Louisiana Irises Found Growing Wild in NW Louisiana

by Ron Killingsworth

Ron Killingsworth standing in a clump of irises growing at the edge of Cross Lake just north of Shreveport, LA

Of course Louisiana irises grow wild in the wilds of Louisiana!  Especially in south Louisiana: in fact, they grow in the ditches down south.  Not many grow wild in the northwestern part of the state, though.

Several years ago a dear friend who lived in north Shreveport, LA, very near Cross Lake, called to tell me she had found some Louisiana irises growing in the wild in the backwaters of Cross Lake.  Cross Lake is a man-made lake that supplies the water for the city of Shreveport.  Sue and I put on our boots and joined our friend Lin Millar and we went deep into the woods behind her home into an area of overflow for the lake.  It appears to have been an old home site at one time.

We found many Louisiana irises blooming in the marshy lowlands.  Most of them appeared to be species irises as the blooms were not as large or well developed as most hybrid Louisiana irises.  We found many different colors but none of us are scientists so we were not able to determine if they are species or if so, which ones.

All of these irises were growing in areas that were either still standing in water or that would have been in water when the lake was higher.  Almost all of them were growing in very shaded areas that would have given them very little sunshine.  This probably explains why most of them had few blooms per bloom stalk.

We carefully collected samples of each of the irises we found and took them back to Lin's garden and to our gardens in Mooringsport, LA.  I now grow them in a large bed labeled "Cross Lake Irises".  They are doing fine in their new location.  Lin visited the area a couple of years later and the whole area had been clear cut and plowed up as though someone was getting ready to build a home there.  

When collecting irises growing in the wild we must certainly be careful to leave more than we take.  In this case, it is certainly a good thing we collected some of each as they are now gone!

Some of our readers may be able to classify these irises from the pictures but it is beyond my ability.  I know that these pictures prove that Louisiana irises are pretty hardy and will grow in undergrowth, bushes and without full sunlight.

This was an exceptionally beautiful specimen with a great color.

The above picture shows an area in which the irises were growing well although they were quite removed from the lake edge.  These were receiving more sunlight than most we found.

This is another area that was at least 50 feet from the lake edge and thick with weeds and grass.

These irises were growing in the water at the lake's edge.  (Lin's dog, part Labrador, really enjoyed the "field trip".)  

More irises growing in the lake's edge in an area that is very swampy and a perfect place for snake watching.

This was found very close nearby so it appears the area once had a home.  There were many people growing Louisiana irises in their gardens in the Shreveport area in the 40's and 50's, so I believe these irises were either planted in the area or escaped from other gardens around Cross Lake.  They may even be from seeds from irises grown in gardens around the lake.  We used to cut off all the seed pods from our thousands of Louisiana irises and throw them into Caddo Lake hoping they would take root on the side of the lake.

Do you know of a spot where irises grow wild?  Perhaps a nearby cemetery, or an old abandoned farmstead?  

If you would like to learn more about Louisiana irises you can visit the Society for Louisiana Irises, and more about all species of irises is available at the website of  The American Iris Society.

Sampling Hybridizers: My Favorite Photos of Louisiana Irises Part III

By Ron Killingsworth

'Mississippi Eavesdropper' (Peter Jackson, 2011)

There are many species of irises throughout the world, and you can learn more about all of them by visiting the web site of The American Iris Society.  Our discussion today is limited to Louisiana irises, and you can quickly learn more about Louisiana irises by visiting the web pages of The Society for Louisiana Irises.

Peter Jackson of Australia has produced many beautiful Louisiana irises. 'Mississippi Eavesdropper' is certainly a great example of his work.  This flower form is very uncommon in modern Louisiana iris hybrids.  The yellow style arms standing tall matched by the same color halo around the petals makes this one of my favorite pictures and favorite irises!

'Montegut' (Joe Musacchia - 2010)

Joe Musacchia lives below New Orleans and if you pass his home you drive into the Gulf of Mexico.  Joe has recovered from several horrible hurricanes and now more and more of his hybrids are appearing each year.

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

Dormon lives south of Lafayette, LA, and although he is not active in hybridizing today, he produced many beautiful irises in the past.  This iris continues to be one of my favorites -- a beautiful iris -- a beautiful picture -- a beautiful name.  What more could you want?

'Nancy Tichborne' (Bernard Pryor, 2010)

Heather and Bernard Pryor of Australia have hybridized and introduced many award winning Louisiana irises.  I love this iris because of the yellow style arms, the green coloring at the throat of the style arms, the matching signals on all petals and the ruffling on the petals.  The color is very pleasing.

