Longue Vue

a historic city estate

by Sean Stowell

New Orleans is a city filled with centuries old homes. The city?EUR??,,????'???s Garden District boasts one historic home after another. Many of these homes were built in the 1800s, including the Degas House where French impressionist Edgar Degas painted over 20 works while residing there in the 1870s. Located just north of the Garden District in the Metairie neighborhood, sits another historic home, Longue Vue, built in the 1930s. Longue Vue (literally ?EUR??,,????'??long view?EUR??,,????'?? in French) and its eight acres of gardens was home to Edgar Bloom Stern and his wife Edith Rosenwald Stern. Edgar was a New Orleans cotton broker; his wife the heir to the Sears Roebuck fortune. The Sterns named the estate Longue Vue after the name of a caf????(C) in New York where Edgar proposed to Edith.

This is the main formal garden of the estate and was originally designed by Ms. Shipman with Camellia allee, flanked by a walk and herbaceous perennial borders, culminating in a tempietto and pool.

Subsurface drainage was recently installed in the areas around the oak trees in the Entrance Court.

The designer of the gardens was Ellen Biddle Shipman, who was referred to as the ?EUR??,,????'??dean of American women landscape architects.?EUR??,,????'??

LASN visited Longue Vue for an exclusive tour of the estate, and its amazing gardens. Most of the gardens that Shipman designed at Longue Vue are still intact today or have recently been restored to the original Shipman plans.

?EUR??,,????'??Gardening opens a wider door than any other of the arts?EUR??,,????'??+all mankind can walk through,?EUR??,,????'?? Ms. Shipman once said. ?EUR??,,????'??Rich, poor, high or low, talented and untalented. It has no distinctions, all are welcome.?EUR??,,????'??

The live oak trees in the alley of the Entrance Court were wired to form a cathedral arch that sets off the main fa??? 1/4 ade of the house.

The Gardens

Tucked away on Bamboo Road, visitors to Longue Vue are brought to the Entrance Court. Walking along paved granite ballast block, live oak trees were wired to form a cathedral arch, leading the eye to the fa??? 1/4 ade of the house. According to Longue Vue Executive Director Bonnie Goldblum, subsurface drainage was recently installed in the grass areas next to the oaks.

At this oak alley, and at other points throughout the property, are axial vistas where a long sightline cuts through the property. You can see straight through from one area to another, according to head gardener Marcela Lineiro. Often there is a strategically placed focal item at the terminus of the vista. In the case of the oak alley the terminus to the long driveway is the mansion itself.

Behind a hip-roofed cottage lies the Lucy C. Roussel Discovery Garden. This is a new addition to Longue Vue and is a hands-on, interactive garden designed for children. The mission of the one-half acre garden is to educate youngsters about the role of plants in their daily lives.

Top: The bamboo tunnel at the Discovery Garden creates a visual sensation as the lights and shadows fall through curved bamboo. Middle: The greenhouse was originally part of the nursery area of the estate and now serves as a place for children to plant seeds. Above: The interplay of light and shadow continues on the Orientation Sundial, the centerpiece of the Discovery Garden.

?EUR??,,????'??Families can come here and get a hands-on experience in gardening,?EUR??,,????'?? Goldblum said. ?EUR??,,????'??They can learn about horticultural design and the natural environment. Our mission is to bring in urban kids to experience nature, sometimes for the first time.?EUR??,,????'??

The journey into the Discovery Garden starts at a bamboo tunnel, where a visual sensation is created as the lights and shadows fall through the curved bamboo. Kids can get their first taste of landscape architecture by creating butterfly gardens using logs, architectural elements, trees, flowers and more.

From the Discovery Garden one can access the Wild Garden, developed by Shipman in her 1942 site plan. At one point the Wild Garden was overgrown and became a shade garden. According to Ms. Goldblum, it took six to seven years to come back to how Ms. Shipman had originally planned it. In time the canopy of trees grew so dense that the flowering understory trees, shrubs and wildflowers either no longer bloomed or disappeared. Exotic plant species crept in and the configuration of paths was lost and the berms necessary to grow plants had sunk.

