Resources for Growing Louisiana Irises

You may be interested in growing tips and cultural suggestions for special conditions or areas of the country outside the Gulf Coast.  The links that follow take you to various pages and other sites that deal with growing Louisiana irises.  Sometimes the information is limited and often parts of it are repetitive, but you may find some nugget applicable to your specific situation or an article that addresses a similar climate.

General

The Society for Louisiana Irises website has several articles on culture, including an excerpt from the Society's definitive book. You can access all the SLI articles from on Louisiana iris culture on the website.

Go to this site to join the Yahoo discussion group on Louisiana irises.  Group members discuss culture and other topics pertaining to Louisiana irises.  Join the group and ask your questions.

HGTV also has a general article on Louisiana iris culture.  While you're on the HGTV website, do a search for "Louisiana iris."

Water and Bog Culture

A long narrative with emphasis on water culture of Louisiana irises on the website of a commercial water garden in California.  If you looked at this site in the past, you saw that the formatting of the page was terrible but it looks nice now and is quite legible.  

Robert Treadway of Carlisle, Arkansas wrote an excellent article in 2004 for Fleur de Lis, the quarterly publication of the Society for Louisiana Irises, on growing Louisianas in plastic lined beds to save water and increase bloom.

A recent (July 2007) but short tutorial on how to grow Louisianas in ponds.

HGTV has an brief article by Maureen Gilmer on irises for boggy conditons, including just a little on Louisianas.  

Region

Gulf South

The LSU Cooperative Extension brochure on Louisiana irises is available as a pdf document.  A good, brief overview of recommendations particularly applicable to the South.  

 

LSU Horticulturist Dan Gill is an authoritative source on a wide range of plants and growing practices applicable to the Gulf Coast.  Dan periodically discusses Louisiana irises in his New Orleans newspaper column and elsewhere.  Point your search engine to "Dan Gill Louisiana" and you will find examples of his iris and other plant expertise.  

 

The Garden Club of Houston created a video on growing Louisiana irises featuring Josephine Shanks, a longtime grower of Louisianas.  The information has wider applicability than just Houston or only the Gulf Coast.  A very informative, nicely done video.

Kansas and Missouri

The website of Region 18 of the American Iris Society, presents iris culture suggestions for Kansas and Missouri.  Scroll down and you will find the Louisiana iris information at the bottom of the page.

 

Arkansas and Oklahoma

M. D. Faith's "Iris Doctor" column in the American Iris Society's Region 22 (AR and OK) newsletter discusses Louisiana iris culture with an emphasis on winter care.  M. D. gardens in Searcy, Arkansas, north of Little Rock.

State

Arizona

The Tucson Area Iris Society, hosts for the 2005 Society for Louisiana Irises convention, offer Louisiana iris culture recommendations on a beautiful website.  You'll have to scroll down several pages to get through the bearded iris information.

The Sun Country Iris Society in Phoenix had a brief section on Louisiana iris culture but it is not active at present.  Perhaps it will be restored.  The link takes you to the organization's site.

 

Arkansas

The University of Arkansas Extension's treatment is a bit longer and offers helpful comments from someone who has grown and enjoyed Louisiana irises.

 

Florida

A nice, brief write-up of Louisiana irises in Floridata, a very interesting "photographic encyclopedia of landscape plants."

The University of Florida Extension in Miami-Dade offers cultural recommendations or plants that grow from bulbs, corms, tubers and rhizomes which contains some specific suggestions for growing the native Iris hexagona, which should apply to Louisiana iris hybrids also.

 

Iowa

There is not too much information from the Iowa State Extension but it is interesting that Louisiana irises are now recognized as good garden plants across the midwest.  

 

Kentucky

The Louisville Area Iris Society's website includes a few cultural suggestions on Louisiana irises for for their area.

 

Oklahoma

The Tulsa Area Iris Society site has a good, short article by Paul Gossett, past President of the Society for Louisiana Irises.

 

Texas

The Cooperative Extension Service at Texas A&M offers a few cultural comments on Louisiana irises. Look at this also. And this.

 

Washington

The King County Iris Society in Seattle has only brief information on Louisiana irises.

 

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If you know of any other source of good cultural information on Louisiana irises?  Email Zydeco and we will add it to the site.