Jeanette Bell is on a mission involving flowering plants, especially those native to Africa.
In 2003, Bell bought a vacant 9,000-square-foot lot in Central City that was filled with trash, old mattresses and hypodermic needles. With a backbreaking amount of work, she transformed the lot into Fleur d’Eden, an organic raised-bed flower garden that is the cornerstone of her business.
After Hurricane Katrina, a shortage of fresh foods led her to diversify her offerings from flowers to include organically grown herbs and vegetables, which she sold at farmers markets.
In 2010, Bell met chef Ian Schnoebelen, who ran restaurants Iris and Mariza, and began selling him garden-fresh ingredients, which led to a new revenue stream for her business.
This arrangement includes Dianthus, Echinacea, and fresh Bay leaves from Jeanette Bell’s garden at Fleur d ’Eden.
PROVIDED PHOTO BY FLEUR D’EDEN
She also sells petals from her Cramoisi Superior roses, which date back to the 1800s, to Smoke Perfumes for the making of rose glycerite. The perfumer buys other varieties of rose petals to create fragrances as well.
The garden is open for florists and consumers to cut their own flowers. Bell, 81, also provides floral arrangements to consumers and restaurants, such as Dakar NOLA.
“If I put a Gerbera daisy from my garden in a restaurant on a Tuesday, it will still look fresh on Saturday,” she said. “This is one of the many benefits of locally grown flowers.
“People, both individuals and restaurants, who buy from me don’t know what they will be getting in their arrangements. I make them with whatever is fresh and flowering in the garden. If someone is ordering an arrangement for a gardener, the gardener won’t want commercial flowers.
“At one time, all flower markets sold local flowers. Then, local flower markets everywhere were replaced by the World Flower Market in Holland. I want to change that.
An arrangement of fresh bay leaves and Echinacea blossoms from Fleur d ‘Eden
PROVIDED PHOTO BY FLEUR D’EDEN
“People should also keep in mind that when they entertain guests from another part of the world or another part of the country, the flowers they see in your home are not those that should be available to them at home. People who come here want to see our regional flowers. I want people to have an emotional connection to flowers, for them to say, ‘My grandmother used to grow that.'”
Bell began using raised beds after flooding following Hurricane Katrina led to soil contamination. Organic soil with compost in raised beds circumvents this issue.
The flowers run the gamut.
The exotic Glorioso lilies in Jeanette Bell’s Fleur d ‘Eden are native to Africa.
PROVIDED PHOTO BY FLEUR D’EDEN
“I particularly like flowers that are native to Africa but are rarely acknowledged as such,” Bell said. “Things like agapanthus, gloriosa lily, amaryllis, calla lily, bird of paradise, African iris, Gerbera daisies, Dutch iris for spring, zinnias, shrimp plant and gladiola.
“I also grow old garden roses, echinacea and snapdragons. We will have camellias into March this year because the drought delayed their bloom. I am also focusing on food-grade flowers. The pastry chef at Dakar uses them for desserts.”
The gardens are full of life. A visit to Fleur d’Eden is likely to include an encounter with a beloved rooster named Houston.
While roosters are not allowed in residential areas of Orleans Parish, the commercially zoned Central City property is a legal home for the colorful fowl.
“I am collaborating with other chicken enthusiasts and a Tulane student doing her Capstone project who wants to change the local backyard chicken laws,” Bell said, to allow families to perpetuate flocks of chickens and their healthful, locally raised eggs.
Fleur d’Éden/Bell Florticultural Services, 2111 Baronne St, 504.669-3814. bfsnola.com., Instagram @fleurdeden_neworleans.
Inside Sources is a column that tracks trends and provides consumer information from experts in their home and gardening fields.
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