A Little Bit of England

On the edge of Baton Rouge’s Mid-City, vibrant florals, quietly riotous greenery and a quirky cat evoke an English cottage garden at Cloud’s End.  You can tour it, too.

by Pamela Price • photographs by Van Landry and Brian Baiamonte

Nature reveals her transformation from Winter into Spring differently in each garden. A new, copper-colored shoot on a favorite rose bush, a timid, verdant leaf venturing forth from a seed—the signs wait to be noted.       This time of year garden magazines sport lush covers that give us amateurs, our lawns brown and plants bare, a sense of inferiority. Yet every garden sleeps a few weeks each year, storing reserves to awaken fully near the time March’s proverbial lion becomes a lamb.
Next Spring, one Baton Rouge garden may wake a national celebrity.  Better Homes and Gardens photographed Cloud’s End last year for their special interest publication, Flower Gardens, and the garden may be featured in the magazine in 2004. After years of planning, cultivation and care, owners Chuck Booksh and Van Landry are delighted at the exposure.    “It’s satisfying to have our work recognized in this way,” says Booksh.  Of course, neither he nor Landry need wait for the publication in order to appreciate the fruits of their labor.    "Spring is my favorite time of year. The most difficult work takes place in the Fall and Winter, so now is the time we reap our reward,” Booksh says.	For a vibrant spring, Cloud’s End owner Chuck Booksh, a self-confessed anglophile, spends Winter planting, pruning, fertilizing and otherwise paving the way for the profusion of color to come.	photo by Brian Baiamonte
“April is my favorite month,” says Landry. “All of the colors—the roses, the irises and the various shades of green—everything is fresh and vibrant.”    Booksh, an assistant box office manager at the LSU Union, and Landry, a counselor at Family Services of Baton Rouge, tend their lush garden off Florida Boulevard every day. They call it a “Southern cottage garden”—a fusion of the traditional English cottage style (think winding paths lined with charming vegetation that appears casually arranged) with plants that thrive in our climate.    “Not everything that grows in England can survive in Louisiana,” says Landry. “So we use what will do well, including lots of native plants.  The New Orleans Botanical Garden gave us great ideas.” “In addition to English gardens, with their arches and pathways, I’ve always loved Monet’s garden at Giverny,” adds Booksh on their sources of inspiration.

At Cloud’s End, a star magnolia (above) is one of the first blooms to appear in early Spring.  A sweet fragrance compliments it’s pristine white blooms.

The end result of the pair’s research and experimentation is a pleasing blend of Old and New World style.  Descriptions of Cloud’s End include swirling, romantic rose names like “Zepherine Drouhin” and “Natchitoches Noisette.”  More familiar words like “iris” and “tulip” creep into conversation, too.  “The truth is that anyone can learn to create a garden like this,” says Landry.

Inside the house that Cloud’s End encircles, garden views seep through picture windows into the living room where seed catalogs rest on the coffee table.  Vibrant close-ups of brilliant-hued flowers in postcard perfect photographs are displayed on the walls. Even on the coldest winter night, every aspect of the garden is savored—from seed to flower—indoors and out.    “Someday we’d love to have an artist paint the garden, too,” says Landry, the resident photographer at Cloud’s End who snaps pictures daily.  When he uploads new photos on the official Cloud’s End Web site, Landry brings this Louisiana garden to the world.    Their knack for gardening is genetic. Booksh descends from a “long line of gardeners,” and Landry’s grandfather owned a nursery in Jennings.  Not long ago, Landry obtained a cutting from a chaste tree that was purchased there decades ago.    “I wanted something from his nursery for some time.” Landry says.    Booksh has successfully integrated a rose bush and ginger from his grandmother’s former home.

“She and I were very close,” he says.  “She’s been gone about twenty years, so it’s nice to have this reminder of her near me.”    By incorporating these family heirlooms into Cloud’s End, the gardeners have created a sense of permanence to their garden.    “We started it in 1995, a couple of years after we moved into the house,” Booksh says. “We removed a shed from the property and put in a 10 X 12 vegetable garden in the remaining footprint. Then we added some impatiens in the back.”

Van Landry has captured thousands of stages in the garden’s growth with diligent photo- graphic records.

Their creative endeavor progressed from piecemeal to full-fledged effort when Booksh changed jobs. During a break between his previous and current positions, he carefully planned and prepared beds.    In the transformation from suburban backyard to botanical wonderland, the garden acquired a name.    “I admire the fact that Europeans name their gardens. They make a long-term commitment. It’s not just plants, after all. We’re creating a place,” says Booksh, a self-confessed anglophile.   In fact, half of the garden’s name is borrowed from E.M. Forester’s Howard’s End—one of Booksh’s favorite novels. The remaining half references Cloud Drive—a nearby street. A quaint sign near the curb announces the garden’s name to visitors and passersby.

Resident Cloud’s End cat Kew, shows his better side; he insists on being photographed to the left, apparently.

“We never thought we’d have a sign and a Web site!” says Landry with a laugh.    Without a mention of Kew, a gray cat who lives in the garden, a description of Cloud’s End is incomplete. He is named for England’s famed Kew Gardens in Richmond.    For the curious, both garden and cat can be visited online at http://members.cox.net/cloudsend/.  There one can marvel at the garden’s explosion of color and Kew’s insistence on being photographed to the left. If you prefer to wander the graceful paths of the garden in person, consider attending one of the upcoming tours slated this Spring for March 30, April 6, and April 27 (Admission is $5. See the Web site for more details.). Or you may contact the gardeners at cloudsend@cox.net to make a private appointment.    “We work so hard on the garden that it’s nice to be able to share it with people who appreciate it,” says Booksh.

In 2003, Booksh and Landry plan to undertake a new venture—a nature-themed shop in downtown Baton Rouge complete with upscale garden supplies, jewelry, soaps and candles. Landry’s photographs will be displayed, too, and there are plans to market a line of notecards featuring photographs of Cloud’s End to the public. Last Christmas, the pair gave packets of cards featuring a charming view of the garden to friends and family.    “Everyone was delighted,” says Booksh, “but we’ve been told the cards are too beautiful to send!”     Will the magical Kew have a line of cards, too? Having spent a few hours at Cloud’s End, it is easy for me to imagine a snapshot of him unfurling his tail and watching Cloud’s End slowly rouse herself from her Winter’s nap. Has the first shoot unfurled?  No, he’d never tell. The covenant between a garden and her feline sentry is sacred. Nevertheless, one suspects Kew will take time to appreciate the first signs of Spring, marveling at their promise. And so should we. ❖ After hearing understandably rave reviews about Cloud’s End from a friend, Pamela Price is grateful to Booksh and Landry for permitting her recent moonlight tour.