(Distributed 01/18/08) With the New Year come announcements of ornamental plant winners. One popular competition is the All-America Rose Selections. AARS winners for 2008 are Mardi Gras and Dream Come True.

(Audio 01/14/08) You can plant Irish potatoes in your vegetable garden from about mid-January through February. They will be ready to harvest in April or May and will be delicious. (Runtime 60 seconds)

(Video 01/14/08) Plants will begin to show signs of nutrient deficiency in multiple ways. In this week’s Get it Growing segment, LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dan Gill explains when and how to fertilize your plants. (Runtime 1 minute, 34 seconds)

Pointy and pretty, no flower quite has the petal power of poinsettias at the holidays. And the selection would be far fewer in Louisiana were it not for the LSU AgCenter. Although AgCenter horticulturists do not develop new varieties of poinsettias, they do evaluate the varieties that come on the market and test them for their suitability to grow here.

Is Retreating for Termites Necessary? Also find information on preventing formosan subterranean termites from spreading, disposing of termite infested wood and debris, transporting mulch and other wood debris, inspecting and retreating, signs of infestation and differences between termites and ants.

Varying your mowing pattern can cause you to spend a little more time mowing, but the result will be a greatly improved appearance in your turfgrass.

A quarterly newsletter from the Horticulture Division of the LSU AgCenter's School of Plant, Environmental and Soil Sciences.