Nova Bennett's home, across the street and one house down from mine, has always intrigued me. It's a well-kept brick cottage with mid-century touches including a curved wall with windows wrapping around it. A wooden picket fence divides front from back, and across it you can catch a glimpse of her deep back yard garden.
Curiosity got the best of me last year, and I approached Nova about taking photographs of her garden to share with the neighborhood. She graciously agreed, but due to the drought, we postponed the photos until spring of this year. On the day of the shoot, Melrose residents Jenny and Shannon Fontenot joined me in taking a stroll through the garden to take it in and hear its story.
Originally from New York, Nova grew up with her grandma who was an expert gardener from Honduras. Gardening skills her grandma taught her would eventually became a way of life for Nova. When she and her husband later moved from New York to New Orleans, she single-handedly built a botanical mecca in her back yard which incorporated an eclectic variety of plants and trees, a large stone fountain, and paths to connect the different areas.
In 1999, she and her husband moved to Melrose Place in Baton Rouge. Instead of starting from scratch, she brought over materials from her old New Orleans garden piece by piece. Laughing, Nova recalled how 80% of her New Orleans garden was unearthed, disassembled and transported to Baton Rouge by truck. She showed us old photos of features in the original garden while pointing to their new home, several feet away from where we spoke.
This, in fact, appears to be Nova's ethos about everything: re-use. When large branches from the oak trees around her home were trimmed last year, she had them ground into mulch for resurfacing her garden paths. Nearly all structures in her garden are composed of salvaged wood, stone, and other architectural elements. Items that she's found or otherwise accumulated have been re-purposed as a garden shed, planter boxes, and various landscaping features that have come together as a thoughtful outdoor living space.
Nova's garden is also a collection of memories. Her late husband was in the shipping industry and was able to travel the world during his career. In his travels, he collected objects which he gave as gifts to Nova. Mementos like carved elephants and African masks are woven into the landscape, and each holds a story that originated in other parts of the world. A portion of her garden is a memorial to one of her sons who passed away several year ago.
Nova has lived in Melrose Place for nearly 25 years. Today, she still spends as much time as she can in her garden. She plants new flowers and shrubs, tends to regular maintenance, and cultivates a small vegetable garden in the rear with her daughter. It's a place of tranquility for her, and we appreciate her allowing us to share a part of it with her neighbors. It's truly a hidden gem within Melrose Place.
David West
Photos courtesy of Jenny Fontenot
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