Debbi Coltharp wiped her face as she tilled the pine-laden soil, Louisiana humidity causing streams of perspiration to race down her face. Her objective today: transplant a set of pink begonia flowers to replace the weary caladium bulbs.
“I started early today but I love working in the winter,” she joked.
But for the campus horticulturist, sun, rain or shine, work must get done. From Nicholson Drive to the LSU Lakes, she and her crew dot the University with an array of colorful plants and shrubs, complementing the school’s already distinct architecture.
Plant acquisition can be tricky, Coltharp said. Factors such as size, lifespan, season, color variation and soil texture are all taken into consideration before plants are purchased.
“We have to think about what goes in sun and what goes in shade,” Coltharp said. “We tend to stay with traditional southern plants which are also easy to maintain.”
With a campus as expansive as the University’s, the plant bill can easily cost a few thousand dollars. Add the cost for labor and irrigation, and the total is in the tens of thousands.
Still, the cost is worth the variety, Coltharp said. Some plants like daisies and lantana come in the traditional purple and gold, while others like the hibiscus, angelonias and pentas come in red, blue and white. The majority of these last about two seasons before they are transplanted in the winter.
But before colder months come, the landscape goes through another challenge — football season.
“Non-students come trample and litter the landscape,” Coltharp said. “You might even find a few people lying in the scrubs the day after.”
As with other departments, Landscape Services has felt the hard hand of budget cuts. Coltharp said she’s seen the number of plant purchases decline as well as certain areas of campus neglected. But she said the department is doing its best with campus upkeep.
As for her service to the University, Coltharp said she wants visitors to “stop and say, ‘wow’” at the beauty of the campus.

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Angela Major

Debra Coltharp, a horticulturist at LSU, uses a small garden shovel to dig into a flower bed July 10, 2013 outside of East Campus Apartments.