Overcoming tragedy and conquering adversity – nobody knows these subjects better than the citizens of New Orleans.
On Sept. 6, during its 17th Annual Meeting, RISE (Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment), the national trade association for specialty pesticide and fertilizer manufacturers, formulators and distributors, provided resources, muscle and 20 of its members for an afternoon’s work in the continued restoration effort of one of New Orleans’ most unique green spaces, Longue Vue House and Gardens.
Longue Vue is an eight-acre historic site that reflects the city’s fight to bounce back from the well-documented devastation and damage caused by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.
A national historic landmark, Longue Vue is located near the infamous 17th Street Canal, and is slowly working its way back to normalcy thanks to the many volunteers who have given their time, energy and money to bring back the beauty.
“After the storm, about 80 percent of our grounds were under two feet of water,” explained Amy Graham, head gardener at Longue Vue. “There was a small portion up near the house that wasn’t submerged, but we also suffered severe wind damage and lost a number of trees along with a significant portion of our tree canopy.”
RISE volunteers worked under Graham’s guidance during an afternoon of weeding, replanting, raking, maintaining and restoring the gardens according to the original 1934 plan.
“We serve the lawn and garden industries every day, but usually we go about it in a much different way,” said Josh Weeks, chairman of the RISE Governing Board and vice president with Bayer CropScience. “Putting on the gloves and boots and grabbing a shovel is a little different than what we normally do at RISE -- but it’s been fun and our industry will leave a lasting mark here at Longue Vue as part of New Orleans’ restoration.”
After Katrina, 60 percent of Longue Vue’s plants were lost to flooding and wind damage, and Graham, the only one of five gardeners to return to make her home in New Orleans, was left to tackle a six-month clean up process.
“Thanks to the volunteers, and different groups that came in to help out from all over the country, we were able to restore enough of the house and gardens to reopen in 2006, but we are still a shell of what we were,” Graham said. “Longue Vue sponsors camps each summer where children learn about gardening, insects, art and conservation. We wanted to reopen the gardens as quickly as possible because the kids who were still around needed a place to escape from the devastation.”
One day and one plant at a time, Longue Vue is beginning to resemble the way it was when designed in the 1930s, but full restoration is a goal still set in the distant future.
“With the help of our volunteers, we are slowly recovering and beginning to replant, but we have neither the budget nor the staff yet to get things to where we want them to be,” Graham said. “Thanks to individuals and organizations like RISE who pledge time, resources and make the effort, we are well on our way to restoring Longue Vue to its original beauty, but there is still plenty of work left to do.”
Visit the Longue Vue website at www.LongueVue.com for more information about the national historic landmark, its summer programs or instructions how to make a donation.