Plant in full sun. This vigorous plant requires annual feeding and prefers a rich acidic soil with ample moisture. Can become chlorotic in alkaline conditions. A good location is the shallows or edge of a pond or in a bog planting. Lift and divide plants every 3 years. Great for cut flowers as they can last 7 to 10 days. It is hardy to below 15 degrees F.

The Louisiana hybrids are part of the rhizomatous, beardless group of irises sometimes called the hexagona group (Hexagonae). They are a unique group in the Iris family, consisting of 5 species (I. brevicaulis, I. fulva, I. giganticaerulea, I. hexaonae, and I nelsonii. They are indigenous to the south-central Louisiana gulf coast and inland marshes.

'Black Gamecock' was a hybrid created by Frank Chowning that was released in 1978. Chowning was a Little Rock, Arkansas lawyer whose passion was breeding irises for increased hardiness. From the 1940s through the 1980s he worked with the most northerly iris species which resulted in hardier and shorter plants that bloomed reliably. 'Black Gamecock' received the 1986 American Iris Society's Mary Swords DeBallion Award, which is the highest award given to Louisiana Irises. We grew this plant from 1995 until 2005 as part of our Aquatic Plants Program. 

The information about Iris Louisiana hybrid 'Black Gamecock' that is displayed on this web page is based on research conducted in our nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We will also include observations made about this plant as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens that we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We also incorporate comments that we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they share cultural information that aids others growing this plant.