The Gardens of Louisiana reveals in gorgeous color photographs and engrossing text the artistic and human qualities of the landmark gardens distinguishing Louisiana. A. J. Meek examines the secrets of these gardens his photographer's eye catching the intrinsic character of each place and the artistic insight of its creator. Suzanne Turner expands the visual experience by explaining the garden's origins, the ideas that influenced its development, and its significance for us today.Gardens reflect a culture's values, aspirations, and ideals. Inspired by the French photographer Eugene Atget's images of the gardens and parks of Versailles and St. Cloud at the turn of the twentieth century, Meek focused his camera on the enchanting gardens of Louisiana, from the imperial French gardens emulated at Rosedown to the abandoned, tangled glory of the English gardens imitated at Le Petit Versailles in Vacherie. The distinctiveness of the American Rose Center in Shreveport, the charm of New Orleans' courtyards, and the mystery of Avery Island's Jungle Gardens are among the other glories represented here.
The rich heritage of gardens past and present is unveiled in the book's profiles of urban, plantation, estate, and private gardens. Readers may tour the formal garden of the Beauregard-Keyes House in the French Quarter, which acquired its name from its two famous residents, P. G. T. Beauregard and Frances Parkinson Keyes. They may walk the grounds of the Oakley plantation, near St. Francisville, where John James Audubon completed thirty-two of his paintings of birds of America, or approach the Greek Revival entrance facade of Longue Vue in New Orleans through a pathway of live oaks. HodgesGardens, near Many, were developed as a "garden in the forest" and are the nation's largest privately operated horticultural parkland and wildlife refuge. As singular as each garden in the state is, Meek and Turner capture the sense of tradition and beauty that unites them.
- ISBN10 080712107X
- ISBN13 9780807121078
- Publish Date June 1997
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 19 October 2003
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Louisiana State University Press
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 272
- Language English