Finally, after two years, ‘Black Gamecock’ Louisiana iris from Tangly Cottage Gardening are blooming! At the end of winter of 2023, I divided a significant clump of them into enough pups for a thirty foot long row on the edge of the irrigation pond. They grew through summer, and should have bloomed for the following spring. Instead, a gopher ate all but a few pups. At the end of winter of 2024, I divided another clump into enough pups for a twenty foot long row in the same location, but closer to the water. Again, they grew through summer, and should have bloomed this spring, but instead, all but a few were eaten by a gopher. These that are now blooming are the survivors from the original batch, which were canned for their safety. They are blooming late, probably because they would rather be in the ground than canned. I will divide these into more cans now so they can proliferate and be divided again later, until there are twice as many as necessary for the edge of the pond. Then, I will plug some at the edge of the pond, into saturated soil that gophers can not dig under.

6 thoughts on “FIRST Louisiana Iris!”

  1. What a story of persistence and determination! Congratulations on finally enjoying a gorgeous Iris flower. I don’t wish hungry critters on any gardener, but it is nice to know that I’m not alone in dealing with destroyed plants and disappointment when things are eaten before they can bloom. Keeping things in containers can give them a better chance when their roots and rhizomes are on the menu… That color is just stunning!

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      1. Can you add pea gravel or a product like perma-till around the Iris rhizomes/root balls in each planting hole? I have used that technique for many plantings where voles are a problem with some, but not total, success. I also spray all bulbs and rhizomes as I plant them with an animal repellent these days. I learned that trick from Brent Heath, who owns Brent and Becky’s Bulbs back here in VA. His trick works, at least long enough for the bulbs to root and begin to grow. Squirrels don’t dig up and steal treated bulbs, either. I don’t know whether either approach is practical for your Iris, Tony, but they have helped me protect all sorts of plants- even shrubs- from the voles who tunnel through our yard.

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      2. No, gravel would be impractical there. I hope that, if the iris get started, that they will be so prolific that gophers can eat some without causing much damage. Also, I doubt that gophers will go beyond the edge of the water to get to rhizomes.

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