December 2016
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
Homeowners all across the Greater New Orleans area are beginning to notice something strange
about their citrus crop this
fall. Many fruits are covered
in scabby brown spots, and in
some severe cases, the fruit
never fully ripened or
dropped prematurely from
the tree.
tion usually takes place in humid, hot conditions
ranging from 68-86 degrees Fahrenheit, or in other
words, a typical New Orleans
summer. It can take up to 60
days after infection for these
signs to appear. The stems
and twigs also become infected, which appears as corky
brown raised areas that eventually become dry and scabby.
Usually by this point,
citrus canker has struck again
and little can be done. Citrus
canker is a highly contagious
bacterial disease caused by
Symptoms of citrus canker include raised corky spots on the
the pathogen Xanthomonas leaves surrounded by a golden halo.
axonopodis pv. citri. It only
infects citrus trees, and cannot be spread to other species of plants. That’s the good
news.
As the fruits begin to
develop, the bacteria colonizes the rind, again producing
brown spots with a yellow
halo around them. Many
fruits will drop prematurely
as the corky spots take over.
If the fruit remains on the
tree, it is still edible! The lesions typically do not peneTrees infected with
trate past the rind of the
citrus canker usually begin to
fruit, so if anything, this ugly
show small brown spots on
crop is still usable. The rind
their leaves, usually where
at this point would probably
leaf miners have been feednot be a great choice for
ing. The brown spots are enmaking your grandmother’s
circled by a yellowish halo.
citrus marmalade recipe,
The bacteria enters through Another symptom is similar spots on the ripening fruit.
however. This is the ugly elewounds and natural openings
ment. As the infection takes over, the tree will begin
in the leaf surface, and then begins to produce the
to decline and eventually die. Each successive crop of
brown and yellow lesions. After a while, these spots
citrus will be smaller.
(Continued on page 3.)
become warty and corky in appearance. This infec-
December Vegetable Planting Guide
Crop
Recommended Variety
Planting
Depth
Spacing
Days Until Harvest
Inches
* from transplant date
Beets
Detroit Dark Red, Kestrel, Red Ace F1,
Ruby Queen
¼ inch
2-4
55-60
Celery
None Given
⅛ inch
6-8
210
Garlic
Creole: Early, Louisiana, White Mexican; Italian:
Early Red, Lorz; Large: Elephant (Tahitian)
1 inch
4-6
210
Blue Vantage, Platinum Dynasty, Stonehead,
Cheers, Blue Dynasty, Emblem, Rio Verde
⅛ inch
12-15
65-75*
None Given
¼ inch
12
60-80*
Danvers 128, Purple Haze, Thumbelina, Apache,
Enterprise, Maverick, Sugar Snax 54
⅛ inch
1-2
70-75
Alora
⅛ inch
2-4
135-210
Champions, Flash, Georgia Southern, Top Bunch,
Vates
⅛ inch
6-12
75
None Given
½ inch
12-18
50
Kohlrabi
Early Purple Vienna, Early White, Vienna,
Winner
⅛ inch
6
55-75
Lettuce
Esmeralda, New Red Fire F1, Nevada,
Tall Guzmaine Elite
⅛ inch
4-12
45-80
Mustard Greens
Florida Broadleaf, Greenwave, Red Giant, Southern Giant Curled, Savannah, Tendergreen
⅛ inch
4-6
35-50
Onions
Red: Red Creole, Southern Belle;
White: Candy, Savannah Sweet; Vidalia: Candy
Ann, Caramelo, Century, Georgia Boy, Mata Hari
½ inch
4-6
85
Spinach
Bloomsdale Long Standing, Melody, Tyee,
Unipak 151
⅛ inch
3-6
35-45
Radishes
Cherriette, Champion, White Icicle, April Cross
⅛ inch
1
22-28
Shallots
Matador, Prism
1 inch
4-8
50
None Given
¼ inch
6-8
45-55
Turnip Greens
Alamo, All Top, Purple, Top White Globe, Seven
Top, Southern Green, Top Star, Tokyo Cross
⅛ inch
2-6
40-50
Brussels Sprouts
Jade E Cross, Long Island Improved, Royal marvel
⅛ inch
12-15
90*
Cabbage
Chinese Cabbage
Carrots
Leeks
Collards
Kale
Swiss Chard
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly (Continued)
The New Orleans area is under a federal quar- the entire tree every 2-3 weeks, especially as the
antine, so do not move citrus or send it to your fami- fruits develop and throughout the hot and humid
ly elsewhere for the holidays. The best thing to do
summer months. Removing foliage that contains leaf
for infected trees is
miners also helps to
to remove and deeliminate potential instroy them. If burnfection sites. Once cooling is not an option,
er, dryer weather hits,
double bag all infectdiscontinue spraying
ed plant material and
and begin to bag and
dispose of it at a
remove any leaf litter or
landfill, taking care
debris from under the
to not let the bactetree. Harvest and enjoy
ria spread through
your fruit, but don’t
the air or wind curhandle fruits from inrents. Be a good
fected trees.
