Iris Bloom Season in NW Louisiana - Part III

by Ron Killingsworth

As promised, here is Part III sharing photographs of irises from the Caddo Lake area in NW Louisiana.  I have included a bit of history of the region and hybridizers, and I hope you enjoy the photographs.


The hybridizer Pat O'Connor lives just outside New Orleans and loves to name his irises for local features such as bridges, cities, canals, swamps, and streets in New Orleans.   Poverty Point is a World Heritage Site with ancient mounds built by native Americans.  This beautiful iris with great coloring and signals is a fitting tribute to the site.

'Poverty Point' (Pat O'Connor, 1999)

The Rigolets is a 12.9 kilometer (8 mi) long strait in south Louisiana. "Rigolets" comes from the word rigole, French for "trench" or "gutter." The name is locally pronounced "RIG-uh-leez."

'Rigolets'  (O'Connor, 2004)

Two of my favorite Louisiana irises side by side:  'Cest Si Bon' is about as "cajun" as you can get and this Louisiana iris is really a beauty.  'Rusty O' was named by Charles Arny for Rusty Ostheimer (now McSparrin).  Rusty and her husband Bud grow many Louisiana irises down below Lafayette, LA.

'C'est Si Bon' (Taylor, 1983) on left and 'Rusty O' (Arny, 1991) on right

Harry Wolford lives in Palm Bay, FL, and used to watch the lift off of the space shuttle from his back yard.  That's Seminole country and Harry has named quite a few Louisiana irises Seminole this or that.  I love the veining in this iris.

'Seminole Autumn' (Wolford, 2004)

And here is 'Seminole Moon', with a bit of orange in the yellow.

'Seminole Moon' (Wolford, 2009)

And finally, 'Seminole Sunrise', a fine red.

'Seminole Sunrise' (Wolford, 2004)

This iris is a tetraploid Louisiana iris that is quite different from the other few tetraploids on the market.  Tetraploid irises have more diversity in their genetic make-up and thus are highly prized by hybridizers.

'Texas Toast' (Mertzweiller, 2005)

This is definitely an "oldie but goodie", just one of many that Caroline Dormon registered. If you are ever in central Louisiana, don't miss her old home which is now Briarwood Nature Preserve located near Saline.

'Violet Ray' (Dormon, 1949)

'Wheelhorse' is a well know Louisiana iris and can be found in the genealogy of many fine Louisiana irises.

'Wheelhorse' (Dormon, 1952)

And here is 'Wood Violet', aptly named.

'Wood Violet' (Dormon, 1943)

This picture of a clump of award-winning irises was taken by my Koi pond; the whooping crane statues in the background watch over the irises.

'Red Velvet Elvis' (Vaughn 1991)

And here is a massive planting of mixed Louisiana irises -- the view from my front porch.

Finally, I thought I'd share one of the tall bearded irises my wife Sue has successfully grown in our hot and wet climate:  'Violet Shimmer'.  

'Violet Shimmer" (Moores, 1995)

Well that about wraps it up, and I hope you enjoyed the show.  If you want to learn more about Louisiana irises please visit the website of the Society for Louisiana Irises, and to learn more about many other species of irises, visit the website of the American Iris Society.

Iris Bloom Season in Northwest Louisiana - Part 1

by Ron Killingsworth

It seems the "normal" bloom season is not the "usual" bloom season.  Bloom was late this year, very late, and when it arrived, the Dutch irises, Tall Bearded, i.virginica, Spuria irises and Louisiana irises all bloomed at the same time.  And when I say the Louisiana irises all bloomed at the same time, I mean the early, mid and late bloomers all bloomed at once.  We had a relatively short bloom but boy was it something with all the irises blooming at once!

I wanted to share some spring pictures with you.  Most of the pictures are irises but I have thrown in a few other things just to keep you interested.  Sue, my wife, increased the number of Tall Bearded irises she is growing so we had quite a few in bloom this year.

"Applause Line" Tall Bearded by Joe Ghio 2004

It is difficult to grow bearded irises in the heat of Louisiana, but Sue and I built some raised beds in an area of the side yard that is shaded from about 2 PM til dark.  We made sure the beds are well drained and are watered very little from the sprinkler system.  They seem to be doing quite well.  Time will tell.

"Blue Jean Baby" a Louisiana iris by Charles Arny 1987

 "Blue Jean Baby" is one of my favorites - it is so pretty, in part because of the name.  There is nothing prettier than "my baby" in blue jeans!  Charles Arny is no longer with us but he left a lot of beautiful irises for us to enjoy.

"Braggin Rights" a Tall Bearded iris by Tom Burseen 2004

 Sue and I love Tall Bearded irises but they just do not like the weather in Louisiana.  Too hot and too wet.  Basically the same reasons most PEOPLE do not like the weather in Louisiana!  But this is a beautiful iris and worthy of bragging about, and it is growing.

