Hybridized iris plants at their peak at Rutgers Gardens. Photo by Moira Keihm.
Nearly a century after their first collaboration, Rutgers Gardens and the American Iris Society reunite to celebrate horticultural excellence, student learning, and a shared legacy of iris innovation.
As a demonstration of its place as a garden of horticultural excellence and a nod to its history of showcasing hybridized iris research, Rutgers Gardens was selected as a featured site of the American Iris Society’s 2026 Convention. The AIS provided stunning “guest iris” plants bred by skilled hybridizers that were installed at Rutgers Gardens in 2024 and 2025.
On May 22, a beautiful day filled with blue skies and sunshine during an otherwise rainy week, a large contingent of AIS members and iris enthusiasts spent a full day exploring Rutgers Gardens. Attendees saw the irises in full bloom throughout the display gardens, held a silent auction at the Alumni Pavilion, engaged with student horticulturists, and judged entries in the 2026 Iris Awards. It was the culmination of years of hard work, collaboration, educational experiences, creativity, and the forging of new friendships.
Visitors appreciate irises during Iris Field Day in May of 1939. Photo belongs to the Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University Libraries.
The connection between Rutgers Gardens and iris plants dates to 1922, when the Iris Display Garden was established in what was then known as Horticulture Farm No. 1. This early iteration of the site that would become Rutgers Gardens was not considered a public botanical garden at that time, but a living laboratory for ornamental horticulture research conducted to benefit New Jersey farmers and nursery industry professionals. This made the Iris Display Garden a singular addition. The garden generated public interest and popular Iris Field Days were hosted annually.
By 1930, Hort Farm 1 featured hundreds of varieties of irises as well as displays of test gardens developed with the AIS. Rising costs for exclusive iris varieties and changing trends in suburban landscape design led Hort Farm 1 to begin transitioning the iris collection in 1963 to a display of annual flowers in 1964. That space is now the Donald B. Lacey Display Garden.
Fast forward from 1964 to 2024, when the AIS was planning its 2026 Convention and selected Rutgers Gardens as one of the featured garden sites. Almost a century after Rutgers Gardens and the AIS first partnered to share horticulture education and a passion for iris varieties with the public, this reunion would amplify the historical significance of irises on display at Rutgers Gardens.
Attendees of the AIS 2026 Convention enjoy the irises in the Donald B. Lacey Display Garden at Rutgers Gardens. Photo by Lauren Errickson.
Lauren Errickson, Director of Rutgers Gardens and Campus Stewardship, emphasizes how powerful this project has been. “Bringing this garden to a full-circle moment in collaboration with the AIS is very meaningful to me. I am grateful that we have been able to work together to connect the efforts of hybridizers from across the country with the long-standing history of irises at Rutgers Gardens in a way that lets so many people appreciate and learn about the plants,” she shares.
A Northern Blue Flag Iris blooms in the Rain Garden at Rutgers Gardens. Photo by Moira Keihm.
Rutgers Gardens was eager to highlight its historical links to the plant, declaring the Northern Blue Flag Iris (Iris versicolor) the 2026 “plant of the year.” Rutgers Gardens members were given an Iris versicolor plant as part of their membership benefits, as the variety is one of the focal points of the Rain Garden in the spring.
For each annual convention, hybridizers providing guest irises to gardens featured during it’s the tours are required to follow specific rules and timelines for sending their beloved, creatively named rhizomes to the sites entrusted with their care. For two years, Rutgers Gardens staff members and student horticulturists worked to ensure these guest irises not only survived, but thrived, so that Convention guests could enjoy the peak blooms and judge entries in the annual AIS Awards in May 2026.
It was a privilege and a responsibility that Rutgers Gardens staff did not take lightly.
Assistant Director: Horticulture Maxine Marvosa worked with AIS Guest Iris Chair George Hildenbrandt to receive shipments of hybridized bearded and beardless rhizomes in 2024. “George was amazing. He provided labels and spreadsheets and was available for any questions we had. Working with the AIS has been wonderful. They are such a well-organized group who gave us planting information and guidelines that were helpful when installing the irises.”
Installed irises wait for spring. Photo by Moira Keihm.
The first delivery of rhizomes arrived during a particularly hot and dry summer. Marvosa continues, “We kept a close eye on them to make sure they were well watered and cared for. In early winter 2024, we received another shipment of irises to plant and the deer pressure on them was severe. The deer do not eat irises, instead they pull them out of the soil, realize they do not like them, and then drop them. We would search the grounds and collect irises in the snow, then try to replant them according to maps we made during the installation.”
Marvosa is proud of the team’s commitment and dedication. “In the two years after planting, the beds were maintained by the Rutgers Gardens student horticulturists who fought tirelessly against the weeds and invasive species coming up in between the irises.”
