Field Trip--Upper Montclair

I have a soft spot for bearded Iris. I use them often in the gardens I design. They are reliably deer resistant and I like their sculptural blooms and their grey green spiky foliage.

Each May, when I was a teenager, my mother and I would go to a neighboring town during bloom time to visit Mr. Grey--an Iris expert who grew and sold hundreds of varieties in straight rows in his suburban yard. We would choose one or two to try in my mother's garden. I still have a yellowed and much cherished typewritten sheet that I follow from Mr. Grey explaining his best practices for dividing, cleaning and planting the tubers. I learned from Mr. Grey that the easiest way to keep track of when to divide iris is to do so every presidential election year.

Yesterday was a glorious, perfect day. Off I went to Upper Montclair to the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens.

One of the long Iris borders at Presby and the crowd of admirers

Van Gogh's Iris, 1889 (Getty Museum)

Iris at Presby Iris Gardens 2009

It's close by--less than 30 minutes away, yet I'd never been at bloom time before. Consistent here, Iris start on May 15. Of the 3000 varieties in the garden dating back to the 1500's, here are a few of my favorites.

Thornbird (1988)

Auntie Em (2007)

Quaker Lady (1909)

Gracchus (1884)

My Garden State--Jockey Hollow

The footpath to the Cross Estate Gardens in Jockey Hollow

This lovely garden is about 20 minutes from my studio on the way here and there. It is on National Park Service land and is maintained by a staff of dedicated volunteers. I stop there often. There are other elements not shown here, a walled formal garden with two beautiful terra cotta urns and a view east over the foothills and a three story fieldstone water tower. Perhaps another time or visit for yourself...

Spring in the wildflower garden at the Cross Estate Gardens

Massed ferns at the base of a Metaseqoia glyptostroboides

The Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia) allee before it blooms next month

Inspiration and Influence - Bark & Maps

I find the bark of the Chinese Elm (Ulmus parvifolia) to be incredibly beautiful. It is evocative of topographical maps-which I also find to be very beautiful.

Why not Wisteria?

As beautiful and romantic as it is...


Here's why I never recommend it, plain and simple.

Wisteria escaped from a garden climbing a very large Picea abies on my block

There are wisteria vines choking out, shading foliage and pulling down garden structures in more places in New Jersey than I care to relate.