Westborough gardener was internationally known for her iris hybrids

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Westborough gardener was internationally known for her iris hybrids
Westborough gardener Bee Warburton registered 100 of her unique irises, created by crossing different colors, shapes, sizes, and petal designs. (Photo/Annette Kahn-Arcangeli)

WESTBOROUGH – Row upon row of rainbow-hued irises ― 4,000 in all ― bordered the long lane to the Westborough home of internationally acclaimed iris hybridizer Beatrice A. Warburton.

The Westborough Garden Club recently marked its 90th anniversary by celebrating her as the most famous gardener from Westborough’s past. Each member received a Warburton iris to plant as a memento.

Warburton, who was known as Bee, was born in 1903 and grew up in New York. She majored in chemistry at Barnard College in the 1920s. Tragedy struck when her father died unexpectedly. Warburton dropped out of college to become a medical technician to help support her family. Despite lacking a college degree, she continued to learn by conducting experiments and writing about her findings.

In 1948, Warburton and her husband, Frank, settled on the family chicken farm in Westborough, where Mugford’s Florist Shop stands today. She decided she would try her hand at gardening with her husband’s help. When she couldn’t locate the dwarf iris she desired, Warburton’s scientific training kicked in. She decided to hybridize her own irises and became increasingly fascinated by iris genetics.

After meticulous work with tweezers and a magnifying glass, Warburton became adept at transferring the pollen from one iris to a different breed. Over the next 38 years, she hybridized dwarf iris and tall bearded Siberian iris. Warburton registered 100 of her unique irises, which were created by crossing different colors, shapes, sizes and petal designs. Most of her creations were dwarf irises in shades of blue and purple.

Warburton’s irises won accolades all over the world. To this day, her irises are grown in Europe, Asia, and Africa. She never sold her irises but delighted in giving them away.

Warburton may have made an even greater contribution to iris gardeners through her writing, editing, and publishing about iris genetics.

One of her most important accomplishments was editing the classic book “The World of Irises.” She died in January 1996 at age 92, but she is still an icon in the international circle of iris growers and gardeners.

The greenhouse at Westborough High School was named for her in 2002. Bee Warburton’s colorful legacy, born in Westborough, continues to bloom each spring the world over.

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