neighbor and double
Once a tree exbag it. As the infechibits even one lesion,
tion takes over, the
all available preventaGrowers burn infested trees in attempts to slow the spread of the disease.
tree will begin to detive measures will not
cline and eventually die. Each successive crop of citwork. There is currently not a cure for this disease,
rus will be smaller.
and it is highly contagious. Since most home gardenPrevention is key to saving trees that are not
yet infected. Grapefruits, limes, and trifoliate oranges
are the most susceptible. Sour oranges, lemons, and
sweet oranges are moderately susceptible, and mandarins (such as Satsumas), kumquats, and calamondins are somewhat resistant. Protecting trees is
a year-round endeavor, beginning in the spring by
spraying copper-based fungicides or bactericides on
ers do not follow a regular spray schedule, their trees
are especially at risk. Stay vigilant, plant resistant varieties, and remove all infected trees promptly to
keep citrus canker from spreading to your neighbor’s
trees.
Enjoy those ugly fruits, but don’t share them
outside of the New Orleans area parishes. And that’s
the bad news folks.
~Anna Timmerman
Flowers to Plant in December
Alyssum
Candytuft
Forget-Me-Not
Poppies
Snapdragon
Pansy
Viola
Dianthus
Calendula
Sweet Pea
Larkspur
Cornflower
Lupine
Delphinium
Hollyhock
Annual Phlox
Leucojum
Ipheion
Anemones
Narcissus
Zephyranthes
Ranunculus
Ornithogalum
Daffodils
Spanish
Bluebells
Volunteer Spotlight
Mary Biundo was already volunteering in the New Orleans Botanical Gardens in 1998 working with Dan Gill when he suggested that she take the LSU
AgCenter Master Gardener class. She is happy that she took his advice saying
that she particularly enjoyed the field trips and interesting reference material
supplied with the course.
Her mother was her prime inspiration to become a gardener who she
described as an excellent gardener and was awarded the garden of the month
prize numerous times in her home town of Opelousas. Mary even had her
own small garden since the age of six.
As a master gardener Mary has the opportunity to educate park visitors and groups. She says her career as a medical technologist helped to prepare her for this since she used to help teach the incoming medical students
while working for Charity Hospital in New Orleans. She also believes that the
discipline of working in a laboratory helped ready her for the tedious and never ending task of pulling weeds.
Mary is currently the leader of the volunteer group caring for the butterfly garden in the botanical gardens. She spends several hours in the garden each week making sure things are perfect for our Lepidoptera
friends. Additionally, Mary has worked with the Girl Scouts of America, Food for Friends, The Blessed Seelos
Center, the LSU Medical Center Faculty Wives Club, the Louisiana Nature Center , and the Women’s Arthritis Association. Mary says that volunteering has helped her to develop as a gardener and has given her wonderful memories of many happy days in the garden.
Plant of the Month
Golden Wonder Tree Cassia splend ida : This semi-evergreen,
small, multiple trunk tree/shrub can grow 12 feet tall and equally as
wide. From late September until the first freeze in the winter, golden
wonder tree lives up to it’s name by creating a eye popping display of
bright golden yellow flowers. These plants are typically hardy in the
New Orleans area but can die back north of the lake during winter
freezes. To help protect them, add about 1 foot of mulch around the
base of the tree. Prune away dead material in the early spring and the
plant will come back from the roots. Occasional pruning can also
help control the size and shape. Cassia trees need full sun to flower and
produce the most colorful blossoms.
They prefer neutral pH with well
Cassia splendida in bloom.
drained soils. Once established cassia trees need very little inputs; needing irrigation only during periods of
drought. Golden wonder trees also do well planted in large pots. They also
attract many species of bees and are host plants to the cloudless sulphur butterfly and other butterfly species. Cassias are typically available at nurseries
Cassia splendida flowers
at this time of year and can also be grow from seeds or stem cuttings.
