Our Area's Own Urban Naturalist

By Abby Meaux Conques

One of the things I love about Lafayette are these little pockets of professionals who are doing great things in their niche corners of their prospective markets. The difference between Anytown, USA and our city (in my opinion) is the willingness to take time to speak with you about their craft and the genuine intrigue about your interest in said niche.

Marcus Descant, landscape horticulturist and owner of The Urban Naturalist, happens to be one of those very people. I popped over to his lush corner lot at 216 Madison Street, where he has a walk-up self check-out area where you can purchase plants and herbs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via posted instructions. Follow the area behind the counter and find tables upon tables of flats and trays filled with plants, herbs, vegetables and flowers.

Descant got his green-thumb beginning working with his brother performing lawn maintenance before shifting gears and working on farms. In 2006 he bought the home where he and his family reside now and where the land serves as The Urban Naturalist.

The land functioned as his personal garden for six years where he experimented with edible plants and herbs, learning as his plants grew. In the midst of opening his garden for business, he ventured into the landscaping world to lend his knowledge of our prairie to area residents. “I got constant advice from all these wonderful people in the horticulture world...like the ones who started the Sunset Herb and Garden Festival. Many of them were older than me and were very happy to hand down their advice so we could keep growing alive with our generation,” he said.

Descant uses his landscaping techniques and pragmatic knowledge of native plants to serve both functional and aesthetic purposes. For example, native prairie plants have the ability to hold a great deal of moisture. You may see up to a foot of a plant, but those roots run very deep and can act like large sponge beds, actually aiding local drainage problems.

In addition to implementing an observant, multi-faceted approach to landscaping, Descant is also mindful of the plastic he uses to house his grows. His business is run entirely off of waste plastic that other landscapers gladly drop off to him. “Our exchange is plastic for plants - all those little black plant buckets are used for 3 weeks, but they last 400 years,” Descant said. “We need to take responsibility for our footprint.”

Some of his best sellers are ready-to go pots which operate as cut-away profiles of small startup gardens, such as vegetable gardens. “They’re a great place to start for beginners,” he explained. Other popular items are his $30 flats. “People drive in from Baton Rouge and New Orleans for these flats. If you know about certain master plants and their worth, you know some of these flats have expensive plants that come out to $5 a plant.”

Descant also lends his time and talents to Myrtle Place Elementary where his son attends. He heads the school’s Garden Club. “It really gets the kids interested in gardening by letting them play in the dirt. We even recycle cafeteria waste so it teaches them to reduce and reuse,” he said.

When asked what the easiest way to begin a garden was, Descant said cool-season vegetables are an easy start. “You don’t have to wait until springtime to plant...people tend to think January is dormant for planting but you can beat the bugs and invasive weeds by planting early in the year. A pollinator garden or butterfly garden is a good place to start as well,” he mentioned. “Those teach you a lot about plants and eco-systems along the way.” He explained that native plants are fairly easy to grow and are more difficult to kill if you’re just beginning. Many big box stores get their plants shipped in from other states. “You might get something from a big store’s lawn center down the road, but they recieved those plants from somewhere like Maine. Those plants lived a perfect life until they get down here and then they go into shock with the different climate. You can learn a lot of tricks of the trade by talking to local gardeners who are experienced with plants in this climate,” he explained.

I asked him what a bit of advice was that he’d like to give to others. He said, “Don’t get tied up in plants emotionally...just play. You can take a $50 horticulture class at the Ag Center and get started in you want structured information.”

When asked what was the most memorable piece of advice he received from the older generation of horticulturists, he said, “Simple. They’d tell you ‘it ain’t hard...just water your damn plants’.”

If you have any interest in herbs or plants, visit the Urban Naturalist. You won't be disappointed.

Marcus Descant, owner of The Urban Naturalist