Community celebration will feature garden learning and take-home succulents
City Park Conservancy (CPC) invites the community to discover a little desert in the swamp as the New Orleans Botanical Garden celebrates its newly refreshed Sun Garden on Wednesday, September 2, from 10am-12pm.
Held during the Botanical Garden’s weekly free admission day for Louisiana residents, courtesy of The Helis Foundation, the community morning will offer visitors an opportunity to explore the transformed garden, learn about succulents and water-conscious gardening, and take home a complimentary succulent while supplies last. Imperial Woodpecker Sno-Balls will also be on site featuring City Park’s limited-edition Bloom Ball, with a limited number available complimentary to guests while supplies last and additional sno-balls available for purchase.
The refreshed Sun Garden introduces a dramatically different landscape to the Botanical Garden, bringing together hundreds of cacti, succulents, yuccas, agaves and heat-tolerant herbaceous plants selected for hot, sunny conditions. Inspired by principles of xeriscaping, the garden demonstrates how thoughtful plant selection and landscape design can create beautiful spaces that require relatively little supplemental irrigation once established.
“The Botanical Garden is a special part of City Park, and caring for it means continuing to nurture and enhance the spaces that make it such a unique experience for our community,” said CPC President and CEO Rebecca Dietz. “Our horticulture team put tremendous care and hard work into bringing this vision for the Sun Garden to life. We’re proud to celebrate their work and invite the community to experience the garden, learn something new and enjoy this beautiful space together.”
Creating those conditions in New Orleans required extensive preparation by the Botanical Garden’s horticulture team. Work began in May with the removal of much of the garden’s existing plant material, while preserving two large blue agaves incorporated into the new design. The team then excavated approximately three inches of soil and incorporated sand and pea gravel to improve drainage for plants that typically thrive in much drier environments. Large agaves, yuccas and prickly pear cacti established the structure of the garden, complemented by smaller succulents including ghost plant and ice plant. Rocks, changes in elevation and washed gravel complete the landscape.
The community event will give visitors a closer look at both the plants and the techniques behind the transformation. Botanical Garden staff will share information about the Sun Garden and offer practical tips for growing and caring for succulents and drought-tolerant plants at home.
Sun Garden Community Day
When: Wednesday, September 2 | 10am-12pm
Where: New Orleans Botanical Garden | 5 Victory Avenue, NOLA 70124
Admission: Free for Louisiana residents courtesy of The Helis Foundation | Adults: $25 non-residents, Children 3-12: $7 | Children 2 and under: Free
City Park events and facilities are cashless. All purchases must be made with credit, debit, or digital payments.
About City Park Conservancy
City Park Conservancy is the 501(c)3 that operates the day-to-day care of City Park, in partnership with the City Park Improvement Association and oversees programming, fundraising, and membership management of the 1,300-acre Park. For over 170 years, City Park has provided access to abundant natural and cultural resources to residents of the region and visitors from around the world. The Park’s 1,300 acres make it one of the largest urban parks in the United States. City Park is a popular place to fish on the bayou, picnic, experience safe outdoor play, or engage in athletic pursuits – as evidenced by the 16 million visits each year. The Park’s annual operating budget is largely derived from self-generated activities, often weather dependent. To learn more about the Park and to contribute to help maintain its green spaces and community programs, visit NewOrleansCityPark.org.
