For the Garden

SPRING IS IN THE AIR

Advice and musings on spring planting and the season itself from New Orleans garden pros

SPRING IS HERE AND AS YOUR JOYOUS WORK BEGINS, here are a few tips and thoughts from some of the city’s top gardeners: Amy Graham, director of horticulture at Longue Vue House & Gardens; Chase Mullin of Mullin Landscape; Kurt LeBlanc, manager of Harold’s Plants; Tom Wolfe, owner of Urban Roots and Kathy McNamara, New Orleans Botanical Garden’s horticulture manager.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT SPRING?

GRAHAM: “The birds are singing, the insects are buzzing, butterflies are frolicking and people are excited to be outside. Planting is one of my favorite garden tasks. Who doesn’t like digging in the dirt?” MULLIN: “I love when the plants come out of ‘hibernation,’ and the dull shades of green become more vibrant, flowers bloom, the trees push their new leaves and the scents of many plants are as vibrant as the colors.” LEBLANC: “I love the first glimpses of blooms in late February and early March. You know spring is around the corner when you see Japanese magnolias crack open and then within weeks you see a pink carpet of petals all over your sidewalk and cars.”

WHAT’S YOUR GO-TO SPRING PLANT?

WOLFE:“Petunias are a great spring flower. There are lots of colors to choose from and they are easy to grow.” MCNAMARA: “I think violas are very nice; also petunias and larkspur.” GRAHAM: “I adore our native hydrangea. It’s a dramatic, showy shrub with sturdy upright branches supporting 8-inch shimmering white blooms from Spring until August. It’s a must for pollinator gardens because the cover, blooms, seed and foliage serve birds and lots of insects.”

TOP GARDENING TIP

WOLFE: “Plan ahead and decide what you want to grow. Gardeners tend to buy everything they see and find a space for them later. Planning makes sure you stay on track and on budget.” MCNAMARA: “Right plant; right place.” MULLIN: “Don’t wait. Our climate allows us to plant year-round, so I typically suggest planting in the winter so that the new plantings are well-established before we enter into the heat of summer.” LEBLANC: “Soil preparation is the most important. Just like people, nutrition is key for all plants and that comes mostly from the soil.”

IF YOU COULD ONLY BUY ONE GARDEN TOOL WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHY?

MULLIN: “A tiller. Proper soil preparation is one of the keys to a successful garden.” LEBLANC: “Without a doubt, it would be a Hori Hori knife. It’s more than just a gardening knife. One side you can dig with to plant smaller plants and one edge side is serrated so it can be used to cut roots or divide up clumps of plants.” WOLFE: “A garden hoe. They are the most versatile underused tool out there. They break up soil, edge, weed and kill zombies!”

So let the planting begin and here’s to a beautiful and bountiful

Asparagus

With its versatility, impressive nutrient profile and delectable taste, asparagus is the superstar of spring vegetables

BY PAMELA MARQUIS

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GROW The plant is a perennial, grown from rhizomes that form crowns. In New Orleans, asparagus planted in spring probably won’t survive the hot summer. So autumn is the only time of year to plant asparagus in the South.

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PREP AND STORE

Large spears of asparagus can have tough skins. Use a veggie peeler to remove them. It grows in sandy areas, so it’s important to wash it thoroughly before eating. The tips cook faster than the stalks so cook stalks standing up in water with the tips slightly above the water. 3

EAT You can shave it, blanch it, grill it, pickle it, and even eat it raw. No matter how you decide to prepare your asparagus, keep cooking times short. Also, if you don’t wrap it in bacon or drench it in hollandaise sauce, it’s low in calories — about 4 calories per spear.

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LEARN For centuries, people have included asparagus in their Easter dinners because its fast growth in the spring symbolizes resurrection and it just tastes so dang good.

