By SUE ELLEN ROSS – Staff Reporter

LAPLACE – The ending of Carnival season leads the way to the beginning of another much-anticipated time of year – Spring.

Many local residents have put away the Mardi Gras beads, and brought out their rakes, shovels and other garden tools.

Although planting season may not officially start until next month, many people are now planning their garden areas.

“We’re getting our perennials in now,” said Bernie Robichaux, manager of Roussel’s Land Care. “A lot of people prep their beds in February, when there’s good weather.” Pretty soon, the vegetable season will begin, she added.

Owner Derek Roussel said business has been very brisk. Many homeowners want to get a jumpstart on the season, he said, as he arranged recent deliveries of plants, shrubs, flowers, etc.

Danny Duhe enjoys a large garden each year. The LaPlace resident begins preparing his area during February.

Last week, he planted potato slices for this year’s potato crop. The recent heavy rains washed them out, so he will plant them again next week.

Working alongside Duhe will be his 6-year-old daughter, Sarah. They started this tradition three years ago, according to mom Betty Duhe. Everyone benefits, she added. The father-and-daughter team receives the satisfaction of a job well done, and the fruits of their labor will grace the dinner table.

Jerry and Michael Brown learned about gardening at an early age. Their grandmother, Geniveve Brown, planted a huge garden in her New Orleans backyard, where they were her ‘weeders,’ when they first started school.

“It really was a lot of work, but she made it fun,” said Jerry Brown. His brother agreed, adding that they took a lot of lemonade breaks.

The LaPlace boys are teenagers now, but fondly remember those times in the garden. The end result enabled them to take their harvest home to their mother, which made them very proud.

Since both brothers have jobs this summer, there is no time to work in a garden. But they both say they will probably try their luck at developing green thumbs later on in life, when they grow up.

“We learned a lot from it,” said Michael Brown, of his past garden duty. “Most of all, that it takes a long time for things to grow, and you have to weed it over and over again.”