About Louisiana Irises

Lousiana Irises (a hybrid of Hexagonae which includes I. hexagonae, I. fulva, I. brevicaulis, I. nelsonii, and I. giganticaerulea) grow happily in standing water but can be quite content in regular garden soils with a pH of up to 6.5. After the tall beardeds and Siberians have bloomed, along come the Louisianas, some two weeks before the Japanese irises. Louisianas are known to produce the most diverse of all iris color ranges. 

When growing Louisianas, you will need to supply them with lots of water, rich acidic soil, and heavy, balanced fertilizer. The plants should be mulched. Lousianas multiply and spread rapidly. Note their evergreen spear-shaped leaves ranging in colors from rich blue green to bright yellow green. Be sure to plant the rhizomes horizontally and at about 2" in depth. 

Here in Monkton, MD, Louisianas grow well and flower in the first weeks of June; it is the easiest iris to force into early bloom (in April here) in the greenhouse. Often we grow them in a pond and in artificial bogs as well as in children's wading ponds where here they survive the winter quite well.