Get It Growing calendar brings tips, tricks for Louisiana gardeners in 2026

Anthony Bailey at anthonybailey@agcenter.lsu.edu

As the new year approaches, the LSU AgCenter will be releasing the Get It Growing calendar for 2026. For another year, gardeners and plant lovers can have information on Louisiana gardening and take in the magnificent pictures.

Since 2005, the AgCenter has released a calendar that provides new photos of local flowers, trees and other plants, said Elma Sue McCallum, of AgCenter Communications.

“The LSU AgCenter 2026 Get It Growing Calendar is a perennial favorite for Louisiana gardeners,” said McCallum, who serves as the calendar’s coordinator. “It features beautiful photos from Louisiana photographers and gardening lovers, helpful monthly tips, gardening terms and much more. It makes a great gift just in time for the holidays.”

The calendar provides monthly tips that will help both new gardeners and experienced ones. It also comes with a special section on AgCenter programs for home gardeners with advice from AgCenter horticulturist Jason Stagg.

Each calendar contains a list of Louisiana Super Plants, an AgCenter designation given to attractive, resilient plants that perform well in Louisiana’s climate. It also includes helpful information for projects, such as when to plant seeds for Halloween pumpkins.

In addition to monthly gardening tips, the full-color, 32-page, 9-by-12-inch calendar includes a guide to gardening resources from the LSU AgCenter.

Beyond just helpful gardening tips, the calendar offers a list of AgCenter lawn and garden publications, gardening terms and definitions and information on the AgCenter Louisiana Master Gardener Program, the AgCenter Plant Diagnostic Clinic and the AgCenter Soil Testing and Plant Analysis Lab.

Photographs for the calendar are chosen each year through a public call for entries. The 2026 calendar winners include James Baker, of Lafayette; Brenna Barzenick, of Hammond; Trudy Campbell, of Covington; Melissa DeJean, of Denham Springs; Claudia Husseneder, of St. Gabriel; Randy LaBauve, of Baton Rouge; Therese Lavergne, of Church Point; Samantha Morgan, of Baton Rouge; Bianca Owens, of Walker; Charles Paxton, of West Monroe; Anna Taylor Poe, of Natchitoches; Rachel Shaddox, of Campti; Vivian Shoultz, of Mandeville; Rhoda Stevenson, of Campti; Ann Taylor, of Metairie; Lisa Tortorich, of River Ridge; Malorey Uzee, of Baton Rouge; and Audrey Woolsey, of Monroe.

The LSU AgCenter also encourages local gardeners, photography enthusiasts, and community members to begin preparing their entries for the 2027 Get It Growing Calendar, which will open for submissions next spring. Participants are invited to share images that showcase the beauty and diversity of Louisiana’s landscapes — from backyard gardens and native flowers to trees, vegetables, and pollinator-friendly plants.

The calendar is created as part of the AgCenter’s Get It Growing educational campaign for home lawns and gardens.