Outdoors & Gardening
Special Advertising Section Photo by Johanna Stadler, courtesy of Hilltop Arboretum
FLOWER HUNTING
Louisiana Born and Raised FIVE DESTINATIONS TO SEE NATIVE PLANTS AT THEIR BEST By Jordan LaHaye Fontenot
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t's no secret that Louisiana's natural environment is one of the most diverse, unique, and beautiful on the planet. The species that occur naturally in its watery wetlands, its towering hardwood forests, its rustling prairielands are strange and wild, of every color in the rainbow, awe-inducing in their ingenuity and their delicacy, with names like: PawPaw, Beautyberry, Green Dragon, Carolina Elephant's Foot, and Baby Blue Eyes. Here we've selected five destinations in the state that have taken especial care to preserve existing native plantscapes or to foster new ones. From New Orleans to Natchitoches, discover parks and trails and preservation areas rich with species that were here long before us, flourishing wild on some of our region's most beautiful properties.
Hilltop Arboretum
In a past life, Hilltop’s fourteen acres served as Emory and Annette Smith’s farm—a rural oasis of forest, meadow, and farmland that the couple enjoyed from 1929 to 1988, when Emory donated all of it to Louisiana State University. Today, the site provides one of the region’s most extensive collections of Southern native plantlife, including 150 species of trees, shrubs, and wildflowers.
Native Plantscapes: Hilltop’s most defining feature is its Cajun Prairie-inspired Meadow, three acres blossoming with various annual and perennial flowers and grasses. Throughout the year, students from the LSU Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture, called the “Meadow Keepers,” travel across the state collecting wildflower seeds from other Cajun Prairies, and planting them at Hilltop. Best Time of Year to Visit: According to Hilltop Business Manager Amy
Cathedral—an area of the arboretum once distinguished by high canopy trees, which has been affected by the last decade’s many hurricanes. Contributions will also support plantings of native hedgerows around the Arboretum’s perimeters. Another way to be a part of Hilltop’s continued development is to become a member of the Friends of the Hilltop Arboretum organization, which works in partnership with LSU Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture to preserve, protect, and enhance Hilltop. For a minimum of $35 per year, members gain free admission to over 320 gardens across North America, reduced rates for Hilltop programs and events, admission to the Annual Member Luncheon, a ten percent discount at the annual Plantfest! event, and more. Learn more about donations and memberships at lsu.edu/hilltop/support or by calling (225) 767-6916.
Hughes, the best time to visit the arboretum is either in the fall, when the meadows are bursting with Swamp Sunflower, Goldenrod, Virginia Crownbeard, Ironweed, and more, or Spring, when the trees reach their aesthetic height. Keep an eye out, in particular, for the Silverbell tree, which only blooms for a single week in the spring.
Programming and Events: On April 9–10, Hilltop will host its popular Spring Fling Plant Sale, offering a wide selection of native and adapted trees, shrubs, perennials, vines, ferns, fruits, edibles, and ornamental grasses. 9 am–4 pm on Saturday; Noon–4 pm Sunday.
Hours: Sunday–Saturday, from dawn to dusk. Free.
Hilltop Arboretum
11855 Highland Road Baton Rouge, LA 70810
Get involved: Hilltop is currently accepting tax-deductible donations to support lsu.edu/hilltop
the installation of new plant collections and irrigations in the Central Ravine and the
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