An iris festival grows in Bordentown City
BORDENTOWN CITY — Prepare your most prized plants.
The 19th annual Franklin Carr Memorial Iris Festival and Competition will be held on Saturday at the Friends Meeting House, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sponsored by the Downtown Bordentown Association, the contest is held each year to honor Franklin Carr, a famous horticulturalist from the town. “Franklin Carr resided in Bordentown City a lot of his life and he was a (grower) of hybrid irises,” said Rebecca Moslowski, the secretary of the association and chair of the event.
Carr’s success in the garden led to winning 12 international awards. He was commissioned to do work for the Vatican and the Buckingham Palace, among other places. And, gardens featuring his irises can be seen in New Zealand, Newfoundland and Scotland.
The competition is free and open to the public. Those interested in participating must bring their irises the morning of the event and register. The event will be judged by a member of the New Jersey Iris Society.
Prizes will be given out for the best hybrid iris, as well as no-named irises, named irises and iris center pieces. Competition turnout is different each year, as the season’s temperatures have a significant impact on competitors.
“It really depends on the weather, some years we are overwhelmed,” said Pattie DeSantis, a member of the association and chair of the contest.
For those who do come out to compete, the day can be very rewarding, she said.
“I think that people who grow Franklin Carr irises are really excited,” said DeSantis, speaking of those who have actual bulbs that were Carr’s. “They feel like they did something really great with their irises.”
In addition to the competition, the day will also feature garden vendors and an art walk outside of the Friends Meeting House. Visitors can browse through pottery, lawn ornaments, New Jersey natural plants, professional flower arrangements, garden art and more. This will all be open through 6 p.m.
“It’s a garden scene, it has everything,” said Moslowski.
Carriage rides will be offered all day to take visitors over to Hill Top Park to view a special memorial planted there. “They have a dedicated garden to Franklin Carr (with irises) that are normally in bloom this time of year. It’s just really beautiful,” said DeSantis.
Rides are $20 and can be booked in advance by calling Moslowski at Rebecca’s Vintage Boutique, 609-298-9422.
And, if it’s not enough to just view and purchase plants and plant accessories, you can learn all about them as well. Special plant and flower-related lectures will be held throughout the afternoon.
Speaker Beth Davis will lead “Orchids are Different but not Difficult” at 1 p.m. John, a New Jersey Master Naturalist and Certified Interpretive Guide, and Christine Black, a videographer and plant enthusiast, will lead “Give Natives a Chance” at 2. And the Burlington County Master Gardeners will be on hand to speak at 3.
“Anybody that loves flowers, gardening or wants to learn the history of a certain plant will have a great time,” said Moslowski.
For more information, visit downtownbordentown.com. The Friends Meeting House is located at 302 Farnsworth Ave.
Mariel Carbone: 609-871-8055;
email: mcarbone@calkins.com;
Twitter: @MarielCarbone
