By Amy Wold, Lawrence Rozas, and Heather Warner-Finley
Another growing season is coming to an end, except for those of us who have planted our winter gardens, and thoughts turn to what’s next for spring planting.
If you’re thinking of making more of your yard butterfly friendly, or create a bird sanctuary, or just want a more native plant landscape, we’ve reached out to a few of our affiliates for their advice on making it through the winter and planning for the spring. This is geared toward the beginners (like me) so there won’t be advice on soil testing or pH levels, but hopefully there will be some advice here to get you started.
Louisiana Native Plant Society – Lawrence Rozas
Every successful native garden begins with a plan. Working from a plan is especially important for the beginner. This approach will save you time and money in the long run.
First, decide what type of native garden you desire. Would you like a wildflower meadow, a flower bed around your home, a water garden, or a woodland along the edge of your property?
Once you have decided what you want, then develop a plan for that specific garden type.
Beginners can find examples of garden plans from native gardening books or websites, but make certain that the plan you choose uses plants that are compatible with your location and garden conditions.
The Acadiana Native Plant Project website has several native garden plans that can be downloaded at no cost. This website as well as that of the Louisiana Native Plant Society have lots of other useful information about native gardening that will help you get started.
Acadiana Native Plant Project – Heather Warner-Finley
Often people think fall garden chores such as raking and trimming dead seed heads are necessary to maintaining a healthy growing environment. It turns out that lots of animals, particularly arthropods such as insects and spiders are inhabiting those leaves and dead stems. “Leaving the leaves” is a sustainable way to winterize your garden. You can leave them where they lie, or if that’s a bit too messy for you, rake them into your flower and shrub beds or use them as mulch around your trees. In addition to providing habitat, leaves are a good source of nitrogen and will provide protection for plant roots during cold snaps.
Stems and flower seed heads also provide habitat and food. Some kinds of native bees lay eggs in the hollow dead flower stems. And birds will use the seed that you leave behind on the stems. So you can let these structures stay during the winter and think about removing them in the spring when your garden is starting to green up.
Fall and winter are the best seasons for planting and transplanting almost everything except some garden vegetables and tropical plants. Our weather is much milder from November through February giving new plantings a chance to establish, that is to grow a bigger root mass. Having more roots will increase the plants’ odds of surviving long hot dry summers. I usually wait, if I can, until we start getting reliable cold fronts bringing rain every week or so to begin my fall planting and transplanting projects.
There are a number of native plant groups in Louisiana with resources including native plants for sale, classes, native plant work days, plant sales, workshops, and more. If you know of one not listed here in your area, please email Amy at amy@lawildlifefed.org.
Louisiana Native Plant Society https://www.lnps.org/
Acadiana Native Plant Project https://www.greauxnative.org/
Cajun Prairie Habitat Preservation Society https://www.cajunprairie.org/
Capital Area Native Plant Society https://canps.weebly.com/
Folsom Native Plant Society http://folsomnps.org/
Native Plant Initiative of Greater New Orleans https://www.npi-gno.org/
Grown by Grace Native Plants (Monroe, La.) https://www.facebook.com/GrownByGraceNativePlants