MAKE ME WANNA SHOUT (Paul Black 23)
TB Early-Midseason 29” (74cm)
Pronounced sweet fragrance Oh yes, that big billowy ruffled form is something to shout about. Mid red violet standards have ruffled light buff bands and subtle gray-white veins shot outward from their centers. Styles are light buff. Mid dark red violet blended falls have muted fine gray-white lines overall, narrow gray-white bands and white luminata patch. Beards progress from mid marigold ending in white. Blue-green foliage has limited purple base. Mid slate purple stalks have 3 branches plus spur and 8-10 buds. Lovely clumps. Sdlg. Z2C, Feast for the Eyes sib

MEGA RUFFLES (Paul Black 23)
TB Early-Midseason 30” (76cm)
Slight spicy fragrance If ruffles are your delight, then you’ll be on max overload with this exuberantly ruffled beauty. Light rosy peach standards blend to wide buttery yellow bands. Velvety dark red-grape falls have darker veins and lines overall and are encased in precise, closely packed light rose-pink bands. Tan-gold beards echo the standards color. With so many ruffles, these larger flowers open easily and completely. There are two branches and only 5 buds. Buds open one at a time so each can be fully appreciated and not shorten the bloom time. Fat super ruffled buds are quite fun. Sdlg. AA145A: Autumn Jewel X My Passion

CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE (Keppel ’22)
Early 40” (102cm)
Standard light lavender dotted and stitched darker with a gold edge. Fall white with blue dotted edge and haft.

OH SO DIFFERENT (Paul Black 23)
TB Midseason-Late 30” (76cm)
No fragrance It takes center stage with one of the most dramatically unique flowers. Standards and falls are both a study in color and pattern. Light buffy tan blended standards are widely banded with fine dark plum filigree. Old gold style crests striped dark brown emerge from between them. White falls are a puzzle of purple black veins and sanding overall becoming darker and more closely spaced toward edges. White stitching on reverses adds more distinction. Mid marigold beards help focus the eye. Of course, this has been a favorite since it first bloomed. Three branches have 8-9 buds. Easy and fast growth. Sdlg. AA73L, How Bizarre! Sib

PURE PURPLE (Paul Black 23)
TB Midseason-Late 36” (91cm)
Pronounced sweet fragrance The name says it all – it’s purple. Mid purple standards and styles color repeats in a narrow band around dark purple falls. Black to indigo-black beards are lost in the darkness of the falls. Strong growth and disease resistant foliage produce quality show stalks with 3 branches plus spur and 8-9 buds. Sdlg. Z112A: Black V159J, Pleasure’s All Mine X Black Hole

RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS (Paul Black 23)
TB Late-Very Late 35” (89cm)
Slight sweet fragrance Sparkling pristine white flowers have standards decorated with wide vibrant mid violet plicata bands and sparse sanded veins over their centers. Amount of center markings varies considerably from sparse to overall. Contrasting dark plum style crests peak out over white falls with narrow mid purple plic bands. Dark wine sanded darts cover the hafts then give way to closely spaced light yellow veins. Light marigold to white beards are the perfect complement. Clumps provide a light and bright spot in your garden. Two branches and spur have 5 buds. Sdlg. Z64E: All too Exciting X Black W143F, Wild Streak sib

SPARKLE AND SHINE (Paul Black 23)
TB Midseason-Late 31” (79cm)
Slight sweet fragrance What an impressive clump this one makes in the garden. Stark white standards dance above strongly flared warmer white falls that become wide mottled and washed mid violet bands. Fiery orange beards demand you come in for a closer look. The bloom keeps on going and going with 4 branches and 10-11 buds. Sdlg. AA63A: Color Wheel X Black Y126 caramel sib: (You Belong to Me x Black Y61B, Creature of the Night sib)

SUNSHINE BOUQUET (Paul Black 23)
TB Midseason-Late 35” (89cm)
Strong sweet fragrance There is nothing that shines in a garden like yellow. This clean as a whistle bright clear yellow glaciata has even more carrying power because of the white patch below yellow beards. If you’re keen to hybridize luminatas, pair this one up with a quality luminata and you should get plenty. Taller and better vigor than many glaciatas. Three branches provide 8 buds. Sdlg. Z61A: All too Exciting X Black V18A: (Rodeo Girl x Black S114MM, Dare Me sib)

THUNDER SNOW (Paul Black 23)
TB Early-Midseason 32” (81cm)
Pronounced sweet fragrance The quest goes on for a white with blue beard. Each year the hope is that it will be there in the new crop of seedlings. Alas, it hasn’t been. There are beautiful creations that do happen. This beautifully formed milk-glass white has pale violet blue beards. Vigorous growth provides 2 branches and 7 buds. Sdlg. AA139A: involved parentage

