RED HOT BLUES (Paul Black 23)
SDB Early 12” (30cm)
Pronounced sweet fragrance The layers of color in the falls is entrancing. Standards and styles are mid gold. Black cherry hafts of falls blend to mid rose and then are banded bronzy brown. Half burnt orange and mid lavender beards end with a darker violet flash at their end. Sdlg. BB246A: Black Y278B: (Black V316F, Circus Act x Don’t Fix It) X Yoda

SPILT MILK (Paul Black 23)
AB OGB- Midseason-Late 28” (71cm)
Slight sweet fragrance Interestingly, this cross had about 1/3 broken colored seedlings. I don’t know where it comes from. Ecru standards have light old gold centers turning to lines and then heavier stitched borders. Random rosy wine splashes further decorate them. Crests of dark gold styles are striped red-brown. White falls are heavily washed and mottled dark brown. Random streaks and flecks of white make it a bit whimsical. Multi-layered dark brown and old gold beards terminate in small black aril signals. Two well-spaced branches have 5 buds. Sdlg. BB186B: Smokin’ Hot X Let’s Play Dress Up

FREE AT LAST (T. Johnson ’24)
TB Midseason-late 40” (102cm)
Sweet fragrance. The photo says it all with this iris. The gorgeous wide, ruffled and impeccable form of the flowers first comes to mind. The ruffled medium yellow standards have a slight pink flush in the centers. Falls are cream with deeper yellow hafts and a lacy yellow edge. Sdlg. TL70ZZ: Slice Of Heaven X Painted Shadows

SPECIAL AGENT MAN (Black ’24)
TB Midseason-late 35” (89cm)
Sweet fragrance. Another ‘Crocodile Smile’ child. It has an interesting combination of cool colored standards and warm falls. Falls show a slightly different expression of the plicata pattern. Also notice the interesting dotted plicata pattern on the back of the falls, characteristic of many ‘Crocodile Smile’ offspring. Near solid gray plum standards sit atop butter yellow ground falls with a nearly solid overlay of dark plum and marigold beards. Sdlg. BB108A: Black Y56B: (Hot Off The Press x All Too Exciting) X Crocodile Smile

BOXING RING (T. Johnson ’25)
TB Early-midseason 38” (96.5cm) Sweet fragrance.
Standards are a medium yellow with a darker edge. Falls are a very light yellow with deep lemon yellow hafts. A wide ruffled deep maroon band frames the pattern. It is hard to capture the true grandeur of Boxing Ring in a photo. The flowers are very large and widely formed with great ruffles. It creates a very dramatic look in the garden. Much admired by garden visitors, it is a gorgeous iris that will not be overlooked.
Sdlg. TN118XX: Headshot X TI147B: (Hard To Resist x TE25A: (TY55B: (Starship Enterprise x Pursuit Of Happiness) x Brazilian Art)

DRAMATIC FINALE (T. Johnson ’25)
TB Late-very late 38” (96.5cm) Slight fragrance.
Standards have dark reddish violet centers with a wide blue violet area and then a lighter edge. Falls are the same with deep reddish violet hafts. The flowers on Dramatic Finale are extremely ruffled and a bit flared. Nice stems with good bud count are the norm. Dramatic Finale is very late and is not recommended in hot early climates such as Southern CA or Arizona where it may be susceptible to heat burn. It should be a great variety to close the season in the more northerly gardens.
Sdlg. TL6ZZ: Barbara Rider X Espionage

OH FAR OUT (T. Johnson ’25)
TB Early-midseason 37” (94cm) Sweet fragrance.
Oh Far Out is what I say each year when I approach this iris. The intensity of the gold is so bright, it is amazing!! Brilliant golden yellow flowers have a wide and precise maroon red band and lighter rim on the falls. An absolutely stunning iris in a clump!! Strong show stems are in abundance. Recommended for those who are looking for an iris to make a statement.
Sdlg. TM62YY: Headshot X Coloricious

STARE INTO MY EYES (P. Black '25)
AB (OGB-) Late-very late 23” (58.5cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
Stare Into My Eyes makes a significant advancement in the buds and branching of quarter arilbred irises. It is a big favorite. Strong stalks have two well-spaced branches plus spur and 7-8 buds. It is vigorous and as easy to grow as other bearded irises. White standards have light yellow centers blended to wide white bands shot with light yellow veins. Falls have big purple signals irregularly blended into wide light amethyst bands. Because of its later bloom, you’ll be able to take it to a show.
Sdlg. CC140A: Heart Of Hearts X Casual Attire

DESERT OASIS (P. Black '25)
AB (OGB-) Midseason-late 33” (84cm) Slight musky fragrance.
Quarter arilbreds keep getting better and better, and more aril looking, with the big plus that they are easy to grow. Awesome white standards have light yellow centers and lined filigree with mid yellow styles peeking out. The light-yellow base of falls are washed and blended mid rose. Dark black-cherry streaked chevron signals surround brassy old gold beards.
Sdlg. CC142A: Smokin' Hot X Rise Like A Phoenix

