Greater New Orleans Iris Society, Dedicated to the Louisiana Iris

Dedicated to the Louisiana Iris

Benny Trahan, Sr.

1943-2021

Charter GNOIS member Benny Trahan, Sr., passed away on December 15, 2021. He was a good friend and an important figure in the Louisiana iris world, notably for the collection and preservation of wild forms of the species.

Benny shared his experiences in two fascinating and highly recommended articles that are available online.

"Wild Louisianas: Still Out There, Still Beautiful, and More Endangered Than Ever"

"The Find of a Lifetime"

2022 GNOIS Calendar

Revised 03/16/22

Saturday, March 26, 9AM - Noon	Open House at the Island Iris Nursery Directions below Island Iris Nursery
Tuesday, March 29, 2022. 4-7 PM. Wild Garden at Longue Vue House and Gardens	LOUISIANA IRIS DAY AT LONGUE VUE Free but registration required https://tinyurl.com/34dj57wj
Saturday, April 3, 9 AM - 4 PM, Island Iris Nursery	Open House Welcoming the Native Plant Initiaive of Greater New Orleans and the GNO Master Gardeners Tour of species and discussion of companion plants
Saturday and Sunday, April 2-3	Spring Garden Show, New Orleans Botanical Garden GNOIS will have an Informational Booth in the Pavidion of Two Sisters. Volunteers welcome.
Sunday, April 3, 10 AM - 4 PM	Louisiana Iris Rainbow Festival Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden (tentative)
April 6-8, 2022, Lafayette See details in downloadable pdf	Society For Louisiana Irises Annual Convention and Show
May 28	General Membership Meeting Plant Swap Details TBA

All events subject to conditions with COVID at the time

VOLS NEEDED

We need help at our iris nursery!

We are asking our members and friends to give us a hand for a few hours on Thursdays between 9:00 - 11:00 AM. The may be some special Saturday volunteer days from time to time.

There will be tasks at various levels and including some in the shade. There is always weeding to do, but we also will be dividing and labeling pots of irises and propagating new plants from old rhizomes.

Everyone who helps will get a free Louisiana iris rhizome!

Please bring gloves.

Click here for directions

TAKE A LOOK

New article by Charles Perilloux on the Louisiana Iris Species Preservation Project

Click the flag to download the pdf file (with lots of beautiful pictures)

GNOIS members are automatically "emembers" of the Society for Louisiana Irises and are provided access to an electronic version of the SLI quarterly journal Fleur de Lis. Members will receive an email each quarter when a new issue is available for download. Make sure that your GNOIS membership is up-to-date. To join or renew for 2020, click the Membership link above.

Spring bloom great, but virus hampered events

The Sculpture Garden and the N.O. Botanical Garden were closed. The irises blooming in the wild were still accessible at places like the Town of Jean Lafitte's Boardwalk, the Northlake Nature Center, and many other spots.

The GNOIS planting in City Park, a working space, was gorgeous. Pictures from the season are frequently posted on Facebook. Follow the GNOIS page to see them and for timely information on activities and other information.

Our spring iris sale was cancelled due to the virus, but plans are being made to hold the sale soon.

Look for details here and on Facebook.

GNOIS planting in City Park

Ron Betzer's 'Dark Dude', winner of 2020 Mary Swords Debaillon Medal

Many more pictures from the 2020 bloom are posted on the GNOIS Facebook page.

The GNOIS Island Iris Nursery is at peak bloom.

Click here for a one minute video taken on 04 13 2022.

Download the latest issue (PDF)

Note changes to announced schedule in the updated table at left.

2022 Society For Louisiana Irises Convention Coming to Lafayette In April

COVID has undermined the last two SLI conventions, but not this time around. The Society will meet from April 6-8 in Lafayette with a full set of convention activities, and an extra day on the 9th for the Festival des Fleurs.

The convention will feature:

Louisiana iris show (anyone can enter)
Garden tours
Auctions
Dinners
Slide shows
Training on standards for judging irises
Panel discussions.

Click here for a pdf with all the details, reprinted from the SLI magazine Fleur de Lis

For more information on the Festival des Fleurs, click here.

Festival

American Iris Society Webinar on Louisiana Irises

Available now on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZF_1NzfZDA

webinar

Louisiana Irises and Hippos. What? Click and see.

need advice

The sale is history, and it was a great success. We are leaving the ad up for now, because clicking on it will take you to pdf files of images of all the sale irises. If you have not seen these irises, you may enjoy downloading the pictures while they are still available. Most will be offered in future sales, but many new ones will be sold also. Stay tuned.

SOME PICTURES FROM THE SALE

Our volunteers

our volunteers

Our customers

buyers1

buyers2

Potted irises for sale

customers3

customers7

Laura and Sale Chair Lorrie

laura and lorrie

GNOIS on Facebook

GNOIS is an affilate of the American Iris Society and the Society for Louisiana Irises. It is an IRS 501(c)(3) recognized Non-profit Corporation, domiciled in Louisiana, EIN: 81-4904331