Last week, volunteers from the Livingston Master Gardener Association participated in several events during Keep Louisiana Beautiful’s 2026 Love the Boot Week. Activities included refreshing the flower bed in front of the Livingston Parish Administration Building and planting wildflowers at the former site of Denham Springs First Baptist Church. Love the Boot Week is held each April and encourages volunteer organizations and individuals to clean up litter and beautify spaces throughout their communities.
This year’s Love the Boot Week carried a theme of cleaning up in honor of America’s 250th birthday, so it was only fitting that new flowers planted at the Parish Administration Building will bloom in shades of red, white, and blue. Plants installed included Victoria Blue salvia, Saucy Red salvia, Shasta daisy, Homestead Red verbena, and blue daze. In addition to their patriotic colors, these plants also offer the added benefit of being pollinator friendly.
This is good news for the bees that were already busy buzzing around the Gaura lindheimeri ‘Whirling Butterflies’ that were in full bloom. With the exception of Saucy Red salvia and blue daze, most of the plants selected are perennials that should return next spring. Using perennials in flower beds is a great way to be budget conscious while still maintaining attractive landscapes.
‘Whirling Butterflies’ is a shorter, white-blooming variety of G. lindheimeri that I have planted many times. This native perennial to Texas and Louisiana performs exceptionally well in our heat and humidity and can tolerate drought once established. Plants bloom from spring until frost, and removing spent flowers in late summer helps encourage heavier fall blooms. Other varieties are available in shades of white and pink and range from 2 to 6 feet in mature height.
Victoria Blue salvia is a cultivated variety of mealycup sage, Salvia farinacea, native to Mexico, New Mexico, and Texas. It is well suited to our climate and is drought tolerant once established. Cultivars are available in shades of blue, purple, lavender, white, and bicolor. These plants are excellent choices for pollinator gardens and may return year after year under the right conditions.
Shasta daisies are native to Europe but have naturalized across much of the United States. These evergreen perennials bloom from May through October and attract butterflies. Their foliage is deer resistant, and plants can be long-lived when grown in full to partial sun with well-draining soil.
Homestead Red verbena is native to the southeastern United States. While Homestead Purple is more widely planted, Homestead Red provides a great way to add pops of red to the landscape. Plants are fast-growing, spreading up to three feet, and bloom from early spring onward. They thrive in full to partial sun and well-prepared, well-draining soil. Cutting plants back after a bloom cycle helps encourage continued flowering.
When adding perennials to your home landscape, prepare planting beds ahead of time by incorporating compost and a slow-release fertilizer. Soil should be loose and well drained. Make sure to add mulch after planting to help retain moisture and suppress weeds. By choosing pollinator-friendly perennials, gardeners can help love the boot, feed the bees and butterflies, and add a little patriotic flair to their yards this summer.
Here are a few more tips for planting for pollinators:
Choose plants suited to your site and local climate to reduce maintenance and improve success. Most pollinator-friendly perennials perform best in full sun and well-drained soil. Avoid excessive fertilizer, which can promote leafy growth at the expense of flowers. Provide mulch to conserve moisture and consider planting in groups to make blooms easier for bees and butterflies to find. Leaving some spent flowers and stems through fall can also provide food and shelter for beneficial insects.
