LSU AgCenter Louisiana Super Plants

09/04/2026

Shoal Creek vitex are enjoying their secondary bloom. Fall is a good time to plant chaste trees - great for butterflies. Also look for the Abbeville Blue and Montrose Purple varieties.

09/03/2026

Aphrodite Althea! Still blooming into early September as we promised! It is SUPER!

09/02/2026

The Scarlet Drift® Rose (cultivar names 'Meidelvega' or 'Meibenbino') is an exciting new 2026 plant introduction from Star Roses and Plants. It expands the popular, low-maintenance Drift® series with a bold, bright red option.

What makes the Scarlet Drift® special is that it is noted by growers as the earliest-blooming variety in the entire Drift® Rose collection. It delivers reliable, season-long color from early spring all the way until the first frost.

Key Characteristics & Growth Habits

Features abundant flushes of small, single-form scarlet-red flowers with exposed yellow centers, making them highly pollinator-friendly for bees and butterflies.

Compact and low-growing, typically reaching a mature height of 1.5 to 2 feet and a spread of 2 feet.

Unlike many groundcover roses, it carries a light, pleasant fragrance reminiscent of Apricot Drift® roses.

Highly adaptable and cold-hardy across USDA Zones 4b through 11.

Exceptional natural resistance to typical blights like powdery mildew, black spot, and rust.

09/01/2026

Getting time for Shi Shi Gashira camellias. Shop local.

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Come STOP in and pick up one of these BEAUTIFUL Shi Shi Camellias!!!

09/01/2026

Jolt Pink Dianthus. The Jolt series are considered cool season and perform September - May. Over-summer in many situations. Full sun. Containers and landscape beds.

08/31/2026

Pink Muhly Grass is a clump-forming, drought-tolerant perennial ornamental grass known for its airy pink plumes in late summer and fall.

08/30/2026

One of the LSP selections from 2023 was CINNAMON GIRL distylium, which is about as low-maintenance as you can get for a well-formed evergreen shrub. Cinnamon Girl distylium is a great choice for landscapers, businesses and municipalities that need a clean look without the hassle of constant maintenance. Home gardeners are starting to get on-board.

Cinnamon Girl gets its name from the crimson-colored new growth, which slowly reverts to blue-green. It keeps a nice, dense shape with minimal pruning and can handle nearly any growing conditions, with best performance in full to mostly sunny locations. There can be minimal late winter damage on new growth during hard freezes, but there are no long-term issues. Inconspicuous flowers are an added bonus in the spring for those who look closely. 3 foot grower (height and spread - lightly prune a couple times annually.

08/30/2026

Plant spotlight: American beautyberry

Keep an eye out for one of Louisiana's most distinctive native shrubs as summer begins to wind down. American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), sometimes called French mulberry, has begun developing the bright purple fruit that will make it a standout in landscapes and natural areas in the coming weeks.

A Louisiana Super Plant selection, beautyberry is well adapted to our climate and grows in a variety of soil types and lighting conditions. While it's best known for its vivid fruit, the shrub also supports wildlife. Its small summer flowers attract pollinators, and the berries provide food for songbirds, deer and other animals.

Beautyberry's loose, arching habit makes it a good fit for naturalized plantings and informal garden beds. Some cultivars even offer white or pink fruit instead of the traditional purple. Best of all, it requires little maintenance.

08/29/2026

Growers in Louisiana produce a lot of Lemon Ball sedum! ❤️

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08/28/2026

Horticulturist Allen Owings reviewed 2026 winners and announced 2027 winners to members of the BR Landscape Association early this week at their meeting at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens.