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Garden centers are full of color right now. Plants of all kinds — from annual and perennial bedding plants to flowering shrubs and flowering trees — are available to add to your landscapes.
But before you make your color selections, there are some spring gardening tasks you should take care of first so you can start with a clean slate.
First, pull out all of those winter weeds and remove any unsightly cold-damaged plants. Undoubtedly, when you remove those plants, you will remove a great deal of soil with them. You will need to replenish the soil or raised-bed mix to bring your beds back up.
Additionally, the plants you grew last year have no doubt used up the nutrients that were available and those nutrients need to be replenished. Top off your beds with a mixture of raised-bed media and compost. This will add organic matter and nutrients back into the beds, bring them back to the appropriate levels (8 to 12 inches) and prepare the bed for your next plant selections.
This provides a great opportunity to incorporate some organic matter back into your beds with compost. You can use homemade compost made from kitchen scraps such as vegetable peelings, eggs and coffee grounds combined with leaves, or you can purchase manure composts containing an assortment of manures from cows, sheep, horses and chickens.
In addition to homegrown compost or composted manures, another option is worm castings — also known as vermicast or, affectionately, worm poop. In addition, mushroom compost is available. We depend on these little fungi for decomposition, and in return, they provide organic matter and make nutrients available to plants. Many of these options are readily available at garden centers.
Next is the fun part: selecting plants. Choose the right plant for the right place. Be aware of the amount of sunlight the area gets and be sure the area gets adequate water with good soil drainage.
When choosing plants, consider selections in the LSU AgCenter Louisiana Super Plants program. This year’s warm-season bedding plant selections are the Beacon impatiens series and the Suncredible Yellow sunflower. Both were top performers in field trials at the Hammond Rese-arch Station.
Beacon impatiens do best in shaded areas. There’s no need to be envious of your neighbors with all that sun and color. You can have color in the shade too with impatiens. Other Super Plant selections for shade are BabyWing begonias, compact varieties from the SunPatiens series and the Kauai torenia series.
If you’ve got an area that is blazing with full sun all day, the Suncredible yellow sunflower is just the plant for you. This is an ever-blooming sunflower that is best suited toward the back of the bed because it gets some height. They make great cut flowers, and the pollinators just love them. If you enjoy yellow sunflowers, this one will not disappoint.
The year 2020 marked the 10th anniversary of Louisiana Super Plants. This program is an educational and marketing campaign that highlights tough and beautiful plants that perform well throughout the state of Louisiana. Each spring and fall, AgCenter horticulturists announce new Super Plants selections.
Super Plants have a proven track record with many years of reliable performance in Louisiana landscapes or have gone through several years of university evaluations and observations. Look for these plants at local nurseries.
You can find a complete list of Super Plants selections along with information about each plant on the LSU AgCenter website at www.lsuagcenter.com/superplants. Below are all of the warm-season bedding plant selections grouped by growth habit and area.
Flowers for shade:
—BabyWing begonia series.
—Beacon impatiens series.
—SunPatients, compact varieties.
—Kauai torenia series.
Foliage interest:
—Little Ruby alternanthera.
—Henna coleus.
—Flamethrower coleus series.
—Fireworks pennisetum.
Plants with flowers that attract pollinators:
—Serena angelonia series.
—Serenita Raspberry angelonia.
—Intenz Classic celosia.
—Senorita Rosalita cleome.
—Mesa gaillardia series.
—Luna hibiscus series.
—Evolution Violet salvia farinacea.
—Evolution White salvia farinacea.
—Flutteryby Tutti Fruitt buddleia.
—Butterfly pentas series.
—Lucky Star pentas series.
—Bandana lantana series.
Ground covers and border plants:
—Homestead Purple verbena.
—Lemon sedum.

May 20, 1935 — March 31, 2021
Halsema A. Pinho, a longtime resident of Patterson, was born in Nassau County, Florida on May 20, 1935 and passed away peacefully at his home with his family by his side on Wednesday, March 31, 2021, at the age of 85. He was the fourth of five children born to Carlos and Valerie Pinho. He attended Southwestern Louisiana Institute (now ULL) where he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Petroleum Engineering. A proud veteran of the United States Army, he honorably served his country from 1960 to 1962, stationed in Germany.
Halsema spent his entire career helping bring people’s dream of home ownership to fruition. As a Residential Building Contractor, he poured his heart and soul into every home he built across St. Mary Parish. He truly loved his job and took great pride in helping others achieve the American Dream. He also served in various capacities on the board of the St. Mary Parish Water Works District #5 for over twenty years. Aside from service to his community, Halsema was an avid fisherman and hunter who had a deep love for the outdoors.
Those he leaves to cherish his memory include his wife of nearly 62 years, Patricia Carlino Pinho; two sons, Halsema A. (Hal) Pinho Jr. and his wife Vanessa and Jeffery Pinho and his wife Pauline; four grandchildren, Hayden and Hunter Pinho, and Bryce and Abby Ronsonet; one great-grandson, Brody Ronsonet; one sister, Alda P. Governale; one brother, L. B. Pinho and his wife Judy; as well as a host of nieces, nephews, extended family, and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Carlos A. Pinho Sr. and Valerie Zetterower Pinho; one brother, Carlos A. Pinho Jr.; and one sister, Rita P. Carlino.
Funeral services will be held Monday, April 5, 2021, at 12:00 p.m. at Ibert’s Mortuary in Patterson. Following the service, he will be laid to rest with Military Honors in the St. Joseph Cemetery Mausoleum. Visiting hours will be held Monday from 10:00 a.m. until time of service. Rev. Mark Norwood will conduct the services. Those serving as pallbearers include Hayden and Hunter Pinho, Bryce Ronsonet, Lucas Carlino, Levin Pinho, and Lee Bierhorst.
In lieu of flowers the family asks that memorial contributions be made to First Baptist Church of Patterson, 1621 Main St., Patterson, LA 70392.
The family extends their heartfelt gratitude to Halsema’s caregivers for the loving care given to Halsema during his time of need as well as for the comfort and support given to them.
Family and friends may view the obituary online by visiting www.iberts.com and are encouraged to share their condolences, cherished memories, love, and support for the family.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Ibert’s Mortuary, Inc., 1111 Lia Street, Patterson, LA 70392, (985) 395-7873.

FRANKLIN — The infusion of federal dollars from President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 will offer Louisiana benefits, but it also presents challenges, too, St. Mary lawmakers said Wednesday.
The state will receive $3.2 billion, which they will utilize to plug a budget shortfall and replenish their unemployment trust fund. Prior to the pandemic, the unemployment fund totaled $1 billion and was “very sound,” state Sen. Bret Allain, R-Franklin, told the St. Mary Chamber of Commerce during its legislative breakfast Wednesday.
However, the fund’s balance is around minus $200 million at the moment, Allain said.
With the remaining funds, legislators think it has to be appropriated through a “direct appropriation” this year or in capital outlay, Allain said.
“I’m going to get very popular real quick,” quipped Allain, chairman of the Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee. The committee oversees capital outlay and taxes.
“That being said, we’re going to work with the local governments to maybe even enhance what you’ve gotten to get some real things done here,” he added.
The leftover state money, tax reform Allain is pushing and the money parishes are receiving in the American Rescue Plan Act presents what Allain said is a “once in a lifetime chance to set the state of Louisiana and St. Mary Parish up for prosperity in the future.”
But not all of the news with the federal money is good.
The state’s projected deficit can be attributed somewhat to this federal money, which is a one-time payment, state Rep. Beryl Amedée told the audience. The money has to be used in the year it is allocated, rather than in future years.
While Amedée said the state also will enter the legislative session with an excess as well as a surplus, she said spending for that surplus is constrained by the state constitution.
“We have to be very specific with what we can do with the surplus,” she said. “With an excess, that’s what we’ll be arguing over when we come to the capitol because everybody’s already got plans of what they’re going to do with the excess.”
As for individual bills, Amedée’s main bill she wants to see passed is one addressing nursing home visitation.
“I believe in future years, when we are beyond the COVID pandemic and people actually look back and calculate some real numbers for us, we are going to find that we have probably lost more of our nursing home assisted living residents to the effects of long-term isolation than we have to the actual virus,” she said.
According to the Louisiana Office of Public Health, about 8,800 of Louisiana’s more than 10,000 COVID-related fatalities have been among people over 60, and about 6,900 have been among people over 70.
She said it is “completely appalling” that while human rights and dignity are so highly regarded, it appears residents of nursing homes were forgotten “with the ability to visit” with outsiders.
She also is reintroducing the Save Women’s Sports Act bill, which she pulled last year due to the pandemic. Other bills she is working on include one to safeguard free speech on social media platforms “that operate as a town square” and one in which “bodily integrity” is protected in the medical arena.
“It seems that we’re at a place and time right now where the government, in many cases, in certain states and at certain levels, would like to dictate certain medical procedures for us,” she said.
The bill would leave these decisions in the patients’ hands.
“That you cannot be forced to comply with a medical procedure, and that would include immunization mandates,” Amedée said. “There should always be an exception. Anytime there is risk, there needs to be a choice, and that’s what this bill will be about.”
Among bills to be brought to the table this session by Vincent St. Blanc, R-Franklin, are one for the Morgan City Harbor and Terminal District and one each for the cities of Patterson and Franklin.
The port bill proposes terms being extended from two four-year terms to two seven-year terms, according to the proposed legislation.
The Patterson bill will benefit the city’s water plant.
The plant is “the best water plant and the newest plant in Louisiana,” St. Blanc said.
With the bill, the city would not be required to have a certified operator continuously present while the plant is running because of the way it was built, St. Blanc said.
St. Blanc also is putting up a bill for the city of Franklin that addresses abandoned cars in yards.

BATON ROUGE -- Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Tuesday that a COVID-19 vaccine hotline will go into effect next week.
“This is a smart solution, it is timely, and it comes at no additional cost,” Edwards said.
The hotline will allow state residents to schedule COVID-19 vaccinations through special Louisiana Department of Health events and vaccine providers. The hotline also will connect residents with medical professionals so they can ask questions about the vaccines.
Edwards disclosed the plans for the hotline as he lifted capacity limits on bars, restaurants and casinos now that the number of virus cases has leveled off in the state. But unlike the governors in Texas and Mississippi, he kept a mask mandate in place for when people cannot socially distance to guard against the rise in cases that many other states are experiencing.
Edwards said that helping more residents get vaccinated remains the best solution. He said the hotline will address two barriers: lack of access to the Internet and “tech-savviness,” or the time it takes to navigate the scheduling platforms, as well as a lack of access to medical professionals to ask specific questions.
“This is a big deal,” said Gov. Edwards as he referred to the “Bring Back Louisiana” campaign and the difficulty in accessing vaccines due to a lack of computer access which has been a problem for many poor people and some people living in rural areas.
The hotline will be staffed by workers who were trained to trace the contacts of people who were infected with the virus to warn them of their exposure.
The Health Department will begin training 60 call agents this week, and 10 will be specifically trained for clinical support.
The phone number and hours of operation will be made public soon.