Members of the American Society for Horticulture Science, who are in New Orleans for their annual conference, toured the LSU AgCenter Hammond Research Station as part of their pre-conference working group on Aug. 3. (Photo by Johnny Morgan, LSU AgCenter)

LSU AgCenter horticulture instructor Jason Stagg discusses ornamental plant trials with Clemson University horticulture professor Gregory Reighard at the LSU AgCenter Hammond Research Station. Members of the American Society for Horticulture Science toured the station on Aug. 3 as part of their national conference being held in New Orleans. (Photo by Johnny Morgan, LSU AgCenter)

HAMMOND, La. – The LSU AgCenter Hammond Research Station received accolades from national and international guests who toured the gardens on Aug. 3.

The group were members of the American Society for Horticulture Science, who are in New Orleans for their annual conference.

AgCenter horticulturist Allen Owings, the resident coordinator at the station, said this was an opportunity to show research done at the station.

“We were focusing on our ornamental plant trials, our ornamental plant breeding efforts and some of our new garden developments that have been put in over the last couple of years,” Owings said. “And we wanted to show the transition from a fruit and vegetable crop research station to a landscape horticulture station.”

University of Arizona extension agent Kelly Murray Young was one of the 38 participants impressed by the variety of plants grown at the station.

“I’m from the desert, so this is very exciting, seeing all of the magnolia trees, and I think it’s really interesting how there is all this funding for something like this that is not relying solely on corporate money, that there are a lot of other sources of money to support the nursery industry,” Young said.

Carolyn Robinson, associate professor at Auburn University and coordinator of the tour, said the station was highly recommended as a must-see location.

“As the chair for the public horticulture working group, it is my responsibility to coordinate our tour this year,” Robinson said. “When I began asking my Louisiana colleagues for tour ideas that would be close to New Orleans, the Hammond Station kept coming up as a place we had to visit.”

AgCenter regional director Regina Bracy said the station is gaining popularity and drawing a number of groups in to see what’s happening.

“We have professional organizations, garden clubs, Master Gardeners and individuals coming out all the time because they know they will see plants here in the natural environment that are not likely to be seen elsewhere,” Bracy said.

The station is unique because a number of rare plants are tested to see how they will do in the south Louisiana climate, she said.

“We’re also hosting a group of international nursery growers in October, so we’re looking forward to that,” Owings said. “We’re just trying to highlight and spread the word about the positive research and extension activities that we’re conducting.”

AgCenter scientists will be giving oral presentations and presenting posters at the conference on research conducted at the station.

“We’ll be presenting on some of the crape myrtle bark scale work that AgCenter researcher Yan Chen has been working on, some of the rice hull ash work for nursery media that she and AgCenter researcher Ed Bush have been working on and also results of our sweet potato work,” he said.

Owings will be giving a presentation on how the work at the station is being shared with the industry and the industry support the station is receiving.