'Our Dorothy' (Bernard Pryor, 1997)

Another beautiful iris well photographed.  This iris is the pod parent or pollen parent in many recent hybrids.  It passes on some really great genes.  It remains one of my favorite Louisiana irises from year to year.

'Seminole Sunrise' (Harry Wolford, 2004)

Harry Wolford lives in Palm Bay, FL, after retiring from Ohio.  This iris is one of several in Harry's "Seminole" series and is a great garden iris with very beautiful colors.

'Shizuoka Sunrise' (Pat O'Connor, 2001)

Pat O'Connor lives in Metairie, LA, a northern suburb of New Orleans, and has produced some really wonderful irises -- most named for Louisiana landmarks.  This iris is obviously an exception to Pat's habit of naming his irises with distinctive Louisiana names.  If you want a red one, this is the one for you! 

'Starlite Starbrite' (Marvin Granger, 1985)

One of many "doubles" produced by Marvin Granger of south Louisiana.  It is my favorite double and even though it has been around quite a while, it continues to win blue ribbons and even "Queen of Show" when entered in iris shows.

'Tarnished Brass' (Frank Chowning, 1961)

Frank Chowning, Little Rock, AR, produced many hybrids during the 50's and 60's.  He liked to produce Louisiana irises that were particularly suited to colder climates.  This iris has a distinctive color and although it has the flower form of the older spidery type, it continues to be a favorite among Louisiana iris growers throughout the world.

'Twisted Sister' (Pat O'Connor, 2003)

Registered as "form twisted and fluted, stands erect", this flower is really different!  It usually lives up to its name and the "stands stand up -- falls fall down" form is one of my favorite forms.

'Wild Cajun' (Henry Rowlan, 1989)

Henry Rowlan, of north Arkansas, hybridized many irises and I love this one because of the red color and the wonderful name. 

'Word of Warning' (Heather Pryor, 2003)

Another great iris by Heather from "down under".  It has such striking signals and coordinated colors! It has 'Our Dorothy' as a parent.

I hope you have enjoyed some of these well photographed pictures of beautiful irises.  Grab that camera during bloom season and get out there and take some award winners of your own!

Extending the Louisiana Bloom Season with Companions for Louisiana Irises

By Ron Killingsworth

We grow thousands of Louisiana irises here, many spuria hybrids, iris virginica, twenty or so hybrid tall bearded irises, some really old "hand me down" tall bearded irises, some species crosses and lots of Dutch irises.  But we also grow many other beautiful plants.  You can extend your gardening season with judicious choices of spring bulbs, flowering trees, and other perennials that bloom before and after the irises.  Here at our gardens in Louisiana, springtime starts with the blooming of narcissus, snow flakes and grape hyacinths, continues with the daffodils and Dutch irises.  

Narcissus with Snow Flakes (leucojum vernum) in background

Daffodils

Flowering Quince is another early spring bloomer and we have several plants in the front and side yards.

Flowering Quince

One unusual tree that blooms early in this area is the redbud tree, which puts out its blooms before the leaves. Vivian, LA, just north of us, has the "Redbud Festival" each spring as these trees bloom.

Redbuds

Another early bloomer, blooming in NW LA at the end of February, is an old species of tall bearded iris that are handed down through the generations.  Every time I give a talk on growing irises, at least one person will comment "I grow the purple one" and this is the pass-along flower they mean.  

We also grow iris virginica in blue, white, and pink.  

iris.virginica white

iris.virginica "big blue"

iris.virginica pink

Another wonderful little plant that produces massive amounts of bloom each spring is "Johnny Jump Ups".  These little flowers are appropriately named because once you plant some, they "jump up" all over the place!  They are ideal with irises since they cover the ground with color without smothering rhizomes.

 "Johnny Jump Up" Violas

The Spuria irises usually bloom about the same time as the LA irises.  

LA Iris 'Adell Tingle'

Spuria irises 

An unusual iris we grow is 'Aichi-no-kagayaki' (Shinnosuki) a species cross that blooms late in the season, not until June.

'Aichi-no-kagayaki' a species cross

Close up of 'Aichi-no-kagayaki' which has Japanese iris in it.

In June, the Amaryllis bloom.  We grow many different hybrids of Amaryllis.  My sister has been crossing them and producing new varieties.

Amaryllis

My wife Sue loves Angel Trumpets in white and yellow.  These beautiful huge blooms are about the last bloom we see before the first freeze of the year.

Angel Trumpets (brugmansia) 

Angel Trumpets

These are a few of the blooming plants we use to extend our bloom season here in Northwest Louisiana.  What plants do you use along side of your irises to create a long bloom season?

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.