Gardens of New Orleans: Exquisite Excess

Amazon.com's Best of 2001:
Fragrant. Lush. Seductive. Can these words describe any city other than New Orleans? With new plant life bursting from every cranny and ancient cypress trees, the gardens here present many unusual combinations of freshness and decay. Gardens of New Orleans has captured this magnificence in full glory, with page after page of beautifully green photographs. Authors Lake Douglas and Jeannette Hardy include historical sketches, maps, and photographs that provide an informative introduction to the city. The outdoor French Market photographs show piles of fruit you can almost taste, even if the picture is in sepia tones. The section on public spaces follows, bringing glossy color photos of charming statuary and enormous live oaks that are memorable both for their size and grace. The final chapter is filled with close-up shots of many private gardens in the city, and show off the best New Orleans has to offer: peaceful balconies, bright flowers, antique ornaments, and artfully trimmed hedges. The lovely Ursiline convent is included in this section, with its glowing white statues and peaceful paths for meditation. In every case, photographer Richard Sexton has captured the remarkable light as it filters through the trees. His close-ups clearly show the vines and sprouts popping up between bricks and under older plants, while his landscapes showcase both the heavy greenery and the well-known cast-iron decorations on houses, fences, and furniture. Whether you're a New Orleans native or simply love impossibly green gardens, this lovely book will bring the rich flavor of this charming city to your living room. --Jill Lightner

Gardens of New Orleans: Exquisite Excess:
New Orleans is a sultry, seductive city whose gardens reflect a rich history. Decadent nineteenth-Century buildings and courtyards provide an exquisite backdrop for exotic profligate vegetation. These serve as inspiration for all garden enthusiasts. Beginning with A Brief History, that may not be brief enough; - the book stolidly drags the reader on through endless bayous of pages that recount the minutiae of the French settlers, Native Americans, African Slaves, German and Swiss farmers. Subsequently, it combines the cities latest horticultural overlay of recent Southeast Asian immigrants depicted at vegetable markets with mounds of cut mint. Then, it offers impassive photos of the Warehouse Arts District, and dilapidated fence structures of no particular aesthetic merit, interest, or relevance. The few published photos available to the buyer are quite nice. Nonetheless, the book itself, offers little more in the way of exotic balcony gardens, or lush French Quarter design to inspire ardent gardeners. This pre-Katrina effort adroitly circumvents all that is attractive, interesting, vibrant or comely within the city. It plods along with sluggish text, mostly unremarkable photography, and seemingly indifferent editing.

For lovers of gardening- it captures the heart & imagination:
I was fortunate enough to find this book in a wonderful little garden shop tucked away inside the French Quarter of New Orleans. If you've never visited and seen their charming style and beauty first hand, this book is filled with superb photographs that come to life, with a wealth of great information about the homes and gardens you really will feel like you're there. For any lover of gardening, New Orleans simply transcends conventional time and space, capturing all of the senses and inspiring the heart and the imagination like no place else in the world. . .from the petite cottages to the elaborate plantations, there is garden for every home and every occassion! Tres-magnifique!!!

Gorgeous photos and more:
Not only is the photography lush and gorgeous, but I also love the way this book has chapters on a variety of New Orleans gardens. There are examples of hidden courtyards and terraces as well as public parks and Garden District homes. There's even a comprehensive section on the history of the city. I treasure this book all the more given the recent tragic events with the hurricanes.

Beautiful!:
Quality of photos: amazing. I'm very pleased with this book. I especially love the pictures of the courtyard, balcony, and porch gardens. It's also nice to read the little stories behind the gardens presented as well. I strive to maintain gardens as glorious and lush as these but can only come so close.

Fascinating survey of New Orleans gardens:
Are "Southern Review" and I looking at the same book?? I've been through this book hundreds of times and each time I enjoy it more. The chapters are organized into the different geographic and cultural areas and their different gardens. All are fascinating. I'll admit that I skip the historical chapter much of the time and go straight for the photos of the French Quarter gardens. I really appreciate that the authors include gardens from very modest homes as well as the grander ones. The chapter on the gardens of Shotguns, Cottages and Bungalows is one of my favorites.