Louisiana Iris Bloom Season on Caddo Lake

Enjoying the Louisiana Iris bloom season on Caddo Lake, LA
By Ron Killingsworth

Louisiana irises, mostly iris.giganticaerulea alba, growing in a pond

Spring bloom turned out to be very nice, even though we had an unusual April this year.  After a really early spring last year, the year began normally enough, only for old man winter to return with a few exceptionally cold days and nights. Cloudy weather followed.  We even had a couple of very late freezes that made it all the way to New Orleans.  The poor irises did not know what to do.  Just about the time things seemed to settle down, my wife Sue and I headed out to Dallas, Texas, to attend the American Iris Society convention, immediately followed by the Society for Louisiana Irises convention.  The crazy weather followed us to Dallas and we experienced some cold and raining weather while trying to tour gardens.

After a week and a half in Dallas, we returned to Northwest Louisiana and irises in bloom.  The next few weeks were busy with tours, photographing and marking off irises that had strayed from their beds.  And here it is, already fall, and I finally found time to share some spring photographs with you.

Usually I just take pictures of the irises to insure that the correct iris is in the assigned bed.  Sometimes the irises in the adjoining bed will stray into a neighboring bed and bloom season is the only time to tell one iris from another.  This year, however, I decided to also take quite a few "scene shots" of irises growing in the many locations here on Caddo Lake.

'Fringed Gold'  D. L. Sheppard (1992)

'Fringed Gold' closeup

'Our Friend Harry'  Ron Killingsworth (2011)

'Cocka The Walk'  Joe Musacchia (2005)

'Heavenly Glow'  Richard Morgan (1988)

Louisiana irises abound by Caddo Lake in Northwest Louisiana

Louisiana irises with Caddo Lake and bald cypress trees in background

Louisiana irises grow by pond in front of the greenhouse

'Professor Neil'  Mertzweiller, J 1990 and 'Her Highness' Livingston 1967

Louisiana irises with pond and Caddo Lake in background

'Professor Neil' in foreground with iris.pseudacorus (yellow) in background and Caddo Lake with bald cypress trees

'Longue Vue'  Dormon Haymon 1999 with Caddo Lake in background.

I hope you have enjoyed the views.  Learn more about growing Louisiana irises at the Society for Louisiana Irises website. For more information on Caddo Lake in NW Louisiana visit Caddo Lake website.  For more information about the bald cypress trees in Louisiana just visit Bald Cypress Trees.  Simply click on any of the links to view the information.