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In a variety of articles, I’ve written about plants that grow well in southeastern Louisiana. On Saturday, April 15, you’ll have a chance to buy some of the plants I’ve written about – and many others – at the LSU AgCenter Hammond Research Station’s Spring Garden Day and Plant Sale.

I’ve gotten a peek at the plant list, and there are over 280 types of plants on there, including herbaceous perennials, annual bedding plants, herbs, and several types of trees, shrubs, and vegetables. Some that I’ve written about at one time or another include American beautyberry, baldcypress, pondcypress, Early Bird Gold orange coneflower, Texas red star hibiscus, Big Momma Turk’s cap, Louisiana irises, Virginia blue flag iris, southern swamp lily (Crinum americanum), perennial salvias (Amante, Blue Ensign, Rebel Child, and White Flame), bog sage, and several LSU fig varieties.

Besides American beautyberry and baldcypress, Louisiana Super Plants on the list include Peggy Martin rose, Penny Mac hydrangea, lemon sedum, muhlygrass (pink- and white-flowered), Intenz Classic celosia, Luna series hibiscus, Blue My Mind Evolvulus, Beacon series impatiens, Serenita Raspberry and Serena series Angelonias, Henna and Flamethrower series coleuses, Butterfly and Lucky Star series pentas, Evolution Violet and Evolution White salvias, Kauai series Torenia, Suncredible Yellow and Suncredible Saturn sunflowers, and ornamental peppers. Other plants that I was excited to see on the list include Barbara Rogers begonia, Butterscotch cestrum, Carlos verbena, pink jatropha, pink velvet banana (I like pink stuff, a’ight?), Walker’s Low catmint, and a number of porterweeds (great pollinator plants).

If you have a particular plant in mind, come early. Quantities are limited. The sale opens at 8 AM, and there were people lined up across the parking lot, ready to check out, shortly after the sale opened last spring. The event lasts until 1 PM.

Besides the plant sale, there will be a series of educational presentations. I’ll start at 9 AM with “Many Happy Returns: Perennial Plants for Louisiana.” Dr. Damon Abdi will present “Creative Concepts for Designing the Home Landscape” at 10 AM. At 10:30 AM, Dr. Heather Kirk-Ballard is scheduled to speak about “Tips and Trends for Maximizing Sustainable Space in Your Garden.” Jason Stagg will talk at 11:30 AM about “New Cultivar Performance at the Hammond Station.” Finally, Dr. Jeb Fields will present “Digging Deeper: The Science of Potting Soils” at 12:15 PM.

Louisiana Master Gardeners from Tangipahoa Parish will have children’s activities, a plant swap (limit of two plants per person), and a plant sale of their own. It’s expected that they’ll have daylilies, Japanese maples, deciduous azaleas, and other flowering shrubs.

The Hammond Research Station is located at 21549 Old Covington Hwy., Hammond.

Let me know if you have questions.

Dr. Mary Helen Ferguson is an Extension Agent with the LSU AgCenter, with horticulture responsibilities in Washington and Tangipahoa Parishes. Contact Mary Helen at mhferguson@agcenter.lsu.edu or 985-277-1850 (Hammond) or 985-839-7855 (Franklinton).