Black Gamecock is a vigorous Louisiana iris with huge, velvety flowers 4 to 6 inches across in the deepest purple. The blooms open flat, and each petal carries a thin gold signal line at its base.
It grows 2 to 3 feet tall and spreads quickly in rich, wet soil, blooming reliably every year in early to midsummer. Bred from irises native to Gulf Coast wetlands, it is at home in rain gardens, along ponds and streams, and in any low spot that stays damp. Bees and hummingbirds visit the flowers, and deer and rabbits tend to leave it alone.
What it looks like
Large, flat-opening flowers 4 to 6 inches across with broad, velvety, deep purple-black petals, each marked with a very narrow gold signal line near its base. Flowers are held on sturdy, branching stems above clumps of long, sword-shaped, glossy green leaves. The plant forms an upright, spreading clump 24 to 36 inches tall and about 24 inches wide. Several buds open in sequence along each stem. At peak the dark flowers stand out sharply against the fresh green foliage.
Growing it with lavender
This iris needs wet, rich soil, the opposite of lavender's dry bed, so plant it at a pond edge, in a rain garden or in a soggy low spot of the yard.
Care
Plant in full sun to part shade in rich, acidic to neutral soil that stays consistently wet or moist; it thrives in bogs, rain gardens and shallow pond margins. Hardy in zones 4-10. Plant rhizomes shallowly in late summer or early fall, and cut spent flower stalks after bloom; divide when clumps become crowded.
At a glance
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Botanical name: Iris
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Flower color: Velvety deep purple with a narrow gold signal
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Foliage: Glossy green
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Growth habit: Upright, spreading clump
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Mature size: 24–36 in tall × 24 in wide
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USDA hardiness zones: 4–10
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Light: full sun, part sun to part shade
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Bloom start: Mid-June
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Peak bloom: Late-June
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Bloom pattern: Single Flush
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Deer resistance: Resistant
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Pollinator value: Great
Sizes and shipping
Dormant bare-root plant, sold in boxes of 25 per variety (order in multiples of 25). Bare-root plants ship or are picked up March 1–May 31 only. They are soil-free, so they may ship to every state in that window. Dormant plants often show little or no top growth on arrival; plant or heel them in promptly. Louisiana iris loves moisture: plant and water right away and never let the rhizome dry out.
Shipping note: Bog iris; rhizomes must not dry out in transit, so plant and water right away.
Lavender companion · grow guide
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