Louisiana Master Naturalists of Greater New Orleans

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Designing and Installing a Native Woodland Landscape

Featuring Jimmy Culpepper ~ April 28, 2021, 6:30pm

Jimmy and Jane CulpepperJoin Jimmy for a spring tour of his 1.65 acre native woodland garden in Greenwell Springs, LA that has been under development for twenty years. When Jimmy and his wife Jane bought the property, there were five large pine trees in the back yard, two groups of oak trees in the front yard, and a grassy lawn as far as the eye could see.

After reading “Native Gardening in the South” by Bill Fontenot, Jimmy developed a garden plan that included a variety of habitats to attract pollinators, birds and wildlife, blooming plants 365 days of the year, a natural approach to yard maintenance, and installations of brush piles and dead tree snags.

Over the years, Jimmy photographed the development of the garden he will share in his video presentation. The transformation from a suburban garden to a woodland garden began with the first step of planting upper and middle canopy plants to tie together the existing trees to create more shade. As these plants Jimmy Culpepper trimming a treegrew, he introduced new layers of shrubs and perennials. Today the garden has over 500 species of trees, shrubs and perennials, a Koi pond built originally for Jane that has been converted to a rock garden, memorial spaces for beloved dogs and love birds, rose garden, and arbors.

Jimmy is a retired forester and currently a consulting arborist. He enjoyed a lifelong career with the Louisiana Department of Forestry where he served as the Chief Education Officer. He made a major impact on environmental education by training teachers throughout the state in Project Learning Tree, one of the premier environmental education programs in the world.

Changing to Native Plant Gardening
Tips, lessons, and secrets to get started!

CEU’s for master gardeners and landscape architects!

Due to COVID-19, Hilltop’s Annual 2021 Symposium has been transformed into a series of four monthly lectures online that you can enjoy in the comfort of your home. Last year’s symposium featured Dr. Doug Tallamy, Linda Auld, and Bill Fontenot, who shared compelling scientific research about why your garden should have native plants. The problem is how to get started in the process and how to use native plants that adapt to a traditional residential, commercial, or public garden. To help with the first step, Hilltop is featuring five experts, Sean Brian Early, Jimmy Culpepper, Rick Webb, Phyllis Griffard, and Tammany Baumgarten, who will share practical, hands-on experience with the transition of your garden to one that is more abundant with native plants to attract more wildlife and appeal to more people. After introducing more natives to your garden, we encourage you to have it designated as a Louisiana Certified Habitat Garden, a new program sponsored by the Louisiana Native Plant Society. Certification begins at the Bronze Level with 25 species of native plants, increasing to Silver with 50 species, and Gold with 75 species. These programs would not have been possible without the generosity and talent of videographer Erin Bryan, a Hilltop volunteer, and Louisiana Master Naturalist of Greater Baton Rouge.

The online registration fee for each program is $15 for members and $20 for non-members. You will receive a link to the video via email in the morning on the date of the program. Members of the Friends of Hilltop Arboretum at the $500 level and above will receive the programs free as a perk of their membership. Not sure of your membership status? Contact Hilltop and we will be happy to check it for you.