David Ackerman, who began his journey caring for the irises as a student intern and became the full-time Gardens and Grounds Technician by convention time, says, “After cultivating the irises for years with fellow interns, the convention visit gave me an even greater appreciation for their history and the dedicated community that continues to preserve and improve them. Seeing irises incorporated into the Donald B. Lacey Display Garden was a fantastic way to bring back Rutgers Gardens history in a modern context.”
The Donald B. Lacey Display Garden in May 2026, designed by David Ackerman. It featured an alluring mix of spring bulbs such as ornamental allium, newly planted annual flowers, and the irises installed in 2024. The garden continues to transform throughout the bloom season as the irises and spring flowers recede and the annuals fill more of the space. Photo by Moira Keihm.
Ackerman tapped into his skills and creativity as a landscape architecture major to design the 2026 annuals display, which inhabits the outer beds of what is affectionately known as “the DBL.” While the vibrant annuals beckon many visitors to Rutgers Gardens each bloom season, this year would be notable with hundreds of additional AIS Convention guests also viewing the garden. Ackerman ensured that the color palettes, textures, and shapes found in his annuals design paired well with the kaleidoscope of colors in the iris beds to achieve a cohesive yet layered overall display garden.
However, during the 2024 installations, there was no way to know what each hybrid iris would look like when it bloomed. With names like “Stellar Wind,” “Mai Tai Join You,” and “Heaven’s Outskirts,” one could only guess the colors and unique features the iris would eventually present. Danielle Lohrman (SEBS’27), a Rutgers Gardens student horticulturist, admitted that she previously thought “irises only came in yellow.” Two bloom seasons later, she declares, “Now I’m a big fan of iris varieties, and some of them smell so good, like a mix of bubble gum and citronella.”
Marvosa adds, “When the irises were in bloom this year, the response we got from the public was incredibly positive. People were coming to Rutgers Gardens just to see the beautiful iris display at its peak.”
Rutgers Gardens was invited to the 2026 AIS Convention’s welcome dinner at the Newark Liberty International Airport Marriott Hotel on May 19 along with representatives of the three additional featured gardens. Moira Keihm, Senior Program Coordinator: Education and Engagement, was warmly welcomed by the convention co-chairs and AIS members. “I was wowed by the enthusiasm, knowledge, and friendliness of the organization’s leadership and its members.”
An AIS Convention guest takes photos of daylilies. Photo by Lauren Errickson.
The dinner also served as an annual meeting. “During roll call,” Keihm continues, “the regional clubs stood up and waved and celebrated, cheering for each other and showing how genuinely happy they were to be part of this community. The attendees’ love for these plants and their devotion to traveling all over the country to see iris displays was palpable.”
The Convention visit to Rutgers Gardens was a resounding success. Andi Rivarola, a 2026 Convention Co-Chair, and immediate past president of the AIS, describes key aspects of their organization’s time in the gardens. “Members of The American Iris Society enjoyed a wonderful visit during the 2026 AIS National Convention. It was a delight to stroll through the gardens and see the irises thriving, displaying a spectacular rainbow of colors that only they can provide.”
Rivarola continues, “We also appreciated the beautiful shade garden, where towering trees and lush foliage created a peaceful retreat. And, according to our youngest attendees, one of the highlights of the visit was discovering frogs hiding among the pond in the iris beds—a memorable adventure that added an extra touch of fun to the day.”
Assistant Director: Horticulture Maxine Marvosa, at right, chats with AIS members. Photo by Moira Keihm.
Staff members were pleased to see their efforts caring for the horticulture displays at Rutgers Gardens rewarded with a triumphant convention visit. “All of the AIS members were so complimentary of the gardens and the iris displays that our team put together,” notes Marvosa. “We are going to stay in contact with many of the breeders who would like to evaluate other new iris varieties out at Rutgers Gardens, including Japanese irises.”
SEBS student and landscape architecture major Lohrman shares how the educational experience impacted her: “It was nice meeting the breeders of the irises I was helping to make the display labels for. It was like encountering a celebrity! Previously, I had no idea how the breeding process worked. I spoke to so many different people who were more than happy to share their knowledge.”
“I found it to be a very educational event as well as a great opportunity to connect with passionate plant people from all over the country,” says Ackerman. As part of the guest iris donation process, Rutgers Gardens gets to keep all the irises and visitors can continue to enjoy them in the display gardens in the future. Ackerman is thrilled that this collaboration has resulted in “the reintroduction of irises at Rutgers Gardens, as they will add beauty and seasonal color in our ornamental spaces for years to come.”
Assistant Director: Horticulture Marvosa looks ahead. “I was so impressed by the convention experience and how welcoming the group was that I joined the American Iris Society as a member the next day. I want to be part of and support an organization that cares so much about what they do and is so willing to welcome new people and share their knowledge with others. I look forward to working with the AIS in the future.”
A version of this article originally appeared in the July 2026 Friends of Rutgers Gardens newsletter. Subscribe to receive monthly updates from Rutgers Gardens here.
