master gardeners
greater new orleans
Let's grow, New Orleans!
Like you, we are passionate about the charm, culture and cuisine of our beautiful historic city. Through this site, we hope to inspire you to join us in growing a greener, more sustainable landscape with healthier food sources for our community.
Here’s what you’ll find:
- Local and regional gardening events
- Monthly features specifically for and about NOLA gardeners
- Trending topics in Louisiana horticulture
- Educational links to online courses, webinars, tutorials, tours and book reviews
- Resources for science-based horticulture information from LSU AgCenter, habitat certifications, lists of NOLA nurseries, farmers markets, plant societies and seed libraries
- Community projects where master gardeners support our city
- Volunteer speakers to present educational programs to garden clubs, plant societies and at libraries
Together, we can grow a greener New Orleans!
Features
Garden Tips
Monthly information about gardening in the New Orleans area and more! Pollinator gardening is gaining popularity as more gardeners embrace practices that support wildlife habitats in their home landscape. Learn best practices here. Pictured above Cassia splendia pollinator tree.
Master Gardener Spotlight
Periodically we will focus on the gardens of our members, how they became a Master Gardener and what they enjoy about their gardens and MGGNO. Enjoy a virtual tour of this Carrollton-Riverbend garden that was transformed into a Louisiana Native and a Wildlife Habitat by master gardener Chris Belser.
The New Orleans Botanical Garden Butterfly Garden is MGGNO’s oldest community outreach project. As a demonstration garden, it is maintained by master gardener volunteers who promote sustainable gardening practices that attract and nurture wildlife.
Trending
Managing Drought in Louisiana
Learn how to manage drought conditions in your home landscape, lawn and vegetable garden.
2024 Get It Growing Calendar
Get helpful monthly tips from LSU AgCenter horticulturist, Heather Kirk-Ballard and enjoy beautiful photos of plants, flowers and gardens from Louisiana photographers. The calendar also offers a special feature on sustainable landscapes, a guide to landscape conservation, a variety of gardening terms and definitions, a Louisiana climate zone map and Louisiana Super Plants. Order online. A great holiday gift for the gardeners on your holiday list!
The essential resource for NOLA gardeners. Read the current issue of GNO Gardening
Become a
Louisiana
Master Gardener
Louisiana Master Gardener Program
The Louisiana Master Gardener Program is a volunteer development program offered by the LSU AgCenter. Master Gardener volunteers are highly trained and provide proven, research-based educational programs to Louisiana residents.
Master Gardeners are members of the local community who take an active interest in their lawns, trees, shrubs, flowers and gardens. They are enthusiastic, willing to learn and help others, and able to communicate with diverse groups of people.
Testimonials
The Master Gardeners play a vital role in the success of the New Orleans Botanical Garden. They assist with the garden shows, do a tremendous job in growing and harvesting of vegetables in the cold frames, and help to maintain numerous gardens throughout the Botanical Garden.
Jefferson Beautification, Inc. has had a long standing partnership with the Master Gardeners of Greater New Orleans in maintaining our Agrarian Garden in LaSalle Park. What is now called LaSalle Park was part of a 47-acre tract of land on Airline Drive. Due to the lack of greenspace in Jefferson Parish, Myrtle Dubea and Beulah Oswald successfully petitioned to have 14 acres remain greenspace. The Agrarian Garden in LaSalle Park was built in 2011 and is located in the Oswald-Dubea Arboretum and Nature Center. Seasonal planting and maintenance are provided by the LSU AgCenter Extension Office in cooperation with Master Gardener volunteers and funding from JBI. We are very grateful for MGGNO's partnership in making the Agrarian Garden a success.
The Greater New Orleans Iris Society has been blessed over the years to have many MGGNO members in our group and to have worked alongside them on projects such as at the Besthoff Sculpture Garden. We are always delighted to discover that a member has completed the Master Gardner program, and we look forward to opportunities for our organizations to work together on projects for the benefit of the community. There is much that we can do.
The MGGNO volunteers bring great skill, experience and boundless energy to our work-days at Longue Vue, making our gardens beautiful for thousands of visitors each year. Master Gardeners are natural teachers who share their love of gardening in many ways with our staff and other volunteers, which fits perfectly with our mission of life-long learning. Ordinary tasks like planting tulip bulbs, raking paths, and digging weeds are much more fun with Master Gardeners!
Without the knowledge provided by LSU Ag and the Master Gardener volunteers, the LaSalle’s Landing Garden Rehabilitation Project would not have been possible. The expertise these organizations lent to the city allowed us to revitalize these gardens and submit a competitive grant application to Keep Louisiana Beautiful, which helped to fund the project. We are extremely grateful to the Master Gardeners of Greater New Orleans for their continued assistance with the upkeep of the gardens, but most importantly for lending their expertise which has made a significant improvement in an area of our community for all to enjoy.