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Welcome to the Herb Society of America, Baton Rouge Unit
Herb Day 2026 — "Celebrating 10 Years of Growing Together!"
Saturday, February 28
9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden
4650 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge, LA 70809
9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden
4650 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge, LA 70809
Herbs in the Pavilion
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Vendors in the Gardens
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Vendors in the Orangerie
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Herb Day is the Herb Society of America Baton Rouge Unit’s big annual event that raises funds to support our work in creating and maintaining two public herb gardens in Baton Rouge. The two gardens, the Heritage Garden at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens on Essen Lane, and the Sensory Garden at the Independence Park Botanical Gardens on Independence Blvd., showcase various native, culinary, and medicinal plants and are open to the public year-round.
From Herb Day’s humble beginnings in 2016 to the extravaganzas of recent years, the event has become a wildly popular early-spring destination for garden lovers across South Louisiana! And it’s not just an herb sale; we have many other exciting activities during Herb Day!
Gates open at 9:00 a.m. (sorry, no early admission or sales) and the event continues until 2:00 p.m. Cash is preferred (small bills if possible), but we also accept credit cards, Venmo, and Zelle. Community Coffee is graciously helping sponsor our event by providing bottled Espresso + Cream drinks, so be sure to pick up yours before you start shopping!
Bring a wagon and plan to spend some time among the thousands of herb plants we’ll have to kickstart your spring planting! We'll have a great variety of herbs for sale, ranging from culinary favorites to fragrance plants, and more, plus some vegetables and a selection of tomatoes grown by the LSU AgCenter. We expect to have over ten varieties of basil, a dozen varieties of mint, several varieties each of lavender, oregano, rosemary, sage, and thyme, and many others, including chamomile, chicory, chives, cilantro, dill, and fennel (click here for a more comprehensive list ). We also expect to have several varieties of tomatoes from the LSU AgCenter, as well as peppers, blueberries, and blackberries. Most herbs are in 4–4.5-inch pots, and we’ll also have flats; some larger plants are in 1–3-gallon pots. This is a great place to find all your favorite herbs under one open-air pavilion!
After gathering your herbs, be sure to visit the vendors set up outside the Orangerie. We have a fabulous line-up of talented local artisans and craftspeople who’ll be on hand with a myriad of products this year. We have vendors who specialize in a wide variety of art, from pencil art to photography. and fine art originals to jewelry, pressed flowers, fiber headwear, stoneware and other pottery, porcelain mugs and trivets, and garden art. And don’t forget the culinary artists! You’ll find homemade pepper jellies, smoked cream cheese, sourdough breads, cookies, scones, herb-infused honeys, and flavored oils and vinegars, to name just a few. You can even find food for your plants in the form of worm compost and worm tea!
Representatives of other kindred organizations, from garden clubs to beekeepers, will also be on hand to tell you about their groups and show what you can do besides herb gardening.
After wandering outside, take a break in the Orangerie and visit our Herb Society’s Tea Bar. We'll have six new herbal teas this year, several returning favorites, and a variety of homemade pastries.
Food trucks will offer popcorn, pralines, lemonade, gelato, cotton candy, and other local delicacies.
And don't miss the informative educational programs in the Conference Center!
Session 1: 10:00 a.m.
Bee Pollinated Herb Garden, by Kevin Langley
Interested in attracting pollinators to your garden? This is the program for you! Kevin will speak about how bees pollinate and how to plant a mix of sun-loving perennials and annuals that attract bees with their nectar-rich flowers, as well as herbs that are beneficial to bees. Allowing about one-third of your herbs to flower provides a continuous food source and encourages pollination, maximizing the impact of your gardening efforts and boosting yields. Kevin will also bring samples of various honeys for a honey tasting.
Kevin is President of the Capital Area Beekeepers Association. He rescues bee swarms and rewilds feral colonies and has over a dozen rescue apiaries in the Baton Rouge area. He also works with organizations like LSU to conduct research on the rescued bees. At Burden Museum & Gardens, his bees are cross-pollinating the research station’s sweet potatoes and helping scientists create a more resilient variety of this root vegetable.
Session 2: 11:00 a.m.
Beginning with Herbs, by Art Scarbrough
New to herbs? You won’t want to miss this program. Art will cover the basics, from choosing containers and sites, the best potting medium for various plants, water and sunlight requirements, fertilizers, and more.
Art is an experienced herb gardener and is a long-time member, former Unit Chair, and current Program Chair of HSABR. He is well known in the Baton Rouge area for his informational talks on herbs and related topics,
Session 3: 12:00 p.m.
The Ancestral Apothecary of the Acadians, © Jennifer L. Blanchard, 2026
Jennifer’s program explores the rich herbal traditions carried by Acadian settlers from the shores of Nova Scotia to the bayous of Louisiana, where their descendants—the Cajuns—continued to adapt and preserve this plant‑based knowledge. The talk highlights the medicinal plants central to Acadian healing practices, how these remedies evolved through new landscapes and cultural exchanges, and the enduring role of botanicals in Cajun folk medicine. As these traditions took root in Louisiana, they eventually shaped the practice of the traiteurs—healers who paired herbal treatments with Catholic prayers and blessings, viewing healing as both a practical remedy and an act of faith. Attendees will also be introduced to traditional preparation methods, with demonstrations of how these herbal treatments were crafted and used across generations.
