1930s: Planning and construction

The New Orleans Botanical Garden City Park, (Originally known as The Rose Garden), was unveiled in 1936, as a part of the massive restructuring and development project of City Park that took place in the 1930s. Although development plans for the new City Park were originally chosen in 1930, it was not until the mid-1930s that funding came from the Works Progress Administration, which administered the $12 million project that employed nearly 20,000 workers in New Orleans City Park.

Gate by Enrique Alferez was formerly the main entrance to the Botanical Garden

Design and construction was overseen by three innovators: Architect Richard Koch, Landscape Architect William Wierdorn, and Sculptor Enrique Alférez.^[2] Together, the three artists designed the Gardens in the style of the widely popular "art-deco" era of the 1930s, constructing the clearly defined and elaborate grounds that would come to be New Orleans' first public classical garden. Using a combination of natural landscape, historic architecture, and surreal artwork, the garden was intended to be a place where families from all around New Orleans could enjoy the City Park.

Mid-20th Century: Neglect and Decay

With the end of the economic stagnation of the 1930s, and the "war boom" of the 1940s, the WPA program ended and federal funding dried up, leaving City Park and the Botanical Garden to largely fend for itself. The period from the 1940s to the early 1980s saw a decline in the quality and cleanliness of the garden. Upkeep was lagging, vandalism was common, and attendance was down; the park had lost the allure that had made it one of the most popular public places in New Orleans.

1980s: Reconstruction

With the founding of the Friends of City Park, the 1980s brought a new push to improve, renovate, and rebuild the historic Rose Garden. Paul Soniat was hired as the Garden's first Director in 1982, and the Garden's name became The New Orleans Botanical garden. The garden was fenced, the original Enrique Alferez sculptures were cleaned and refurbished, and the renovation began. The restoration of the Garden followed a plan developed by Landscape Architect,Neil Odenwald from Louisiana State University. This original Odenwald plan stabilized the garden and directed the installation of new rose beds, trees and shrubs, and many areas of the garden were replanted with new flora. In 1987 a new Landscape Master Plan was developed by the Landscape Architecture firm Jon Emerson and associates and Architect Peter Trapolin. Emersons plan expanded the footprint of the garden and improved the circulation and Peter Trapolin designed entrance and main pavilion building. The new building called the Pavilion of the Two Sisters was dedicated in 1995.th^[3] Mexican artist Enrique Alférez was brought back to the garden after a period of almost 50 years to restore the garden's sculptures and create new pieces of artwork such as The Sundial and the Grass Gates. With the renovation and addition of many sections of the newly named Botanical Gardens, the stage was set for a surge in development that continues today. In 1987 a new holiday event created by the Garden called Celebration in the Oaks (Originally Christmas in the Oaks) was a tremendous financial boost to the Botanical Garden and City Park. The event, sponsored by WWL TV and NOPSI, was an immediate success and attracted over 100,000 visitors the first year.

1990s: Development

The 1990s saw a significant amount of growth for the Botanical Garden, with a number of projects initiated by donors and friends of the park. The Garden Study Center was renovated in 1992, the Pavilion of the Two Sisters was dedicated in 1995, and the Lath House was built in 1998. The gardens also expanded to include nearly three acres to the east of the site. In 1997, this section became the Zemurry Azalea and Camellia Garden: a circular walk scattered with a wide variety of flowers, numerous varieties of Azaleas, Camellias, and a "footprint walk" made of plaques with the names and footprints of some of those were donors to the garden's construction. At the center of this garden, in the middle of a WPA fountain, under a large Live Oak tree,Enrique Alferez created "The Flute Player". A 12' bronze sculpture of a strong, graceful woman flaying a flute

2000 - 2005 In the early 2000s many improvements and additions were added to the Botanical Garden. The Historic miniature train garden designed by Paul Busse was opened in 2002. Phase one of the Japanese Garden, funded by The Japanese Garden Society and designed by Landscape Architect Robin Tanner opened in 2002. The renovation and expansion of the Conservatory of the Two Sisters, and the restoration of the Stove House and dungeons were completed by 2003. The Conservatory and Stove house restoration was funded by the Azby Fund. In 2003 PLANO (Professional Landmen's Society Of New Orleans), funded the development of the vegetable, fruit garden on the western end of the Botanical Garden. During this time an Enrique Alferez sculpture "Rain Goddess" was moved from a lagoon near Christians Brothers school, to the corner of Roosevelt Mall and Victory Ave. Additionally the popular music series,"Thursdays at Twilight began in 2003 as part of the programming associated with the bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase

