The Spectacular Rainbow on the Hill: Presby Memorial Iris Gardens 2023 | Montclair, New Jersey

Presby Memorial Iris Gardens

This spectacular place is the site of one of the largest collections of irises in the WORLD.

These special gardens are known as the “Rainbow on the Hill” because the beautiful blooms stretch up and down the hills of the beautiful grounds.

These lovely gardens located in Montclair, New Jersey have been around since 1927:

In 1927, Miss Katherine Inness, the first curator of the Montclair Art Museum, acted on behalf of the Montclair Museum Board and presented to the Montclair government the project of establishing an iris garden as a memorial to Mr. Presby. The proposed iris gardens would act not only as place of remembrance, but would also draw in visitors and encourage educational projects such as teaching the care, history, and hybridization of iris.

It recently was included in the Best Gardens of America by Good Plant Care!

There’s a Patch article discussing this while bragging about several gorgeous New Jersey gardens that made the list:

Botanical Garden In Montclair Makes ‘Best In America’ List

According to the Essex County Parks website:

Located at the base of the 7 1/2 acre Mountainside Park, the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens contain over 14,000 irises of approximately 3,000 varieties and produce over 100,000 blooms over the course of the season. The annual spring Bloom Season is typically mid-May through the first week of June. Certain beds will bloom in October. Visitors can see by the arching slope of the garden beds why Presby is often referred to as the “rainbow on the hill”.

The Rainbow On The Hill

The gardens are hilly, and the flowers are carefully planted to follow up and down the hilly terrain.

According to a NJ.com article:

Named for Iris, goddess of the rainbow, these shimmering spring blossoms offer an unparalleled range of color, spanning the spectrum from reds and yellows to blues and purples, from pastel shades to deep ones and from pure white to nearly black. Unlike most goddesses in the kingdom of myth, irises play well with others, mingling easily with other flowers that dominate the merry month of May — pansies, peonies and pinks, for example.

They continue:

The best place to encounter iris varieties from the 1500s forward is Presby Memorial Iris Gardens at 474 Upper Mountain Road in Montclair, known far and wide as the “Rainbow on the Hill.”

As you can see from the photos below they are beautifully situated on the hill:

Walther House

The gorgeous Walther House is the main house which also includes the Bloom Room, where Irises are purchased by homeowners.

There is also a cute little shop selling garden-related (and especially iris-related) merchandise.

According to the Garden website:

Barbara Walther was a graduate from the University of Chicago with a Botany degree. In 1918 she and her husband Fred purchased the Upper Mountain property next to Mountainside Park. She was a charter member of the Montclair Women’s Club and the Garden Club of Montclair where she gave lectures and wrote a variety of articles. Mr. and Mrs. Walther were also instrumental in preserving the land for Mountainside Park and establishing the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens

Enchanted Gardens did a lovely write-up of the Gardens:

http://www.enchantedgardensdesign.com/blog/2019/4/16/presby-memorial-iris-garden-a-rainbow-on-the-hill

You can also check out the blog at the American Iris Society:

World of Irises

You can also check out their website:

The American Iris Society

You can also check out my 2015 post about the Gardens:

Presby Memorial Iris Gardens 2015 | Montclair, New Jersey

You can also check out:

The Secret Garden: Avis Campbell Gardens | Montclair, New Jersey

The Secret Garden: Avis Campbell Gardens, Spring 2023 | Montclair, New Jersey

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Van Vleck House and Gardens, Spring 2023 | Montclair, New Jersey

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