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the quest for the perfect red Beauty Contest
[Maddalena Delli]
The mix-up starts with the name: it's called 'giglio', but it's not a lily at all. It's an iris - or giaggiolo, as any Florentine would rather say. Then the color: bright red. There's no such thing as a bright red iris in nature, and even the most elaborate hybridizations haven't managed to obtain it. Still, wherever you turn your gaze, there is a red iris proudly adorning the Florentine city arms. It all happened early in the second half of the 13th century, when the Guelphs finally had the upper hand over the Ghibellines. As a sign of victory, they inverted the colors on the city standard, which had been a white iris against a red background. A near-cousin of the French Fleur-de-lis, the original emblem was the wild white Iris Florentina which had been thriving since time immemorial on the banks of the Arno. Carelessly uprooted by greedy Sunday strollers, it is now a rarity to be found only in a few private gardens.
At about the same time as the inversion of the standard colors, the city of Florence started minting a gold coin called Fiorino (Florin) which sported the iris on one side and John the Batptist (the city patron saint) on the other. The currency was so reliable that it served as the legal tender for all international transactions for almost two centuries, thus tying the name of Florence with the symbol of the iris forever.
In 1954 Mrs. Flamina Specht and Mrs. Nita Stross Radicati, two enthusiastic hybridisers, launched an international competition for the best tall and bearded iris. The city council sensed the symbolic import of the project and granted the use of a gently sloping olive grove under the eastern bastions of Piazzale Michelangelo. Entries came from all over the world. The irises were tended for three years, and in 1957 the first Premio Firenze was awarded.
Last year saw a record participation of 150 new varieties. The rhysomes are sent to Florence by hybridisers throughout the world in the summer and they are cultivated by the volunteers of the Italian Iris society in the Iris Garden for three years before being submitted to an International Jury. A classification of merit is established and several prizes are awarded, on the basis of particular characteristics. The first prize is a replica Gold Fiorin, while a special prize is offered by the city council to the red variety which is most similar to the on depicted on the Florentine standard.
Each year the winning irises stay in the garden, thus forming an important collection. Collections have also been donated from the Presby Memorial Garden of Montclair (New Jersey), the Kelway Gardens and more recently, the fantastic Payne Collection. In 1967, a small lake was constructed in the lower area of the garden to allow cultivation of the Japanese and Louisiana irises in the surrounding boggy land.
The Iris garden opens to the public in May each year, when the huge variety of magnificent irises is in full bloom. You needn't be a connoisseur to relish in the rainbow of colors ranging from every conceivable shade of blue and purple to infinite combinations of white, yellow, pink and russet. No wonder the garden is a favorite with painters...
The Iris Garden is open daily May 2nd-20th. Hours: 10am-12.30pm and 3-7pm. Free admission. Info 055.483112 or www.irisfirenze.it
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http://www.irisfirenze.it