So begins the story of my back yard bog garden, which is looking pretty darn good after a very rough start. There are many heroes in this story, but today's star is Louisiana Iris "Black Gamecock," which is blooming like mad as I write this.
The first thing I did was to order some Louisiana Iris "Black Gamecock." I had stumbled upon it in the Wayside Gardens catalogue, which touted it as just the ticket for poorly drained sites. According to the catalogue, it was a.) native, b.) stunning, c.) easy to grow, and d.) extremely vigorous. I bought six.
But everything it said about "Black Gamecock" was true.
Louisiana Iris (hardy from zones 4 or 5 to 9 or 10, depending on who you believe) comes in a huge range of colors, but "Black Gamecock" is my one and only. It has enormous, deep purple velvety flowers. Bees love it, as do the few hummingbirds that hang around here in May. Each blossom lasts only a few days, but on established plants the flowers keep coming for nearly three weeks.
I know mine was.