BEYOND FABULOUS (P. Black '25)
TB Midseason-late 32” (81.5cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
An abundance of ruffles, pleasing color contrasts, and all-around great garden performance make Beyond Fabulous a prime candidate for your garden. Light grayed cantaloupe centers blend to very wide pale icy blue-white bands. Dark blended dark purple falls have white hafts heavily lined and sanded dark maroon and are finished with medium wide icy white streaked bands. Two-toned beards are mid marigold, ending in light violet. Three branches provide 8-9 buds. Strong growth.
Sdlg. BB73B: My Passion X Z139: (V89: (unknown x Hotsy Totsy) x Hotsy Totsy)

RAZZLE DAZZLE ME (P. Black '25)
TB Late-very late 31” (78.5cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
Can one possibly get more color on an iris? Probably, but this one makes a good run at it. Mid gold standards and styles top wide falls having mid red-purple centers with light grape finely sanded veins. Warm white hafts on each side of beards are heavily sanded and lined dark brown blended to dark black-brown edges. Moderate brassy khaki bands decorate the edges. Its pod parent Hotsy Totsy is an interesting parent for me. Two branches plus spur carry 7 buds.
Sdlg. BB17O: Hotsy Totsy X Bright Within

ANGEL FALLS (P. Black '25)
TB Late-very late 35” (89cm) Pronounced spicy fragrance.
Imagine white cascades of water plunging into white sprays darkening into dark blue waves moving outward. Angel Falls is an intriguingly stunning sight. Bright marigold beards are a bit of sun to highlight the moment. Purple based foliage extending to clean blue-green leaves is a special bonus. Show branched stalks have 3 branches plus spur and 9-10 buds. A clump of these beauties is unforgettable.
Sdlg. BB17S: Hotsy Totsy X Bright Within

BOOM BOX (P. Black '25)
TB Midseason-late 35” (89cm) Slight musky fragrance.
Oh yes, we’re a little loud and obnoxious, but also brilliantly colorful. Clear mid yellow standards are a clean contrast to falls that are dark black cherry streaking into rose tinted white bands. It certainly won’t be confused for another. White beards tipped light yellow are a perfect accent. Taller stalks have 3 branches with 9 buds.
Sdlg. BB28P: Read Between The Lines X Z139: (V89: (unknown x Hotsy Totsy) x Hotsy Totsy)

AUTUMN RICHES (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 35” (89cm) Slight fragrance.
Light lemony buff standards are heavily shot pink in the centers, becoming veining towards the edge. Falls are a rich pumpkin orange. Nicely ruffled flowers that have amazing garden impact with color that radiates across the garden. Sdlg. TN128ZZ: TI225ZZ, Untamed Glory sibling X Come To Life

CAN JUST IMAGINE (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 40” (101.5cm) Sweet fragrance.
Lavender blue standards; falls are lavender blue with a deeper violet blue brindled wash. Beards are burnt orange with lavender tips. Can Just Imagine is very tall and stately, with beautiful show stems. It is a ‘fancy’, which in hybridizing talk means it is about one generation away from being a luminata. A unique and striking feature is its beautiful lavender spathes and stems. It is very hard to photograph but is very noticeable in the garden. We have used this one quite a lot in hybridizing. A very pretty quality iris, and the product of two great parents. Sdlg. TN90ZZ: Beautician X Gone Viral

COSMIC (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 33” (84cm) Sweet fragrance.
Some iris have such a complex coloration that it is hard to describe. To make matters more difficult, the shade of purple in Cosmic can be different from day to day, and from year to year. We struggled to figure out which picture to use for the catalogue, and have included several shots on the website for you to see for yourself. No matter what the shade, Cosmic is a blooming fool, absolutely covering itself in bloom, and is intensely bright, with its very wide gold band in the standards, and yellow flash overlaying the white luminata patch on the falls. Sdlg. TO148A: Gone Viral X unknown

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

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)))

ZOOMBA MOOMBA (Paul Black 26)
AB (OGB-) Early-midseason 22” (56cm) No fragrance.
Globular light lilac standards are etched with mulberry streaks around their outer ⅓, and open toward their base to expose contrasting mid cantaloupe styles. A large red-black signal spot blends into a wide iridescent claret band. Closer inspection reveals darkest purple beards topped darkest brown. Very neat. Easy and strong growth. Sdlg. EE153B: Smokin’ Hot X Debonair Bear

PAINTED NAILS (Thomas Johnson ’26)
AB (OGB) Early-midseason 30” (76cm) No fragrance.
Lavender purple standards have deeper red violet veining throughout. Falls are rich medium magenta, with deeper veins throughout and a large black cherry to black signal. Stunning, and a good grower, selected in a wet climate that can often be harsh on arilbreds. Sdlg. TO2A: Smokin’ Hot X Onlooker