Urban Gardener Marcus Descant

Marcus Descant’s botanical career began at the tender age of twelve, in a sweet potato field in Hessmer, Louisiana—though he felt more annoyed than ambitious at the time. “I hated working in those fields; it was hot and repetitive. Made me hate straight lines!” said Descant. “I helped plant sweet potatoes when I got out of school for the summer and helped dig and harvest them during the Christmas break. In this monotony, I started thinking that agriculture and landscape could co-exist and that the typical was not the only way.”

Descant found a palette for his alternative landscaping approaches when he purchased the lot next door to his first home (now his shop) in the LaPlace neighborhood of downtown Lafayette. “It was a dump,” said Descant of the lot. “I cleaned off the garbage and dedicated it to gardening … but not the style I had grown to despise. I started breaking rules in ag and ornamental landscaping.”

Descant’s passion eventually became his occupation. In 2011, he opened the Urban Naturalist in that Madison Street home, offering sustainable and edible landscaping services. The house became a full-time shop a few years later, with Descant selling native and edible flora, plants of wildlife importance, worms for vermiculture practices, and environmentally friendly, non-toxic products.

And his utopia keeps growing. Last fall, Descant announced plans to develop an edible community garden—The Orchard—on Lafayette Public Trust Financing Authority grounds adjacent to Congress Street in downtown Lafayette. The city government has been modifying this segment of the street with bike lanes, slower speed limits, and more parking in an overall effort to rejuvenate the area and better connect it to other parts of downtown. “This project will benefit the community by offering a beautiful and edible alternative that anyone can enjoy visibly and by eating,” said Descant.

The project will unfold over three years. “Phase one is the perimeter, planned for 2017, and will include a trellis fence with edible things like blackberries, peas, tomatoes, fruit trees,” said Descant. “Phase two, in 2018, is the pollinator area and a workshop area for kids; and during phase three, 2019, I hope to put bathrooms and restaurant facilities at The Orchard.” The restaurant is expected to source fruits, vegetables, herbs, and teas from the garden.

[Read: Nola Tilth: An urban flower farm.]

During the development of The Orchard, Descant worked with Lafayette architectural designer and artist Kelly Russo on renderings of his vision. This isn’t the first time the two have collaborated on a project; Russo also provided renderings for the Victory Garden, a community garden that Descant and the late artist and designer Jillian Johnson devised and Descant later assisted the non-profit TownFolk, Inc. in implementing (in memoriam of Johnson) in LaPlace.

“These days, there’s such a lack of reason to come together in the neighborhood unless it’s over a problem,” said Russo. “But Marcus’ ideas have a way of bringing folks closer to the landscape.” The once-blighted downtown space will now be a source of events as well as fresh food. “The Orchard will be multi-purpose and available to everyone,” added Russo. “It’s for the community.”

Community involvement and education are important themes in Marcus’ work. Every other Thursday night, he hosts a horticulture class featuring signature libations and teas sourced from his Madison Street garden. His garden cocktail classes, held one weekend night a month, bring in different bartenders to teach budding mixologists how to create drinks as well as bitters and other ingredients for their home bar. Descant also offers ongoing workshops for growers on seeding and propagation, creating edible hanging baskets, and basic planting and maintenance skills.

[Read: Zack McMath has created a hub for Lafayette’s local foods.]

“I teach and host these classes in an effort to generate more interest in urban gardening and potentially recruit folks,” said Descant. “It’s hard to become a farmer. There’s a steep learning curve, and it’s difficult acquiring or finding a place to grow.” He looks forward to using The Orchard as an interactive classroom for his burgeoning urban gardeners. “And my hope is that ultimately The Orchard will draw urban designers and planners from all over the country,” said Descant. “It’ll bring attention to a successful community gardening effort and the slow foods scene as a whole.”

For those interested in attending Descant’s classes and events: theurbannaturalists.com or facebook.com/theurbannaturalist.