“Bill will take the as-planted plan of the garden and ‘grow’ the plants to their mature sizes and counsel us on selective editing and pruning,” said Lineiro. “We do practice an intense regimen of hard pruning, root pruning and editing now.”
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.
“The garden was replanted based on the Shipman plan of 1938,” Mr. Lineiro said. “The New Orleans chapter of the Herb Society of America assisted with actual planting and continues to volunteer regularly to help maintain the garden.”
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’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.
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. “Lady Banksia” roses climb over the French doors of the guesthouse. Columns of the adjacent colonnade are covered with “butterfly” vines and Carolina jessamine. Other plantings in the Yellow Garden include alamanda, lantana, thryallis and seasonal yellow flowers.
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 “Little Gem” 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’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 “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow,” 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.
