BALLROOM GOWN (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 39” (99cm) Sweet fragrance.
It is difficult to find the words to describe this one; the picture kind of says it all. Incredible form and with heavy substance, this stately luminata is characterized with a very wide rim on the standards. Intensely ruffled falls have a huge showy central luminata patch. At 39 inches, it is very tall for this pattern, which has tended to be on the shorter side. Show stems that can carry up to three branches, and spurs even on the branches, provide lots of buds for an extended bloom season. We have used this one heavily in our hybridizing program, putting it right at the top of our favorites list. Sdlg. TN21XX: Affair to Remember X Gone Viral

BEATEN TO THE PUNCH (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Very early-midseason 38” (96.5cm) Sweet fragrance.
Very light lemon standards with a violet flush at the base sit atop a very complex patterned fall; its lavender base color is overlaid with a deep violet brindled wash, then bordered in a buff pink band. Beards are a very weird brown to black. The whole package is quite dramatic and intriguing; it always draws me in from across the garden for a closer look. Beaten To The Punch is one of the first to start to bloom, and is held on tall, well branched and budded stems. Beautiful. Sdlg. TN89YY: Stitches sibling X Hit The Bullseye sibling

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

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

COMPLETE OPPOSITE (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 38” (96.5cm) Slight fragrance.
What can we say about this one? Contrast certainly comes to mind! Deep blue purple standards sit atop cinnamon brown falls. Tall stems with lightly ruffled flowers have carrying power out the kazoo! Holy cow, does this one make a statement. It is the iris that garden visitors most often tell me about; it seems to imprint! Certainly unique, and won’t be mistaken for anything else! Stems and branching are good. The flowers are not as wide and ruffled as I usually like, but are certainly adequate. Sdlg. TN13A: Mood Ring X unknown seedling

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

DANCE FESTIVAL (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason-late 38” (96.5cm) Slight fragrance.
Lines, lines, and more lines! I have been working with this pattern for a number of years and have gotten some very interesting things. If I were to choose just one word to describe this, it would be floriferous! It completely covers itself in tall, well branched and budded stems, and blooms for a long time. It is not the first to start blooming, but about midway through the early season it starts, and goes and goes. The picture kind of speaks for itself. Check out the additional pictures of it, including clump shots. Sdlg. TN171ZZ Open Heart X Leave Me Breathless

DONE DEAL (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 40” (101.5cm) Slight fragrance.
Done Deal is one of those iris that has it all: great form, branching, bud count, and vigor. Standards are a pearl white with pink and light salmon blended centers. Falls are a rich lavender with a deep red violet signal around the beard, which becomes a deeper lavender wash throughout the mid-section. We used this one quite a lot in hybridizing for all of its exemplary qualities. Sdlg. TN180ZZ: Are You Kidding Me sibling

DREAM WITH ME (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Midseason-late 35” (89cm) Slight musky fragrance.
Standards are a medium lavender with pink centers. Falls are a medium lavender washed deeper, with a lavender to near white band. Beards are a showy deep lavender. This one is a real garden workhorse, in that it is an easy grower, heavy bloomer, and is very showy. Sdlg. TN77XX: Magic Trick X Candy Dust

EYE SEE YOU (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Midseason-late 34” (86cm) Musky fragrance.
One of the shorter TBs this year. Brilliant canary yellow standards rise above medium lavender-mauve falls with a large deep burgundy haft and light yellow band. The extremely wide falls help to enhance the deep haft pattern. Another totally distinctive iris that literally makes me stop and stare when it is in bloom. The color and pattern are shockingly bright!! Sdlg. TO235A: Plot Twist X Open Flame

FEEL THE NOISE (Thomas Johnson ’26)
SDB Midseason-late 12” (30.5cm) Sweet fragrance.
Lemon yellow standards have orange tones. Falls are maroon, with a wide gold band and an intense, large tangerine beard. Sdlg. TO116I: Master The Flame X Might Explode

GONE BALLISTIC (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason-late 39” (99cm) Slight musky fragrance.
Golden yellow standards are darker in the center. Wide and ruffled falls are medium lavender with a deep plush burgundy center that breaks up as it moves towards the pencil thin burgundy edge. A very colorful and bright pattern. Well-branched stems are tall, carrying wide and ruffled flowers. Vigorous growth and lots of buds ensures a strong and long bloom season. Sdlg. TO237A: For The Ages X Open Flame sibling

HEART AND SOUL (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 35” (89cm) Slight musky fragrance.
Heart And Soul has a pattern that one would be more likely to see in an SDB: a large, plush, deep burgundy fall spot on super brilliant canary yellow to gold petals. The colors are so bright, especially in the sun, that one wants to reach for the sunglasses! Absolutely amazing, and shows from clear across the field. Heart And Soul has strong growth, and lots of bloom on nicely branched stems. Sdlg. TN31YY: Eye Love You sibling

HEAVEN’S ANGEL (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Midseason-late 36” (91cm) Slight fragrance.
“Wow” is what I say whenever I see this one! The form is absolute perfection. Add a warm color confection to the large, wide, and heavily ruffled flowers, and you have a winner! Standards are warm, clear medium pink, with a cream edge. Falls are the lightest pink to near white, with a stunning lavender band. Beards are near white, so as to not distract from the whole package. Nicely branched and budded stems round it out as a must have. This is one I have been waiting to introduce since its maiden bloom. Sdlg. TO187C: Anti Hero sibling

Oh HERE I AM (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason-late 39” (99cm) Slight fragrance.
Oh Here I Am was planted at the end of a row this past season, and it put on an amazing show. Very light salmon pink standards are echoed in the hafts of the nearly white falls, and emphasize the nice white-tipped orange beard. Perfectly formed flowers are held on tall, well-branched show stems. This iris is an exhibitor’s dream; it will win on the show bench, and bloom for a long period in the garden. A really nice solid iris! Sdlg. TM81A: Loved One sibling

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

HIGHLY RATED (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 37” (94cm) Slight fragrance.
Standards are deep shrimp pink with a lemon peach band. Falls are rich shrimp to flamingo pink, with a lighter area below the beard, and a narrow cream edge, yellow at the haft. Really a beautiful color, with lots of buds. One branch is a little tight on the stem, but still opens unobstructed. Stunning, once again showing the value of ‘Lovely Livvy’ as a parent! Sdlg. TM116ZZ: For Real sibling

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

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

AT LAST MY LOVE (Paul Black 26)
SDB Late-very late 14.5” (37cm) Pronounced sweet fragrance.
For those wanting a SDB to enter in a typical TB show, here is another one of my multiple branched and budded, late blooming SDBs that fits the bill. Light rose infuses up the midribs of the mid lilac standards. Falls are mid red-violet, blending lighter to their edge. Big orange beards are sandwiched between white hafts veined dark plum. Two basal branches have a spur on each, and the main stem has 2 branches, all adding up to an incredible 10-11 buds. Sdlg. DD131D: Y211A, I Dreamed A Dream sibling X Silence Please