I live in New Orleans, so I thought I'd let people know what they will find here in the way of gardens.

In the old French Quarter, almost all the buildings are built right up to the street, and the courtyards are behind them, so most of the gardens there are not accessible. Some of the cafes, though, have nice interior courtyards with fountains & plants, that are open to the public. The Beauregard-Keyes house at Chartres & Ursulines is open as a museum and has a small but very nice formal French garden. It was the residence of the Confederate general G.P.T.Beauregard.

We have another historical neighborhood called the Garden District, about 3 miles from the French Quarter. It is not like going to a botanical garden by any means, but a lot of the old houses do have very nice gardens which are visible to the sidewalk, and the houses themselves are very nice, with lacey wrought-iron balconies. To get there from the French Quarter and the downtown hotel area, catch the St. Charles Ave. streetcar from the corner of Canal & Carondelet. The fare is one dollar each way, exact change. Get off at Washington St. (you can ask the driver to let you know when you get there). Walk one block to the left and you will come to a very old New Orleans crypt-style cemetery which is very pretty. From there, wander down Prytania St. back toward the French Quarter several blocks, go a block or two to the right, and wander back up to Washington, and you'll have a nice tour of the Garden District. There are many guided tours which are pricey, but one of the best tours is offered for free by the National Park Service, (504) 589-3882. Or you can just wander around and read the plaques.

If you get back on the streetcar and keep going up St. Charles Ave. you will see a lot of nice old homes and gardens. The avenue is shaded by wonderful big live oak trees. Througout the summer there are crepe myrtle trees in bloom all up the Avenue. Magnolias in early summer. Azaleas around Easter. Tulip trees in bloom around Mardi Gras.

A couple more miles up the streetcar line and you will come to Audubon Park on the right. The park has very nice gardens & fountains, and in Audubon Park you will see oak trees draped with Spanish Moss, which does not grow elsewhere along the Avenue because it's very sensitive to car exhaust. Also, there are lots of herons and cranes and pelicans in the lagoon. Walk about 3/4 mile through the park and you will come to the Audubon Zoo, and on the other side of the Zoo (1/4 mile) is a nice view of the Mississippi River.

The New Orleans botanical gardens are located in City Park, which is also very pretty and even larger than Audubon Park. The botanical gardens are quite nice. This summer they're having an exhibition on plants of 18th-century colonial gardens. The botanical gardens are VERY beautiful at Christmas. To get there from the French Quarter you would need to take a bus or cab or drive, about three miles up Esplanade...