Wildwood Nursery & Mercantile

06/05/2026

06/03/2026

Friends, if you enjoy art and are around the Ruston area this weekend stop by Loretta Owens studio located in downtown Ruston. She has more than 600 original works of art on display & available for purchase. This is a wonderful opportunity to experience her work in person.

📍 302 W. Texas Ave., Ruston, LA 71270

🗓 Studio Hours:
• June 5: 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM
• June 6: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
• June 7: 2:00 PM – 6::00PM

09/30/2022

Fall is harvesttime for persimmons. When considering persimmons, it’s important to note there are three main kinds: native, astringent and non-astringent.

Astringent ones are bitter and make your mouth pucker. This is caused by tannins. As the fruit ripens in late October to early November, it turns a bright orange, and those tannins mellow out producing a honey-like flavor.

The natives (Diospyros virginiana) have small inedible fruit until it is hit by a frost, when they will finally ripen, nice and sweet and ready to eat. Oriental persimmons are much larger than the native fruit. Natives also have a great deal of seeds while the Oriental varieties do not.

Oriental persimmons (Diospyros kaki) are a nice small fruit tree for fall harvest. Non-astringent varieties include Fuyu, Fuyu Imoto, Hana Fuyu, Jiro, and Suruga.

Persimmons grow beautifully in Louisiana's climate. They are an easy-care fruit tree with very few pests, other than the birds, who love the fruit.

Persimmons prefer full sun for the best fruit production but can tolerate some shade. They get loaded with fruit and make for great fall color. Plant the tree in well-drained, but moist and slightly acidic, sandy-loam soils. Read the full article: https://tinyurl.com/FallPersimmons

04/05/2022

The nursery will be opening tomorrow!!!! Go see the ladies at Mid South Pecans (now located in our old building) they have some beautiful plants!!! Like and follow the Mid South Pecan page for more updates!

10/20/2021

Good news! Wildwood Nursery has been purchased by MidSouth Pecan and they currently have some fall Mums and crotons available! Head over to their page to see what’s going on!!!

04/27/2021

The Peggy Martin rose is a beloved treasure in Louisiana. Known for its resiliency, it survived two weeks submerged in saltwater, after Hurricane Katrina, in a New Orleans resident’s backyard, Mrs. Peggy Martin.

During 2005 when the devastating hurricane hit Louisiana, Peggy Martin was living in Plaquemines Parish in southeast part of Greater New Orleans. When Mrs. Martin returned to her home after the evacuation from the storm, she found only two surviving plants, one of which was a climbing rose that had been started from cuttings and was passed down to her.

William Welch, a horticulturist with Texas AgriLife Extension, was a guest of Martin before the hurricane hit. He was fond of the climbing, thornless rose and had gotten cuttings of it. After the hurricane, he wanted to do something to give back to the areas devastated by the storm and by doing something kind for Peggy.

Welch had received his bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture and both his master’s and doctoral degrees in extension education and horticulture from LSU. Touched by her loss and those of the Gulf South that had been affected by the storm, he propagated and sold the plant, naming it the “Peggy Martin” rose. He then used some of the profits that were collected and sent them to Garden Club of America Horticulture Restoration Fund for the historic gardens of the Gulf South that had been devastated by the hurricane.

Peggy Martin roses are a Southern favorite due to their ease of care, disease resistance and gorgeous, prolific pink blooms. Plants can be easily found at local retail nurseries and are a wonderful addition to home gardens. The climbing roses are often planted along fence lines and trellises and can grow 6 to 15 feet in height and width. They should be planted in full sun.

This photo was recently taken at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens. View more details about the Peggy Martin rose: https://bit.ly/32KxU2v

04/19/2021

It is with a heavy heart that we will not be opening this spring season. We thank you all for your support and business. Our building and 3 acres is for sale if anyone is interested. Contact David Neal at (318) 481-1975

03/09/2021

Don't guess, Soil test! Soil test kits are available at your local office of the LSU AgCenter. These kits enable homeowners to sample at home and to send the sample directly to the AgCenter’s soil testing lab in Baton Rouge.

The cost for a routine test is $10 per soil sample plus $6 for the USPS Priority mailing box. Testing for OM is an additional $5. Learn more: https://bit.ly/2VOCQPU