Garden columnist Dan Gill answers readers’ questions each week. To submit a question, email Gill at gnogardening@agcenter.lsu.edu.
I need some help designing my backyard landscaping. I’d like a deck, beds of shrubs, flowerbeds and some trees, but I’ve lost hope of how to do it right. Do you have any advice on seeking professional help? – Valerie Mitchell
A cold winter is the perfect time to install a new Louisiana landscape or redesign and renew an existing landscape. If you want to hire a landscape professional but don’t know where to start, here are some helpful tips.
positive word: Ask your friends, neighbors, and colleagues for recommendations. Do some online research on landscapers and landscape installers in your area. Your best bet is to choose an experienced and well-established company or company that has a history of completing projects similar to yours.
Get multiple opinions: Arrange a meeting with two or three different companies. Don’t be shy to ask about the training and educational background of the people who will be working with you. Learn how to work well with people and how well they understand what you want. Ask for references, and check with the Better Business Bureau.
Garden columnist Dan Gill answers readers’ questions each week. To submit a question, email Gill at gnogardening@agcenter.lsu.edu.
Check the license: Make sure the company or individual you are dealing with is properly licensed by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, which is required by law. A licensed landscape architect has a degree in landscape architecture and can sell you an original design whether or not he or she installs it.
A different kind of professional: You may also choose to use a licensed landscape gardener. Gardeners may assist you with landscape design, but only as part of a package that includes plants, materials, and installation. Since horticultural sellers are not required to have any design training to obtain their licenses, ask them carefully about their training and experience making designs.
The primary benefit of using any of these experts is to benefit from their knowledge, experience, and creativity.
Before making a final decision, get a written estimate, including an expected completion date. Make sure the contract you signed for installation includes a detailed list of all plants, materials, work to be done and specifications, as well as any warranties on plants and other materials used in the landscaping.
I see a lot of blackberry dew appearing in a garden of monkey grass. Are there herbicides that kill blackberries and do not harm monkey grass? – Wendy
Garden columnist Dan Gill answers readers’ questions each week. To submit a question, email Gill at gnogardening@agcenter.lsu.edu.
Sorry, but there are no selective herbicides that I know will kill blackberries but not monkey grass. You can try mowing individual stems of the lawn and then coating the surface of the freshly cut stem with Cut Vine and Stump Killer herbicide containing triclober.
Place the triclober only on the cut surface of the bushes and do not place it on the monkey grass. This is hard work, but it is effective. It will kill the roots and the blackberries will not sprout again.
I want to plant some red spider lily bulbs. Is this the right time to do this? – Sarah Ray
These bulbs are in their active growing season, so this would be an especially bad time to dig and transplant them. Red spider lilies (Lycoris radiata) finish their active season and disappear in spring—generally in April.
Watch out for the foliage starting to turn yellow. When you see it, it means that the lights are going into sleep mode. Dig them up and replant them where you want them to grow at that time.
Garden Tips
floor coverings trim: You can trim ground covers back until February, before new growth appears, to remove unattractive foliage, rejuvenate plants and control growth.
Prune unattractive individual leaves by hand on plants such as aspidistra and evergreen ferns. Liriope, monkey grass, Japanese ardisia, and Asian jasmine can be mowed with a lawnmower that has been adjusted to its highest setting, twine clipper or hedge shears.
When the winter solstice occurred on December 21, we experienced the day of the year with the shortest period of light and the longest period of darkness.
spring bulbs: If you purchase pots of spring-blooming bulbs that are in bloom, it is generally best to discard them after the blooms are finished. Some exceptions may be amaryllis, whitefly, daffodil and another narcissist. It can be planted in the garden when the flowers fade. Wait until April to transplant the amaryllis into the garden.
planting time: Now is the time to dig, divide, and transplant dormant perennials into your flower gardens. Do not dig up and divide any perennials that are in active growth, such as Louisiana iris, calla lilies, Easter lilies, red spider lilies, acanthus, and spring flowering bulbs.
potato: Plant Irish potatoes in the garden now through mid-February. Cut seed potatoes (available at nurseries or feed stores) into egg-sized pieces. Make sure each piece has at least one eye.
Allow the cut seed pieces to cure for a few days, then plant them in well-prepared beds about 12 inches apart and 4 inches deep. Harvest is generally done in the month of May. LaSoda red (red) and Kennebec (white) are the most commonly available, and both yield well here.
Dan Gill is a retired consumer horticulturist at LSU AgCenter. The “Garden Show” hosts Saturdays from WWL-AM at 9 a.m. by emailing gardening questions to gnogardening@agcenter.lsu.edu.
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