Presby Memorial Iris Gardens facts for kids
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Presby Memorial Iris Gardens Horticultural Center
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Presby Memorial Iris Gardens
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 Location in Essex County, New Jersey
Location in New Jersey
Location in the United States
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| Location | 474 Upper Mountain Avenue, Montclair, New Jersey |
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| Area | 7.8 acres (3.2 ha) |
| Built | 1922 |
| Architect | John Wister |
| Architectural style | Second Empire |
| NRHP reference No. | 80002483 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | September 17, 1980 |
The Presby Memorial Iris Gardens is a special place in Montclair, New Jersey. It is like a living museum filled with beautiful iris flowers. This garden is run by volunteers and is a non-profit organization. It is located at 474 Upper Mountain Avenue in Montclair, which is in Essex County, New Jersey.
The gardens cover about 6.5 acres of land. Next to the gardens, there is an old Victorian house called the Walther House. This house is open to visitors. It has a museum shop and is where the Citizens Committee, which helps manage the gardens, has its office.
A few years ago, the gardens had some money problems. To help, Essex County bought the Walther House for $1.1 million. This helped the gardens get back on track financially. The county then leased the gardens back to the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens for a very small fee of $1. Even though the county owns the land, the iris beds themselves are cared for by private donations and volunteers. No taxpayer money is used for the flowers.
Visiting the Iris Gardens
The Presby Memorial Iris Gardens are set up like a park. Everyone can visit them for free. However, donations are always welcome and help keep the gardens beautiful. Each year, more than 10,000 people come to see the amazing flowers.
The best time to see the irises in bloom is usually from May 14 to June 4. You can check the Presby website to find out the exact blooming schedule for the current year.
History of the Gardens
The gardens were started in 1927. They were created to honor Frank Presby. He was a famous plant expert and helped start the American Iris Society. Today, this amazing collection has about 10,000 individual iris plants. These plants represent 6 different types and over 3,000 different kinds of irises. It is the largest garden in the world dedicated to irises that is not a business.
Protecting the Iris Plants
In August 2005, some of the historic iris plants were damaged. About 157 special iris rhizomes (which are like the roots of the plants) were harmed. A year later, the people responsible were identified and dealt with. In 2008, someone tried to steal some irises by digging them up and putting them in a bag. Luckily, the plants were found and returned to the garden.
See also
In Spanish: Jardín de Iris conmemorativo de Frank Presby para niños
