M..J. Urist grows Louisiana Irises in central New York. She has shared the photos on this page, as well as helpful comments, in an email to our ISM President Michelle Dreier, and has given us permission to print her comments and photos. Portions of her email are reprinted below, as well as a link to her website. She also included a handout on growing Louisianas which is available here.

"...Let me preface this by saying that there are less than a dozen LAs in my garden that have NOT performed well (failed to bloom), out of over 150 varieties. All have grown and increased. It is very difficult to select just a few as especially good "northern" irises. While I. brevicaulis is generally touted as a good northern grower, I have found many other hybrids with I. fulva, I. giganticaerulea, I. nelsonii, and I. hexagona in their parentage to do just as well.

The irises I selected to send jpgs of, while mostly older varieties, have been especially reliable. Flareout, Impassioned and Lone Star have bloomed every single year, from the first year after planting (2007). Lone Star won Queen of the Show at the Central New York Iris Society show in 2012 (see photo center right for show stalk). Dixie Deb is an older form, but a brilliant yellow in the garden, and a vigorous, floriferous bloomer. I encourage its use in place of the invasive I. pseudacorus. Montegut is a newer release that is a beauty in the garden and on the show bench."

M.J. goes on to state that she mulches with pine straw or not at all and that the trick is to use a light, airy, mulch. "Generally we have enough snow cover that the plants are well protected in the coldest of winter, and they are not as prone to frost heave as my beardeds are, once established. We are currently working on a new website for SLI and one of the things we hope to include is current, regionally specific culture information."

OK, Minnesota gardeners, let's go out and get ourselves some Louisianas! Here is a link to M.J.'s website.