Flowers That Actually Thrive in Louisiana, and the Ones That Struggle
Louisiana’s heat and humidity, not its mild winters, decide which flowers survive here, from heat-tolerant natives to tender perennials grown as annuals up north.
Gardening in Louisiana
Everything we have worked out for Louisiana: what to plant and when, which varieties finish in time, the pests that actually turn up here, and the jobs that pay off month by month. We also cover the rest of the property, from lawns and soil to home care and energy, because a garden rarely stops at the vegetable bed.
The numbers first, because everything else follows from them. Measured at the weather station in New Orleans, the last spring freeze runs January 18 to February 8 and the first fall freeze runs December 17 to January 8, USDA zones 8a-10a, 7,275 growing degree days in the year.
Heat, not frost, is what shortens the season here: above 86 °F tomato pollen goes sterile, so growers run a spring crop and an autumn one rather than a single long season. Garlic is the awkward one: only 0 weeks below 40 °F, where it needs six to split into cloves. Chill the cloves before planting, or grow a softneck type.
Elsewhere on the property in Louisiana: the pests that turn up here.
Figures from NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals. A state is not one climate: elevation, a large lake or the coast can move these dates by two weeks either way, so check your own county with the extension service before you spend money.
Planting Spring Bulbs in Louisiana: What Will Come Back, and What Will Not
Most spring bulbs sold at Louisiana garden centers will leaf out fine and never flower, or flower once and quit.
Firewood in Louisiana: Which Woods Your Winter Actually Needs
Louisiana winters rarely bite hard enough to make firewood a survival tool. The mild-climate reality changes which woods make sense, how much you…
When to Carve a Pumpkin in Louisiana
South Louisiana barely gets a real frost before Halloween, and that changes everything about pumpkin timing here.
Growing Onions in Louisiana: Which Varieties Actually Bulb
At 29.99 degrees north, the reference city for this territory (the station behind these figures, USW00012916) gets 13 hours and 56 minutes of daylight on…
Growing Apples in Louisiana: Varieties, Timing and Frost Risk
Louisiana apples need low-chill varieties, a fertile pollen partner, and timing around an unusually early frost window near New Orleans.
Heating a Home in Louisiana: What the Winter Actually Costs
Louisiana winters rarely bite hard, but they linger long enough to matter. A house here doesn’t need to survive a deep freeze so much as it needs to…
Fall armyworm in Louisiana: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Louisiana’s growing season runs nearly all year, and that includes the pests.
Gardening in Louisiana: What the Season Actually Allows
Louisiana gardens sit inside a USDA hardiness range of zone 8a to 10a, with an average last spring frost falling somewhere between January 18 and…
Squash bug in Louisiana: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Squash bugs settle into Louisiana gardens earlier than almost anywhere else in the country, and they don’t fully leave.