Garden Feature

Longue Vue began major rehabilitation of the historic landscape in 1997.  In the Wild Garden, overgrowth of the canopy and increased shade coupled with the introduction of many non-native plant species had suppressed wildflower and Louisiana Iris blooms.  Eroded woodland berms caused drainage problems and erased paths key to the original 1938-39 design.  One member of the restoration team, Kenny Floyd, owner of Aquatic Construction Ponds and Plants in Metairie, Louisiana, aquaticconstruction.com was responsible for conserving the sandstone pond.

The philosophy was to interpret the design documents and photographs in the archives so that the pond once again met the standards of Ellen Biddle Shipman’s original design.  After all, Longue Vue’s Wild Garden is the only extant woodland garden designed by Shipman.  Kenny’s scope of work included adding a liner to the historic pond, cleaning and replacing the Mississippi sandstone, and designing an upgraded filtration system that could better move the volume of water in the 25’ x 30’ pond.

Today the appearance of the pond is more like Shipman’s original design with perimeter plantings of maidenhair fern and swamp rose and in the pond an American yellow lotus.

The Pigeonnier and Wild Garden pond are highlights of the garden tour and a favorite space of visitors to Longue Vue, who come to feel the cool spaces and view the native plants while being comforted by the sounds of the waterfall.