Top: An oversized watering jug is on display to symbolize the Discovery Garden?EUR??,,????'???s mission of allowing children to discover the wonders of nature and gardens. Bottom: Children can plant seeds, pot small plants, paint plant markers and decorate paper with potato prints in the Discovery Garden.

Longue Vue?EUR??,,????'???s current rehabilitation project will reinstate the Wild Garden?EUR??,,????'???s original historic character and diverse plant palette. Overgrown and diseased trees and shrubs have been removed, opening the garden for more light. Many trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants have been replaced. Landscape architecture work on this project is being done by LANDSCAPES with offices in Charlotte, Vermont and Westport, Conn.

This garden is planted with native and indigenous plants of the Gulf South. Louisiana naturalist Caroline Dormon supplied native plants for this garden. Other plantings include buckeye, silver bells, dogwood, cypress, viburnum, oak leaf, hydrangea, witch hazel and wild azalea.

Lineiro said the Longue Vue staff is working to establish a long-term maintenance plan for the Wild Garden with native plants consultant Bill Fotenot.

?EUR??,,????'??Bill will take the as-planted plan of the garden and ?EUR??,,????'??grow?EUR??,,????'??? the plants to their mature sizes and counsel us on selective editing and pruning,?EUR??,,????'?? said Lineiro. ?EUR??,,????'??We do practice an intense regimen of hard pruning, root pruning and editing now.?EUR??,,????'??

Three serpentine pathways link the Wild Garden with the Walled Garden, which Ms. Shipman designed as a kitchen garden planted with vegetables and herbs. Japanese iris surrounds an old cast-iron sugar kettle fountain. The Sterns featured seasonal plantings of tulip, delphiniums and chrysanthemums. Most recently the garden was planted with roses. The Longue Vue garden staff collaborated with the Herb Society of America New Orleans unit to return the beds to a mix of herbs, fruits and vegetables.

Top: One of three serpentine paths lead from the Wild Garden to the Walled Garden. Buckeye, silver bells, dogwood, cypress, viburnum, oak leaf, hydrangea, witch hazel and wild azalea border the paths. Middle: This structure is based on a similar Pigeonnier at the Uncle Sam Plantation in Convent, La., and is a focal point of the Wild Garden. Magnolia, dogwood, pine, cypress and holly trees are planted with native perennials, columbine, viburnum, silver bells and azaleas are around the structure. Bottom: The Wild Garden is planted with buckeye, silver bells, dogwood, cypress, viburnum, oak leaf, hydrangea, witch hazel and wild azalea.

?EUR??,,????'??The garden was replanted based on the Shipman plan of 1938,?EUR??,,????'?? Mr. Lineiro said. ?EUR??,,????'??The New Orleans chapter of the Herb Society of America assisted with actual planting and continues to volunteer regularly to help maintain the garden.?EUR??,,????'??

The Walled Garden takes visitors to the Canal Garden that was designed by William Platt who, along with his brother Geoffrey, designed the house at Longue Vue. Platt, a New Hampshire architect, was Shipman?EUR??,,????'???s mentor and associate. The Canal Garden design was inspired by the Quinto do Cabo near Lisbon, Portugal. Seasonal container plantings along the canal accent the lace-cap hydrangeas, camellias, George Tabor azaleas and loquat trees, while vinca minor is the ground cover.

The first landscaped area of the estate was the Gold Fish Pond and overlook. From the Canal Garden, a path leads east to a terraced pond surrounded by bulbs, azaleas, holly fern and nandina near a Japanese maple. Camellia sasanquas screen the edge of the garden.

Top: Japanese iris and herbs in the Walled Garden surround a cast-iron sugar kettle fountain.
Bottom: Designed by William Platt, this garden was inspired by the Quinto do Cabo near Libson, Portugal. Seasonal container plantings along the canal accent the lace-cap hydrangeas, camellias, George Tabor azaleas, and loquat trees. Vinca minor is the ground cover.

