Presby Memorial Iris Gardens
Encyclopedia
Presby Memorial Iris Gardens (6.5 acres) is a nonprofit, volunteer-run living museum specializing in iris
flowers, located at 474 Upper Mountain Avenue, Montclair
in Essex County
, New Jersey
. Following financial problems in 2008 and 2009, ownership of the gardens was transferred to Essex county, who bought the Walther house for 1.1 million dollars in order to give the Iris gardens a better financial standing. The county then leased the gardens back to the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens for $1.
The gardens were established in 1927 to honor Mr. Frank Presby, noted horticulturalist and a founding member of the American Iris Society. Its well-documented collection now includes approximately 10,000 individual plants, representing 6 species and over 2,000 varieties of irises.
Adjacent to the gardens is the Victorian Walthers House that is home to a museum shop, headquarter for the Citizens Committee, and flanked by the Victorian Garden.
s were vandalized. One year later, Montclair Police were tipped off to the culprits who were later arrested and sentenced. The three men, minors at the time, had clubbed the plants practicing golf swings, while admittedly intoxicated. In 2008, a theft was attempted on some irises, by removing them and putting them in a plastic bag, but they were recovered.
Iris (plant)
Iris is a genus of 260-300species of flowering plants with showy flowers. It takes its name from the Greek word for a rainbow, referring to the wide variety of flower colors found among the many species...
flowers, located at 474 Upper Mountain Avenue, Montclair
Montclair, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,977 people, 15,020 households, and 9,687 families residing in the township. The population density was 6,183.6 people per square mile . There were 15,531 housing units at an average density of 2,464.0 per square mile...
in Essex County
Essex County, New Jersey
Essex County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the United States 2010 Census, the population was 783,969, ranking it third in the state after Bergen County and Middlesex County; Essex County's population has declined from 786,147 as of the bureau's...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Following financial problems in 2008 and 2009, ownership of the gardens was transferred to Essex county, who bought the Walther house for 1.1 million dollars in order to give the Iris gardens a better financial standing. The county then leased the gardens back to the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens for $1.
Description
The Gardens are in a park-like setting and open to the public without charge. The blooming season is May 14 to June 4. It is the largest non-commercial garden dedicated to iris in the world.The gardens were established in 1927 to honor Mr. Frank Presby, noted horticulturalist and a founding member of the American Iris Society. Its well-documented collection now includes approximately 10,000 individual plants, representing 6 species and over 2,000 varieties of irises.
Adjacent to the gardens is the Victorian Walthers House that is home to a museum shop, headquarter for the Citizens Committee, and flanked by the Victorian Garden.
Vandalism
In August 2005, 157 historic rhizomeRhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
s were vandalized. One year later, Montclair Police were tipped off to the culprits who were later arrested and sentenced. The three men, minors at the time, had clubbed the plants practicing golf swings, while admittedly intoxicated. In 2008, a theft was attempted on some irises, by removing them and putting them in a plastic bag, but they were recovered.
See also
- Iris (plant)Iris (plant)Iris is a genus of 260-300species of flowering plants with showy flowers. It takes its name from the Greek word for a rainbow, referring to the wide variety of flower colors found among the many species...
- List of botanical gardens in the United States
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Essex County, New Jersey