Hurricane Katrina The arrival of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 caused nearly total destruction of the garden's collections. Fortunately a donation from the Azby Fund, allowed the Garden to keep its staff employed and renovate its buildings and gardens. The Garden was quickly turned around and reopened for Celebration in the Oaks in early December, about 14 weeks after the storm. Approximately 90% of the plants were removed and replanted, all electrical in the garden was replaced, and the buildings were gutted and renovated. The Garden staff was assisted with donations of plants and funds as well as help from volunteers from across the US and around the world. The Botanical Garden and City Park have garnered praise locally and nationally on how well the recovery from Katrina was handled.

Zemurray Azalea and Camellia Garden

Upon entering the Botanical Gardens at the south side of the Pavilion of the Two Sisters, visitors taking the right pathways, or easterly direction, enter the Zemurray Azalea and Camellia Garden. Housing azalea, camellia, and magnolias, this section provides a fragrant walk through some of the South's most famous flowering plants. At the western edge of the section lies the Pavilion of the Two Sisters, a recent building designed in the fashion of a European greenhouse and constructed to protect oranges, honors the Wordsworth sisters. This space is used as a multipurpose facility for everything from educational seminars to wedding receptions. The Pavilion also serves as a formal barrier between the Zeumurray Garden and the Original Garden.

Original Garden

To the west of the Pavilion of the Two Sisters sits the Original Garden. The Original Garden is named as such because it represents the original portion of the formal Rose Garden. This section has four distinct garden rooms, a reflecting pool, and a conservatory. At the northern side of the Original Garden, the Parterre Rose Garden, or the Lord and Taylor Rose Garden, consists of rows of tightly trimmed Yaupon hedges outlining rose beds. The entrance to the Parterre is guarded by two large arbors. In the center of the Original Garden sits a circular area where walkways converge, with the four garden rooms of North, South, East, and West, surrounding on all sides. Each contains unique gardens- from herbaceous and tropical, to ornamental grasses and woody shrubs. Perhaps the most prominent feature in all four gardens is the 130-year-old Alferez Oak tree, named for the sculptor of many pieces in the garden. The Original Garden also houses the Garden Study Center, the Lath House, a Butterfly walk and Hummingbird Garden, along with the aquatic planting area. The aquatic planting area, with lilies, fish, and other aquatic flora and fauna, flank the eastern edge of the Original Garden and sit at the entrance of the Conservatory of the Two Sisters.

Fountain and the Conservatory

Conservatory of the Two Sisters

Under recent renovation, the Conservatory currently houses an exhibit on Living Fossils showing many types of prehistoric plant life, fossilized foliage, mosses, and ferns. Known mostly for its remarkable glass dome, the conservatory also boasts a tropical rainforest supported by a climate control system and a waterfall and cave system that house some animals indigenous to more tropical areas of the world. The Botanical Garden is currently securing funding to expand the Conservatory and ad d additional exhibits and planting space such as a desert exhibit, a mountain exhibit, and a section to showcase the garden's orchids.

Exotic Foliage

South of the Conservatory in the Exotic Foliage area sits the Palm Court. The Palm Court contains the largest palm collection in Louisiana. Additionally, ferns, bamboo, and other groundcover from exotic and tropical areas have seasonal homes in this section.

Demonstration Gardens

The westernmost most portion of the garden, just outside the doors of the Conservatory, sits an exciting and diverse area. Visitors are first greeted by cold frames, raised gardens edged in bricks originally meant to grow bedding plants for transplant. These structures are original WPA structures and provide a glimpse into the past. Farther west lie the vegetable and herb gardens as well as a demonstration garden that showcases seasonal vegetables, fruits, and other edible crops. An aromatic herb garden sits just northeast of the vegetable garden, this section is devoted to fragrant herbs and flowers that are known for their pungent smells, providing a diverse olfactory display as visitors also meander through the medicinal herbs section to the plot dedicated to culinary growing. A friendship garden, maintained by volunteers, provides a home for a variety of seasonal plants, and two small greenhouses here house a cactus and succulent plant collection. Finally, the Train Garden features miniature buildings made of botanical materials in a layout of the City of New Orleans. Visitors walk a pathway that follows the course of the Mississippi River and other bodies of water surrounding the city. 1,300 feet (400 m) of track carry miniature streetcars and trains that actually run on weekends and for special events. Stops along the way provide history of various buildings and neighborhoods.

