Grand Isle Garden Club Seeks Donations to Maintain Louisiana Iris Bog at The Nature Conservancy’s Gillette Tract

August 7, 2025 Grand Isle, La.

The Grand Isle Garden Club is taking on a big responsibility — maintaining the Louisiana iris bog along the boardwalk in The Nature Conservancy’s Gillette Tract — but they need your help!

To do the job right, they’re trying to raise $2,250 to purchase a bush-hog attachment for the tractor they already own. This equipment will help control Johnson Grass and the invasive Mexican Petunia, keeping the bog healthy for the beautiful native Louisiana irises that so many people now travel to see each spring.

This will be accomplished by cutting the iris bog twice each year during the summer months, while the irises are dormant and the bog dries out for short periods.

How to donate

Mail a check to:

Grand Isle Garden Club

P.O. Box 817

Grand Isle, LA 70358

Or donate through PayPal via the link HERE.

The Grand Isle Garden Club is a 501c non-profit. Any donations made to the group are tax-deductible.

About the Project: The idea to restore wild Iris giganticaerulea species of the Louisiana iris to Grand Isle began in 2019 when the Grand Isle Garden Club partnered with The Nature Conservancy and the Greater New Orleans Iris Society. The project was later supported by the Louisiana Iris Conservation Initiative (LICI), who helped with more plantings and volunteer efforts.

Within just a few years, this little bog rose to Number Four on LICI’s map of the best places in Louisiana to view native irises in bloom.  Each spring, The Nature Conservancy hosts a guided iris tour that draws visitors from near and far.

This effort is part of a larger vision by the Grand Isle Garden Club and Restore Grand Isle, who are working hard to bring beauty and resilience back to Grand Isle after repeated hurricane damage — replanting trees, restoring natural spaces, and educating the next generation.

Please help them protect one of Louisiana’s hidden gems.  Every donation helps!