Jennifer is a botanist who researches ethnobotany and the healing power of plants. This program is based on her upcoming book, The Ancestral Apothecary of the Acadians.
Session 4: 1:00 p.m. Special Lagniappe Program!
Louisiana Herbs for a Sustainable Future, by Corrine Martin
Corinne is a clinical herbalist and amateur naturalist who has worked with medicinal plants for more than 40 years. A retired instructor of holistic and integrative health, she has a passionate love for nature and for the lush and threatened environment of her home ground of Louisiana. She is the author of Louisiana Herb Journal (LSU Press, 2022).
We hope you all can visit us on our big day and enjoy Burden's early-spring gardens as you browse our offerings!
From Herb Day’s humble beginnings in 2016 to the extravaganzas of recent years, the event has become a wildly popular early-spring destination for garden lovers across South Louisiana! And it’s not just an herb sale; we have many other exciting activities during Herb Day!
Gates open at 9:00 a.m. (sorry, no early admission or sales) and the event continues until 2:00 p.m. Cash is preferred (small bills if possible), but we also accept credit cards, Venmo, and Zelle. Community Coffee is graciously helping sponsor our event by providing bottled Espresso + Cream drinks, so be sure to pick up yours before you start shopping!
Bring a wagon and plan to spend some time among the thousands of herb plants we’ll have to kickstart your spring planting! We'll have a great variety of herbs for sale, ranging from culinary favorites to fragrance plants, and more, plus some vegetables and a selection of tomatoes grown by the LSU AgCenter. We expect to have over ten varieties of basil, a dozen varieties of mint, several varieties each of lavender, oregano, rosemary, sage, and thyme, and many others, including chamomile, chicory, chives, cilantro, dill, and fennel (click here for a more comprehensive list ). We also expect to have several varieties of tomatoes from the LSU AgCenter, as well as peppers, blueberries, and blackberries. Most herbs are in 4–4.5-inch pots, and we’ll also have flats; some larger plants are in 1–3-gallon pots. This is a great place to find all your favorite herbs under one open-air pavilion!
After gathering your herbs, be sure to visit the vendors set up outside the Orangerie. We have a fabulous line-up of talented local artisans and craftspeople who’ll be on hand with a myriad of products this year. We have vendors who specialize in a wide variety of art, from pencil art to photography. and fine art originals to jewelry, pressed flowers, fiber headwear, stoneware and other pottery, porcelain mugs and trivets, and garden art. And don’t forget the culinary artists! You’ll find homemade pepper jellies, smoked cream cheese, sourdough breads, cookies, scones, herb-infused honeys, and flavored oils and vinegars, to name just a few. You can even find food for your plants in the form of worm compost and worm tea!
Representatives of other kindred organizations, from garden clubs to beekeepers, will also be on hand to tell you about their groups and show what you can do besides herb gardening.
After wandering outside, take a break in the Orangerie and visit our Herb Society’s Tea Bar. We'll have six new herbal teas this year, several returning favorites, and a variety of homemade pastries.
Food trucks will offer popcorn, pralines, lemonade, gelato, cotton candy, and other local delicacies.
And don't miss the informative educational programs in the Conference Center!
Session 1: 10:00 a.m.
Bee Pollinated Herb Garden, by Kevin Langley
Interested in attracting pollinators to your garden? This is the program for you! Kevin will speak about how bees pollinate and how to plant a mix of sun-loving perennials and annuals that attract bees with their nectar-rich flowers, as well as herbs that are beneficial to bees. Allowing about one-third of your herbs to flower provides a continuous food source and encourages pollination, maximizing the impact of your gardening efforts and boosting yields. Kevin will also bring samples of various honeys for a honey tasting.
Kevin is President of the Capital Area Beekeepers Association. He rescues bee swarms and rewilds feral colonies and has over a dozen rescue apiaries in the Baton Rouge area. He also works with organizations like LSU to conduct research on the rescued bees. At Burden Museum & Gardens, his bees are cross-pollinating the research station’s sweet potatoes and helping scientists create a more resilient variety of this root vegetable.
Session 2: 11:00 a.m.
Beginning with Herbs, by Art Scarbrough
New to herbs? You won’t want to miss this program. Art will cover the basics, from choosing containers and sites, the best potting medium for various plants, water and sunlight requirements, fertilizers, and more.
Art is an experienced herb gardener and is a long-time member, former Unit Chair, and current Program Chair of HSABR. He is well known in the Baton Rouge area for his informational talks on herbs and related topics,
Session 3: 12:00 p.m.
