Fruit trees and flowers used to be everywhere in New Orleans’ cemeteries because their heavy natural perfumes helped to cover an unpleasant fact of life- that above ground burials and our tropical heat combine for an odoriferous atmosphere.

Sadly, the lemon tree in Odd Fellow’s Rest is the last one still standing.

Despite not being tended, fertilized or pruned in decades, the tree soldiers on (frankly, a whole lot better than the one I have in my garden and actually take care of- mine produced one lonely lemon last year):

Over time the tombs’ insulation improved, so as the plants died off it wasn’t necessary to replace them, making for a bit of a chicken-and-egg dilemma: we’d love to see more flowers and fruits, but are grateful to not have the smells that inspired their planting in the first place!

One Response to “Odd Fellows Lemon Tree”