Vsitors of Longue Vue House and Gardens can only imagine what it was like attending a formal garden party in the mid-1950s, or entertaining the likes of Eleanor Roosevelt, Adlai Stevenson, or John and Robert Kennedy.
This historic city estate was created by Mr. and Mrs. Edgar B. Stern and their designers between 1923 and 1968. Located on 8 acres a few minutes from the French Quarter, it features a Classical Revival mansion with gardens. The southern section of the gardens was modified in the 1960s. Today, the gardens are highlighted by more than 20 working fountains.
Mrs. Stern opened the gardens to the public in 1968, and the house shortly before her death in 1980. Longue Vue House and Gardens hosts more than 50,000 visitors annually who come to view the beauty of the gardens, and to attend a wide variety of educational programs.
Unique Design
The house contains its original furnishings of English and American antiques, French and Oriental carpets, modern art, and collections of needlework, textiles and creamware from Wedgwood, Leeds and other British and Continental potteries.
As magnificent as the mansion is, with its late 18th and early 19th century, country-home atmosphere, the centerpiece is the formal gardens.
They're highlighted by the largest garden, the Spanish Court, with its mosaic sidewalks and fountain displays. Other gardens include the Pan, the Portico, and the Walled Gardens which feature roses; and the Yellow Garden, the Canal Garden and the Pond Garden.
The Wild Garden offers visitors a natural forest walk featuring native and indigenous plant materials. This area is presently under restoration.
Today, the gardens are maintained by a staff of four people, along with many volunteers. They are the responsibility of head gardener Ann Donnelly. When asked to describe some of the challenges associated with maintaining the gardens and grounds, she replies, "the pressure of keeping them immaculate every day."
The estate purchased the Walker seven years ago. Today it mows the lawn twice a week in the summer and once a week during the winter.
"We had a reel mower at the time and wanted to upgrade," remembers 15-year Longue Vue veteran Troy Chambers. They went with the Walker because of its maneuverability, and because it would mow in the wet, moist conditions often prevalent on the grounds. "It was important to get a machine that would evenly displace its weight," he adds.
Since the purchase, the Walker Mower has worked in tandem with three small walk-behind mowers to keep the grounds in shape.
The grass-handling system has facilitated leaf pickup that's nearly year-round thanks to countless live oaks and magnolia trees.
A mulching deck is employed during the November transition from hybrid Bermuda to winter Rye grass. As Donnelly relates, the mulching action does a good job of cutting the grass. Unlike the vacuum action of the GHS deck, it leaves the Rye grass seeds on the lawn where they belong.
The Walker's size and ease of operation are also a benefit to a garden that generates much of its economic support from daily visitors. Small in stature, the Walker has an unobtrusive presence. And it quickly dispatches the lawn, working eight hours per week during the summer season, and half that in the mild winter months.
"I have a relatively high intolerance for mowing," explains senior gardener Joseph Voltz. "The Walker is not like other mowers. It's actually easy to operate, and it's very maneuverable."
In addition to beautifully manicured lawns, along with live oaks and magnolias, the property is home for camellias, azaleas, roses, sweet olives, crepe myrtles and gardenias as permanent plantings. Throughout the year, they are combined with seasonal displays of tulips, chrysanthemums, poinsettias, pansies and Easter lilies. Periodically, there are also temporary sculpture exhibits in the gardens.
And there's more work forthcoming. The estate recently opened its Discovery Garden, an interesting and educational, interactive gardening display for children. The newly restored Wild Garden will be unveiled in the early part of 1999.
New Orleans may be famous for its Bourbon Street festivals, riverboats and culinary delights, but the city also features some of the richest culture in the South. Longue Vue is part of that culture and certainly should be on any garden lover's list of places to visit.
Longue Vue is open 10:00 a.m. to 5:00p.m. Monday through Saturday; 1:00 p.m. to 5:00p.m. Sunday. For information call (504) 488-548 or visit longuevue.com.
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