Adjacent to the pond is the Spanish Court, which is the main formal garden of the estate. This was originally designed by Ms. Shipman with a Camellia allee, flanked by a walk and herbaceous perennial borders, concluding in a tempietto and pool. Subsurface drainage was recently installed in this area according to Ms. Goldblum. The south lawn is enclosed with brick retaining walls.

From 1964-67, Platt reworked this garden to feature a greensward framed on the sides by geometrically clipped boxwood hedges accented by seasonal container planting. The reflecting pool was lengthened and arched fountains were added. Wall fountains were then added to the retaining walls. A series of fountains also alternate the boxwood hedges.

Lin Emery, a New Orleans-based sculptress, created a kinetic aqua-mobile for the garden in 1974. The garden walks on either side of the greensward are paved with French tiles accented by polished Mexican pebbles embedded on edge in patterns taken from Barcelona streets. The permanent Bermuda lawn fades in the fall and is over-planted with winter rye grass. Plantings throughout this garden include olive trees, plumbago, lily of the Nile and Japanese magnolias, which accent the north walls of the court. Beyond the retaining walls are magnolias, pines, shell ginger and crape myrtles.

Above the Spanish Court and installed at the same time is the Yellow Garden conceived by Mrs. Stern and inspired by the monochromatic gardens visited by the Sterns on their travels to England. The garden provides a terrace from the guesthouse and is floored with rough-cut Mexican marble blocks. A circular pool with sculptural fountain designed by Robert Engman of the University of Pennsylvania is a centerpiece of the terrace. ?EUR??,,????'??Lady Banksia?EUR??,,????'?? roses climb over the French doors of the guesthouse. Columns of the adjacent colonnade are covered with ?EUR??,,????'??butterfly?EUR??,,????'?? vines and Carolina jessamine. Other plantings in the Yellow Garden include alamanda, lantana, thryallis and seasonal yellow flowers.

Top: From the Canal Garden a path leads east to a terraced pond surrounded by bulbs, azaleas, holly fern and nandina near a graceful Japanese maple.
Middle, Bottom: The walks in the Spanish Court are paved with French tiles accented by polished Mexican pebbles embedded on edge in patterns taken from Barcelona streets.

Next to this garden is the Portico Garden Terrace, which was designed by Ms. Shipman, with boxwood parterres seasonally planted with hundreds of flowers. The boxwood parterres with pink perfection camellias remain, now accented with a mixed border installed according to the original plan by Shipman. Gardenias frame the edge of the terrace and a pale pink crape myrtle tree, sweet olives, and ?EUR??,,????'??Little Gem?EUR??,,????'?? magnolias complement the south elevation of the house. The Beauregard-Keyes House in New Orleans influenced the design of the south elevation.

The final garden on the tour of Longue Vue is the Pan Garden. This garden was designed to be an extension of the house?EUR??,,????'???s dining room, with retaining walls on two sides creating an intimate retreat. In the center of the garden is a statue of Pan combined with an antique cast lead fountain. Bordering the fountain are Camellia sasanquas and ?EUR??,,????'??Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow,?EUR??,,????'?? so named because its blossoms open deep purple, then fade to lavender and finally to white in the space of three days. Other plant material includes Margot Koster polyantha roses, leucothoe and Japanese magnolias. Ms. Shipman designed this garden as well.

Top: Conceived by Mrs. Stern and installed at the same time as the Spanish Court, the Yellow Garden was inspired by monochromatic gardens visited by the Sterns on their travels to England.
Middle: Gardenias frame the edge of the terrace and pink crape myrtle, sweet olives and magnolias complement the south elevation of the house.
Bottom: This garden is a retreat off the dining room. A statue of Pan is combined with an antique cast lead fountain, bordered by Camellia sasanquas and brunfelsia.