The weather has been nice the last few weeks and I decided
to work on the New Orleans garden some more. I really
want to "finish" it this year, and I want it to be
stunning!

So I began digging out most of the plants that aren't
going to stay here. I also moved out the whiskey barrel
water garden and then dismantled the rock wall behind it.
That was a real chore, busting up the rock wall and
hauling the heavy rocks out of the garden. But it took up
space that I had plans for.

You see, in that spot right there is a concrete ramp that
used to go into a storage building that was sitting where
the guest bedroom is now. When we rebuilt the house, we
couldn't get this concrete slab up and it has always
annoyed me. There's valuable dirt underneath it and I
wanted to plant it!

But I follow the Marine motto, adapt, improvise and
overcome. The slab was perfect for the whiskey barrel
water garden. And now it's perfect for a couple of iron
filigris chairs.

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I don't allow smoking in the house, so this area is now
the new "smoking area". The chairs on this side of
the "alley" are in the shade. And my brother can now sit
there and smoke. And the unique "butt man" I bought for
$3 at a yard sale is strategically placed next to them.

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And here's the new, improved, overall view of my "blank canvas":

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My plans are to fill this area with assorted herbs and a
couple of tomato and pepper plants. I'll also have
planters on the walls spilling over with assorted mints.
All plants I plant here will be edible or useful in some way.

I plan to put some kind of grid (sorta like lattic but a
bigger pattern and sturdier wood) over the garden for an
arbor-like roof. I also intend to use a similar grid
pattern to enclose the open end and make an arched
entrance to add to the elegance I have envisioned for this garden.

Any suggestions you guys might have to further enhance my
French/New Orleans theme would be greatly appreciated.
Any ideas for plants would be great too.

Any ideas on what to do about the ugly gutters? They've
really got to go, but I need some kind of gutter system.
Otherwise, this area floods and drains under the guest
bedroom and can cause the floor to buckle. But the
current system, altho effective, is just plain ugly.

I've just bought some more trim paint so I can repaint all
the trim on the house. As you can see, it definitely needs
to be touched up.

Wow! What a great space!
You've done a tremendous job of clearing all the space -- that's tough, digging up healthy plants, isn't it? Even if you know you don't want them anymore, it's hard to pull them up!

Do you get enough sun for tomatoes, peppers and herbs? It seems like it would be too shady for those sun lovers, but that's not a bad thing. When I think of New Orleans gardens I think of a shady, cool respite from the heat. The arbor "roof" would surely add to that!

I would make the arbor as light and unnoticeable as possible. Otherwise it will be too boxy, sort of ominous and threatening to close you in. Maybe something with bent steel instead of wood? (Or rebar, if you're frugal.) I'm thinking of something like a series of "ribs" that go from the wall on the right to the roof line on the left. If you want to splurge, you can get 10' lengths of copper pipe at the hardware store relatively inexpensively, and it would weather really nicely. (I've made a couple of trellises using the plumbing pipes and simple fittings from the hardware store. Super easy!)

You've done a great job with all the wrought iron, if you put up the arbor you won't need much else. In those close, green spaces, I like to see outdoor mirrors; the curved, convex ones are nice but pretty pricey. But you could use a pieve of outdoor mirror, and probably pretty easily cut some trim and copy the window on the left. That would be nice on the back wall, where the fountain is now.

If you didn't do the trellis, you might want to put some vines on the wall to the right. It's such a great expanse, and you've done such a great job of clearing it out. You could get a climbing rose, like Zepherine Drouhin that will take some shady; or a clematis or akebia. Also, if you didn't go with the trellis, you might try a slender tree, a birch or something with some winter interest (light or peeling bark) in the back corner.

How about trying the fountain on the long wall to the right? Is there someway to plug it in if you hang it there? It would be nice to have it facing the filagree chairs (which are fantastic!) so you can see the water while you sit out there sipping your morning beverage.

It's a great space, and looks likem you have a beautiful garden beyond that. Good luck -- I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

Hey Alison, great suggestions! I like the idea of using rebar or copper. If I go with the rebar, I could spray paint it black and then gold splashes for an antique look, like the filigris chairs. It would be cheaper than the copper. In fact, I still have contacts in construction and may get some more for FREEE (one of my favorite words!). I could do the "grid" roof with the rebar and then make a matching arched trellis to enclose the open end.

The space is so tight in this garden that I don't have room for trees or roses. And this is going to be strictly an edible/herb garden, so I want to utilize all the space for as many edibles as I can. Right now, it gets full sun, except for the side with the filigris chairs which gets some shade from the roof. But I have had great luck growing EVERYTHING in this area. It has some of the best soil. Even the grid roof will be more decorative rather than shading.

Once I get the grid roof up, the tall wall won't look too tall (just 8 ft or so). And then I hope to be able to hang some potted herbs and mints from the grid roof to help minimize the wall. I also have some cannas and elephant ears (both are edible) planted in front of the tall wall.

I'm really excited about your rebar/copper roof idea. That's just so perfect! Maybe I can scrape up some rebar and get busy. Then the rest can come together. But I think the roof dilemma has held up progress. Thank you for the idea! I'll post pics when I get something done. I'm so excited now!

It looks like you've been very busy. It will be gorgeous. You've got clump of banana. Now I am jealous. :-)

Hey Pitimpinai, I love the tropical look. And I was fortunate to acquire a Basjoo banana, which is hardy here. It multiplied well, and this year I'll have two clumps, one on each side of the gate you see there. It gets so huge! And the wind shreds the leaves, adding a nice fringed look.

I also planted a Basjoo in the corner where the lionshead wall fountain is. I hope it doesn't get too big for the area.

I'd grow more tropicals if they were hardy here. But I just don't have the energy to dig and store for the winter. So my only other option is to move further south or west. Not a bad idea actually! LOL

I like your ideas, for the butterflies I would plant some fennel in a tight corner or along the wall and once it gets started cut it back until it is just a few weedy stems along the edge, I would put some curled parsley in the wall pots and move parsley worms onto it to make more butterflies. The gutter would best be replaced with something decorative- perhaps a v or pentagon shape profile out of wood with a plastic liner, maybe something wild to carry the water down and away- a statement rather than a downspout- look at old italianate architechture- looks like a fountain in the rain. And do not give up on trees! Apples or pears(well not in your climate perhaps) and figs can be trellised along the walls with heavy pruning- take up less room than your neat potted plants- If you can keep up with the cutting!

Very, very inspiring photos! You're good at finding interesting metalwork pieces. Where I live I haven't been able to find much interesting in the way of garden ornaments - just the usual bunch of angels and cherubs - maybe I'll just start looking for ironwork instead, should be plenty of that around here.
-O