■(TB) 'Helen McGregor '

1946, Graves

'Helen McGregor' (Robert J. Graves, R. 1943) TB. Midseason bloom. Color Class- B1M. 'Purissima' X 'Cloud Castle'. Fairmount 1946. High Commendation 1943; Honorable Mention 1946; Award of Merit 1948; American Dykes Medal 1949.

Dr. Graves named this iris in memory of his wife's maiden name.

See below:

• * References

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References:

"As for Helen McGregor, the pale blue pod sister of Lady Boscawen, it was freely spoken of, both at Roanoke and in New England, as "the iris of the year." A bit slow to reach full height, it makes a magnificent clump when established; it is delightful in both color and form, and sheds rain superbly. Readers of the BULLETIN will doubtless grow weary of superlatives on the subject, and as 160 of them saw it in New England I shall omit further details." John Dolman, Jr., “From Virginia to New Hampshire,” The Bulletin of the American Iris Society, No. 103 (October 1946): 14-15.
HELEN McGREGOR (Graves, 1946): Its first flower gave no indication of its real worth. A clear pure blue of excellent form; good branching; good substance. Calif. “Varietal Comments” The Bulletin of the American Iris Society, No. 103, (October 1946): 61.
"I must, I fear, confess to a sense of disappointment in the highly praised Helen McGregor. There is no doubt but that it is a first class doer, but neither the form or the colour were able to stand up to the difficult conditions. The sun bleached the flowers as soon as they opened and the heat collapsed the standards to such an extent that they became limp and flattened. It was possible to appreciate the ethereal effect of the soft cream shading on the haft and also the free flowering qualities of the plant. I should like to see this variety grown in semi-shade." Gwendolyn Anley, (England), American Irises in English Gardens,” The Bulletin of the American Iris Society, No. 107, “Iris Ramblings” (October 1947): 7.
"Helen McGregor (Graves '46) was in beautiful display at the Long's, the first time I had seen it. My instant reaction was "well no wonder," for Helen McGregor has such complete beauty of form and purity of color that it is easy to see why this iris has won such universal applause and why it rates it. The flower is large, the broad petals ruffled, the color a very pure light blue, the stalk is strong, the branching exceptional and the ensemble completely satisfying." David R. Kinnish, O.S.B., (Kansas), “In Kansas, Missouri and Illinois,” The Bulletin of the American Iris Society, No. 107, “Iris Ramblings” (October 1947): 41.

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Interested in Tall Bearded Iris? Please visit the: Tall Bearded Iris Society website.

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-- KentPfeiffer - 2010-07-11