SCATTERSHOT DOTS (Paul Black 26)
TB Midseason-late 30” (76cm) Pronounced sweet fragrance.
Here’s another in the limited realm of the strange broken color plicatas. Each flower is patterned differently. Typically marked standards have a light buttercream ground with a dark charcoal-purple wide rib, heavily plicata-sanded center, and wide band. White falls have light yellow variably-sized hafts, irregular broken color segments of wine to purple dotting and sanding, and a narrow dark wine plicata band. Sdlg. EE25A: Black AA84W, Make Up Your Mind X Wild About You

STRANGE BEAST (Paul Black 26)
TB Midseason-late 33” (84cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
Such a mix-up of color and pattern! No two flowers of this broken color sort are the same. Superbly formed flowers have light gold and light mauve broken color segments. More dramatically formed falls are a broken color medley of mid to dark gold and mid to dark burgundy, with a white dart at the end of light marigold beards. Don’t be surprised if you encounter an occasional variegated foliage plant. It intermittently decides to give one. It definitely does not have stable variegated foliage. Strong stalks normally have 2 branches and 7 buds. Sdlg. EE69F: Black Y87A: (Black V24C, Cockeyed Optimist sibling x Black W144C: (Black T46C: (Claim To Fame x Advantage) x Black T52CR: (Black N134AAR: (Island Coral x Black K113A: (Throb x Black I4A: (Blazing Sunrise x Black C17D, Vibrant sibling))) x Advantage))) X Hodgepodge

SULTRY BEAUTY (Paul Black 26)
TB Midseason-late 31” (78.5cm) Pronounced spicy fragrance.
This beauty sweeps onto the dance floor in an elegant velvet gown. The satin sheen of her tightly fitted mid boysenberry top courses downward to her velvety dark burgundy skirt, underlaid with near black veins. Iridescent boysenberry-edged ruffles complete the ensemble. Mid orange beards add a bit of flash. Strong growth produces show stalks with 4 branches and 8-9 buds. It is valuable as a broken color parent. Sdlg. CC57A: Black Y115A, Breaking Free sibling X Goat Rodeo

CANDY BEARD (Paul Black 26)
MTB Midseason-late 26” (66cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
Oh yes, these beards are good enough to eat. Mid pink styles peer from between mid-light blue-pink standards. White falls have wide rosy pink plicata banding, lines and dotting over the center. Makes a very colorful clump. Well-branched stalks have 3 branches and 7-8 buds. Sdlg. EE181A: Bright Victory X Candy Tycoon

FORTUNE AND GLORY (Paul Black 26)
BB Midseason-late 26” (66cm) Slight spicy fragrance.
This stable of smaller flowered parents helped create a near perfect border bearded of mouthwatering mid golden apricot blooms with hazy plum-brown veins descending from vivid orange beards. Moderate ruffling is perfect for its size. Superb parent for BBs, IBs and TBs. Two branches and spur carry 8-9 buds. Sdlg. EE60A: Black BB109A: (Black Y59C: (Hot Off The Press x All Too Exciting) x Hot Off The Press) X Black CC4A: (Hot Off The Press x Z145I: (Black V385B: (First Lady Of Spring x Silver Ice) x Black V168A: (Coral Splendor x Simply Coral)))

RUNNING LATE (Paul Black 26)
SDB Late-very late 15” (38cm) Pronounced sweet fragrance.
I keep working on pushing SDB bloom further and further into TB season. Running Late hits that mark by blooming with midseason TBs. Tightly formed flowers have pale pinkish white standards, contrasting with strongly flared dark purple falls, blending paler to edges. Hazy white darts surround unique burnt orange to violet beards. Rampant growth creates clumps filled with bloom. Sdlg. DD140I: Y191A, Perfectly Composed sibling X Black Y278B: (Black V316F, Circus Act sibling x Don't Fix It)

SAILS UP (Paul Black 26)
MTB Early-midseason 25” (63.5cm) Pronounced sweet fragrance.
It’s time for a pleasant day on the water – hoist the sails. Compact flowers are white, with fall centers lightly washed palest violet, blending to wide light violet margins. White beards don’t distract from a perfect day. Three well-spaced branches carry 8-9 buds. Sdlg. EE99A: CC151A, Dainty Bride sibling X CC119 sib: Double Or Nothing sibling

SORCERER’S SPELL (Paul Black 26)
IB Early-midseason 22” (56cm) Pronounced sweet fragrance.
Beware of the dark side lurking here. Mid red-purple standards blend lighter toward their edge. Open standards reveal showy rose and gold styles. Velvety dark purple falls shade to near black margins. The light tangerine over white beard rests in a white luminata plicata patch. There are sometimes random white streaks and splashes. Use it to create IB and BB broken color flowers. Three branches carry 8-9 buds. Sdlg. EE86A: Nickel’s Worth X Lumistreak

SUN (Paul Black 26)
MTB Early-midseason 25” (63.5cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
The name says it all – Sun has little orbs of sunny yellow, with a blush of pink up the standards. Mid marigold beards add a bit of zing. Show stalks have 3 branches and 9-11 buds. You don’t need to be close to see its impact. Sdlg. EE95A: AA161A, Yowza sibling X Black CC165A: (Fairy King x Y203I, Deep In The Heart sibling)

ON THE PROWL (Thomas Johnson ’26)
SDB Midseason-late 13” (33cm) Sweet fragrance.
White ground petals have a lavender lilac plicata dotted band and a belly stripe. Hafts are touched with deep red wine rays. Large, fuzzy beards are yellow-orange. This little iris really stands out in a crowd. Sdlg. TN281A: Penny For Your Thoughts sibling X Talking Back

