Louisiana Iris Selection....even possible?

I'm interested in planting about 100 Louisiana Irises around my pool cage. I'm on the Gulf Coast (zone 9b), so weather is perfect for these...and given the pool cage and the twice-weekly sprinkler...think these would be a great option, as i wanted something smaller with flowers to frame the entire cage. Problem is...it appears that these irises prefer acidic soil. Here is my dilemma...I don't mind if they grow smaller than the standard 3', as I believe the cement patio within the pool could limit their growth. Will this affect the blooms?

Also, we use reclaimed water for the sprinkler system, which obviously has a definite organic smell....flowers, plants and grass seem to thrive with this stuff! Would this reclaimed water offset any negative affect the cement patio have on the soil? Just seems that with this water, everything grows well that we have....but buying 100' of flowers is a pricey guess on my part.

Also, since I want to see the rest of the back garden over these plants...I'm interested in the smallest louisiana iris I can find...are some definitely shortest (at full growth) than others?

Also....(sorry for the length already)...I've heard some negative issues about the appearance after mid-summer. Any pictures indicating this in a gulf coast area? If I cut it down by half...no problem. But, since its in a very visible position, is it really that awful?

Thanks for your time!

This message was edited May 18, 2004 4:41 PM

AS LONG AS THEY NEVER DRY OUT AND YOU GIVE THEM MIRCLE GROW AT LEAST EVERY TWO WKS AND IF SEE ANY YELLOWING IN LEAVES, A SHOT OF IRON .PLUS MIRCLE GROW COMES IN ACID FORM LIKE FOR YOUR AZALAS AND ITS AT WALL MART LAST YEAR. I SEE NO PROBLEM AT ALL

If I were you I'd look for a more organic fertilizer than Niricle grow....there are far to many 'salts' present in MG to be of any long term benefit to garden plants. Works great for potted plants who only last a few years at best. MG can ruin garden soil fairly quickly.

Louisianas are going to go dormant in the heat of the summer. It's what they do. Like lilies get ugly as they are going dormant in the fall, lycoris gets ugly as it goes dormant in the spring, Louisiana Iris is going to get ugly in mid summer.

Don't get me wrong, I love my Louisianas, but they do have this one fault. It's best to plant them behind something that will be big and beautiful by the time this happens.

One of the things Louisianas are touted for is providing beautiful green foliage in the winter, when most else is dormant. I'm thinking that around the pool you want something that is going to be attractive all summer long - like maybe daylilies?

Cheri' < a certified daylily addict

BTW, I totaly agree with rikerbear about the MG. I've been known to use it, but not in quantity or regularly. Not good for the soil or the critters that keep the soil good.

Thanks so much for your comments...I still am interested in the louisiana irises, but the dormant period mentioned is really throwing me off for this location. Problem with daylilies is that their dormant period is also unattractive, and since we use our pool area year-round, its just not suitable. I'll be searching for something more appropriate....and I've already posted a question for this same area in the general forum.

Thanks again!