Re-Invigorate Asian Gardens

ABOUT ASIAN GARDENS

Located at 800 Texas Ave. at Common and Milam in Shreveport Common/Downtown, Asian Gardens is full of surprising plants, art, and at one time lively Asian Festivals. The Gardens were created by the ASEANA Foundation in 2006 to showcase the cultures of their members’ 15 Asian homelands. After twenty years of caring for the gardens, the ASEANA Foundation dissolved. While City/SPAR cleans up regularly and landscapes quarterly, much of the gardens are damaged due to age, severe weather, tree disease and in some cases vagrants. This is an opportunity for Shreveport Common and the all volunteer SC Think Tank, the City and YOU our community to come together to bring back this unique space in ways that educate, inspire, celebrate our diversity and provide fun for ALL! Sign Up - Surey and Map below.

What’s Happening In Asian Gardens

WHY DOES ASIAN GARDENS NEED HELP: Twenty years ago a small group of citizens, most of Asian descent, formed the ASEANA FOUNDATION to create an Asian Gardens in a small city park located in downtown Shreveport. The members gave deeply - their time, talent and treasures - to create a unique, beautiful, and vibrant public space that celebrated the cultures of their homelands through 15 garden beds and lively Asian festivals. Sadly, the ASEANA Foundation nonprofit dissolved due mostly to aging membership. SPAR continues to tend to the gardens with regular clean up and quarterly landscaping, but many of the features in the gardens have aged due to harsh weather, tree disease, wood rot, irrigation and lighting woes and vagrants who damaged art and statues.

WHAT’S BEING REPAIRED: Shreveport Common, through a Neighborhood Improvement Project (NIP) grant and SPAR are coming together to repair the infrastructure in the park: Irrigation, lighting, removing/replacing dead trees, painting/replacing rotted wood, adding cameras, replacing banners and creating signage to help promote self guided tours. In addition, this first year, Shreveport Common and the Shreveport Common Think Tank of volunteers will work on fun and surprising events and programming in hopes renewing interest in the gardens while exploring ways to more easily program the gardens for years to come.

WHAT’S NEEDED: To maintain and sustain a beautiful, vibrant Asian Gardens, we need YOU! We are looking for volunteer groups and leadership to bring passion, cultural knowledge and landscaping skills to reinvigorate the gardens and create regular cultural and educational experiences. Do you know an organization that might be interested in carrying on the work started by the ASEANA Foundation working with the City to maintain the gardens? Perhaps you know a group of volunteers who would like to adopt one of the beds dedicated to one of the 15 Asian Cultures represented. Whether you are an individual or a team, the gardens need your help.

WHAT CAN YOU DO: Fill out the survey (scroll down) so that we can get your ideas and know how you might help. Or, forward this to those who might be interested. Then, watch our new “I (heart) Asian Gardens Shreveport” facebook group page or check our website for updates and a calendar of events.

UPCOMING COMMUNITY EVENTS -

Week of 4/22 TBA - Earth Date and Love The Boot Clean Up Day in Asian Gardens
5/2 TBA Asian Gardens Event During Taco Wars

WORKING ON -

Reviewing comments from meeting, surveys and emails (week of 3/9/26)

Community Organizations Presentations (started 3/12/26 - let us know if your organization would like a presentation)
Meetings with SPAR and DDA (TBA)

WHAT’S HAPPENED -

Website, Social Media, Launch Group Page (week of 3/9/26)
Community Meeting: Honor founding ASEANA members, Current Conditions and Listening Sessions (Emmett Hook Theatre, 3/8/26 1 - 3pm)
SPAR Dead Tree Removal (week 2/8/26)
Partnership with SPAR (starting 1/5/26, updated 2/2)
Working with SWEPCO on street lights (starting 1/5//26)
Park Conditions Assessment and Tree Assessment (11/ - 1/26)
Posters Design, Printed, Posted (11/- 2/26)
NIP Grant Applied (11/12/25); Received (12/1/26)

TELL US WHAT YOU WANT & HOW YOU CAN HELP

Asian Gardens is 20 years old and needs help. We, Shreveport Common, Inc nonprofit with the Shreveport Common Think Tank Volunteers, a City of Shreveport Neighborhood Improvement Grant and SPAR are coming together to help with repairs and improvements, but we need you, the community to help. Tell us what you want to see AND tell us how you can help with the gardens, programming and educational opportunities. This first year, we will be working on fun programming, getting the gardens in shape and finding leadership to help manage the TLC of this city park for the long term.