www.vermontjournal.com
Friendship, family, flowers in brilliant iris garden BY KAREN ENGDAHL, The Shopper June 17, 2018 Iris Garden Marita Johnson and a few of the hundreds of irises in bloom. Photo by Karen Engdahl. SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – The splendid display of more than 200 different colored iris plants in Marita Johnson’s garden is the legacy of over 70 years of cultivating and collecting that started with Johnson’s father in Oregon. Surveying the kaleidoscope of color in the iris bed, Johnson explained, “Many of these plants are ‘iris ancestors’ I gathered when I was in Oregon, tracing the gardening steps of my family. My father brought a lot of irises with him when he moved to Erie, Pennsylvania, where I grew up, and I’ve accumulated many of those as well. I think of this iris bed as a memorial garden to my parents.” Johnson’s iris garden has become a local legend. During the first three weeks of June, the prime time for iris blooms, she eagerly welcomes visitors with personalized tours of the flowerbeds, refreshments, and an opportunity to peruse the extensive documentation of her gardening efforts. A former biology teacher, Johnson has carefully recorded and mapped plantings over the years. “We’ve been developing this garden for more than 40 years,” she laughed. “It’s always a work in progress.” Located high on a hill with a picture-book view of Mt. Ascutney, Johnson’s iris bed has faced the challenges typical of Vermont gardens: limited sunlight, poor soil, and the voracious appetites of local deer. Johnson’s tour of the garden includes explanations of how the bed was moved from its original location to take advantage of more light, her use of compost and manure to enrich beds, and the challenges she has won and lost in her ongoing struggle with the deer. Iris Garden Local artist Gil Perry sketching in iris garden. Photo by Karen Engdahl. Fellow gardeners, former students, artists, and appreciative locals all enjoy the results of her labors. Though the garden is not formally advertised, people find it by word of mouth and many return again and again, checking on which iris colors might be blooming today. Johnson documents visitors with a guest book; she also takes their photos. “So far this year there have been more than 150 people,” she said. “One of my former students stopped by yesterday and saw his photo in the guest book from a few years ago. It’s fun to see the kids growing up, looking back on their pictures.” Tucked behind the main garden near the margin of the woods is another feature loved by children and the young at heart: a charming labyrinth outlined in rocks in the shape of an iris blossom. Johnson even supplies bubble wands for children navigating the labyrinth path. “If two people start the labyrinth at opposite ends, they always meet at the same place in the middle,” she explained. “And then they give each other a hug,” she said, perfectly describing the warmth and friendliness of the garden itself.
Very nice.
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