Giardino dell'Iris is a

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

specializing in the cultivation of iris flowers, symbol of

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

since 1251. It is located on the corner of Viale dei Colli and

Piazzale Michelangelo Piazzale Michelangelo (Michelangelo Square) is a square with a panoramic view of Florence, Italy, located in the Oltrarno district of the city. History This Florentine piazza was designed by architect Giuseppe Poggi and built in 1869 on a hil ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, and open daily without charge from May 2–20 every year. The garden is owned by the Società italiana dell'Iris, who hosted the annual "International dell'Iris" in 1954. Then with help from the local town council, 2 acres of land was made available for the garden. Donations made by many foreign growers including the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens in New Jersey, helped fund the project. Specialists, botanists, hybridizers, horticulturists from various foreign countries visit and work in the Garden for the scientific interest of the Iris. The garden is also open to the public. To enter, the international Competition for the best varieties of Iris, the 'Premio Firenze', Iris growers and breeders from around the world send their best flowers to the garden from June to September every year, where they are planned and cultivated for 3 years before they are reviewed by an international jury. Winners then get a gold Florin. It is almost entirely devoted to iris plants, with more than 1,500 (variously 2,500) varieties on display during the annual competition, including the winners of recent years. The garden contains olive groves, a pond is for the cultivation of aquatic varieties and provides an excellent view of Florence and its surrounding hills.

References

External links

Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza article (Italian)

Cultura Toscana entry

* M. Pozzana, ''I giardini di Firenze e della Toscana, Guida completa'', Firenze, Giunti, 2001, p. 98. * ''Giardini e ville di Toscana, Milano-Firenze'', Touring Club Italiano – Regione Toscana, 2003, p. 36. Botanical gardens in Italy Tourist attractions in Florence Gardens in Florence {{Italy-garden-stub

See also

References

External links