BY MARY FONSECA

A timbered conservatory, often used for weddings and other celebrations, was one of the first structures built in CREEKWOOD GARDENS, a charming, 12-acre garden ten miles west of Ruston and five miles south of Arcadia. The 15-year-old gardens are being cultivated and enlarged by Gary and Kelli Cathey on a 30-acre plot once owned by Gary's grandfather.

Flowering trees and shrubs decorate the banks of a large pond at the center of Creekwood Gardens, and a postcard-pretty covered bridge spans one end of the pond. It offers a marvelous view of two rustic-looking bed-and-breakfast cottages nestled among Creekwood Gardens' flower beds and waterfalls. The rugged exteriors of the old-fashioned cabins give little hint of amenities such as Jacuzzis and wood-burning fireplaces that guests enjoy inside.

Cozy quarters also entice wayfarers to LE JARDIN SUR LE BAYOU, a snug retreat near Houma. Dave and Jo Ann Coignet's second-floor bed-and-breakfast suite overlooks a backyard flower garden often aflutter with colorful birds and butterflies. A gate at the rear of the yard gives way to a 25-acre natural area where guests enjoy leisurely walks through tree-shaded greenery enhanced with delightful ponds, bridges and benches.

Roses, jasmines, magnolias, and gardenias are just a few of the flowers that welcome you to VICTORIA INN & GARDENS in Lafitte, a fishing village on a toe of Louisiana's "boot" named for the same privateer who buried his loot at Jefferson Island. Lafitte and his brigands hid their boats in the network of bayous and swamps incorporated into the nearby Barataria Preserve Unit of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve. After a busy day exploring the park, its nice to know that Victoria Inn's soothing atmosphere is waiting for you. A cool drink in the Shakespeare garden where innkeepers Dale and Roy Ross have planted herbs and flowers mentioned in the bard's great works, a stroll through their garden of antique roses, or some sunset fishing on the pier that extends into a huge lake behind the inn are all pleasant ways to end another delightful day in Louisiana's bed-and-breakfast gardens.