A guide to a rich and varied array of online Louisiana iris assets
GNOIS has published it newsletter several times a year. The 50th Bayou and Marsh was emailed to members at the end of 2024.
The publication keeps member informed about upcoming events, timely cultural advice, and other information. Click the button to scan through past issues.
GNOIS participates in several social media arenas. Our Facebook page is often the best place to learn about upcoming events or see timely reports and pictures afterward. Just search for “Greater New Orleans Iris Society.”
In addition to our club page, there are several Facebook groups and pages where GNOIS information is often shared. The “Louisiana Irises” page is the most active, but there are others.
Facebook is a good place to broaden your knowledge beyond Louisianas or to put them in a comparative perspective. Pages or groups dedicated to other iris classes, such as Japanese, Siberian, or species, are valuable resources.
Many local irises organizations comparable to GNOIS elsewhere have pages. It is interesting to see what our counterparts are up to.
A Facebook search for simply “irises” will take you to more possibilities than you probably imagined. Some groups are private, and you must request membership to gain access.
There is also a Louisiana iris page on Instagram.
SLI is the principal national organization that focuses on Louisiana irises. Founded in 1941, the Society has been continuously in operation since its inception and has been central to raising the irises from obscurity after they were newly “discovered” in the 1920s. The publications of the Society have been critical to its role as a promoter and catalyst.
The Society’s newsletter, begun in the 1950s, has evolved into the Fleur de Lis, a color magazine mailed to members several times a year. Members produced two editions of the definitive book on Louisiana irises and numerous Special Publications on an occasional basis.
The Society initially brought together what had been an informal network of mainly local iris enthusiasts, many of whom actively collected species and natural hybrids in the wild. Today, the newly rebuilt website is an outstanding source of information on the organization and Louisiana irises. Click the button to go to the website.
The American Iris Society is the most comprehensive organization devoted to irises. SLI participates as a Section of AIS, joining organizations devoted to Japanese, Siberian, Spuria, Bearded, and other iris types. While some irises classes do not perform well along the Gulf Coast, there is much to learn from them and the resources of AIS.
The AIS Iris Encyclopedia (or “Iris Wiki”) is a comprehensive database on individual irises likely to be useful to many iris growers. It includes all the irises registered with AIS, including pictures in most cases, particularly recent registrations. Click the Iris Wiki button below go to the Louisiana page of the wiki, where you can look for an iris by name and explore a massive amount of other information on irises of all types.
AIS provides many significant services and resources to the iris community. Its beautiful magazine, IRISES, is published quarterly. The Iris Registry is the system through which irises are named and their ancestry recorded. The organization manages the development of rules and procedures for judging irises in shows and gardens and training iris judges. The AIS YouTube channel provides access to an outstanding series of webinars on iris types and topics. Click the AIS button to go the home page.
The full-color magazinge of the Society for Lousiana Irises. Published three times a year and mailed to SLI members. Usually 28-32 pages of articles and information. Click to see recent back copies on the SLI website.
The Second Edition of The Louisiana Iris: The Taming of a Native American Wildflower was published by the Society for Louisiana Irises in 2000. This comprehensive reference contains 211 pages including many pictures of the native species and cultivars.
LICI is unique in the iris world. It is not a mass membership organization but rather the instrument created by Gary Salathe to pursue his passion to rescue wild irises and to replant them along boardwalks and other places for the public to appreciate.
Gary targets stands of irises in places targeted for development, and enlists a group of iris and native plant enthusiasts to dig and replant in enduring locations.
Some LICI projects began in GNOIS under Gary’s direction and then expanded significantly with the creation of LICI. Gary has worked primarily with I. giganticaerulea, but he has initiated a major project involving I. nelsonii, the Abbeville Reds, in Palmetto Island State Park near Abbeville. The Park is across the Vermilion River from the Abbeville Swamp, which is the only place in the world that nelsoniis are found.
The LICI website and especially its Facebook page are major sources of information on Gary’s projects. Gary has developed an annual online map of the best places to see wild Louisiana irises in accessible locations. Click the green button to go to the LICI website and the blue button for its Facebook page.
The Society for Louisiana Irises Commercial Directory, published in the Fleur de Lis, lists nurseries that provide online catalogs of their Louisiana iris offerings. Most ship in the fall. Some Louisianas can be found at local nurseries but not nearly in the variety of specialty nurseries. GNOIS sales in the fall and spring also offer a wide variety of irises, usually over a hundred varieties.
In 2018, GNOIS published the third edition of its 28-page Guide To Louisiana Irises In And Around The New Orleans Area. Published as a booklet, a PDF version is available for download. It contains basic Louisiana iris information, including on the species, and short sections on several garden locations within driving distance. Some of these locations are no longer the best viewing spots.
Iris conventions offer an intense and enjoyable opportunity to immerse oneself in irises. The Society for Louisiana Irises has held conventions annually since 1942, and the American Iris Society goes back further than that. SLI conventions have most often been held in Lafayette, but Iris societies in Little Rock, Dallas, Tucson, and New Orleans have hosted them in recent years.
In 2018, GNOIS played host to both AIS and SLI. Garden tours and the opportunity to visit with other growers from around the country are often highlights of conventions.
The next convention opportunity is this spring in Lafayette. Click for details on the SLI website.
SIGNA is devoted to studying the iris family both in the wild and the garden. The “family” includes related plants beyond the Genus Iris. The SIGNA website includes a database, and members are eligible for a seed exchange annually. SIGNA is a great way to broaden iris interests.
GNOIS officers serve two-year terms, and the nine board members are elected for three years on a rotating basis. Elections are held at the Annual Meeting in January.
Click below for the current list of officers and directors. You can email any individuals in care of the GNOIS at the address shown. We welcome contact with members and look for those interested in stepping up to a more active level. of participation.
Now and then, we find interesting, out-of-the-way articles and material that do not fit elsewhere. The Inspiration page is under construction, but check it occasionally for iris gems.
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