Latest Weather Blog
2 Your Town Wearin' of the Green: The Garden District's historic oak trees
Related Story
BATON ROUGE — The 2026 Wearing of the Green parade will pass along several streets lined with oak trees, providing an appropriate name for the Garden District in Baton Rouge.
Many of the trees stand in the medians on Park Boulevard, Cherokee Street, Kleinart Avenue and Terrace Avenue.
"They were planted when the Garden District was first being built, and so they're very mature. Oak trees of all stripes. We've got some live oaks. We've got some pin oaks," Garden District resident Lynne Wallace said.
The Garden District is more than 100 years old, and Wallace has called the neighborhood home for more than 30 years. She loves the oak trees, saying they enhance the aesthetic of the garden district.
Garden District residents Victoria Blanchard and Kevin Harris said they go on a walk almost every evening. They say the trees are one of the biggest reasons they moved to the area.
"It also helps with keeping costs low for your electrical bills because of the limbs on the trees covering the roofs on the houses, and not only that, but it also helps retain and increase property value for everyone," Blanchard said.
One of the reasons that the trees still look strong and healthy over a hundred years after being planted is the Garden District Civic Association.
"We've been members for almost 20 years, and it's an active association. They help with the trees," District Association member Jim Troutman said.
The association's work has inspired many in the district to care for the trees.
"The Garden District Association has invested interest in keeping the trees healthy and beautiful," Wallace said.
The association has even received help from LSU staff in the past.
"So we looked at the Oaks on the Boulevard. We did it on a mulching day some years ago, and I did a little educational program for the association," LSU School of Renewable Natural Resources Associate Professor Hallie Dozier said.
One part of the Garden District that the parade rolls through is Terrace Ave, which is full of these trees.
Troutman and his family, who live there, get a front row seat to the parade each year.
"The Wearing of the Green Parade is framed by the Oak trees and typically, as you can see now, the azaleas are in bloom," Troutman said.
News
