Gambit Details: April 2024

G ARDEN

Groove

Ring in springtime with outdoor decor and more

By MARIGNY LANAUX

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$1,247 from Eclectic Home (8211 Oak St., 504-866-6654; eclectichome.net).

PHOTO PROVIDED BY ECLECTIC HOME

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$58.90 from Armstrong’s Lighting (3600 Orleans Ave.,504-486-0094; armstrongslighting.com).

PHOTO PROVIDED BY ARMSTRONG’S LIGHTING

$38 from Alice and Amelia (4432 Magazine St., 504-502-6206; shopaliceandamelia.com).

PHOTO PROVIDED BY ALICE AND AMELIA

$11.99 from Southern Charm Home & Gifts (5928 W. Metairie Ave., Suite 11, Metairie, 504655-0178; Instagram, @ southerncharmhomeandgifts).

PHOTO PROVIDED BY SOUTHERN CHARM HOME & GIFTS

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$2

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$99 from Judy at the Rink (2727 Prytania St., 504-8917018; judyattherink.com).

PHOTO PROVIDED BY JUDY AT THE RINK

Scott lounge chair

Prestige planter

Hanging leopard planter

Fog gray doormat

Zinc garden leaf planters | $31-$44 from Judy at the Rink.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY JUDY AT THE RINK

Garden stool |

50 from Judy at the Rink.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY JUDY AT THE RINK

Garden party pillow |

Shrimp cocktail metal art by Ronnie Gebauer |

$40 from Home Malone (629 N. Carrollton Ave., 504-324-8352; 4610 Magazine St., 504-766-6148; homemalonenola.com).

PHOTO PROVIDED BY HOME MALONE

Uttermost planter |

$297.80 from Estella’s Home (601 Frisco Ave., Metairie, 504-833-8884; estellasmetairie.com).

PHOTO PROVIDED BY ESTELLA’S HOME

Market umbrella |

$699 from Chouette (1152 Magazine St., Suite 105, 504-354-9306; chouette-nola.com).

PHOTO PROVIDED BY CHOUETTE

Vegetable garden stakes |

$60 for five from Home Malone.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY HOME MALONE

Hand-painted dog planter |

$18 from Little Miss Muffin (766 Harrison Ave., 504482-8200; 3307 Severn Ave., Metairie, 504-455-1444; shoplittlemissmuffin.com).

PHOTO PROVIDED BY LITTLE MISS MUFFIN

Garden painting |

$850 from The O.W. (3719 Magazine St., 504-547-1554; theoccasionalwife.com).

GAMBIT STAFF PHOTO

Door hanger |

$39.99 from Gordon’s (4308 Waverly St., Metairie, 504-354-2248; gordonshomedecor.com).

PHOTO PROVIDED BY GORDON’S Pot |

$16.99 from Gordon’s

PHOTO PROVIDED BY GORDON’S

Groove GARDEN

Cypress Drift citronella incense |

$29.50 from Eclectic Home.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY ECLECTIC HOME

Orange platter |

$29.99 from Southern Charm Home & Gifts.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY SOUTHERN CHARM HOME & GIFTS

Pop stripe shag rug |

$60 from Phina (425 Harrison Ave., 504-571-5169; 2561 Metairie Road, Metairie, 504-827-1605; 3717 Veterans Blvd., Metairie, 504-888-4141; phinashop.com).

PHOTO PROVIDED BY PHINA

Sunflower bird feeder |

$19.99 from NOLA Gifts & Decor (5101 W. Esplanade Ave., Suite 1, Metairie, 504-407-3532; nolagiftsanddecoronline.com).

PHOTO PROVIDED BY NOLA GIFTS & DECOR

THE OW HOME THE BESTOFTHE BEST CONSIGNMENT 2850 MAGAZINESTREET NEWORLEANS,LA 504.460.9336

THE OW FRENCHQUARTER COME FIND WHAT YOU’RE LOOKINGFOR 624 DUMAINE STREET NEW ORLEANS,LA 504.422.0704

THE OCCASIONALWIFE EVERYTHINGFROMTHE USEFUL TO THE UNUSUAL 5727 JEFFERSON HIGHWAY,ELMWOOD,LA 504.481.7006

THE OW MANDEVILLE OUR NEWESTLOCATION! 1675 US HIGHWAY 190, STE1675 MANDEVILLE, LA 985.232.1998

THE OW PERDIDO NOWSERVING THEFLORIDA PANHANDLE 13440 PERDIDO KEY DRIVE, PENSACOLA, FL 850.208.1245

ALL T HAT

Jazz

Hit the high notes with music-themed art

$75 from Morgan Paints Stuff (morganpaintsstuff.com).

PHOTO PROVIDED BY MORGAN GRAY

MARIGNY LANAUX

Play Me Something, Mister

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$250 from Sarah K Kreations (sarakkreations.art.shop).

