REMINDER:  General Membership Meeting, Saturday, Feb 15, 9:30 AM, East Bank Regional Library

Welcome

Greater New Orleans

Iris Society

Dedicated to the Louisiana Iris

This site is a gateway to information on GNOIS and Louisiana irises. 

You are invited to explore and get involved to any degree you wish. We would be delighted for you to join us but just as happy to see you at an event, on a field trip, at an iris sale, or in our iris nursery in City Park. Or just use this site to learn about Louisiana irises.

Forms and colors of the four Louisiana iris species native to the State..

Upcoming

Click for a quick look at activities coming soon. Complete calendar below.

What We Do

Benny speaking

Meetings

We aim for friendly informative quarterly meetings that offer the chance to learn from one another and from guest speakers. 

In the spring we schedule:

  • Outdoor meetings
  • Garden visits
  • Field trips
  • An Open House at the Island Iris Nursery during peak bloom in the spring                                                     

The general meeting format includes:

  • A social period with refreshments and informal demonstrations
  • A program with a speaker
  • A short business meeting
  • Plant distribution with giveaway irises, door prizes, a raffle or swap.

Island
Iris Nursery

Our extensive planting of species  and hybrid irises in New Orleans City Park is a unique resource that makes most of our core activities possible. Click above for a brief video that says it all.

The Island Iris Nursery:

  • Features over a hundred forms of the six native species and over 500 hundred hybrid cultivars.
  • Serves as a source of iris donations, sales, and giveaways and raffles for members.
  • Requires volunteer help from our members and friends to maintain.

Iris Donations

We are committed to sharing our irises with the public. We regularly donate Louisiana irises from our Island Iris Nursery to public gardens, nature preserves, rain gardens parks and for other public purposes.

A few of the beneficiaries of GNOIS donations include:

  • The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden
  • The New Orleans Botanic Garden
  • Parc des Familles in Marrero
  • The Black Swamp at the Burden Botanic Garden and Hilltop Arboretum in Baton Rouge
 

Our members participate by volunteering at the Island Iris Nursery.

Conservation

Louisiana irises in the wild have suffered a long decline due to development and degradation of their native habitats. GNOIS is a principal participant in efforts to preserve our native irises, and we are also committed to preserving historic hybrids, both natural and human-created.

  • Louisiana Iris Species Preservation Project. This Society for Louisiana Irises initiative has assembled around 150 forms of the six native species, and we maintain them in our species collection at the Island Iris Nursery.
  • HIPS – the Historic Iris Preservation Society. We participate by finding and propagating old Louisiana iris hybrids, many of which have been lost or soon will be.
 
Volunteers at the Island Iris Nursery participate directly in these critical efforts to conserve our natural iris heritage.
 

Sales

Making a wide variety of Louisiana irises accessible to our members and to the public is a principal mission of the Society. We hold sales usually twice a year offering plants from the Island Iris Nursery

A bare root rhizome sale is held in the fall, and when supply permits, a potted iris sale is occurs in the spring. 

Members who volunteer to prepare for the sale and for other tasks are offered thank-you irises and an opportunity to purchase at other times.

Education and
Outreach

Members are both the beneficiaries and instruments of education about Louisiana irises. Every event, whether a meeting or volunteer work, involves opportunities to chat with others who know more or less than any individual. There is no substitute for learning through interaction with fellow iris enthusiasts.

In addition, GNOIS:

  • Publishes information such as our newsletter Bayou and Marsh and our booklet Guide To Louisiana Irises In The New Orleans Area
  • Reaches out to the public through garden festivals, sales, the website, and other events.

We'd love to have you as a member.

Join Us

For complete information click below.

We're really quite a treat.

2025 Calendar

Volunteer Thursdays and First Saturdays

Each Thursday and the First Saturday of the month are standing workdays at the Island Iris Nursery in New Orleans City Park. Volunteers work together for several hours beginning at 9 AM doing general upkeep of the iris collection, work that is critical to many GNOIS activities.  Other days may be scheduled as needed, such as for sale preparation.

Saturday, Feb 15

GNOIS Membership Meeting

9:30 – 11:30 AM, East Bank Regional Library

Planning for Spring Activities and Election of Officers

Saturday, Mar 8

9:00 – Noon. Lighthouse on Lakeshore Drve.

Spring Potted Iris Sale

A great place to find potted Louisiana irises ready for the garden. Well established pots ready to plant. The sale will be at the Lighthouse on Lakeshore Drive. Come early. Limited supply at $10 per pot. Pictures of varieties will be posted on Facebook.

Saturday, Mar 29

8:00 – 4:00 PM

Field Trip

Stops planned on Northshore, including Joyce Wildlife Management Area near Ponchatoula and Fountainebleu and Riverside State Parks near Mandeville.

Sunday, Mar 30

10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Annual Rainbow Fest

Sculpture Garden

Thursday, Apr 3 - Sat, Apr 5

SLI Annual Convention

Judges Training Thursday, Bus Tour Friday to Palmetto Island State Park, Festival des Fleurs Saturday at Blackham Coliseum, Lafayette.

Details at https://louisianas.org/news-events/

Sunday, April 6

10:00 AM at Longue Vue

Special Speaker Event

Bayli Q. Brossette, Curator, Briarwood, The Caroline Dormon Nature Preserve

Jointly sponsored with Longue Vue House and Gardens

Tuesday, April 8 (tentative)

4:00 PM – 7 PM

Louisiana Iris Day at Longue Vue

Enjoy a casual visit in the Wild Garden at Longue Vue at peak Louisiana Iris bloom time. Refreshments and free admission.

Saturday, Apr 12

10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Annual Open House at the Island Iris Nursery

Time to see what all the fuss is about. Best species Louisiana iris collection in the country. Over 500 cultivars. 

Directions at ….

Sunday, April 13

TBA

Member Open Gardens

Details to be determined.

Saturday, June 14

9:30 – 11:30 AM, East Bank Regional Library

Membership Meeting

Program to be determined.

Saturday, Sep 20
(tentative)

9:30 – 11:30 AM, East Bank Regional Library

Membership Meeting

Program to be determined.

Saturday, Oct 19

9:00 AM  – Noon at Longue Vue

 

Annual Louisiana Iris Rhizome Sale

This is the big one. Huge bare root iris sale. Over 100 varieties

Saturday, November 30

10:30 AM – 1:00 PM – East Bank Regional Library

HOLIDAY PARTY!!

GNOIS and the Daylily Society team up for joint Holiday Parties. We are continuing the tradition this year. Great food, door prizes, new friends.