SHE’S BEAUTIFUL (Paul Black 23)
TB Midseason-Late 36” (91cm)
Slight sweet fragrance Another project breeders have pursued for many years is putting a pink beard on a blue or purple iris. It seems loads of baby steps still haven’t gotten us there. These icy blue-white blooms coral pink beards. I probably don’t have enough years left to make it to the goal on this one. I’ll have to be content with it in my dreams. Sdlg. Z136A: Black W152A: (Black T80A: Fantasy in Pink x Black Q6A: (Dearie x Drifting Bubbles)) X Fire and Ice

PRINCESS PRETTY PINK (Paul Black 23)
TB Midseason-Late 34” (86.5cm)
Slight musky fragrance This later blooming pink ground plicata avoids the winter damage that plagued so many earlier ones of this type. Ruffled standards are mid pink blending to mid apricot edges. Mid coral styles echo these warmer colors. Light pink falls have white luminata type patches lined mid plum. Narrow ruffled red-plum plicata bands encircle the expansive falls. Coral beards are the perfect accessory. Vigorous growth creates sumptuous clumps filled with show stalks having 3 branches and 8-10 buds. Sdlg. BB149G: Black Y135A: (All too Exciting x Fancy Ideas) X Z100G, Background Noise sib

COMPETITIVE SPIRIT (T. Johnson ’24)
TB Early-midseason 40” (102cm)
Slight fragrance. Creamy white standards. Falls are white with a stitched and dotted blue violet haft and blue band. Beards are burnt orange. Was admired by many at the regional tour this past spring. Tall and strong stems with nicely ruffled flowers. Sdlg. TL45YY: High Desert X Beautician

MOMENT OF REFLECTION (T. Johnson ’24)
Midseason-late 38” (97cm)
Sweet fragrance. Ooh la la is what I say each year when this one starts to flower. Impeccable wide and ruffled form. Not really sure whether to call this a bicolor or a blend. Whatever it is, we like it very much, and we love to hybridize with it. Blended golden orange and salmon standards swirl elegantly above light rosy lavender falls with a peach wash, deeper at the hafts, and lighter as it moves down the petal. Oh, and did we mention it is ruffled? This was a very productive cross and has yielded many intros including last year’s Head Of The Class and Refined Elegance. Sdlg. TK131B: Sweet City Woman X Dressed To The Nines

CRYSTAL MIRROR (Black ’24)
MTB Tet. Early-midseason 24” (61cm)
Spicy fragrance. Loads of sweet orchid and white plicata flowers on well-branched stalks with many buds. Sdlg: AA276E: To The Contrary X Deep In The Heart

SO HAPPY TOGETHER (Black ’24)
TB Midseason-late 35” (89cm)
Musky fragrance. The quest for a TB with blue standards and pink falls has been a long and frustrating road for many hybridizers. Along the way there are beautiful seedlings worthy of introduction, and this is one of those. Larger flowers are carried on sturdy stalks. Notice the peach pink styles peering from between violet-blue standards. Standards are a blended light blue-violet and pink. Falls are blended light orchid pink with a slight buff center stripe below the beard. Sdlg. BB86E: Bubbly Beauty X For Lovers Only

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

BEAUTIFUL MIND (T. Johnson ’25)
TB Early-midseason 39” (99cm) Sweet fragrance.
Standards are a very light creamy yellow with a deep golden yellow center. Falls are creamy white with a nice lavender to violet band. The hafts are also touched a bit with lemon. This strong grower has excellent form and stems with lots of buds. It has been used extensively in hybridizing and has proven to be a quality parent. A standout iris!
Sdlg. TN232ZZ: Coat Of Many Colors X Just Wanting Attention

NEVER ENDING STORY (T. Johnson ’25)
TB Early-midseason 37” (94cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
Very light lemon to cream standards have darker lemon centers. Falls are a deep red violet with a small yellow area around the beard. There is a bit of bluish violet blending below the beard, and a wide heavily ruffled and blended yellow band. Never Ending Story has gorgeous classical form with heavy ruffles on nice stems. A really lovely iris!
Sdlg. TN231A: Coat Of Many Colors X Honor Roll

SHEMOZZLE (T. Johnson ’25)
TB Early-midseason 36” (91.5cm) Sweet fragrance.
Lemon yellow standards rise above very complex patterned falls. There is a yellow flash around the beard, then a reddish band at the haft that becomes a blue violet wash. The pattern then transitions to a lavender band, and finally a lemon band. Quite a busy little thing, but also very showy. Gorgeous ruffled form and nice stems are the norm.
Sdlg. TN231C: Coat Of Many Colors X Honor Roll

