Created for use by the Louisiana Native Plant Society with the Acadiana Native Plant Project
Made in the style of Dan Gill's Month by Month Gardening in Louisiana, Cool Springs Press,
Copyright 1999, 2006
General Guidelines and Goals
Choose plant species and ecotypes native to your ecoregion of Louisiana.
Ask your nursery where their plants are grown. Do not buy or share plants that
are invasive.
Go for diversity. Include diverse bloom and fruit times, plants that are
attractive in different seasons, and those that occupy different layers of your
garden.
Reduce the size of your lawn to only what you use, as the lawn has very
little ecological value.
What falls in the yard stays in the yard: consider keeping a brush pile of your
cuttings and limbs. This is a great habitat and a reservoir of insects that other
wildlife depends on.
Minimize chemical use. Native gardens don’t need fertilizer (which only
gives weeds a leg up), and a well-established habitat controls nuisance
insects naturally. Use herbicide sparingly, according to instructions, and only
on plants they work on.
Comply with all local ordinances regarding yard maintenance. Be active with
your Homeowners Association and communicate with your neighbors about
your motivations and plans.
Consider documenting and sharing as your garden develops over time to
inspire others.
February - To Do
Continue to transplant trees and shrubs that are still dormant, and divide
and transplant perennials.
Pull refrigerated seed that was stored in fall, and sow into trays that can be
brought indoors.
This is a great month to prepare new bed space for all the plants you will
buy at plant sales this spring! Scrape sod or turf with a sharp shovel, or use an
herbicide according to manufacturer's instructions. Herbicides will work much
better on warmer days. Brown cardboard can be applied over the soil as an
additional, compostable, weed barrier.
Hollies will be flowering soon; if you did not get a good crop of berries,
consider that many hollies need a male pollinator. Talk to your garden club or
a horticulturalist if you need help determining what type of hollies you have,
and what an appropriate pollinator would be.
Maintain
Watch out for invasive, non-native, cool season weeds. Pull by hand and
dispose of the entire plant to prevent seed from persisting in the garden.
Fertilize Louisiana Iris and other spring-flowering plants, if desired.
Established plants probably don't need water right now, but monitor water
needs for containerized plants as they are waking up. They especially need
moisture before the sudden, hard freezes now and next month.
Avoid working in the garden after extremely rainy weather, when soil is
moist and heavy. Excessive activity will lead to soil compaction.
Propagate
Seedlings and cuttings that were started indoors or in hot houses can be
brought out on mild days to acclimate to outdoor temperatures.
Continue to start seed trays. If planting annual species, especially, seeds
can be started in staggered sets a few weeks or a month apart, to extend
bloom time in the garden
Protect
Evergreens such as Magnolia and Holly can be evaluated for scale
infestations. Heavy infestations can be treated now with horticultural oil.
Ensure that the spray coats all surfaces of the leaf, especially the undersides,
where most infestations are worst. Two treatments a few weeks apart are
more effective than one.
Continue to be prepared to protect young plants and seedlings from freezes.
Some of our hardest freezes can be had as late as late February or early
March. Early blooms on Iris and other garden plants can be lost if they bloom
early and then are hit by a late freeze. Plan to cover or at least mist tender
growth to preserve blooms; the plants themselves will be fine and not
weakened by freezing weather.
Enjoy and Harvest
Blueberries, Maples, and other early spring bloomers are waking up now.
Winter is almost over! Blueberries need pollen from different, non-clonal plants
to bear fruit. If growing named cultivars of rabbiteye blueberry, two different
named varieties are needed.
Iris, Lyreleaf Sage, Thistle, and others may wake up early if weather is mild.
Look out for blooms on Fleabane Daisy, Spring Onion, Butterweed, and
other spontaneous Natives in your yard and the surrounding countryside
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