Louisiana Iris Iris hexagona

This very rare iris is found in a range of South Carolina to Florida and Louisiana giving it the common names of Dixie Iris and Louisiana Iris.  It prefers wet, shallow, sunny areas such as marshes, ditches, swamps, and streams or riversides of the coastal areas.  It can grow in several inches of water; bog gardens and pond gardens are good options.  However, it requires a heavy application of mulch in other garden locations and can tolerate some shade.  It is subject to the fungal, bacterial and iris borer difficulties of the Iris family so the bed should be kept clean of old leaves and debris. 

This herbaceous perennial is 3-4 feet tall and spreads 1-1.5 feet with the typical lanceolate leaf up to 3 feet long.  But, the leaves die back after the early spring bloom and reappear at fall for the next season.  The flowers are more similar to I. hollandica than I. germanica in that the flowers on tall 1-3 foot stems are delicate and crisp with the three standards being narrower and shorter over the three widespread falls.  They are blue to lavender and sometimes white, with yellow signals rather than beards.  The seed pod is hexagonal, but the preferred method of propagation is through the division of the rhizomes planted shallowly.  The rhizomes can spread easily making it good for naturalizing.  

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