ARE YOU KIDDING ME (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 38” (96.5cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
The name was inspired by our young iris enthusiast friend Dylan Just. If you have ever seen his lively inspiring iris videos, you will certainly recognize the phrase “are you kidding me” as his signature punchline. It is a very fitting name, and very descriptive of the way I myself felt the year it first bloomed. It comes from the line of unique iris that have been coined the ‘pansy face’ pattern. I love everything about this iris, from its lavender standards with maroon base, to its wide and ruffled falls with deep maroon central overlay. The beards are blended a mysterious old gold to purple. Strong growth and gorgeous show stems just solidify the deal. Sdlg. TN180A: Feel The Beat X Autumn Tease sibling

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 36” (91cm) Sweet fragrance.
Standards have centers that are a deep purple graduating deeper towards the heart of the flower. A wide buff yellow band with subtle deeper gold veins rim the standards. White falls have wide, overlapping form, with a deep golden yellow band. A stunning reverse bicolor with large, wide, and ruffled flowers. Sdlg. TN27C: Mood Ring X Easy On The Eyes

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

BAKER’S SECRET (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 36” (91cm) Sweet fragrance.
Standards have an interesting blend of yellow and violet that creates a very rich brownish confection. The color reminds me of a dark cinnamon bun dripping with sweet frosting. Falls are white with the faintest of lavender overlaid, then edged with a deep golden yellow haft and band. Baker’s Secret is absolutely amazing in a clump!! Sdlg. TN27QQ: Artificial Intelligence sibling

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

CHITTER CHATTER (Thomas Johnson ’26)
SDB Early-midseason 13” (33cm) Sweet fragrance.
Golden yellow standards are flushed violet at the midrib. Falls are a rich cerise cherry red with a blue violet dart below the large violet beard. Showy!! Sdlg. TO16A: Pet Project X Yoda

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

ALL OVER THE PLACE (Paul Black 26)
TB Early-midseason 33” (84cm) Slight spicy fragrance.
A striking garden standout, this broken color iris showcases an artful blend of light to mid violet and creamy white, brushed and splashed together so no two blooms are alike. Heavily ruffled standards rise above broad, arched falls capped with white to marigold beards. Strong upright stems have 3 well-spaced branches plus spur and 8-9 buds. Pairs beautifully with pastels or more bold colors. Sdlg. BB127B: You're A Mess X Black Y111C: (Black V100A, I Broke It sibling x Black W143B, Wild Streak sibling)

BORN TO BE KINGS (Paul Black 26)
TB Midseason-late 32” (81.5cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
Regal and commanding, Born to Be Kings lives up to its royal presence. Crisp, luminous white standards rise in dramatic ruffles above rich, velvety falls of deep royal purple. The falls are boldly accented with a bright golden-yellow edge and glowing white center that radiates outward, drawing the eye straight to the marigold beard. Show stalks showcase these bold flowers. Sdlg. DD6A: Art Critic X Reticulated Ruby

DIAMONDS ON VELVET (Paul Black 26)
TB Early-midseason 36” (91.5cm) No fragrance.
A tall show-stopping iris with persuasive garden presence. Broad, ruffled, mid navy-blue standards rise above dramatic, expansive, darkest navy falls, etched with fine veining centered around a brooding golden sienna beard that adds striking contrast. Strong upright stems carry the blooms well above purple-based blue-green foliage. Sdlg. DD60B: How Bizarre! X Dot Dash Dot

PRONOUNCEMENT (Paul Black 26)
TB Midseason-late 30” (76cm) Slight spicy fragrance.
Its bold colors pronounce to the world, “I’m here!” Clear, mid yellow, exuberantly ruffled standards are circled by creamy yellow margins. Strongly flared, velvety mahogany falls are smoothly overlaid plum, blending lighter to narrow old gold margins. Soft marigold beards don’t interfere with the ‘Pronouncement’. Two nicely spaced branches and spur produce 7-8 buds. Sdlg. EE55F: Black BB103A, All About Color sibling X Enthusiastic

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

INFLUENCER (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Midseason-late 38” (96.5cm) Sweet fragrance.
Standards are very light lemon, with a large deep golden yellow center. Falls are rich lavender, with a deep red violet to burgundy diffused spot in the center. Influencer has really lovely form, and the wide and ruffled flowers are displayed on show stems! Another from the ‘pansy face’ line that we love. Sdlg. TO253C: unknown, lost tag

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)))

LA LA PALOOZA (Paul Black 26)
SDB Midseason-late 13” (33cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
Its medley of color will certainly make you take notice. The light grayed violet infused mid brass color of the standards is repeated in a narrow band around the wide falls. Irregularly edged large dark red-brown spots streak into the band. Jolly fat two-toned beards begin with mid gold throats and end in light violet. Sdlg. EE132B: Black BB218A: long and involved X Wow Gee Whiz

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)

TWINKLING EYES (Paul Black 26)
SDB Midseason-late 11” (28cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
This sibling of ‘Dark Eyed Lass’ is similar, but adds warming light gold hafts and indigo shadings around the big near-black spots on widely banded white falls. White standards dance above its dramatically colored falls. Big fluffy yellow to white bi-color beards are a joyful accent. Sdlg. DD163B: BB248B, Touch Of Turquoise sibling X Zaa Zaa Zing