PLANT POWER

Architect Benjamin Massey shares how to make interiors bloom

ARCHITECT AND DESIGNER BENJAMIN MASSEY BELIEVES

in the power of the plant kingdom. While Massey’s talents are firmly rooted in residential architecture and interior design, this New Orleans native has a penchant for perennial plants and lush landscapes. “Greenery is beautiful and integral to our environment; however, in design, plants and flowers are sometimes overlooked,” says Massey. “Plants are a crucial element of design and an essential part of living well.” With a green thumb passed down from his Southern mama, Massey believes flora can resurrect and transform spaces. Over the last year, we’ve learned how our surroundings can pick us up or bring us down. With a fresh season upon us, the New Orleans- and New York-based architect suggests using a little plant feng shui to bring the outdoors in for vibrancy and life this spring.

TIP 1: ENHANCE A ROOM’S DÉCOR WITH PLANTS. Without plants, the room is yet to come alive. Massey suggests looking at each room and assessing the light. This will help determine what kind of plants you pick. For instance, snake plants, maidenhair ferns, and ZZ plants need little sunlight, while fiddle-leaf figs, ponytail palms and hibiscus thrive in the sun. Choose plants specifically for each room. Then select unique pots and urns to break up a monotonous, store-bought feel, Massey says. Mix and match. Be creative.

TIP 2: GROUP POTTED PLANTS INTO CLUSTERS. Arrange potted plants to create, what Massey calls,“the garden effect.” He says, “Rather than just placing one flower pot in a corner of a room, group three to five potted plants of various shapes and sizes together. It makes for a more interesting aesthetic, and is reminiscent of how a garden grows.”

TIP 3: ORGANIZE PLANTS BY WINDOWS. Not only will plants appreciate the light, but also the foliage will filter the sunshine to add shading and depth to each room. Rotate plants every few days or once a week, Gardepending on the plant, to ensure every side is nourished by the sun. A bonus, Massey adds, is that window plants can provide privacy from your neighbors.

TIP 4: POSITION GREENERY IN FRONT OF MIRRORS. “Plants and mirrors are good friends,” Massey says. The architect suggests placing mirrors on walls, mantels, credenzas or on the floor. Then, to make it more interesting, arrange plants in front of the mirrors. “It creates a cool effect,” Massey says. “It visually doubles the amount of plants, adds dimension to each room and allows you to see plants from multiple angles.”

TIP 5: FILL YOUR BATHROOM WITH FOLIAGE. When nature calls, be surrounded with greenery. “Bathrooms are actually a perfect place to nurture plants, as many plants thrive in warm, humid climates created by the moisture and steam of the shower,” Massey says. Guests delight in a bathroom bursting with foliage: It enlivens any space, no matter the size. Also, for an added health bonus, plants clean and freshen stale air.

To view Benjamin Massey’s architectural and design projects, or to get into touch with Massey, visit: benjaminmasseyarchitects.com.

– BY EVA FEDDERLY

Garden Variety

Stretch your green thumbs and branch out with these happy pieces for sprucing up indoor and outdoor spaces

BY ANDY MYER

Decorative metal artichoke, Dunn & Sonnier, dunnandsonnier.com; 1940s iron Salterini chair with green and white striped seat (set of four), Merchant House, merchanthouse.co; straw sun hat and faux boxwood bush, The Plant Gallery, theplantgallery.com; vintage glazed Chinese garden stool, terra cotta anduze pot and boxwood ball, Graci Interiors, graciinteriors.com; ornamental ceramic bird, Harold’s, haroldsplants.com; Henri metal watering can with brass finish (in small and large), Fait Nola, faitnola.com.

Ceramic faux bois pots (offered in a range of sizes), sculptural staghorn plant and grey texturized planter (far right), Harold’s, haroldsplants.com; ceramic Medusa planter handcrafted in Mexico and air-purifying lipstick plant, Fait Nola, faitnola. com; vintage African woven mat and market basket, Merchant House, merchanthouse. co; machine washable gardening gloves (available in multiple styles) and Two’s Company cane and wooden bead lanterns, The Plant Gallery, theplantgallery. com; linen napkins and round placemats (in an assortment of colorful mix-and-match patterns), Hazelnut, hazelnutneworleans.com.

Painterly botanical decoupage plates and trays in assorted prints and shapes, Dunn & Sonnier, dunnandsonnier.com; vintage African woven mat in striking green, pink, purple and natural colorway, Merchant House, merchanthouse.co.