Hilltop Arboretum Spring Garden Tour: Magic Moments

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Entrance to Charlene and John Stovall's garden

Each spring, Hilltop Arboretum leads a look inside the city's most fabulous private gardens. This year's tour is inspired by the words of the oh-so-inspiring Julia Hawkins, who uses the term "Magic Moments" to describe the wonderful, unique moments received from nature. Hawkins' and her husband, Murray "Buddy"'s garden (6225 Boone Avenue) is the first on the tour—a wooded paradise of over sixty different trees, a seventy-year-old wisteria vine, and "Buddy's Bayou," which meanders across a backyard filled with native plants, a collection of driftwood, and a fifty-year bonsai collection. Next, are the shared properties of Marcia and Daniel Marsh and Dr. Albert Meier and his wife Arlene (6177 Chandler Drive). These neighbors have worked together to maintain a cohesive design, featuring a Mulberry tree planted from a seed from the Palace Garden of Iran, a Natchez Crepe Myrtle, and a Meditation Garden. The potted herb garden near the back patio sits near a sugar kettle fountain and ancient camellia surrounded by hostas and blooming annuals and perennials. Next, wander to the property of Charlene and John Stovall (5757 Chandler Drive), which is dotted with original sculptures created by John from repurposed materials. The backyard patio is adorned with colorful flower containers and perennial beds, offering a spectacular view of the middle garden, a serene space of mature trees, lawn, pathways, and plantings. Finally, Bunny and Bill Hines (5720 Chandler Drive) offers a story of revitalization worth listening to, while examining the fruits of his work in the form of a rich plant palette in a setting of mature trees. 

1 pm–5 pm. $20. Tickets are available online or at any of the four gardens on the afternoon of the tour (cash or check only). Get more information at (225) 767-7916 or at lsu.edu/hilltop.