PHOTO PROVIDED BY SARAH K KREATIONS

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Pickin’ Banjo limited edition print |

$500 from Alex Beard Studio (3926 Magazine St., 504309-0394; alexbeardstudio.com).

PHOTO PROVIDED BY ALEX BEARD STUDIOS

$178 from Home Malone (629 N. Carrollton Ave., 504-324-8352; 4610 Magazine St., 504-766-6148; homemalonenola.com).

PHOTO PROVIDED BY HOME MALONE

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French Quarter Street Music by

Alex Demyan |

$110 from Where Y’Art Works (1901 Royal St., 504-325-5672; whereyartworks.com).

PHOTO PROVIDED BY WHERE Y’ART WORKS

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$85 from The Ogden Museum of Southern Art (925 Camp St., 504-539-9650; shop. ogdenmuseum.org).

PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE OGDEN MUSEUM OF SOUTHERN ART

Band in front of Cathedral Art block |

$14.95 from Forever New Orleans (311 Chartres St., 504-962-6866; 606 Royal St., 504-510-4816; 700 Royal St., 504-586-3536; shopforeverneworleans.com).

PHOTO PROVIDED BY FOREVER NEW ORLEANS

8-piece jazz band by Lorraine Gendron

Pops by Cheryl Anne Grace

Diana Ross print by Morgan Gray

Cork Poppers print by James Macaluso |

$20 from Little Miss Muffin (766 Harrison Ave., 504-482-8200; 3307 Severn Ave., Metairie, 504-4551444; shoplittlemissmuffin.com).

PHOTO PROVIDED BY LITTLE MISS MUFFIN

Vintage vinyl record print |

$15 from The Collective Shop (3512 Magazine St.; statementgoods.com).

PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE COLLECTIVE SHOP

Fats Domino door hanger |

$62 from Home Malone.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY HOME MALONE

Uttermost musician figurines |

$264.80 for set of three from Estella’s Home (601 Frisco Ave., Metairie, 504-833-8884; estellasmetairie.com).

PHOTO PROVIDED BY ESTELLA’S HOME

Spring G ARDENING T IPS

How to optimize growing conditions, and what to plant

By SARAH RAVITS

April in New Orleans is when the weather is generally at its most pleasant, making it an optimal time to get outside and get your hands in the dirt.

Even the most amateur among us can find some success in growing right now, whether it’s in a confined space like a front porch or balcony, or a big backyard that’s been waiting for a makeover.

Travis Cleaver, the site coordinator for Grow Dat Youth Farms, says the most important thing to know for first time planters, especially when it comes to planting edible items like herbs and veggies, is to make sure to get containers or raised beds.

Planting an edible garden directly into the ground is risky, not just because of potential flooding but also because there can be soil quality issues.

Instead, he recommends virtually finding anything that’s off the ground. “You can make it as small as a gallon, or use an old tub, or build something out of wood -- it can really be anything you want it to be,” he says.

Selecting soil is also an important step. Cleaver recommends a mixture of clay, sand and organic material. Often it is necessary to buy soil, he says. But if you want to use what’s in your yard, he recommends doing an at-home soil testing kit first to find out if there are unwanted chemicals in the soil such as lead.

He also says it can be helpful to add mulch to your home garden. Mulching means adding a layer of organic matter, like grass cuttings or leaves to the top layer of the soil. Over time, the layer is broken down by organisms and is converted into natural fertilizers and nutrients.

“Mulching is great for retaining moisture in the soil and keeping weeds at bay,” says Cleaver, who adds that he prefers pine straw as the best material to use.

Planters and raised beds work best for edible gardens.

PHOTO BY MARYANA SERDYNSKA / GETTY IMAGES

PHOTO BY SUSAN POAG / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

Spring is an optimal time to plant herbs including parsley.

Other ways to improve the soil quality include adding a bit of plant food which also helps the plants grow strong.

Cleaver says smaller plants to try out this time of year include herbs like oregano, rosemary, thyme, basil and cilantro.

While it can be satisfying to grow a plant from a seed, he recommends beginning with four-inch starters, which can be found at most nurseries, big box stores like Lowe’s and Home Depot, and local grocery stores.

If you want to go bigger and have the space for it, he says spring is the time to plant fruit trees like

persimmons, pecans and lemons in the ground –not in containers. “Most of what we plant (at Grow Dat) is citrus,” he says. “There are a lot of varieties that grow well because of our climate.”

With that in mind, he also recommends taking precautions a few months down the road, when the city is prone to drought and extreme high temperatures. Shade cloth is a suitable material for protecting plants in the high sun. He also says to just really keep an eye on things; often you’ll have to ramp up the watering, or implement other shading devices like umbrellas to help beat the heat.

PHOTO BY LURRI GARMASH / GETTY IMAGES

Citrus trees grow well in South Louisiana.