DUKE OF BEDFORD (1922)

TB-E-B1D

RHS AM 1931 Haarlem AM 1932

The Garden 1922

Very vigorous. Glaucous green foliage. Flower stems 40" [102cm] nearly straight 5-6 flowered well spaced. Flowers large, well proportioned, stiff, scented. Standards rather cupped 3x 2¼" bronzy violet blue. Falls hanging straight 2x 2⅛” velvety deep rich nigrosin-violet. Beard orange in upper half . Flowering for 3 weeks from 28th May 1927. (RHS Trials Wisley)

 

Among the famous and much advertised progeny of Dominion, Duke of Bedford stands out as a magnificent flower in every respect. It is a purple bicolor, with very broad and deep coloured falls. The flower is blue toned throughout with the standards considerably lighter. (JW Crow: Notes on New Irises, reprinted from the Canadian Horticulturalist; BIS Yearbook 1930 p105)

 

Effect deep violet with shade of red. Velvety Falls (Wallace1924)

General effect deep violet shade of red. The Standards are rich violet and falls a far deeper tone, almost black purple in certain lights with a reddish sheen under violet veins. In common with others of this race, it possesses a wonderful velvety texture in the falls. 3'[90cm]. ( Wallace 1925)