Helpful maps direct readers to every azalea, camellia, and magnolia from Afton Villa Gardens in St. Francisville to Zemurray Gardens in Loranger.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
Louisiana Gardens Takes You To Some Quiet, Green Places
The photography of Steven Brooke and the writing of Mary Fonseca combine in a superb collection highlighting gardens across the state in Louisiana Gardens. (Pelican, $19.95 soft cover).
Featuring lush color shots of blooming plants and meandering trails, the book also offers up history, botanical history and local legends.
"Susan and David Barrow modeled the forty-room home they built in 1849, in the gentle hills that roll down to the Mississippi River near St. Francisville, after a chateau they had visited in Tours, in the Loire valley of France. They incorporated David's small ancestral home into the spacious mansion they christened Afton Villa and surrounded it with extensive lawns, terraced gardens, a boxwood maze, and a summerhouse. It was their family home until the Civil War liberated the stlaves who built and sustained the plantation gentry's elaborate estates."
Too bad the names of the slaves couldn't be included in the description of the St. Francisville landmark.
Other area gardens featured in the book are The Capitol Gardens-designed by E.A. "Ned" McIlhenny and completed in 1932, Windrush Gardens at the LSU Rural Life Museum, Rosedown Plantation and Gardens in St. Francisville, the Laurens Henry Cohn Sr. Memorial Arboretum just north of Baton Ruge, the LSU Hilltop Arboretum on Highland Road, and Audubon State Commemorative Area at St. Francisville.
Each garden is described and displayed in plentiful photographs. A list at the back of the book has addresses, hours, cost of admission (many are free) and directions to the gardens.
While all the more famous gardens in Louisiana-Hodges Gardens at Many, Zemurray Gardens near Hammond, The American Rose Center near Shreveport, The Jungle Gardens of Avery Island-are given prominent spreads, one of the charms of this book is the overlooked gardens that it features.
Many people don't realize that there are fine gardens at City Park and Audubon Park in New Orleans, or that many French Quarter Patios and Parterres are classic studies in small, urban gardens. There's even a small laniappe chapter at the back of the book that lists additional gradens and nature preserves to explore. It was gratifying to find the Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center listed there with the Centenary College Arboretum, the Longleaf Trail Scenic Byway (in Kisatchie National Forest), the Louisiana Nature Center in New Orleans, the Northlake Nature Center in Covington and many other scenic areas that feature plants and flowers in natural settings.
Buy this book now and find out where to go to see beautiful fall plants. Or save it for a Christmas gift so the recipient can use it to plan spring sojourns amid the beautiful blooms of Louisiana. It's a great reference and entertaining reading as well. -- Greg Langley, Books Editor, The Baton Rouge Advocate, June 27, 1999
About the Author
Steven Brooke, an internationally acclaimed architectural photographer, was awarded the Rome Prize in 1991 and is a Fellow of the American Academy in Rome. He received the National Honor Award for Photography from the American Institute of Architects, the highest award in the field of architectural photography. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Brooke is an adjunct professor in the University of Miamiís department of architecture. He lives in Miami with his wife, architect Suzanne Martinson, and his son, Miles Samuel Brooke.
Mary Fonseca, a free-lance writer from New Orleans, actively speaks about touring Louisiana to various clubs, organizations, and travel groups. She has written several cover stories for Louisiana Life, including seven pieces of a series entitled
Mary Fonseca, a free-lance writer from New Orleans, actively speaks about touring Louisiana to various clubs, organizations, and travel groups. She has written several cover stories for Louisiana Life, including seven pieces of a series entitled
