'Friendship in Bloom’ Exhibit Prepares for Iris Celebration in Rochester
Warner Alumna Began Collaborations

The Rare Books and Special Collections Library at the University of Rochester will exhibit irises in books and prints from the Ellwanger and Barry Nursery Library and from its other collections from now until September.

“Friendship in Bloom: Four Centuries of Floral Images to Celebrate the Iris Friendship Garden in Highland Park” coincides with the dedication of a special iris garden in Highland Park in collaboration with one of Rochester’s Sister Cities, Hamamatsu, Japan. In turn, Hamamatsu is featuring new hybrids of the native American wildflower, the Louisiana iris, that were created especially for Pacific Flora 2004, an international garden and horticulture exposition, and for the public garden in Rochester.

The seed for these collaborations began eight years ago when Edna Claunch, Warner graduate, avid gardener, educator, and member of the Hamamatsu/Rochester Sister Cities Committee, was asked to arrange for a Rochester presence at the Pacific Flora exhibition.

On this side of the Pacific, Claunch reached out to local institutions for their expertise and collections to celebrate friendship—and the beauty of flowers—in the coming months. Claunch received her master’s and doctoral degrees in education from what is now the Margaret Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development at the University.

The exhibit is designed for gardeners, art lovers, botanists, and anyone anxious to see and read about spring and summer blooms. The display, which is free and open to the public, will be located on the second floor of Rush Rhees Library on the University’s River Campus through Sept. 15.

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