and allow it to do its thing. Acid soil is also best.
Flowers are abundant all summer and fall long. Flower colors available are numerous – older varieties are pink, rose, white, blush and rose with new colors being lavenders, light blues, light to medium reds and combinations of these colors. Great varieties to plant include the Titan, Cora, Nirvana, Cooler and Pacifica series. The Mediterranean series is for hanging baskets.
The new variety on the scene is the 2012 AAS winner ‘Jams ‘N Jellies Blackberry.’
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Top Caladiums Named
Yan Chen, horticulture professor at the LSU AgCenter, has been evaluating landscape performance of caladiums in sun and shade settings the past 3 years.
Top performers in sun:
Fancy red – Fire Chief
Fancy pink – Elise, Carolyn Whorton
Fancy white – Moonlight, White Queen
Strap red – Lance Whorton, Rosemary
Strap pink – Candyland
Strap white – White Delight, White Dynasty, White Wing, White Wonder
Top performers in shade:
Fancy leaf – Fantasy, Raspberry Moon, Strawberry Star, and Tapestry
Strap leaf – Gingerland and Miss Muffet
Campsis to Consider
Chinese trumpet creeper grows in USDA hardiness zones 6-9 and reaches heights of 20-25 feet with a spread of 6-9 feet. Plants typically bloom in mid- to late summer.
One great variety to try is Morning Calm. A great variety to consider, flowers are peach with a yellow throat. Plants need full sun to part shade. It is a great butterfly garden plant and tolerates deer browsing.
Another trumpet vine to consider is Hot Lips. It is part of the Gardeners Confidence collection. Scientific name isCampsis x tagliabuana. It is an attractive ornamental flowering vine with fuzzy new growth. Beautiful straw-colored stems. Reddish-orange flowers begin in May and continue throughout the summer. Height is 10 feet with a spread of 10-15 feet. Space 8-10 feet apart.
Industry Association Open House at Hammond Research Station – Saturday, May 12
Hosted by the LSU AgCenter’s Hammond Research Station and the Louisiana Nursery and Landscape Association, members of the Baton Rouge Landscape Association, Louisiana Irrigation Association and Southeast Louisiana Nursery Association are invited to attend an open house and garden tour for all nursery, landscape, irrigation and garden center professionals on Saturday, May 12. You can tour the grounds of the station on you own, and guided tours will be offered 9 a.m. until 12 noon. A jambalaya lunch will be served in the Margie Jenkins Azalea Garden’s gazebo. Complimentary. RSVP not required. 3 CEUs are available for Louisiana licensed landscape architects.