the camellia journal

“Edwardo, I didn’t know you lived here!”

Long before the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service opened their Big Branch headquarters to public visitation, Stephanie and I learned of the Lesche estate and its camellias. So, in the spirit of adventure, we went to Lacombe, where Stephanie and her family lived for many years, to try to find it. We found what might be the property, unmarked and ungated as it is today, and took a stroll inside to find a plethora of camellias growing around us. This was it! Some plants were planted in planned garden areas, while others were in a more natural state among other trees that provided the shade they needed. The plants were untagged (many have been tagged through the efforts of the area’s camellia clubs), but we just admired the beauty of them. We needed to know more about how these plants came to be at this location. 

The Lacombe area has an interesting and uncertain history regarding how it was named and settled. One story stands out—the story of Pere Adrien Rouquette. Rouquette’s grandfather had married a Lacombe native who was part Choctaw, the indigenous tribe of the area. Rouquette visited often and played with the Indian children. He learned the Choctaw ways and fell in love with a Choctaw maiden. His parents would have nothing of his marriage to her so they sent him off to study in France. When he returned after his studies, he sought out his love only to find she had died of a broken heart. In her honor, he became a priest and lived among the Choctaw the rest of his days--a touching story, reminiscent of “Running Bear and Little White Cloud.” Wayne Borah, a federal judge, and his wife started the Lacombe gardens with boxwood hedges, azaleas, and camellias, BUT the real infamous history was its acquisition by Governor Lesche.

Governor Lesche was the first Louisiana Governor to be convicted on federal charges, specifically fraud and misuse of federal funds. He apparently also misspent state funds. Exactly what they were spent on may not be entirely known, but rumor has it that when he hired McIlhenny to landscape the capitol, which included a myriad of azaleas and camellias, the invoice was for a lot more than anticipated. When questioned, McIlhenny reportedly said “that’s what it cost.” It would appear that his Bayou Gardens estate, as well as a lesser-known property, the Lesche hunting camp, were the recipients and beneficiaries of a large number of these camellia plants, in fact hundreds of them. Lesche reported that he had moved the camellias from his home on the Tchefuncte River.

In 1956, the Redemptorists bought the property for use as the Holy Redeemer Seminary. The school closed in 1980 when they failed to attract enough students, but retreats continued until 1995. The grounds were purchased by the Conservation Fund in 1997 and then were donated to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service oversees 18,000 acres of piney woods and coastal marsh as part of the Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge.) The Southeast Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge Complex now occupies the estate. The 25 acres of landscaped beauty is a tourist attraction that beckons camellia lovers each year with its open house. Partially supported by the Northshore Camellia Club, it features speakers, tours, and exhibits by its members and those of other area camellia clubs. But it was a long road to this point

with Katrina being a major setback to its public opening. Even today, there are camellias yet to be uncovered from their woody environs. But this story isn’t over with the finding of the former Lesche estate and its bounty of beauty. Where was

the Lesche hunting camp, and what might it have in store? For years, while travelling on the Northshore, Stephanie and I had noticed a property with camellias growing out to the highway, but the locked gate did not allow anything but perusal from the road’s shoulder.

Then one day the gate was open. We drove down the driveway, with camellias and azaleas lining each side, until we came to a small house. We knocked on the door, and a woman came and greeted us. We asked if we might tour the grounds. She deferred to her husband who came to the door. “Edwardo, I didn’t know you lived here,” I said. At the time, Edwardo worked

together with a small job contractor who had redone the deck at Camellia Heaven and also built one of the bridges and the pump house. He knew we were “crazy” about camellias but never told us of the amazing garden he lived in. We were surprised by the number of camellias that were there; we were like children in a candy store. We told him what we were searching for, and he filled us in on the history of the property. It was indeed the Lesche hunting camp we had sought. We walked around amazed with 200-250 mature, all unidentified, camellias and a large number of azaleas which graced the area. The houses, now rentals, were austere “shacks.” It was the camellias that were impressive. Clearly Lesche had his own plan for this garden and its hidden location. On later visits, I mapped the locations of the plants and took cuttings of them all. They will become the Lesche Hunting Camp section at Camellia Heaven. The mystery was unraveled. Here was the hunting

camp, and here were a huge number of camellias (part of the overcharge?). There was a treasure trove of plants, some possibly created by McIlhenny, as well as many of the more popular varieties including Betty Sheffield. I will return for cuttings of those plants that I failed to root and add a complete “area of infamy” at Camellia Heaven before this prime commercial strip is bulldozed for a strip center instead of a garden wayside.