THE SECRET GARDEN TOUR
By Elizabeth McConnell, KC Master Gardner, 2003
In March 2004, I visited New Orleans. I found a notice for a Secret Garden Tour. It was advertised as a tour of eleven beautiful gardens in the Uptown area. The Acquired Brain Injury Survivors Support Group sponsored it. At each house the garden designer was present.
The homes were adjacent to Audubon Park and were located on Audubon Street and Walnut Street. The houses on Walnut had the park as a back yard view.
The first garden was nestled between a 1910 bungalow and an 1890 Victorian home. A dark-bottomed pool anchored the serene setting and served as a focal point. The pool was surrounded with a terrace paved with surplus St. Joe brick from the Aquarium of the Americans and lilac flagstone. The outdoor area is accessorized with an iron and glass table and chairs by New Orleans designer Mario Villa, antique iron and stone works and galvanized planters. The service wing of the Victorian home creates a courtyard feel that provides a backdrop for a box parterre garden; accented with white Alyssum, purple and pink Petunias, as well as a border filled with pansies, delphinium and Artemisia. The garage has a pergola that supports a pink antique rose and a hidden outdoor shower. Two borders planted with pansies, tulips, and nicotiana lead to a garden shed topped with an antique copper weather vane and rose garden. Alongside this charming shed is the “Harlequin Garden” so named for the diamond-patterned stepping-stones interspersed with Dwarf Mondo Grass.
The next house was a Queen Anne style home built in 1904. Three 150-year-old live oaks dominate this yard. “George Tabor” and “Encore” azaleas provide pink and coral blossoms in the spring followed by the bright blue Agapanthus in the summer. Dark green Camellia Sasanqua lines the perimeter for fall color. A cast iron urn serves as a fountain and focal point of the flagstone patio. A path leads to the backyard with a pool and entertaining area. This patio was lined with “Little Gem” magnolias and white gardenias. A parterre with a large urn with white petunias serves as a focal point for the rear yard.
The third house was a French style home and the garden area was composed of two outdoor rooms divided by specimen Ligustrums creating two distinct spaces. The grand lawn is defined by tailored Boxwood hedges and a formal brick border, which is set off by a mix of perennials and roses. Beneath a Catalpa tree is a hidden fountain and pieces collected by the owner. A row of potted hollies completes this room. The second of two rooms is a formal pool designed by landscape architect Rene Fransen with a water wall as the focal point. The pool is anchored by an outdoor structure. Near the entry is a rock garden and Confederate Jasmine hide the downspouts.
This garden is maintained organically using only organic fertilizer, never insecticides or herbicides. Hidden out of sight are two compost areas used as a source of rich top mulch and soil for the garden. The three homes I outlined were just a sampling of the eleven homes on the tour. A landscape designer or a landscape architect had professionally landscaped all eleven homes. The azaleas were at their peak and exhibited some of the largest blossoms I have ever witnessed.
The water features, whether a pool or a fountain, were spectacular. The use of distinct outdoor rooms in the plan and the use of sculpture by area artists were impressive. The use of Zone 9 plants, which we can’t use, was an added bonus. A lot of the choices of plants are based on the high humidity and the heat. The camellias were at their peak.
The 100-year old live oaks, Queen Palms, Magnolias, Ligustrums, Catalpa, Yews, and Savannah Hollies are just a small selection of trees.
I saved the guide and a description of the other eight homes. If anyone would like to read about them, contact me. This tour was well worth the $10 donation.