ATHENA (Lynda Miller ’26)
TB Late 31” (78.5cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
The Greek goddess of war and wisdom is represented by the dramatic contrast in this bicolor. Caramel standards are infused light burgundy red violet; caramel styles are accented red-violet. Falls are deep smoky red, with a flash of violet below the dark burnt tangerine beards. Seven to nine buds on nicely branched stems. Sdlg. 6418: Fruit Slices X 8714: (1912C: (Rustle Of Spring x Trial By Fire) x 8410: (Original Cast x Standing Alone))

SKY WHISPERS (Lynda Miller ’26)
TB Early-midseason 32” (81.5cm) Slight musky fragrance.
The pattern of Sky Whispers has intrigued me from the first moment I saw it. Standards are light blue-violet, veined darker, with a dark chartreuse edge. Style arms are light blue-violet, tipped dark chartreuse. Falls are full plum-purple, veined light plum purple, with dotted shoulders. Pale blue beards are heavily tipped old gold. Eight buds are held on good stems. Sdlg. 6618A: 7115A: (Lotto Winner x Tuscan Summer) X Gilded Chocolate

SCARLET FLAME (Lynda Miller ’26)
MTB (Tet.) Early-midseason 18” (45.5cm) No fragrance.
Standards are red to red-violet; styles are burgundy with gold edges. Falls are maroon to rose red, with short orange ray lines around the tangerine beard. Sdlg. 921A: 418B: (1915D: (1613: (1411B: (Sun Spirit x Coral Caper) x Coral Sunrise) x 1011B: (Stylish Lass x Sun Spirit)) x 3915C: (2713B: (Cheerful Doll x Night Spirit) x 1411E: (Sun Spirit x Coral Capers))) X Disco Ball

SUNSHINE BLUES (Thomas Johnson ’26)
SDB Midseason-late 14” (35.5cm) Light fragrance.
White ground petals have a lemon plicata overlay on both standards and falls. There are also a few faint lilac plicata dots throughout the flower. A very large deep blue beard certainly makes the whole flower pop. A unique pattern and color combination. Sdlg. TO75D: Believe X Cheers To You

LAUGHING MATTER (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 38” (96.5cm) Slight fragrance.
I am not even going to try to describe the colors of Laughing Matter. The pattern is so complex that I couldn’t possibly begin to do it justice in a written description; the photo kind of says it all. An absolutely stunning combination of colors, and one that most certainly will not be mistaken for anything else. Certainly not a pattern for the faint of heart. We love it and hope you will too. Good garden attributes, with nice stems and bud count. Sdlg. TN233ZZ: TK252C, Mood For Love sibling X Simple Magic sibling

LOVER’S TOUCH (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 39” (99cm) Sweet fragrance.
Standards have a medium blue pink center becoming lighter towards the edge. Falls are lavender white with a dotted blue lavender plicata edge with pink undertones. Beards are a mixture of orange, lavender and white, adding another dimension in this very pleasing and warm color combination. Really a very beautiful and elegant iris, that has lots of buds on nice show stems. Parentage is unknown.

MEET IN THE MIDDLE (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 37” (94cm) Sweet fragrance.
White standards are infused medium yellow up the midrib. Falls are white with a wide lavender dotted plicata band. Hafts are a dark red violet. Every flower has a deep violet dotted center line that varies from one flower to the next. Beautiful wide and ruffled form with gorgeous stems. We have used Meet In The Middle a lot in hybridizing, with fantastic results. Sdlg. TO229B: Road Not Taken X Tenacity

NEXT CHAPTER (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason-late 38” (96.5cm) Slight fragrance.
This iris is for the lovers of brown. Now if we could just make the standards a clean white, we could take it to the next level. At any rate, it is truly stunning as is. Standards are creamy white, with a heavy dose of deep lemon infused up through the center. Falls are a rich brown, with a lighter amber yellow edge. Strong growth and nice show stems add to the appeal. We like our Next Chapter very much! Sdlg. TN97UU: Autumn Tease sibling X Que Sera Sera

PERFECT IN EVERY WAY (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason-late 38” (96.5cm) Sweet fragrance.
Ooh la la, this one is a stunner. I am not usually overtaken by yellow and white, as the pattern has been done before, but... I simply cannot get enough of this. The form is impeccable, the stems and bud count are first rate, and the clumps are like heaven! The color is so clean and clear, and applied in such a way, that it makes me want to just pull up a chair and sit and stare at it all day long. Is it a glaciata? If you look deep in the heart, you will see the smallest of short purple lines. Whatever the classification, it is certainly gorgeous and highly recommended. Sdlg. TO150C: Gone Viral X Feast For The Eyes

PUZZLE PIECE (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason-late 37” (94cm) Slight fragrance.
Iris have become such complex beings when it comes to patterns and application of color. The standards are pretty straight forward, being a brilliant golden yellow, but the falls are a bit more complex. There is a large and plush mahogany red signal spot in the center, but things get complicated in the band. There is a large wide band that circles the signal, but instead of it being one consistent color, it starts out as a light lavender and lemon blend at the haft, about half way down transitions to lemon, and finally shows deep gold at the distal end. The standard color reflecting itself at the distal end of the fall draws the eye across the whole flower and creates a very pleasing presentation. Tall, well branched and budded stems help it to compete on the show bench as well. Shockingly bright and beautiful. Sdlg. TN50ZZ: Autumn Tease sibling X Truth Or Dare