Two members of the East Baton Rouge Master Gardener Association (EBRMGA) recently demonstrated that they are worthy of Advanced Master Gardener (AMG) certification by completing class projects on the Burden property. David Breaux revived the pollinator beds at the Rural Life Museum Kitchen Garden, and Sterling Sightler helped Jason Stagg and Dr. Kuehny bring the Sustainable Gardening Demonstration Garden close to completion.
Breaux, the 2023 EBRMGA president, has proven adept at growing vegetables in the Kitchen Garden. He switched his focus for his AMG class project, choosing to rework the garden’s neglected pollinator beds and replant them with era-appropriate favorites (e.g., wild bergamot, rudbeckia, purple coneflower, and other natives).
Sightler, the 2024 EBRMGA president, focused her class project on the Sustainable Gardening Exhibit. She helped Stagg and Kuehny resolve a design flaw in the low-maintenance portion of the exhibit and filled in landscape gaps where plants had died. She also drafted sign text and helped ensure consistent plant labeling.
Both projects highlight the dedication and growing expertise of EBRMGA members as they continue to contribute meaningfully to community education and sustainable gardening efforts.
Written by Janine Kharey
Imagine for a minute that what makes weeds so aggravating is the same as what makes a desirable plant resilient.
A weed is as a weed does. It is generally agreed that a weed is any plant growing in a place where it is not wanted or considered beneficial. While native plants have a lot in common with weeds, they provide benefits—often unseen and poorly understood, yet integral in maintaining the balance and health of our environment.
The characteristics native plants share with true weeds make them both resilient and less subject to the orderly control humans seem to require. This article presents the reasons native plants are worth the discomfort of unpredictability.
Plants that existed on this land—particularly in the ecoregion including the greater Baton Rouge area we call the Mississippi Valley Loess Plains—have had 8,000 years to adapt to the topography, the soil conditions, and their relationships with every other organism in this special place. Because plants evolved alongside the insects and other creatures, this created a complex food web: a balanced system with checks on populations and ready responses to sometimes dramatic changes. Native plants with local genetics don’t need humans to do much more than ensure they have the conditions to which they’ve adapted. No need to amend the soils, use fertilizers, worry about freezes, or control the insects that have a biological imperative not to kill the plant they rely upon. Give a native plant what it wants and forget about it.
Native plant growth rates can seem unpredictable because of this ebb-and-flow response to patterns in nature: the weather, adverse events, and subsequent changes in the populations of insects and herbivores on up the food chain. I have watched nature in my own yard respond to changes year after year. This is the year Gulf Coast penstemon volunteered in many places in my garden, and other plants bloomed more profusely for the first time. I witnessed these abundant blooms supporting the earliest native pollinators while other plants took longer to return from our late cold snap. Some years ago, spicebush swallowtail butterflies were so abundant they ate my spicebush down to twigs; the timing of the regrowth of new leaves helped the plant survive the summer heat.
When we approach native gardening with curiosity and acceptance, we begin to see that nature is not so chaotic and unpredictable—rather, it’s that we are not the masters of their complex interconnectedness. Our plants serve purposes we are yet to discover or comprehend. If we know how to look, we can see that the rewards are immeasurable. How amazing to set something so awesome in motion by our decision to nurture native plants.
When we stop to watch and to think, we can see order in what we first perceived as chaos and unpredictability. Instead of asking if a particular plant will fit our aesthetic, we ask: Will this plant do well enough in this place to provide the best ecosystem services? How beautiful are the butterflies and the birds that use this plant, versus the possibility that its leaves are chewed or the seeds have spread?
If the lure of being an important part of the health of our planet is not enough to overcome your reluctance to embrace native plants, there is more. The core role native plants play in healthy ecosystems becomes more prominent when you understand that healthy ecosystems are vital to the continued success of agricultural crops. It is imperative we care about native plants if we want to grow food. Companion planting practices are proving this point.
We can do so much good so easily. From tiny gardens in concrete jungles to suburban backyards and beyond, nature can be nurtured in ways that support healthy ecosystems. It is so simple to support nature that sometimes it means doing less—and maybe doing nothing at all.
While we do not have the same body of knowledge about native plants as we do those that have been in cultivation, we can approach gardening with native plants armed with curiosity and the assurance that planting the right plant in the right place is all you need to have nature take over and take care of the details.
Want more access to plants that evolved in the Mississippi Valley Loess Plains ecoregion? Join Wild Ones Greater Baton Rouge to help us grow availability: greaterbatonrouge.wildones.org
A Message from Renee Verma
6/27/24
Dear Friends of the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens,
I am thrilled to introduce myself as the incoming Chair of Friends of the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens. My name is Renee Verma, and I'm a passionate advocate for the beauty and importance of our gardens. I'm excited to work with all of you to ensure our gardens continue to thrive.
The LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens rely heavily on the dedication of our volunteers. Volunteers are the backbone of Burden from helping with special events and educational programs to assisting with plant care and maintenance.
Friends will be focused on exciting events such as Music in the Gardens in the fall and Louisiana Lights this holiday season. We will be seeking enthusiastic individuals to join our Friends volunteer team, so please stay tuned.
I would like to thank Kevin Langley for serving as the Friends Chair over the last few years – his vision, leadership, and passion for Burden are unmatched!
Your continued support of the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens allows us to shine a bright light on one of the best-kept secrets in Baton Rouge – working together let’s share Burden and its beauty with the community!
Sincerely yours,
Renee D. Verma Chair, Friends of the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens
Friends of the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens is a 501(c)5 non-profit organization. 4560 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge, LA 70809