"Bullion Audit" a Louisiana iris by T. J. Betts (2003) of Australia

This is an example of a beautiful yellow iris that should be welcomed in any garden. I really like the veining and the green throat of the style arms. 

"Cedar Bayou" a Louisiana iris by K. Strawn 1993

Registered as a "violet-blue" iris, it is a beauty and a great garden iris.

"Chacahoula Fire" a Louisiana iris by Rusty McSparrin 2005

A really breathtaking iris with some fantastic coloring.  The signals are outlined in red while red veining continues to the end of the petals.  I like the color, the form -- the whole thing!

"Cherokee Rose" antique rose bush - climbing

This rose bush is a welcomed sight each spring.  It blooms early and then it is gone.  The flowers are really pristine white and beautiful.  They remind me that Easter is near.

"Colorific" a Louisiana iris by Joe Mertzweiller 1978

This is a beautiful bi-tone iris with green style arms.  Mertzweiller was a college professor and hybridized a lot of irises.  He also converted the first Louisiana iris tetraploids.

"Dixie Deb" a Louisiana iris by Frank Chowning 1950

"Dixie Deb" is an "oldie but goody".  It still wins high level awards at iris shows.  The older open form is favored by many, myself included.  That is "Dr. Dormon" in the background - see more about this iris below.

Double Poppy (We call them Marie's Poppies)

Marie Calliet was a charter member of the Society for Louisiana Irises and lived in Little Elm, TX, north of Dallas the last years of her life.  We obtained some poppy seeds from her on one of our visits to her garden and we grow them in NW Louisiana.  This is an example of a double that grows well and blooms during the Louisiana iris bloom season.

"Dr. Dormon" a Louisiana iris by Sidney Conger in 1972

This iris was named for Caroline Dormon, a famous conservationist and botanist, among other things.  She lived near Saline, LA, and started Briarwood Nature Preserve.  This is one of many irises named to honor Caroline Dormon.

"Dural White Butterfly" a Louisiana iris by John C. Taylor 1989

John Taylor has hybridized many Louisiana irises "down under".  He has produced many beautiful and award winning irises.  This iris, although registered in 1989, remains an award winning white loved by all iris lovers.

Dutch Irises

We grow many varieties of Dutch irises and they are usually the first to bloom in our gardens.  This year they bloomed quite late.

More Dutch irises in NW Louisiana

White Dutch irises growing in NW Louisiana

"Fire Alarm" a Louisiana iris by Caroline Dormon 1951

This is one of Caroline Dormon's earlier irises and is actually more red than shown in this picture.

"Elvis Dreamer" a Tall Bearded by Tom Burseen 2008

"Enviable" a Louisiana iris by M. D. Faith 2002

M. D. Faith is no longer with us but he left a legacy of beautiful Louisiana irises.  He started hybridizing late in life but that did not stop him from producing some beauties.

"Extra Dazzle" a Louisiana iris by Heather Pryor 2003

Heather Pryor and her husband Bernard have introduced many beautiful Louisiana irises.  They live "down under" and often visit the US during the American Iris Society conventions.  Heather is a blogger here on World of Irises.

I'll continue my pictorial of the bloom season in NW Louisiana with part two.  Meantime, if you are interested in growing Louisiana irises, or just want to know more about them, then visit the website at Society for Louisiana Irises.  If you want to know more about all irises, visit the website of the American Iris Society.  Hope you enjoyed the pictures.

Louisiana Irises - My Favorite Pictures Part II

by Ron Killingsworth

In Part I of this series, we looked at some of my favorite iris pictures.  Here is the second part, with more lovely photos of Louisiana irises.

'Double Encore'  (Marvin Granger, deceased by Jeff Weeks, 2010) 

Marvin Granger, from south Louisiana, found a "cartwheel" form Louisiana iris growing in the wild and collected some to use in hybridizing.  He then crossed this iris and produced several cartwheel form irises.  After his death, Jeff Weeks decided to name and introduce one of Marvin's seedlings that Jeff had been growing for many years.  "Double Encore" is that lovely iris.

'Duck Lady' (Pat O'Connor, 2009)

Pat O'Connor lives in Metairie, LA, just north of New Orleans.  He has hybridized some really nice irises and is quite a photographer.  The iris was named for a famous (infamous) lady who wandered around in the French Quarter of New Orleans with a duck in a cage.

'Endearing Thought' (Bernard Pryor, 2004)

Bernard Pryor and his wife Heather have produced an abundance of beautiful Louisiana irises from their home in  Australia.  They are both fantastic photographers and I always enjoy their bloom season pictures since their bloom season falls in the fall here in Louisiana.

'Exquisite Idea' (Heather Pryor, 2006)

Another beautiy- well photographed from the Pryors of Australia.

'Flareout' (Marvin Granger, 1988)

'Flareout' is one of several "cartwheels" produced by Marvin Granger.  It is one of my favorites and I though the photographer really captured a great photograph of this blue cartwheel form Louisiana iris.

