The Exotic Foliage GardenThe Palm CourtThe Palm Court contains the majority of the garden's palm collection, the largest in Louisiana. Most of the palms were donated to the garden by Danny Braud in 1997, the palms, were dug, transported, and replanted into the garden by its staff and another small crew over a period of several months. The majority of the palms in this garden are hardy enough to survive our average winters, but many will require protection to survive freezes below 20°F (7°C). Palms are some of the most primitive of plants. Despite the common term, palms are not really trees. Unlike true trees, which grow radially outward and upward, palms grow solely from the top, unable to heal any wounds on their trunks.
This area also contains many varieties of clumping and slow spreading bamboos. Bamboo are remarkable in that they can grow from six inches to 100 feet in as little as 6 weeks, making it one of the earth's most renewable resources-- used for everything from food to utensils and tools to housing.
The palms and bamboo are interplanted with ferns, grasses, groundcovers, bromeliads, groundcovers and other exotic plants. This area also serves as the seasonal home of several plants that are only marginally hardy or cold tender.
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