As we looked for a good place to build a koi farm, we were drawn to this property. We first visited the site in late July. The figs were ripening and we fell in love with the simple 1820's mud and moss cottage.

The cottage was shaded by several ancient pecans and a grove of black walnuts. The house had not been lived in for many years and was being used to store hay. It needed a lot of work. There were holes in the roof and rotting floors - quite a challenge - but the surrounding plants that included crabapples, mayhaws, old daylillies, oaks - gave the site a charm that we loved. So we restored the cottage, landscaped the gardens, put in the road and created Purdin Koi Farm.

You will want to be sure and see the following parts of the koi farm......

The House Garden
A rustic cedar arbor planted with muscadines, and what will eventually become a clipped hornbeam arch, lead to the garden gate. Inside the white fence is a combination kitchen garden, peach orchard, and terrace garden. The Terrace garden is planted with mostly evergreen shrubs and small trees, providing a composition of shades of greens and foliage textures. Old roses and perennials provide seasonal color and fragrance. The front peach orchard is laid out in long rectangular beds, a utilitarian pattern typical of early Louisiana gardens, and originally medieval gardens in Europe. Vegetables and herbs fill the two side gardens.

The Iris Trough
Exiting the back gate, a path lined with boxwoods from Susan's grandmother's garden leads to a bosque of chickasaw plums (for making plum bounce) and the iris trough. A fish gargoyle from Mexico guards this concrete runnel which is part of our system to remove iron from the water. You probably noticed an iron cistern and a plastic tank when you walked in. These receive the water from the well and are the first filters before the water flows into the trough and on to the large fish ponds in the back. Louisiana iris slow the water down, allowing iron particles to fall out.

The Fish Barn
The greenhouse-looking picante red barn holds five concrete ponds that range in size from 1000 gallons to 36,000 gallons. Each pond has its own filtration system. This is where our koi can be seen and purchased. The fish barn was designed by John Wallace. John helped do the Wonderwall in New Orleans. His (great-great) and even more great grandfather was a Texas Ranger. And maybe some of that gumption helped create this "koi ranch" as he likes to call it; his personal brand of "Texas deco" and "Japanese schtick."

The Daylily Border The long bed along the southwest property is planted with small trees, shrubs, and perennials - all edged with daylilies. If you follow the fence, you will pass the dog pen and find the fruit trees. Watch out for falling pears. Check out the persimmons to see just how beautiful persimmon hi is supposed to be. And try one of the mayhaws. It's a sour berry that's great for making mayhaw jelly.

The Forest Garden
Across the road on the bank of the Chenal Bayou is the woody and herbaceous garden created by Dan Earle. Dan and his students used "found" materials to create an environmental food resource site. This garden contains a full range of plants from overstory trees used to hold vines to root crops and fruit trees. See the solar driven water pump that uses fish wastes to water the "orchard." Some of this technology we have placed in the public school system to teach junior high students aquaculture.

Many people have helped make the koi farm what it is. My wife, Susan, did her usual awesomely beautiful landscape layout -- no one knows where to put a road any better than my wife. John Wallace and Deborah Warner designed the fish barn or "ranch" and along with Susan helped remodel the cottage. Marion Drummond is the ultimate plant source. Boyd Newman, Frank Allain, and Ron Gisler restored the cottage. Boyd stayed on to manage the farm. John North put in the twenty-five foot deep main drain. Dan Earle designed and built the Forest Garden. David Lewis and John Welch planted the cottage garden. I am blessed with many friends and talented workers. I am especially thankful to my daughter Amanda who helped me cull through that first batch of babies and indirectly is why all this came to be and Susan's dad, Bert, for not discouraging me from attempting such a daunting business.