COLORING BOOK (Black ’24)
TB Early-midseason 32” (81.5cm) Sweet fragrance. Could you possibly put more color on an iris? I’ve been looking forward to introducing this spectacular iris since its maiden bloom. You won’t mistake it for an
y other, and that uniqueness will attract the judges when show stalks are exhibited. Apricot standards over white falls with a wide mottled lilac inner band, then widely banded cinnamon apricot. Gorgeous! Sdlg. AA63D: Color Wheel X Black Y126 caramel sib: (You Belong To Me x V61B, Creature Of The Night sib)

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

HIGH WIRE ACT (T. Johnson ’25)
TB Early-midseason 35” (89cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
High Wire Act is such a beautiful iris, especially in a clump where it really shines, showing off its beautiful gold rim. Standards are cream with very faint gold veining in the center and a violet line up the midrib. The wide ruffled gold band really catches the eye. Falls are white, with a very wide rust red dotted band and white wire rim. A violet line down the center of the petal, from below the beard to the petal’s edge, adds another dimension of intrigue.
Sdlg. TM22WW: All The Rage X TJ249C, Flirty Tease sib: (TG400A: (Blyth T179-2: (Champagne Journey x Mysterioso) x unknown) x Dressed To The Nines)

JUST RELEASED (T. Johnson ’25)
TB Early-midseason 36” (91.5cm) Slightly sweet fragrance.
Standards are a blended lavender violet with yellow in the centers and a buff yellow band. Falls are creamy white with slight lavender highlights throughout and a wide showy golden yellow band. Just Released has beautiful ruffled form and is a lovely iris coming from two great parents.
Sdlg. TN27G: Mood Ring X Easy On The Eyes

ON THE HORIZON (T. Johnson ’25)
SDB Early-midseason 13” (33cm) Slight fragrance.
White standards have a green midrib. Falls are medium blue with yellow hafts and a white rim!! Add an intense orange beard to this and you have one wild and flashy iris. Super strong grower and bloomer.
Sdlg. TO7C: Thimble X Hold On Tight sib

SUM TOTAL (T. Johnson ’25)
SDB Early-midseason 14” (35.5cm) Slight fragrance.
Creamy white standards are infused greenish yellow. Falls are white with a slight green edge on the haft. Very near a blue bearded white. Beautiful form on a very classy iris.
Sdlg. TN261A: Hit The Jackpot X Breathtaking

SUDDEN OUTBURST (T. Johnson ’25)
TB Early-midseason 37” (94cm) Sweetly scented.
Sudden Outburst comes from the ‘pansy face’ pattern breeding program. Standards are icy blue white. Falls are a rich deep violet with reddish hafts and a wide lavender band. Very pretty and well received at the local iris show.
Sdlg. TN50B: TH68C, Autumn Tease sib: (Seasons In The Sun x Risk Taker) X Truth Or Dare

SUGGESTION (T. Johnson ’25)
TB Early-midseason 39” (99cm) Sweet fragrance.
Golden yellow standards sit atop white falls with a deep red purple band. An absolutely stunning and clean color combination, Suggestion jumps out at you in the garden with its cheerful bright colors. Tall and well branched stems make it a good show iris as well. Excellent!!
Sdlg. TM152UU: TI180C, Tenacity pod parent X High Desert

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

FOLLOW LOVE (P. Black '25)
SDB Early-midseason 14” (35.5cm) No fragrance.
What makes this lovely iris special is the three-toned marigold to white beard dividing the light yellow to white luminata patch on the dark indigo falls. Standards are also dark indigo. Styles are white with indigo crests. It makes an impressive clump.
Sdlg. DD117B: Tourist Trap X Mouse That Roared

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

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

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

PEACH BERRY JUMBLE (P. Black '25)
TB Midseason-late 33” (84cm) No fragrance.
The time of broken colored irises with poor form, stalks, buds, and growth is past. Now is the time to put this colorful beauty in your garden. Standards have mid to dark mulberry segments and streaks, and mid to light peach segments and streaks. Falls have a mid peach ground, white around the beards, and mid to dark mulberry segments, streaks, sanding, and dotting. WOW! What a wild and crazy flower. Vigorous growth produces show stalks with three branches and 8-9 buds.
Sdlg. BB117N: Y87A: (V24C, Cockeyed Optimist sib x W144C: (T46C: (Claim To Fame x Advantage) x T52CR: (N134AAR: (Island Coral x K113A: (Throb x I4B: (Blazing Sunrise x C17D, Vibrant sib))) x Advantage))) X Y115B, Breaking Free sib

HEART SO TRUE (P. Black '25)
TB Late-very late 31” (78.5cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
If you want a BIG robust pink iris for your garden, here it is. Large flowers have mid pink standards. White falls have light pink washed hafts, band, center stripe, and widely spaced texture veins. Zingy pink beards enliven this more subtle creation. Super strong stalks have three branches plus spur and 7-8 buds.
Sdlg. Z124C: Time Out X Pink Poodle

DOUBLE DEALING (P. Black '25)
TB Early-midseason 30” (76cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
Breeding for broken color irises is difficult, and even more so for variegated foliage. The presence of both in the same iris is still a rare achievement. Double Dealing meets the challenge. Variegated foliage has segments that are blue-green, grass green and white. Broken color flowers have standards of light tan-yellow with mid rosy mauve broken color segments. Falls are mid tan-gold with mid maroon sanding and dark maroon broken color segments, streaks, and splashes. Stalks have 2 branches plus spur and 8 buds.
Sdlg. BB117A: Y87A: (V24C, Cockeyed Optimist sib x W144C: (T46C: (Claim To Fame x Advantage) x T52CR: (N134AAR: (Island Coral x K113A: (Throb x I4B: (Blazing Sunrise x C17D, Vibrant sib))) x Advantage))) X Y115B, Breaking Free sib

BLIZZARD WARNING (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 37” (94cm) Slight fragrance.
When faced with the daunting task of naming irises each year, I often put the photos up on the computer screen to help inspire me. When I saw all of the photos for this one, I instantaneously said “Blizzard Warning”, because it just has a wintery blizzard sort of look. White standards sit atop white falls that are veined then washed bluish purple, with a light lavender edge. A very pretty color and pattern that certainly gets a lot of notice in the field. Sdlg. TN223C: This Is Crazy sibling X Just Between Us sibling

CLOSING CEREMONY (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Midseason late-very late 38” (96.5cm) Slight fragrance.
The name kind of tells you the story. It starts flowering with the midseason varieties, and continues through until the very end of the iris bloom season. Very rich pink standards repeat themselves in a soft band on white falls. Big showy powder blue beards certainly add a touch of class. Very nice form with good bud count and stems. A true delight to look at, it is a favorite for sure! Sdlg. TO160A: Somebody To Love X TK109ZZ: (TG52CC: (Uptown Lady x Don’t Stop Believing) x Slice Of Heaven)

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

DATE NIGHT (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 38” (96.5cm) Slight fragrance.
A superb, perfectly applied pattern! Date Night is a pristine clean white with a very deliberate lilac band on the falls. The brilliant orange beard brings the whole package to life. So elegant, with fantastic form. A very cheerful iris in the garden, it is sure to make you smile. Sdlg. TO184M: Just Curious X TM52: (Casting Call x Bombshell)