This is the May Master Gardener's news article for the Ruston Daily Leader......
If wander lust is the strong desire to travel, then a gardener’s
wanderlust is the strong desire to travel to beautiful gardens. With summer
right around the corner, let’s investigate some North Louisiana garden- getaway
ideas.
Trifecta in the Park:
Only 5 miles north of Ruston is the Lincoln Parish Park. Located within the
park you will find a lovely butterfly garden filled with both host plants and
nectar plants for a variety of butterflies. Just across the road from the
butterfly garden is the xeriscape garden. This interesting garden demonstrates
how to landscape in order to minimize the need for watering. Both of these
gardens were installed and are maintained by the North Central Louisiana Master
Gardeners. In the coming weeks, the Master Gardeners will be opening their new
addition to the park – the Tree Identification Trail. This shady half-mile
trail beside a lazy brook will help visitors identify some of our native
Louisiana trees. Three gardens for the price of one! What a deal!
Sleeping Late in
Simsboro: What could be a better than waking up surrounded by a lush
garden? Creekwood Garden offers rental cottages with bed and breakfast
services. After wandering the shady pathways surrounded by sumptuous plantings
and looking out over the serene pond, you can spend the rest of your visit
figuring out how you are going to talk yourself into going back home!!
Go West Young Man: To
our west, Shreveport offers two impressive garden destinations. The R. W.
Norton Art Gallery was “rated as one of the South’s favorite haunts” in
Southern Living magazine. It boasts 40 acres of botanical gardens and
landscaped views accessible by walkways dotted with comfortable seating. The
gardens are shared by eight impressive sculptures while the art museum offers several
interesting exhibits. This summer you can enjoy Enlist! Art Goes to War. The
Gardens of the American Rose Center is home to the national headquarters of the
American Rose Society. The center
consists of more than 65 individual gardens that contain approximately 20,000
rose bushes encompassed in 118 wooded acres. A visit to these two gardens with
a delicious lunch break in between would make a great day trip!
Wildly Formal: Travel
to Monroe to visit the formal surroundings of Elsong Gardens. There you can enjoy a self-guided tour of the
Four Seasons Garden, Oriental Garden, and the Musical Grotto. The gardens are
part of the Biedenharn Museum that includes the Coke Museum, Coca-Cola Memorabilia
Collection, and Bible Museum. Break for
lunch and then go wild at the Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge. You
can canoe and fish on the 1,600 acre lake, wander the nature trail, or
participate in one of the educational programs that teach about the refuge
ecosystem. This getaway certainly covers
the spectrum from culture to nature!
Saddle Up And Head
South: Waterfalls, bridges, fountains, sculptures, nature trails, formal
gardens, and even a geyser can all be enjoyed at Hodges Gardens State Park.
Also known as “The Garden in the Forest”, the garden includes boat rentals for
the 225 acre lake and fishing from the shore. Thirteen log cabins provide fun
accommodations, but the best part is……you can enjoy it all with your horse!
That’s right!! The park includes an equestrian campground and trails!
So as summer vacation time approaches and you are wondering
where to satisfy your wanderlust, consider some of these homegrown getaways.
