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The Iris Garden in Florence was built in 1954 with the aim of hosting an annual international competition, the “Florence Prize”, acknowledging the best varieties of Iris.

The Garden was set up on a previously cultivated hilly terrain, so most of the tall plants are olive trees. Other species of the Tuscan tradition were used during the preparation phase including cypresses, Judas trees (Cercis siliquastrum L.), strawberry trees (Arbutus unedo L. ), laurels (Laurus nobilis L. ), and some varieties of maples.

The Garden is home to tall-bearded irises, medium-bearded irises, edging and dwarf irises. There are also Siberian irises (Iris sibirica, Iris spuria, Iris californica), and around the lake several Iris louisiana, Iris pseudoacorus, and the Japanese Iris kaempferi. The bearded and non-bearded Iris species typical of our regions are represented by Iris pallida, Iris germanica, Iris florentina, Iris setosa, Iris unguicolaris, as well as Iris ochroleuca.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)