Gardens of New Orleans: Exquisite Excess

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

Product Description
New Orleans is a gardener's paradise. Fragrant ginger and night-blooming jessamine scent the air. Nary a crack in the cement or divot in the wall is free from rogue ferns, mosses, or draping greenery. For generations, residents from wildly varied cultures and sensibilities have been at work creating magnificent gardens throughout the city. New Orleans Gardens explores this rich history and tours public gardens, as well as opens the doors to lovingly tended private balcony, patio, and mansion grounds. Interviews discuss the environmental and cultural forces that shaped the gardens. In photography as sumptuous as his acclaimed New Orleans: Elegance and Decadence, Richard Sexton vividly illustrates the many traditions interwoven in this bewitching city's landscape heritage.