Coleus are great annual bedding plants for Louisiana's landscapes. Try some of the newer sun-loving varieties. Fertilize shrubs in the spring. Use 1 to 2 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of landscape bed area. Watch for insect problems this spring.
Lace bugs on azaleas and aphids or whiteflies on gardenias are common.
Also examine camellias, sasanquas and hollies for scale insects on the lower foliage. Control with Orthene, dormant oil, summer oil or horticultural soaps. To encourage more rapid reblooming , pinch off old flowers on bedding plants after their first flower cycle is completed this spring. Roses may encounter insect problems. Watch for aphids on tender new growth, thrips on flowers and cucumber beetles on foliage.