BY: VICTORIA CROSBY PHOTOS BY CHERYL GERBER

Watch Your Garden Grow
“Keep it simple,” says Beverly Katz of Exterior Designs (866-0276). Her clients in New Orleans are trying to get their gardens reorganized, and so now is an opportunity to get back to landscaping basics. Katz suggests hardy, easy-to grow plants such as, “Radican gardenias (frost proof), Encore azaleas (blooms all year), agapanthus and iris,” but she also stresses the importance of careful use of color.

The most powerful, eye-catching beds are achieved when the gardener has used one solid color field. Her example: humble pansies becoming dramatic and beautiful when planted in a sweeping blanket of white.

Otherwise, choose a very subtle color variation, such as what Katz did by using red for a client on Jefferson Avenue. “I used Dragon Wing begonias, tree form rose camellias, salmon impatiens and red pansies. And together,” she says, “they became both pleasing to the eye and calming.” An aesthetic tonic that is much needed for the residents of the Crescent City.

Would you like to add a little formality to your garden? One easy solution, suggests Jeannette Roussell of Landscape Images (734-8380), is to bring the flower beds out to greet the sidewalk. “Not only will it make your garden seem bigger, but it will create a sense of entry to your home,” she says, “which is a fundamental aspect to any landscape design.” If you want to go in a different direction and are looking for more privacy, consider planting holly. According to Roussell, “Holly is taking the place of cherry laurels and Japanese yew.” It is readily available in more mature sizes, so it can be an effective, quick way to create a thick, natural screen for your home and garden. If you are headed to a nursery, check out the traditional Savannah holly, but make sure to ask about some of the newer varieties such as: East palatka, which is much less prickly (or more friendly, depending on your point of view), or Emily Bruner with its gorgeous, deep green leaves.

What else are the pros planting this year?
For annual color:
Purple loropetalum (Burgundy leaves and pink flowers)
Purple pixie and Purple diamond (Brand new!)
 
For texture and color accents:
Xanadu philodendron, Black Magic elephant ear (Go tropical!)
 
For perennial flowers:
Lantana, salvias (Butterflies love them.) 



Circa 1870, this Victorian garden chair—one of a pair—is unusually delicate in design.
With rounded legs, a metal-mesh back and a seat that folds for easy portability, it will add a unique elegance to any home or garden. Marsh Garden Décor, 4920 Tchoupitoulas, 891-1000.


















Go retro this spring! These colorful, textured pots are available in two sizes and are so charming and cheerful that they are sure to make even the fussiest of plants very happy. American Aquatic Garden, 621 Elysian Fields, 944-0410.












Handmade marble mosaic tables will add grandeur to any garden. They come in a variety of sizes and patterns, and can even be customized to your specifications—square or round? High glaze or matte? You be the designer.
French Fountains, 7901 St. Charles Ave., 861-1138.












Curl up and dream of Arcadia in the opulence of these red poppy pajamas from Kiyomi. They are also available in a variety of other lush flower prints and fabrics, all of which are certain to wake the gardener in you. The Garden Gate, 2918 Metairie Rd., 833-6699.