Iris Award
The Garden Club awards were given to owners who have shown pride and creativity in maintaining their property. Congratulations to these Shrewsbury residents and may they be an inspiration to others.
Nominations for the Iris Award may be sent at any time to
Shrewsbury Garden Club
Iris Award or Contact Us
20 Maple Circle
Shrewsbury, MA 01545
Please let us know something about why you feel this individual, business or group should receive The Garden Club Iris Award. The awardee will receive a certificate of recognition as well, as a sign posted at the sight of the beautification. Multiple awards may be given so there is no limit to the number of nominations. Garden Club members will review each nominee before making the award.
2026 : Iris Awards given this year.
At the beginning of June, the Shrewsbury Garden Club selected three local properties to receive our Iris Award. This honor recognizes homeowners and businesses for their extra creativity, skill in garden design, and dedication to landscape maintenance—and serves as a big “thank you” for helping beautify our town.
111 Maple Avenue – The Jaffarian Family
We met with the Jaffarian family to present their award and tour their wonderful property. Their yard features a lovely border, thriving vegetable plants, and a dramatic mix of perennials and annuals that enliven the entire backyard.
212 Grafton Street – Ellen Hornig
Barbara joined Elaine and Jeanne to present the Iris Award to Ellen Hornig. Leveraging her background in horticulture, Ellen has transformed her property into a true showplace filled with specimen trees, shrubs, vibrant flowering plants, and lush ground cover.
176 North Quinsigamond Avenue – Jennifer Hale & Andrew O’Connor
Jennifer Hale and Andrew O’Connor were also selected as Iris Award recipients. Over the years, they have dedicated immense effort to adding expansive flower beds, specialty trees, unique shrubs, and even a goldfish pond complete with a croaking frog!
At the end of June, two more properties were selected to receive the Iris Award.
332 Boylston Street – Ron & Sherry Alarie
Ron and Sherry Alarie wowed us once again, earning this honor for the second time! Their garden features a dense, impressive display of perennials, shrubs, trees, and even a detailed wood carving of an eagle. Kudos to them for keeping their creative juices flowing and continuing to elevate their space!
9 Edgewood Road – Ann Kokernak
Ann Kokernak has proven to be a true “foxglove magician.” Her stunning foxgloves tower at three and a half feet tall, creating a gorgeous, showy focal point for the neighborhood. Ann does most of the heavy lifting to maintain her beautifully laid-out beds and grounds.
Congratulations to all our local award winners! If you are out for a walk, driving through a neighborhood, or notice a Shrewsbury business with an outstanding garden, please let us know. We love celebrating local green thumbs who help make Shrewsbury a beautiful place to live.
2024 : The Iris Awards this year were given to the following :
In July, 2024, the Iris award was presented to Beth Murray, Debbie Tardy, Deb Lane, and Nancy Woron. As residents of Francis Gardens, they have taken it upon themselves to keep the grounds of the facility beautifully planted and cared for all year.
The first Iris Award of the season was awarded to David Kurzontkowski in recognition of his restoration of this beautiful building and gardens, located on Main Street.
Check out the pictures of the awardee’s in this link.
2022: The Garden Club is pleased to announce recipients for the 2022 Iris Award. Awards were given to owners who have showed pride and creativity in maintaining their property. The summer of 2022 was a difficult summer to keep yards looking good and these owners did just that. Congratulations to these Shrewsbury residents and may they be an inspiration to others.
The first for this year was awarded to Mr. & Mrs. Vincent Rico who resides at 92 Lake Street.
Andrew Jenkins accepted the Garden Club’s Iris Award on behalf of the Joseph Jenkins Law Firm, located at 7 Grafton Street. Their pretty garden in front of the building is neat, tidy and well maintained with a good choice of plants for the small space. Congratulations and thank you for helping to make Shrewsbury a beautiful town.
An Iris Award was presented to Mr. Haitham Krecht, manager of the Mobil Service Station on 22 Maple Ave. for the outstanding landscaping at his place of business. Adding this oasis of beautiful flowers to busy Maple Ave. is a welcome sight for drivers and walkers. Thank you, Mr. Krecht for helping to make our town of Shrewsbury more beautiful.
2019 recipients were, Ronald and Sherry Alarie of 322 Boylston Street, Alan and Susan Jackson of 167 Maple Ave and Stephan and Noelle Freeman of 256 Oak Street.
2016 : Price Chopper Market was awarded an Iris award for their efforts to make a commercial establishment look attractive with their floral display in front of their building entrance.
2015 : The Iris Award for 2015 was awarded to St. Mary’s Parish located on Main Street. St. Mary’s has continually showed pride in making the entrance to the church attractive and inviting. The display of color and texture is a visual treat. The Garden Club commends St. Mary’s Church for their role in making Shrewsbury more beautiful.
Garden Club members Ann Pignataro (left) and Jane Umphrey (right) present the 2015 Iris Award for Community Beautification to Father Michael Rose.
The first Iris Award was given to Mr. Timothy Camp who resides in the Jordon Pond area of Shrewsbury and has taken on an active roll in helping to clean up and maintain the walking trail which surrounds the pond. We commend Mr. Camp for his continued work to help keep Jordon Pond a place for residents to enjoy.
Garden Club members Alison Ricker (left), Ann Pignataro (center) and Iris Award recipient Timothy Camp (left).
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