Iris as a pond plant

My Dad planted some kind of iris (violet colored--sorry, don't know type) in our 14-in deep pond at least ten years ago, and they bloomed every year except this one. Do they have a lifespan, or does anyone have any ideas why they didn't bloom this year? The goldfish wintered over just fine. It does appear that something (coon, larger goldfish?) has been rooting around in there, as there were three uprooted irises floating. I planted them in a pot, but they died! grrrr....

Probably LAs or maybe a versicolor. Don't think it would be a versicolor though.. They are OK to have roots covered with water in the spring (full spring run off) but then are happy for the rest of the year when the water goes down. Any Pix???

inanda who amazingly had an LA survive all winter under the snow here.

I am impressed, inanda that your LA survived under the snow in Zone 2b. Now I am convinced they will grow anywhere. Does yours bloom?

OK, I give up--what's an LA? :)

LA's are Louisiana Iris. Tall and beautiful but normally thought of as needing heat and a pond like environment. Obviously that is not the case. Check out this thread from earlier this spring. You will see lots of pictures of LA's.

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/705912/

Thanks for the link to my Iris pics. =)

My pleasure, dmj,
That is the best short description of LA Iris that I have seen.

Maybe I'd better add the last minute blooms later today. =)

Wow! Now this is freaky--we were born in New Orleans!!! Ya think I woulda recognized 'em, huh? LOL I did read in a gardening book that irises can get overcrowded after about ten years, so maybe that's the problem?

Crowding could be your problem. Are there remainders of your LA's left? If so, thin them out and replant. If not. You can buy more. There are many sources on the internet.

Good news--saw a bud today! Just one, but was happy to see it. I will take a picture of it when it opens. I have trouble uploading pics, though--my dialup connection is soooo slow!

Do enjoy your iris bloom, then you can divide-- for better results in the future.

OK, the bloom is open and I reset the camera for a smaller size picture to see if that helps it upload....here goes...

Yipeee, it worked! Too bad I have to use the blurriest setting on the camera...my ol' dial-up speed is a zippy 26.4 kbs, which I'm told is because we live so far up on a hill (squirrels flossing their teeth on our wires?). So is this an LA or something else?

Oh, and here is a closeup of the rest of the bunch and some of the pond's residents.

That's definitely an LA--with a dagger signal like that; shouldn't be that hard for you to ID if you have the time.
=)

Thanks, dmj!!! No wonder it likes the swamp! A Louisiana native just like me! What a coincidence! :)

I found it, I found it--right here: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/631120/

"Whereyat?" LOVE IT!!! LOL

This message was edited May 21, 2007 5:35 PM

No, wait, I got a closer look, and now I'm not so sure if that's the right guess...dmj???
Notice the poor babies that the critters dug up....grrr.

This message was edited May 21, 2007 6:16 PM

That's not 'Whereyat'; it is much darker than yours. If it was one I had, I'd recognize it. 'Whereyat' has greenish styles, yours does not.

Whatever it is - it's gorgeous. There are 6 pages of LA photos in Dave's Plant Files. Maybe if you have the time to go through them - - you may find a match.

http://davesgarden.com/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=louisiana+iris&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=rating&images_prefs=both&Search=Search

~Margie

This message was edited May 22, 2007 10:08 PM

ONLY six pages??? Got to love those plant files....

Ha - ha - - haaa - - haa. Yes, ONLY six. Someday I bet there will be hundreds.

~Margie

Thanks! I'll let you know when I find it! Trouble is, I see all kinds of others I want while I'm lookin'....LOL

KY....................you're an iris lover all right!! (very big grin) Happy hunting.

~Margie

There were 30 pages of LA irises here--wow! But a lot of them had no pics. I saw several that looked close, but not right on the money. Hmmm...I'll just be satisfied to know it's from my home state. LOL

Try some of the LA Iris growers like Zydeco Gardens:

http://www.zydecoirises.com/

I might also suggest you try some of the regular Iris growers. I saw a slide of one I have now ordered from Aitken's Salmon Creek Iris Farm. It is called Red Velvet Elvis and I have great hopes for it. But seriously most major iris growers have at least some LAs.

Thanks so much for the link, pajar! I sent them an email asking for help with the id of my iris, and Patrick O'Connor was nice enough to help! He sent me a picture of one called, "Mrs. Ira Nelson", and it looks like that's the one! What wonderful suth'n hospitality! I will definitely order from them once I get more space.

I am so glad you got your iris id'd and I bet you will find others of his that would fit right in with the one you have.

Sounds like your determination paid off!! So glad that pretty iris now has a name. :-)

~Margie