Some LA Iris

Your beds must be really beautiful right now... Thanks so much for taking the time to post them all. Breathtaking.

I love your LA Iris. I have been wanting to try growing them, but I live in New Mexico, and am not sure how they would do in zone 5a at high altitude. But, duh, I just solved my problem. I own a small farm in southern Mississippi -- 40 miles from the Gulf Coast, zone 8b. I just came back from there and saw some LA Iris in bloom in the yard of a friend. She says they multiply and bloom nicely for her and receive very little care.
So I bought a supposedly red one at Lowe's, Ann Chowning, I believe. In a few days it bloomed yellow. Oh well. Discount houses aren't reliable on plant labeling. But I planted it and now have my first LA Iris.
I hope to order some correctly labeled ones and plant them there this fall -- then go back to see them next spring.
They are re-landscaping the parkways on Highway 59 from Louisiana to Hattiesburg, MS. They have put in some sort of iris that is now ( today) blooming bright yellow. It is tall and slender like LA's. I wonder if they are landscaping with them in MS.

Pajarimont--
They are really no to very low care in the Gulf South and are blooming everywhere now.

Actually I've been very busy with SLA activities lately. Here are a few more and I've got some more about to bloom.

This is 'Whereyat'; a really nice reddish-purple O'Connor 2003

This is 'Irish Bayou' O'Connor 2002

And 'Almeria' Wolford 1986. I've got some others I'll post tomorrow or Friday--am really swamped with work here, no pun intended. =)

Debbie: I love the names of these iris. I mean, "Whereyat" - who'd've thought?! :D
That Almeria is just lovely.
Deb

Yes, Deb, I love their names, too. Many of them are place names or come from deep in Louisiana culture, like " Whereyat ", a typical New Orleans equivalent of "Hi", "Irish Bayou", "Tickfaw" and "Barataria", "Rigolets" are all local place names -- not well known outside of the area. I confess, having grown up in New Orleans, that these names give me a bad case of nostalgia.
I am so glad they are easy to grow in the south.

Yes--a lot of them are Southern in origin, as are the plants (esp. the Louisiana hybridizers tend to give them cajun names--it is a pervasive, all inclusive culture down here! =) ). You'll love it then when I post 'Andouille' (the sausage) and 'TCHOUPITOULAS' tomorrow. My mother's maiden name was 'Jayroeux'--and the love for the LA's was definitely passed down. That's where most of my 'old' varieties and my pass-alongs came from.

And that's why 'Beausoleil' is one of my favorites--has nothing to do with the looks of it!
Debbie

Yes indeed, Beausoleil is a great name, not just for the beauty of the flower. Can't wait to see Tchoupitoulas and and Andouille! I also like "Lafite Celebration". My dad used to work in Lafite, La which is, of course, on Bayou Barataria.
My mother didn't grow LA's and told me they were hard to grow. I am sorry she never found out that they were easy. My mother wasn't from the South so that may explain her illusion about them.

I like Lafitte Celebration a lot too and also Metarie (Metarie probably has the largest number of LA Iris hybridizer's in the world in that one little town) Ridge. I used to to live there too. =)

Yes, Metarie Ridge, meant a lot to me as well. When ever I come into NO on my way to the farm in MS, I stop in Metarie for groceries, dinner, etc. before I head out to the country. I also spent a lot of time hanging out in Metarie as a teenager. I had lots of friends there. How nice that so many LA breeders live there! One of my favorite parts of the NO area.

Deb, or anyone, are you familiar with LA Iris "Rainbow Candy"? I just got a Park's Seed catalog and this one is shown there and is gorgeous. I think I may have to order a few of those and "Navaho Princess". Has anyone ordered iris from Parks? These things are addictive!

crowellli,
I am just a beginner so I can't help you, but I plan to grow more in the future. I have ordered from Parks. The plants died but they reimbursed me after I explained that I had been gardening for a long time and I knew dead from dormant!
My suggestion is that you try one of the mail order companies that specializes in LA Iris or at least Iris. Their urls are listed above in this thread.

Thanks for the info. I'll try to find them there.

Crowelli--I doubt Park's is selling Louisiana Iris; check on the variety from them.

James Dickerson at Parks.
Black Gamecock at Wayside.

That's it. They used to offer a mix but, for my order, they only mixed up the Gamecocks.

Crowelli--Houston Bulb and Plant Mart in October is your best source.
Debbie

Here is a really nice purple, although I could only get a shot when it was rather sunny. 'Tchoupitoulas' O'Connor 2002. Has a really unusual red-violet signal. Really prettier in person.

'Tickfaw' really looks really good still--even in the blazing sun at 85 degrees.

'Danza'-not a favorite of mine. Too much yellow. 'Acadian Miss' is a much nicer pristine white, in my opinion. But it's here (this year anyway) and its blooming.

Tickfaw and Tchoupitoulous are wonderful. I will have to have them for my place in Mississippi.
Now about the Houston Bulb and Plant Mart in October. That sounds wonderful! Do you know the dates? or a web site? I will be out of town part of October, but it would be great if I could get there.
Debbie

Yes I do--I work it every year. Dmail me. =)

Thanks Deb. I've been to the bulb mart each of the past three years. I bought 3 cultivars there this past year and they're all doing really well. I now have 8 different ones, but I love them so much, that'll be increasing, at least until I run out of room!

Cool and rainy conditions make for slower opening of the later varieties. But makes for some decent pics also.
Probably the best 'Irish Bayou' pic of the season.

A particularly interesting pass-along--what makes it so is its blooming at less than 24". I might move this out into the border next season and see if it keeps this short stature.

A pitiful 'Easter tide' here. This one has grown rather poorly all winter so I guess I should be happy it bloomed at all.

'Gentilly', 'Poverty Point', and 'Emory Smith' look budded up and hopefully will bloom soon.

'My Friend Dick' loving the cool rain.

Beautiful plants and photos, dmj.

If this Easter Tide is pitiful, I would love to see it healthy! Looks pretty good anyhow. My Friend Dick is also lovely. Thanks for the pics. Can't wait for the rest.

'Gentilly' O'Connor 2004

A real pretty one I think.

This just happened--not planned, but I think they look pretty good together.
'Gentilly' and 'Danza'

Ah Gentilly is wonderful. Again, major nostalgia. When I was a toddler my family lived in Gentilly. It also was one of the worst hit areas in the Katrina flooding.

That Gentilly is a lovely color.

This one's Hurricane Party. Mine are really just starting to bloom.

Oops, forgot the photo. Hurricane Party.

doss I love that one. one of my fav color combos
Gloria

Ditto what Gloria said. Mmmm!
Deb

Will LAs grow in cold zone 5 mich I realy like them
Gloria

Apparently so, one was bred in Michigan for zone 5 and is being released this year. The name of the nursery begins with E and they are in the garden watch dog, but that is all I remember. Apparently some LA iris grow in zone 4, but I don't know much about that. It is in the Iris forum some where.
Also, many places that were zone 5 last year, are now zone 6 according to the National Arbor Day Society. You might check and see what you are in now. I found out to day that I live in zone 6, not zone 5. Last year it was 5a.

Ensata?