Giardino dell'Iris

Below Piazzale Michelangelo, Florence’s Giardino dell’Iris occupies a hillside olive grove devoted to the city’s emblematic flower. Since 1957, the garden has hosted an international iris competition, bringing together varieties developed by growers from around the world.

Why it matters

Florence’s gonfalon bears a red iris, and the garden connects the city’s heraldry with its horticultural history. The garden was created in 1954 to host an international competition for bearded irises, with the city providing the Podere dei Bastioni site. Designed by Giuliano Zetti, it was inaugurated in May 1957. Competition entries are grown for three years before anonymous judging by an international jury.

What to notice

The competition plantings include tall, intermediate and dwarf bearded irises, alongside Japanese and Louisiana irises, sibiricas and wild species. A pond created in 1967 accommodates water-loving varieties. Historic plants donated by the Presby Memorial Garden of Montclair, New Jersey, reflect the international relationships that have helped shape the collection. Olive trees, stone paths and planted beds define the garden’s hillside character.

Context and history

Flaminia Specht and Nita Stross Radicati of the Società Italiana Amici dei Fiori proposed bringing the international competition to Florence. City councillor Piero Bargellini helped secure the municipal land, and the garden was laid out by Giuliano Zetti. The competition is organised by the Società Italiana dell’Iris with the Comune di Firenze. Its top award is the Fiorino d’oro; a separate municipal prize recognises the iris closest in colour to the red flower on Florence’s gonfalon.