Colorful Plants for Your Fall and Winter Garden
Many plants seem to save up all summer for the spectacular display of flowers, fruit and foliage showing up in our gardens now. If you want to punch up the color level in your garden during the fall and winter,
here are some trees, shrubs and perennials you may consider including in your landscape.
Three species of cassia grow 8 to 10 feet tall and produce a brilliant display of golden yellow flowers
from September to December.
1. The candelabra plant (Cassia alata) is a tall (up to 12 feet), lanky plant
that produces bold, dramatic foliage and spikes of globular gold flowers. Flowering in this species starts in late summer and usually finishes some time in late October or early November.
2. Cassia corymbosa is shrubbier in appearance and generally grows 5 to
8 feet tall. Starting in September clusters of 2-inch yellow flowers are
produced in great quantities followed by green bean-like seed pods.
3. The most spectacular of the three is the golden wonder tree (Cassia
splendida), which blooms from October through the first hard freeze.
The large, golden yellow flowers almost cover the foliage and are
bound to attract attention in any landscape that includes it. We like
this so much that we make it the plant of the month.
Another plant that creates a similar look in the landscape and is known
for its late summer and fall flowering is a plant called golden bells or esperanza
(Tecoma stans). It produces large clusters of bell-shaped, golden yellow flowers
over a long season.
Camellia sasanqua
Two shrubs that will produce outstanding flowers this month through
early December are sasanquas (Camellia sasanqua) and various roses. Sasanquas are among those indispensable shrubs for our area. Dwarf types stay
around 3 feet tall while standard varieties will slowly grow to 10 to 12 feet tall
and can be trained as a clipped hedge, large shrub or tree. The 2-to-3-inch, fragrant flowers are produced in abundance and come in shades of light red, rose,
pink and white, depending on the cultivar you choose. Soon, camellias
(Camellia japonica) will
begin to bloom and continue through the winter.
Encore azalea
Everblooming roses,
such as hybrid teas, floribundas, Chinas, Bourbons,
teas and landscape roses,
will produce outstanding
Floribunda rose
flowers from October until
the first hard freeze – and
longer if the winter is mild. Deadhead them frequently to
keep them looking nice and to encourage blooms.
Colorful Plants for Your Fall and Winter Garden (Part II)
Although generally not known for fall blooming, azaleas that bloom during seasons other than spring are becoming more available and popular. Particularly notable are some of the
Robin Hill azaleas such as Watchet, the popular Glen Dale cultivar
Fashion, and the Encore azaleas. Check out local nurseries now, and you
can see them in bloom and pick out the color you like. These azaleas
will continue to bloom until spring, but do not produce the shrubcovering display of flowers that the spring-flowering Indica azaleas,
such as Formosa and George Tabor, do.
Mexican bush sage
Although they bloom through summer, salvias always seem to
look especially good in fall. Two species, Mexican bush sage (Salvia leucantha) and forsythia sage (Salvia madrensis), are outstanding this time
of year. Mexican bush sage produces spikes of furry purple or white
flowers on 3-to-5-foot-tall plants. Forsythia sage is an unusual yellowblooming salvia that makes large spikes of mellow yellow on a 5-foot
plant with dark green, quilted leaves.
Lots of herbaceous perennial wildflowers are in bloom along
roadsides now, and two that make excellent additions to the garden are
wild ageratum (Eupatorium coelestinum) and goldenrod (Solidago species). Wild ageratum produces powder puff clusters of lavender-blue
flowers on plants about 24 inches tall. Goldenrod is a well-known fall
bloomer that often gets blamed for causing hay fever. It doesn’t, but it
does produce spikes of intensely golden flowers that enliven the garden.
The culprit is its cousin giant ragweed (Ambrosia trifida), but no one
notices the thin green spikes of flowers it produces.
Wild ageratum
Deciduous holly
Now and through winter, trees provide color with fruit. Hollies
are notable in this regard and are beginning to color their brilliant red
berries now. Excellent choices
for our area include the popular
Savannah holly and Foster’s holly (Ilex x attenuata Savannah
and Fosteri), both small trees.
The Savannah holly grows to
about 25 feet tall and the Foster’s to about 15 feet tall. A great
thing about holly berries is that
they are excellent food for birds.
Don’t forget citrus trees when searching for trees with attractive fall fruit. The kumquat and Calamondin orange are particularly
effective. They will survive mild winters in the ground in north Louisiana or they can be grown in pots. In south Louisiana, all citruses
add color to the landscape with fruits of orange and yellow.
