MONROE, La. (AP) — Cynthia Brackins loves feeling the earth in her hands, turning the spring soil before depositing colorful splashes of bright blossoms as if her beds were a canvas.

“Spring is my favorite time of the year,” said Brackins, of West Monroe, who was shopping at Sammy’s Plant World. “I’ve come to buy bedding plants and roses. It’s time to spruce up the beds and fill in the bare spots.”