DARK EYED LASS (P. Black '25)
SDB Early-midseason 10” (25.5cm) Pronounced sweet fragrance.
Here it is, the one many of you have been asking about since I first posted its picture on FB. I’m also in love with it. It is one of those irises where everything works together to make a stunning creation. Light yellow standard centers blend to wide stark white bands. Irregularly edged big brown-black fall spots transition to wide white bands, including a white dart up their distal center. A nest of white darts encircles white beards. OH MY!
Sdlg. DD163A: BB248A, Touch Of Turquoise sib X Zaa Zaa Zing

JUST FOR JACKIE (P. Black '25)
TB Midseason-late 33” (84cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
Jackie is one of my best friends. She has always been a big help by leaving pink post-it notes on seedlings she thinks I should keep. We’ve had many good laughs together. She also insists on helping me plant my iris seeds each fall. Of course I wouldn’t hurt her feelings by saying no. She makes it all fun. She likes brown irises, so for her here is a white and dark red-brown plicata. Note the pronounced lines in the falls. Strong stalks have three branches and 8-9 buds. This is one of many exceptional seedlings coming from Crocodile Smile.
Sdlg. BB106C: Crocodile Smile X Z100D, Background Noise sib

BLUEPRINT FOR SPRING (P. Black '25)
TB Midseason-late 36” (91.5cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
What makes this light blue bitone with falls veined darker mid-blue special? I think it is the best attempt so far to put a pink beard on a blue iris. It has been a challenge for many hybridizers. Its other special feature is the clumps filled with bloom stalks creating an overpowering display of color in the garden. To say it is floriferous is an understatement, and yet, there is plenty of increase left.
Sdlg. BB157O: Y168A: (V159M, Pleasure's All Mine sib x W113A: (S157I, Reflections Of Love sib x Multnomah Falls)) X Z114B: (V159Q, Pleasure’s All Mine sib x V159O, Pleasure’s All Mine sib)

AT FIRST LIGHT (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 36” (91cm) Sweet fragrance.
Sky blue standards have a deep reddish violet central wash. Falls are creamy white with slightly gold-touched hafts and a wide gold band. Well formed, ruffled, budded, and branched, At First Light comes from a very good cross that produced many introduction-worthy children. Sdlg. TN27EE: Artificial Intelligence sibling

FUTURE DREAMS (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 37” (94cm) Sweet fragrance.
For many years I have worked with plicatas that are the result of outcrosses to bicolors, to increase vigor and bring more diversity in color and pattern. Future Dreams is so named because of the wide-ranging breeding potential in this pattern. Standards are deep lavender purple with darker maroon veining. Falls are white with a deep maroon haft and band. If that weren’t enough, upon closer inspection, you will notice broken color within the band. A totally unique and distinctive color and pattern variation in plicatas. Flowers are well-formed, and carried on strong show stems with lots of buds. Future Dreams has a good pedigree, and once again shows the importance of ‘Tenacity’ as a parent, both for quality and diversity. Sdlg. TO236M: Running In Circles sibling X Tenacity

PRESBY ROYAL JUBILEE (Paul Black 26)
TB Midseason-late 33” (84cm) Sweet fragrance.
This classically formed, exuberantly ruffled, rich, dark navy blue bitone is a fitting iris to be named for the Centennial Celebration, in 2027, of the famed Presby Memorial Iris Garden. Over its many years, the Garden has served as a repository for historical irises, from their earliest history in the U.S., to the most current, on display for the 2026 American Iris Society National Convention. The velvety, dark navy falls of Presby Royal Jubilee are set ablaze with large orange beards, which end in an intriguing dark navy. An abundant 3 branches and spur carry 9-10 buds. Sdlg. BB72O: My Passion X Y93B, More Than Ruffles sibling

SUMMER STROLL (Paul Black 26)
TB Midseason-late 30” (76cm) Pronounced sweet fragrance.
The setting summer sun casts a warm glow as you stroll about. The light clear pink standards of this glaciata blend to wide, light clear yellow bands. Ruffled white falls blend to light yellow margins. Mid tangerine beards rise from peachy orange hafts. Summer Stroll creates a very satisfying clump filled with show stalks. Stalks have 3 branches plus spur and 9-10 buds. So very pretty. Its later bloom assures it will escape the late frosts/freezes that so many other glaciatas are prone to damage by. Sdlg. EE75D: BB149D, Wild About You sibling X BB149B, Wild About You sibling

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason-late 40” (101.5cm) Slight fragrance.
I had a dream many years ago to take that wonderful burnt orange color on the iris ‘Shockaholic’ and put it on a plant that had wider branching and a better stem, thus the name of this lovely result, Mission Accomplished. I am very happy with this one. The standards are light blue lavender with a deep orange spot in the center. Falls are rich burnt orange with a lighter edge. Beards are rich tangerine to red. The icing on the cake is the tall, well branched and budded stems. Mission Accomplished also inherited its great vigor from ‘Shockaholic’. Sdlg. TN157ZZ: Big Flirt sibling X Shockaholic