One of the things I noticed about New Orleans historic districts is that the houses have flower boxes; not just the houses on Bourbon Street with the lovely balconies and rows of planters but even the more modern urban houses. The residents keep those boxes filled with blooming flowers, too, even in February. New Orleans is so flower-friendly that it has an official Garden District. That's right; second only to the French Quarter in terms of historical importance, tourist dollars, and lovely aristocratic homes and gardens, the Garden District has enough lovely homes with exquisite gardens that there are tours. You can also just walk around on your own using a New Orleans Garden District map. There are flowers and houses to admire everywhere, and lots of them have posted signs with scheduled tours of the gardens. There are also a number of heritage gardens that offer tours, many of them in the French Quarter and other New Orleans neighborhoods.

In particular, you should make time for a tour of Longue Vue's house and gardens, both. The gardens were specifically designed to be attractive, and in bloom, during all four seasons. You can check ahead of time to see what's in bloom at Longue Vue. The heritage roses, some of them developed in New Orleans, are stunning. Most people, even now, still don't know about the 1,300 acres of New Orleans City Park. Once the site of the Allard Plantation, across from Bayou St. John, City Park houses the New Orleans Museum of Art, landscaped gardens, and the largest live oak groves in the world; there are trees there, even after Hurricane Katrina, that are over 600 years old. The New Oreleans Botanical Garden is there as well, behind the Museum of Art (look for the roses!). You can find the hours listed here. You can see what's in bloom before your visit here and take a virtual tour here. The Lord and Taylor Rose Garden and the Camellia collection are especially lovely.

Although the official flower of New Orleans, since 1923, is the Oleander (Nerium oleander). Oleander cuttings were brought from Havanna, during the "Spanish Domination" and planted in balcony planters and patios in the eighteenth century, I'm personnally partial to the majestic magnolias, the honeysuckle growing in large vines along wrought iron fences, and the wisteria vines draped over walls and roofs. There are magnolias everywhere, even after the devastation of Katrina. There are two basic types; the Japanese pink varieties, which start blooming in January and bloom until early spring, and then the more traditional lovely and very large white blossom Magnolia that is the official state flower of Louisiana.