'Hurricane Colin' (Pat O'Connor, 1992)

With all the hurricanes in south Louisiana, one might think this iris was named for one of the more famous and destruction ones; however, it was named for Pat's son.  Pat says Colin was in fact often a small hurricane!

'Lime and Soda' (Peter Jackson, 2010)

Peter Jackson is another great hybridizer and photographer from "down under".  His Australian Louisiana irises are beauties to behold and he is also a great photographer.

'Longue Vue' (Dormon Haymon, 1999)

Dormon named this beautiful white iris to honor Longue Vue House and Gardens in New Orleans.

'Lottie Butterscotch' (S. Shephard, 2007)

This is a collected species of Louisiana iris and is a rare form mostly found in older hybrids and in the species.  It is a lovely iris and this is a great photograph!

There are just a few more to go and I'll publish part three of my favorite pictures in the immediate future.  Hope you enjoyed the beautiful irises and the great photography.  Learn more about irises at The American Iris Society or about Louisiana irises in particular at The Society for Louisiana Irises.

Exploring the Mysteries of Bloom Season & Height: The Louisianas

By Ron Killingsworth


Recent posts have discussed the history of classifying irises by bloom time and the related issue of height, along with the change in naming the different types of irises (here).   Now we shall discuss Louisiana (LA) irises.  Their full season is about a month and a half to two months.  The season begins during the end of the Tall Bearded iris bloom season and continues for two to three weeks afterward, so they are a great season extender if you love irises. In Louisiana, the New Orleans area starts the show with bloom beginning the first of April. In the NW part of Louisiana they bloom from mid-April to mid-May. In upper state New York they bloom in late June.


LA iris bloom time designations include early, mid and late season.  Early bloomers normally bloom the first two to three weeks of the season, followed by mid season blooms from three to six weeks and then finally the late bloomers from six weeks to finish. There are some LA irises that are registered as blooming somewhere between these designations- such as mid-late and early-mid-season.  Some are registered as VL for very late in the season.  The time of the season in which the particular cultivar blooms is determined by the person registering the iris, and that depends on where they live and when bloom time begins in that area.  So there is no hard-and-fast rule about when LA irises will bloom in your neck of the woods.


'Clyde Redmond' is a dependable early bloomer.

'Clyde Redmond' (Charles Arny - 1970)   Mary Swords DeBallion Award 1974

'Miss Gertie's Bonnet' is a mid-season bloomer.

'Miss Gertie's Bonnet' (Dormon Haymon -1999)  

The popular and widely distributed iris  'Black Gamecock' blooms very late in the season.

'Black Gamecock' (Frank Chowning 1978)  

Of the 2400 or so registered LA irises, 526 are registered as early season, 309 are registered as early-mid season, 1423 are registered as mid season, 415 are registered as mid to late season, and 104 are registered as late season.

The only problem bloom season causes for me is when I want to hybridize a late blooming LA iris with an early blooming LA iris. I can save pollen from the early bloomer and cross it to the late bloomer but it is almost impossible to save pollen from the late bloomer to use on an early bloomer the following year.  Most late blooming LA irises have the species iris brevicaulis in their genealogy and many of these late bloomers display a characteristic of iris brevicaulis - a tendency to bloom down in the foliage. 'Black Gamecock' is a late bloomer and it often has blooms deep within the foliage, which also tends to fall over when the bloom stem is heavily loaded with blooms - another characteristic of iris brevicaulis.



How are LA irises measured and how tall are they?   They have a wide range of heights, measured from the rhizome to the top of the bloom stem.  'Black Gamecock' is registered as 24".  'Little Rock Skies' (F. Chowning 1978) is another late bloomer and is registered as 28".

'Little Rock Skies' (Frank Chowning 1978)  Late bloomer registered as 28"

Among the most useful and garden-worthy characteristics of LA irises is their diversity of size.  Unlike bearded irises, which are divided into many size divisions, all LA irises are entered into the same division in iris shows.  That is why they are always placed on a very low table or directly on the floor of the show room.  Judges are then faced with some varieties that are as small as 24" as well as some varieties that are as tall as the judges!

In a quick search, I found 81 LA irises registered at 24-30".  I found two registered at 60".  But I have seen LA irises taller than me at 76"!  These are usually the species iris giganticaerulea.  

Benny Trahan and Pat Norvell with Iris Giganticaerula found in the marshes of south LA

Most modern hybrids of LA irises range from 30 to 50". The beauty of such a wide height range is you can plant irises of smaller size in front of irises that tend to be taller.  By also choosing the irises by bloom season, you can have early tall bloomers in the back of your iris beds and late blooming shorter irises in the front of your beds.

Remember that the bloom season listed on the registration is determined by the person registering the iris based on experience in his or her part of the country.  The iris may not bloom at exactly the same time in your part of the country, so you may want to take that into account when you are planning out your garden.  And don't forget that LA irises do not need to be planted in ponds, they do well in most garden conditions as long as they have adequate water.

You can learn more about LA irises at Society for Louisiana Irises.