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| Photo Credit: David L. Morgan |
| Southern specialties are great for water gardens and other soggy places not appropriate for their bearded iris cousins. |
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.
“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. | Add Photo to Journal |  | | Photo Credit: David L. Morgan | | Louisiana irises are available in a variety of colors and are hardy enough to survive winters in many US regions. |
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 66-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.
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| Warnings |
- The most significant pest you might encounter with the Louisianas is mustard seed fungus, which can become severe if not controlled with regular applications of fungicide.
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| Tips |
- Plant Louisianas about a foot apart and divide every two or three years. (Rhizomes make great gifts to fellow gardeners!) The plants are considered “heavy feeders” and should be fed with a balanced fertilizer after flowering.
- Louisiana irises are easily propagated by division of their rhizomes immediately after their “summer dormant” period. Cut them to about a foot long and replant lengthwise in a moist location. Cover lightly with soil to prevent sunscald. (Covering with mulch has been suggested to conserve water, if they’re not planted directly into a pond.)
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| Facts |
- While the blooms bring great color to a garden, don’t overlook them in the home – they make superb long-lasting cutflowers, too!
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| Faqs |
- Q: How do you identify a Louisiana iris?
A: Typically, a hybrid will have 5-7 blooms – occasionally 8-10. Blooms tend to open sequentially, and each bloom lasts two to three days, depending on the weather. The blooms last longer when weather is cool. All are beardless – without those hairlike tufts on the lower petals – and their leaves won’t have midribs.
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