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
In Bloom
In Bloom, our newest feature, highlights plants that are reaching their peak visibility each month in New Orleans. This month we feature the American Beautyberry, a Louisiana native and Super Plant.
Photo: ‘American Beautyberry‘ Callicarpa americana by Dr. Allen Owings, article by Karen Blackburn, master gardener.
Master Gardener Spotlight
Periodically, we will focus on the gardens of our members, how they became a Master Gardener and what they love about gardening and MGGNO. Enjoy a virtual tour of this uptown cottage paradise that was transformed into a Louisiana Native and a Wildlife Habitat by master gardener Anne Barnes.
A growing success story in Algiers. What started as a vision on an abandoned tennis court has grown into something much bigger—a vibrant community garden that brings people together through food, flowers, and shared purpose. Meet the gardeners behind Federal City Community Garden and learn how they’ve transformed an unused patch of land into a place where plants and friendships thrive.
Trending
2025 LA Super Plants
LSU AgCenter has announced its latest introductions to the Louisiana Super Plant Program.
GNO Gardening
The essential resource for NOLA gardeners. Read the current issue of GNO Gardening. Subscribe. Browse back issues.
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.
The Friends of the Jefferson Public Library have many passionate gardeners among the members and guests who attend our general meetings. We know that any educational program presented by a Master Gardener will be lively, informative, and very well attended. Thank you , MGGNO Speakers Bureau, for supporting our learning programs!
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.
During my internship at Galvez Garden, I saw firsthand how one green space can spark contagious community involvement. From building a greenhouse and chicken coop to installing solar panels and welcoming garden bunnies, the garden became a hub for connection and education. Located in the St. Roch neighborhood, Galvez Garden offers not only produce through a community farm stand but also opportunities for neighbors to learn how to grow their own food. It stands as a powerful example of what’s possible when community, sustainability, and education come together.
The Louisiana Jazz Museum and Louisiana Master Gardeners have been partners for over seven years starting with a Gumbo Garden for Riverfest and later repurposing an antique sugaring kettle into a native bog garden. In 2022 a native pollinator garden was opened at the corner of Esplanade and South Peters. A second native garden was opened in 2023. Today these pollinator gardens have grown into visitor-stopping showpieces. . Nestled in the heart of this historic space, the gardens are a vibrant, living tribute to Louisiana’s rich natural heritage beautifully showcasing the resilience, beauty, and ecological value of native plants. Our sincere appreciation to the Master Gardeners who brought this vision to life. It’s a must-see for anyone who appreciates nature, history, or the unique spirit of New Orleans.
At Pelican Greenhouse, we are very grateful to have a team of dedicated master gardeners who volunteer weekly propagating and nurturing our plants to ensure their quality and reliability. Others help during our monthly sales to assist shoppers in selecting the best plants for their specific garden plan. Their contribution to Pelican’s popularity as an outstanding resource for New Orleans gardeners cannot be overstated.
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.