I have just scratched the surface. Look around, and you will be
inspired by many other outstanding late year performers. ~Dan Gill
Calamondin
Master Gardeners of
Greater New Orleans
mggno.org
The Living Louisiana Landscape
Cultivating relationships with people, plants and wildlife
Presented by Master Gardeners of Greater New Orleans and LSU AgCenter
Winter Gardening Symposium
Saturday, January 28, 2017
8:00 A.M. to Noon
New Orleans Museum of Art Auditorium, City Park
Join award-wining authors and lecturers Doug Tallamy and Rick Darke along with local
landscape horticulturist and master gardener, Tammany Baumgarten, for three inspiring presentations illustrating how to integrate beauty and biodiversity in your home garden through native plants that nurture Louisiana wildlife. You’ll learn how to recognize
and enrich the layers of your landscape to create an ecosystem that is diverse, visually
appealing and sustaining on many levels.
Designing and Maintaining the Living Landscape. Discover how an understanding of living
relationships can be put to practical use in the design and maintenance of beautiful gardens
that are biologically diverse and joyfully livable. Rick Darke will share strategies for employing
“organic architecture” in creating beautiful, conserving, highly functional layers that can be
found in the Bayou country and other parts of the southeastern U.S.
Restoring Nature’s Relationships at Home. Specialized relationships between animals and
plants provide our birds with insects and berries, disperse our bloodroot seeds and
pollinate our plants. Learn why specialized food relationships determine the stability and
complexity that support animal diversity, why our yards and gardens are essential parts of the
ecosystems that sustain us, and what we can do to make our landscapes living ecosystems
once again.
My Weeds, My Bugs, My Home. Tammany Baumgarten will share wisdom and discoveries
from her years of gardening research and experimentation in and around New Orleans. You’ll
learn about naturalistic garden design in the reality of small-scale urban lots, including specific
methods and plants that have proved successful in drawing and sustaining insect
life in our city setting. She will finally address some paths forward to a greater good in our
neighborhoods, city and state.
Your morning of learning will include a continental breakfast from Café NOMA, raffle of a
stunning gallery of garden wildlife wreaths designed by master gardeners, complimentary
admission to NOMA immediately following the program and an opportunity to enjoy the
beautiful Besthoff Sculpture Garden adjoining the museum.
Registration fee is $35.00. Plus you’ll have the option to purchase a specially-discounted
copy of The Living Landscape signed by co-authors Doug Tallamy and Rick Darke. Please
go to mggno.org/symposium for complete details and to register securely online through our
Eventbrite site.
Have a question? Call 504-908-2018 or email [email protected]. Follow us on
Facebook.com/MasterGardenersOfGreaterNewOrleans for updates and the latest news
about our 2017 Winter Gardening Symposium.
Master Gardeners of Greater New Orleans
Our Mission: To increase the public's love and knowledge of gardening and
Have a gardener on your gift list? Give a gift registration to our Winter Gardening
Symposium on Jan 28th! Register today while seats are still available
Go to: http://www.mggno.com/symposium.
November Gardening Checklist
For the freshest possible Christmas tree, why not cut your own? There are many choose and cut Christmas tree farms in
Louisiana. Some farms offer wagon rides, accessories and decorations. It can be a great family outing. To locate Christmas tree farms near you, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry has them listed by parish at: http://
www.ldaf.state.la.us/news/louisiana-choose-and-cut-christmas-tree-farms/
Many garden chemicals are water based and can be destroyed by freezing. The loss of chemicals can be expensive and
spilled chemicals can create dangerous conditions. Keep chemicals in a location that doesn’t freeze, and if there are
children in the house, they should be stored in a locked location.
Varieties of certain shrubs such as azaleas, nandinas and junipers will develop a purplish or burgundy tint to their foliage during cold weather. This is natural and no cause for worry. They will turn green again in the spring.
Prune off any freeze damage caused to gingers, philodendrons, cannas and other herbaceous tropicals by freezes. Place
a four to six inch layer of mulch, such as pine straw, around the base of the plants to protect the roots and rhizomes.
Keep the water reservoir in your Christmas tree stand filled with water at all times. Check it daily.
Where you display your poinsettia depends on your overall decoration plans, but, if you can locate your plants near a
window it will lengthen their attractive life. Feel the soil in the pot with your finger every day, and when it begins to
feel dry water generously. Water your plant at a sink and let it drain there before putting it back out on display.
