This past weekend some dear friends invited us to join them on an outing to one of Upper Montclair, New Jersey’s most delightful treasures, The Presby Iris Memorial Gardens. Established in 1927, and abutting South Mountain Reservation, the garden was created as a memorial to Frank H. Presby, one of the founders of the American Iris Society and a citizen of Montclair. According to the garden’s website, there are currently over 14,000 irises of approximately 3,000 varieties and produce over 100,000 blooms over the course of the season. These include varieties dating back to the 1500s!
The day we chose to visit was perfect—sunny and in the 70s. The garden was at peak bloom. When we arrived there was even a jazz trio on the porch of the garden’s house that now serves as gallery and gift shop, so it was truly a feast for eyes and ears!
As we strolled the grassy paths between the iris beds boasting names like Easter Bonnet, Fatal Attraction and Doodle Strudle, we marveled at the amazing diversity of color and detail of blooms. I especially loved the many shades of violet and lavender. Our friends were drawn to the rusts and peaches. It was all so lovely!
Here a few pictures I took from our day to give you a sense of the visual glory of the afternoon.
Then our friend, Rob, did something I’ve never even thought of doing, even though we have our very own bed irises at the back of our very own yard. He bent down and sniffed one! “Mmmm…” he said. “Every time I smell irises I think of my mom and the irises she grew by our house in Newark.”
Enchanted at the thought of what I’ve been missing all these years and marveling over how a smell could transport him like that back to a specific time and place, I decided to sniff the irises as well.
Perhaps because it was breezy, I really had to bring my nose close to catch the essence. I mentioned this to Rob. “Well, I was only five then,” was his response. In other words, he, and his nose, were just about the same height as his mother’s flowers. And so that scent left a beautiful imprint on his soul.
Each variety of bloom, by the way, has its own delicate and distinct scent and I later learned that these are often used to make perfumes and gin. I also learned they make me sneeze.
Surprise, surprise, all this sniffing, has gotten me thinking about writing and life. So here are two iris-inspired takeaways to launch us into the weekend:
First, the obvious. As writers, let’s not overlook the power of smell to add depth and richness to our stories and poems. For further Sassi thoughts on this check here.
Second, this experience is a good reminder to me that as we stroll through the garden of life, there is more going on that meets the eye. And if we are constantly in a rush, we will only scratch the surface of all that is to be experienced. There is joy in slowing down to experience life at all its levels. In other words, don’t forget to stop to smell the roses, or in this case, the irises!
Happy writing, and living, and sniffing!
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It’s NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER and time for a COVER REVEAL!!! (In case you missed it.) Illustrator Sandra Eide and I have a prayer book coming out in August 2023 with Paraclete Press and the cover is just starting to pop up on the web. 
Laura Sassi Tales 