ABSOLUTE PERFECTION (Paul Black 23)
IB Early-Late 25” (63cm)
Pronounced musky fragrance I think without a doubt this is the finest of the black and white plicata IBs. Centers of iridescent purple-black standards reveal just a bit of white plic ground. White falls have wide black plic bands with purple interior markings. Show stalks have 2 branches plus spur and 7-8 buds. Vigorous growth and increase. Stunning clumps. It is fertile. Sdlg. AA277A: Midnight Velvet X Lap of Luxury

BOOM (Paul Black 23)
SDB Midseason-Late 15” (38cm)
Pronounced sweet fragrance It is spring’s explosion of color. Light peach standards are a soft foil for the raucous mid plum falls widely banded light rosy mauve. Bright dark orange beards go “Boom”! Clumps are filled with stalks. Robust growth. Sdlg. BB227A: Hey Look At Me X Yoda

CINEMAGIC (Paul Black 23)
SDB Early 13” (33Ccm)
Pronounced sweet fragrance Mid gold standards and styles glow above wide mid ruby falls blended lighter toward edges. Light violet beards tipped black-brown terminate in wide black cherry center stripes. Nice breeding for broken color SDBs. Sdlg. BB246D: Black Y278B: (Black V316F, Circus Act sib x Don’t Fix It) X Yoda

DROP DEAD GORGEOUS (Paul Black 23)
BB Late-Very Late 24” (61cm)
Slight musky fragrance You’ll return again and again to gaze upon this sultry siren. Full, classically formed flowers have smooth mid-dark garnet standards. Velvety black cherry falls are delicately edged in narrow paler ruffles. Glowing light yellow hafts are veined and sanded black cherry and adorned with smoldering burnt orange beards. Clean, vigorous growth produces show stalks with 3 branches and 7-9 buds. The IB, 'Morning Show' was used to provide a different genetic base in the quest for "the red iris". Sdlg. Z121A: Black V170A: (Morning Show x Black P248B, Hi Love pollen parent) X Black X59A, Radiant Garnet sib

FORTUNATELY (B. Blyth ’23)
TB Midseason 34” (87cm)
Sweet fragrance. Medium blue to light violet standards are infused with cinnamon to orange in the centers. Falls are rust orange with a lighter patch of near gold in the center. A very showy and unique bicolor. Sdlg. Y105-B: You Can Dance sib

ON THE PODIUM (B. Blyth ’23)
TB Early-midseason 36” (91cm)
Sweet fragrance. White standards with pink washed centers. Falls are a deep purple with a lavender edge and orange spray pattern around the beard. Really wide, and rounded form with good ruffles and stems. Very nice! Sdlg. Y43-B: (Colour Bazaar x unknown) X unknown.

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

FLIPPANT (Paul Black 23)
IB Midseason-Late 24” (61cm)
Pronounced sweet fragrance Who can get too serious with a clump filled with these wildly colored jokers? What one can take seriously are the superbly formed flowers carried in abundance on show stalks. Cream standards have wide maroon plicata bands and heavily marked centers. Light yellow falls have wide maroon plicata bands. Widely spaced dramatic dark maroon veins course downward. Vivid Marigold beards shout, “I don’t care!”. Show stalks have 2 branches plus spur and 8-9 buds. An exceptional garden variety. Sdlg. Z167A: Black U194G, Peppito sib X Cat Tales

HYBRIDIZERS TAKE NOTE
FUTURISTIC (Paul Black 23)
SDB Midseason-Late 12” (30cm)
Slight sweet fragrance As far as I know, this is the first variegated foliage SDB to be introduced. I’ve bloomed others but none good enough to introduce. ‘Futuristic’ had an interesting beginning. Bloom the first year was a mix of gray-white flowers, grayed pink flowers and some broken colored of gray and pink. Since then, most have transitioned to light gray with a light tan haft veined darker slate tan and narrowly bordered slate violet. There are very subtle light tan broken color segments. Mid old gold beards give a little life to these more somber colors. ‘Futuristic’ is fertile and can produce variegated foliage and broken color flowers but progress is slow. Sdlg. Y262A: Black V277B: (Black S283B: (Black O335B, Burlesque Cutie pod parent x Worry Wart) x Eye of the Tiger) X Black V324A, Egghead sib

IT'S A SNAP (Paul Black 23)
MDB Early-Midseason 7” (18cm)
Pronounced sweet fragrance. What a welcome sight these cute little flowers are as spring begins to ramp up. Vigorous clumps cover themselves in masses of bloom. Mid-light brassy gold standards color repeats in wire rims around dark mahogany blended falls. Sdlg. BB195B, Bacon and Eggs sib

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