The 2011 ASHS Annual Conference

The LSU AgCenter, in cooperation with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF), initiated an ornamental plant marketing and promotion program in 2010. The new program is called 'Louisiana Super Plants' and is funded for a three year period via LDAF's Specialty Crop Competitiveness Block Grant Program. Plants have been selected for promotion in the spring and fall seasons. Plants selected for fall 2010 were 'Shishi Gashira' camellia, 'Camelot' foxglove, and 'Amazon' dianthus. Promoted plants in the spring 2011 were 'Frostproof' gardenia, 'Shoal Creek' vitex, 'Serena' angelonia, and 'Butterfly' pentas. Plants to be promoted in the future include: fall 2011 - 'Swan' columbine, 'Redbor' kale, 'Belinda's Dream' rose, Southern sugar maple; spring 2012 - 'Senorita Rosalita' cleome, 'BabyWing' begonia, 'Penny Mac' hydrangea; and fall 2012 - 'Sorbet' viola, 'Conversation Piece' azalea, and evergreen sweetbay magnolia. Over 150 green industry businesses in Louisiana are actively participating in the program. Plants are promoted as "university tested and industry approved". The authors meet with a group of green industry professionals twice annually to evaluate the program and select new plants. Point of purchase signs are provided complimentary to retail garden center participants. Hang tags and flat tags are provided to growers. Plants are promoted by the LSU AgCenter's Get It Growing mass media program. The Get It Growing program has weekday radio, weekly television and weekly news article segments. Billboards were also used during the spring 2011 promotion in major metropolitan areas around the state - Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe, Shreveport, and Alexandria. Growers have reported tripling production for the selected herbaceous plants. Growers are planning for 50% increases in sales of woody plants. Retailers are very pleased with the program and have reported tremendous sales increases. The program also has print ads in newspapers across the state and in Louisiana Gardener magazine.