Each year we highlight the local landscape architectural firms in the city hosting the annual ASLA convention; this year it is New Orleans. We communicated with as many firms as we could reach in the Bayou states of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, offering to present their firms and a sampling of their projects. Most of the firms, not surprisingly, are from the New Orleans area, although a few firms from Alabama responded to our invitation. The Bayou states have a rich heritage of cultures: Native Americans; the French; Spanish and Creole inhabitants of New Orleans; the Cajuns of South Louisiana; African slaves and free blacks, the European plantation owners; and settlers of virtually every nationality. New Orleans and its surrounding communities are a treasure trove of architectural styles: Creole Cottage, Shotgun House, and Double Gallery House are just a few outstanding examples. New Orleans has more than 35,000 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, more than any other U.S. city. Washington, D.C., is the closest contender with just over 20,000 listings. Many of these architectural masterpieces are located in the 120 blocks of the French Quarter. Beautifully landscaped grounds are an important facet to these buildings, and these projects serve as a portfolio of the amazing work done by the landscape architecture firms based in and around New Orleans. These firms range in size from one and two-person businesses, to large firms staffed by dozens of landscape professionals. We think you'll enjoy learning about some of the firms of the Big Easy and the kind of work their doing. Note: Next year, we'll look at the firms of the Salt Lake, Utah area. If your firm is in Utah, we'd be interested in including you in next year's feature