Louisiana Iris Collection Restored

The premier Louisiana iris collection at Longue Vue House and Gardens, devastated by the brackish flood waters that followed Hurricane Katrina, burst into full bloom this spring in its best showing since 2005. Longue Vue hosted the Louisiana Iris Day on April 3 and the flowers continued brightening the gardens for several weeks.

Located in the Wild Garden and now numbering more than 2,000, Longue Vue’s Louisiana irises were originally planted in the 1950s by Caroline Dormon, a conservationist, educator, and advocate for native plants. She brought many of the irises from her family home, Briarwood, now a nature preserve.

Longue Vue’s irises are one of the most extensive collections of these native plants in the country and have long been a spring garden highlight. The blooms in 2005 were particularly beautiful, and the plants were in peak health. Four months later, Hurricane Katrina and the levee failures would flood the estate with approximately two feet of brackish water, killing over 60% of the irises. Besides irises, Longue Vue also lost more than 200 trees and 60% of its shrubs and other perennial plants due to strong winds and flood waters that covered the grounds for approximately two weeks.

Shortly thereafter, head gardener Amy Graham returned to work. Her primary goal was cleanup and assessment, which took over six months. During this time, Longue Vue was aided by numerous volunteers from all around the country. Many who couldn’t come in person instead made donations.

The Garden Conservancy sent both volunteers and funds, and in 2006, it adopted Longue Vue as a Preservation Project. The Garden Conservancy helped Longue Vue secure a Stanley Smith Foundation Grant, which allowed Longue Vue to hire native plant specialists Tyrone Foreman, an expert in Louisiana irises, and Susan Norris-Davis. Upon joining Longue Vue in 2008, Foreman was charged with overseeing the restoration of Longue Vue’s iris collection. At that time, the iris beds had been cleaned, but no replanting had been done.

Foreman quickly partnered with the Greater New Orleans Iris Society, of which he is a member. A small group of dedicated volunteers, including the society’s president Patrick O’Connor, took on the task of reworking the few remaining irises. In addition, many members brought irises from their own gardens to plant at Longue Vue; others were donated by Plantation Point Nursery.

Graham, Foreman, and volunteers have waited patiently to see the results of their efforts, and they are now being rewarded. Foreman notes that, “Walking along the serpentine iris path of the Wild Garden gives you the sensation of floating along the wetlands in a canoe. The natural environment here reaches out to people in a very powerful way.” For more information on Longue Vue House and Gardens, visit www.longuevue.com.