Water gardeners everywhere are rediscovering a group of plants that’ve been bringing color to Southerners for decades – Louisiana irises. They’re as hot as Tabasco®, and what colors – yellows, pinks, whites, reds, blues and all the hues and shades found in seed catalogs! In fact, this group is said to have the greatest color selections of all the irises.
Louisiana irises are available in a variety of colors and are hardy enough to survive winters in many US regions.
Photo Credit: David L. Morgan
These Southern specialties are great for water gardens and other soggy places not appropriate for their bearded iris cousins.
Photo Credit: David L. Morgan
In their native Louisiana, these irises can be found in standing water.
Photo Credit: David L. Morgan
Some Louisiana irises can grow extremely tall.
Photo Credit: David L. Morgan
Morning, noon or night, these stunning beauties add color and form to the garden.
Photo Credit: David L. Morgan
“Louisianas” are so named because there are more of these water-loving, beardless irises native to Louisiana than any other state. And these lovely plants have found homes in water gardens all over the world, far from their native bayous.
In addition to their wide range of colors, Louisianas are surprisingly hardy. They survive harsh European winters, as well as the cold, frozen plains of the Midwest. In fact, they’re hardy to Zone 4. They also appear comfortable in both acidic and basic soils. Their limiting factor to more widespread acceptance appears only to be sufficient water in which to thrive. I’ve grown them successfully in the hard ground in clayey north Texas and in dusty Lubbock, TX, but when I failed to water them one week – and it only took a week – they declined rapidly. (Raised beds, I discovered later, were the answer I was looking for!)
Unlike mostly bearded irises that perform best in dry locations, Louisianas are actually found in their native state in standing water. That’s where the famous bird artist John James Audubon discovered them in the early 1800s. He used one as a backdrop in a painting of the Parula warbler. In the painting’s accompanying text, he christened the term “Louisiana iris” – and the name stuck.
The 70-year-old Society for Louisiana Irises has published the lineage of more than 1,000 hybrids of manmade crosses of the four recognized species (they don’t hybridize naturally), so gardeners have vast color choices. The greatest concentration of growers and aficionados is found in the mecca of Louisiana irises – Lafayette, which lies in the heart of Cajun country in south Louisiana. Not surprisingly, French names dominate the patent books. But growers are also found in California, Texas, South Dakota and even as far away as Augustenhof, Germany. And gardens with these lovely plants flourish in locales as distant as Australia and Africa.
Only a few years ago you could collect your own Louisiana irises in Acadian lowlands. In the 1920s, botanist John K. Small wrote about great fields of them growing in swamps, but they’ve since been swallowed up by the city of New Orleans and other populated areas. Today, few natural locations exist, and only experienced guides will direct you to remote and protected populations – and only if you’re trusted not to intrude.
There are several species of beardless irises. Here’s how the identities of the original Louisianas are officially listed:
Iris giganticaerulea are known as the “giant blues.” They can reach up to 6 feet tall and flower in deep blue colors. (The other species grow 18 inches to 2 feet tall.). Iris fulva is a red to copper color. The species, which was used in hybridizing, brought the color red to its progeny. Iris brevicaulis is very distinctive with its zigzag stem. This “leafy blue flag” has a light to dark blue flower. It’s the most cold-hardy of the species and is used in breeding for that purpose. Iris nelsonii is known as “Abbeville red” iris. It’s found predominantly in the Abbeville, LA, wetlands. As its nickname implies, it has a red flower. This species was named after Professor Ira S. Nelson, who inspired interest in the native species.
Nowadays there are so many hybrids, that these four original species are hard to find in the nursery trade. But no matter. The crosses are so spectacular, you won’t know what you’ve missed!
It’s been suggested that the Louisianas are the “iris answer” for gardeners who can’t grow bearded irises. Needless to say, Louisiana iris colors are so brilliant, that there’s much more to their lore than local adaptation. If you have a wet spot or a water garden in full sun or part shade, plant some and see for yourself – the colors will knock you out!