Art

Much of the art throughout the City Park Botanical Garden is the work of Mexican-born artist and sculptor Enrique Alferez (1901–1999).^[4] Ten of the Twelve sculptures in the Botanical Gardens are pieces originally sculpted by Alferez. The oldest of these pieces were created in 1932 when he created 5 of the original sculptures for the Gardens. He continued to construct pieces for the City Park Botanical Gardens throughout his life, his latest addition coming in 1998.^[5] He has quite a broad range of pieces throughout the garden, ranging from a large lifelike reclining nude statue, to a simple, but functional sundial located in the center of the park. Most of the pieces he created in the garden are either cast concrete, carved limestone, or bronze. These were all popular Art Deco styles of sculpting, and even the pieces he created long past the Art Deco era were modeled in this style. Alferez also has many sculptures located throughout the city of New Orleans, including a local landmark at the Lakeside Airport. The remaining two pieces on the garden grounds were created by Rose Marie Huth in 1942, and Jean Seidenberg in 1962. The more significant of these two pieces is the sculpture by Rose Marie Huth, located near the center of the gardens at the end of the water lily pond. It is a truly remarkable sculpture of a woman riding on top of a large fish, seemingly coasting across the water. This is one of the centerpieces of the Botanical Gardens.

Flowers of the Botanical Gardens

As you walk through the entrance to the botanical gardens, the Pavilion of the Two Sisters is the first site to be seen. Along the sides of the well-kept grassy runway are rows of luscious green plants with small, delicate flowers hanging from their branches. These tiny flowers are just the beginning of the over 2,000 different plants from all across the world that cover the 12-acre (49,000 m²) garden.

Lord & Taylor Rose Garden

Occupying the mid-northern section of the Botanical Gardens is the Lord & Taylor Rose Garden, also called the Parterre. The first path leads to a rectangular area with separate sections for housing the various roses both antique and modern. The rosarian, Abedalhadi Mousa, is responsible for many daily activities of maintenance including deadheading, or clipping off the blackened and dried ends of the rose bushes with his pruning shears and throwing them into a large plastic bin. He clips off the wilting roses also, removing the whites, pinks, and reds that sprinkle the green landscape. The premises are scattered with such volunteers and workers, characterized by their straw gardening hats that signify their expertise with the plants around them. These employees both take care of the foliage as well as assist onlookers, directing them to such sources of information as the Dial and Discover service.

As one walks through the groupings of rose bushes, the Early Hybrid Tea rose, the antique Tea rose, and the 'Blush Noisette' rose from 1817 can be seen along the edges, among others. Each grouping of roses has a small black tag at the bottom with white inset writing listing off their name and date of origination if available. The center rectangular beds contain many Iceberg Floribunda bushes, whose flora are a pristine white, with the beds on each side surrounding the two circular fountains overflowing with Caldwell Pink bushes. Both the Iceberg and Caldwell Pinks are modern roses that are more sensitive to the heat and must be replaced every three years.^[6] The Rose Garden is just the first taste of the plants that can be viewed, and leads to the Butterfly Walk.

Butterfly Walk

The air grows fragrant as one approaches the butterfly walk. The small garden houses many flowering plants that provide nectar for the butterflies and a food source for the caterpillars. Monarchs, giant swallowtails, and gulf fritillary are seen fluttering through the air, feasting on the cone flowers, lantana and coreopsis. It is a small, intimate space with flowering plants that climb up the sides of the walk, causing the butterflies to fly around any visitor that strolls through. The garden has a bench, crafted in the shape of a giant butterfly, to allow one to sit and enjoy the sight. The flowering plants are set amongst the caterpillars' food sources. There are milkweed plants for the monarchs, passion flower vines for the gulf fritillary, and dill and parsley for the blood swallowtails.^[7] A quick walk will take one out of the Butterfly Walk, away from the secluded paradise, and onto amore open pathway towards the facilities offering a look into tropical plants and herbal gardens.