The Ancestral Apothecary of the Acadians, © Jennifer L. Blanchard, 2026
Jennifer’s program explores the rich herbal traditions carried by Acadian settlers from the shores of Nova Scotia to the bayous of Louisiana, where their descendants—the Cajuns—continued to adapt and preserve this plant‑based knowledge. The talk highlights the medicinal plants central to Acadian healing practices, how these remedies evolved through new landscapes and cultural exchanges, and the enduring role of botanicals in Cajun folk medicine. As these traditions took root in Louisiana, they eventually shaped the practice of the traiteurs—healers who paired herbal treatments with Catholic prayers and blessings, viewing healing as both a practical remedy and an act of faith. Attendees will also be introduced to traditional preparation methods, with demonstrations of how these herbal treatments were crafted and used across generations.
Jennifer is a botanist who researches ethnobotany and the healing power of plants. This program is based on her upcoming book, The Ancestral Apothecary of the Acadians.
Session 4: 1:00 p.m. Special Lagniappe Program!
Louisiana Herbs for a Sustainable Future, by Corrine Martin
Corinne is a clinical herbalist and amateur naturalist who has worked with medicinal plants for more than 40 years. A retired instructor of holistic and integrative health, she has a passionate love for nature and for the lush and threatened environment of her home ground of Louisiana. She is the author of Louisiana Herb Journal (LSU Press, 2022).
We hope you all can visit us on our big day and enjoy Burden's early-spring gardens as you browse our offerings!
If you haven’t already renewed your membership in HSABR...
It’s time! Our membership year runs from September to August, so please get your renewals in by September 30. And if you’re not yet a member, now is a great time to remedy that situation!
Your membership in the Herb Society of America, Baton Rouge Unit (HSABR), includes all of the benefits of the national organization as well as our local unit. There are many wonderful benefits to membership, including numerous opportunities to learn and delight in the use of herbs. Our programs include lectures on a wide range of topics related to growing, cooking and using herbs. We also spend time tending to our community gardens in companionship with other members who are passionate herb devotees!
Membership in the Herb Society of America gives you access to the members-only area on the website and many HSA publications, including the HSA Quarterly Newsletter, Unit Connections, HerbalBytes, and GreenBridges™ newsletters, among others. HSA also offers informative webinars that provide our members with the opportunity to share their knowledge, delight, and use of herbs, as well as their varied experiences with a larger herbal community. Members can browse HSA's unique herb-related library, with over 3,500 volumes with topics ranging from vintage books on horticulture to modern fiction. Plus, you get exclusive discounts for online herb products, magazines, online herb classes, and reduced or free admission to public gardens and arboreta through AHS' Reciprocal Admissions Program.
Please visit the HSA's Membership page for a full list of benefits. In addition, being a member of HSABR puts you in contact with a pretty fine group of local folks who can help inspire you, assist you, and sympathize with you in your herbal pursuits!
Dues run from September to August, so the fee will be prorated if you join (not renew!) in a different month (click here for proration chart). You may pay by PayPal or check. The PayPal link will be on the confirmation page that comes up after submitting the membership application form, but if possible, please mail your check (payable to HSABR) to the address on the membership form, as that saves us PayPal fees and saves our treasurer a fair amount of hassle.
Please note: Your renewal/application is not complete until payment is received.
It’s time! Our membership year runs from September to August, so please get your renewals in by September 30. And if you’re not yet a member, now is a great time to remedy that situation!
Your membership in the Herb Society of America, Baton Rouge Unit (HSABR), includes all of the benefits of the national organization as well as our local unit. There are many wonderful benefits to membership, including numerous opportunities to learn and delight in the use of herbs. Our programs include lectures on a wide range of topics related to growing, cooking and using herbs. We also spend time tending to our community gardens in companionship with other members who are passionate herb devotees!
Membership in the Herb Society of America gives you access to the members-only area on the website and many HSA publications, including the HSA Quarterly Newsletter, Unit Connections, HerbalBytes, and GreenBridges™ newsletters, among others. HSA also offers informative webinars that provide our members with the opportunity to share their knowledge, delight, and use of herbs, as well as their varied experiences with a larger herbal community. Members can browse HSA's unique herb-related library, with over 3,500 volumes with topics ranging from vintage books on horticulture to modern fiction. Plus, you get exclusive discounts for online herb products, magazines, online herb classes, and reduced or free admission to public gardens and arboreta through AHS' Reciprocal Admissions Program.
Please visit the HSA's Membership page for a full list of benefits. In addition, being a member of HSABR puts you in contact with a pretty fine group of local folks who can help inspire you, assist you, and sympathize with you in your herbal pursuits!
Dues run from September to August, so the fee will be prorated if you join (not renew!) in a different month (click here for proration chart). You may pay by PayPal or check. The PayPal link will be on the confirmation page that comes up after submitting the membership application form, but if possible, please mail your check (payable to HSABR) to the address on the membership form, as that saves us PayPal fees and saves our treasurer a fair amount of hassle.
Please note: Your renewal/application is not complete until payment is received.