If you harvested any seeds from your garden to plant next year, or have some packets of seeds left over, place them in a
plastic or glass container with a tight fitting lid and store them in your refrigerator to keep them viable. Make sure you
label the seeds with the type and when they were harvested or purchased. Try to use seed within a year of harvesting or
purchasing them.
Don’t forget to add nature’s generous bounty of leaves provided this time of year to your compost piles, or use them to
mulch shrub and flower beds. Stock pile pine straw in plastic bags to use to cover low growing plants for freeze protection.
Late December through early January is the time to plant those tulip and hyacinth bulbs that have been chilling in your
refrigerator (won=t it be good to get the room back). It is easy to force some of the hyacinth bulbs for bloom indoors.
Place the bulbs half deep in a bowl of pebbles. Add enough water to touch the bottom of the bulbs and maintain it at
that level. Place in a sunny window in a cool room. The wonderfully fragrant flower spikes should appear in four to six
weeks.
After your holiday cactus plant finishes blooming don’t forget to move it to a sunny window for the rest of the winter.
Allow the soil to become dry before watering. Constantly wet soil promotes root rot.
Harvest broccoli when the largest buds in the head are the size of the head of a kitchen match. Do not focus on the size
of the head itself, as that is not an indication of when the broccoli is ready to harvest. If you begin to see yellow flowers
you waited too long. Also, harvest mature broccoli heads if temperatures in the mid twenties are predicted. The plants
are hardy, but the heads can be damaged by subfreezing temperatures.
Whenever practical, continue to deadhead cool season annuals such as pansies, snapdragons and dianthus to keep
them blooming through the spring.
When planting fruit trees this winter and early spring, you must choose cultivars adapted to our mild winter climate.
Contact your local LSU Ag Center Extension office for a free copy of our Louisiana Home Orchard publication.
As we move into the coldest part of the winter, don’t forget to keep materials handy to cover tender plants in the landscape during freezes.
November Gardening Checklist
Move tender container plants indoors on nights when temperatures are predicted to be in the low thirties or lower to
prevent damage. Leave them inside in sunny windows or place them back outside when the freeze is over.
Add leaves falling from deciduous trees to your compost pile. Speed decomposition by sprinkling any nitrogen containing fertilizer, commercial or organic, over the leaves. Keep the piles evenly moist but not soggy. If you can, turn the pile
occasionally.
Whenever practical, continue to deadhead cool season annuals such as pansies, snapdragons and dianthus to keep
them blooming through the spring.
After your holiday cactus plant finishes blooming don’t forget to move it to a sunny window for the rest of the winter.
Allow the soil to become dry before watering. Wet soil promotes root rot.
Plan now for freezing temperatures. Decide what tender plants you will choose to protect and what will be left to its
own chances. Make sure you have enough materials on hand to protect those plants that you will cover. Suitable materials include plastic, fabric sheets, blankets, tarps and cardboard boxes to name a few. Each plant to be protected needs
to have a covering large enough to extend to the ground. It also helps to have stakes available to drive into the ground
around plants to help support the coverings over the plants and bricks to weight down the bottom edges of the covering.
Although cold, dry winds can dry out leaf tissues and cause brown edges, plants do not feel wind-chill. When you see
low temperatures predicted, focus on the actual temperature rather than wind-chill. If it’s getting down to 38 degrees
with a wind-chill of 25 degrees, you do not have to worry about a freeze.
Winterize your garden tools before you put them away. Clean and sharpen tools, apply a thin layer of protective oil to
the blades, and coat wooden handles with sealer, tung oil or varnish to protect the wood and keep it in good shape.
Drain the gas from lawn mowers and other gas powered equipment(see your owner’s manual for specific recommendations).
Keep garden beds free from weeds. A two to three inch layer of mulch will prevent most cool season weed seeds from
sprouting. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Harvest bunching green onions and shallots by digging up a clump, breaking off most of the clump and replanting the
smaller part. Take the rest into the kitchen for cooking. The part that you replant will continue to grow and form a
clump that can be harvested again later.
Your Local Extension Office is Here to Help
E-mail us at: [email protected]
Follow us on Facebook at GNOGardening
For more information visit LSUAgCenter.com
Anna Timmerman
Jefferson Parish
Horticulture Agent
Lee Rouse
Orleans Parish
Horticulture Agent
(504)736-6519
(504)483-9471