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

BEHIND THE SCENES (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Midseason-late 39” (99cm) Slight fragrance.
Eggshell standards have an ecru to greenish yellow base. Falls are very light lavender with a maroon haft, and a deep purple central wash that extends down further in the middle. Large flowers are held on very tall stems. Unique and different. Sdlg. TN47ZZ: Feel The Beat X Space Signal

CALL TO ATTENTION (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 38” (96.5cm) Slight fragrance.
The nice contrasting of this bicolor definitely catches your attention. Medium lemon yellow standards are very clean and clear. Falls are a rich deep burgundy red with a narrow lemon rim. Beautiful, full, round, and ruffled form, with great clarity of color. Sdlg. TM113RR: Distant Shores X Painted Sky

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

WOVEN TAPESTRY (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 37” (94cm) Sweet fragrance.
Standards are the faintest of oyster blue with violet and pink washed centers. Falls are rich mauve, with a deep reddish purple washed central fall spot. Beards are burnt orange. We just love the colors of this iris, and it is illustrated so well, in a dramatic pattern. Nice stems with plenty of buds. Sdlg. TO238A: For The Ages X Suspicious Minds

COSMETOLOGIST (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 35” (89cm) Sweet fragrance.
This is a plicata pattern that has a lot going on. Standards have a very light lavender ground, with lavender dotting showing in the center, and then becoming a medium lemon band. Falls are a light lavender white ground, with a deep burgundy haft bar, and a faint lilac lavender dotted edge. Even the beard is complex, with a white base and hair tips that change from burgundy to orange as it moves towards the heart of the flower. Cosmetologist comes from a line of plicatas that are not from traditional plicata breeding; they descend from recessive plicatas that appeared in bicolor breeding lines. Very nice form, bud count, and stems. Sdlg. TO237D: For The Ages X Open Flame plicata sibling

DEEP APPRECIATION (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 38” (96.5cm) Slight musky fragrance.
Deep black cherry to black standards show a slight bit of yellow ground in the center. Falls have a white ground with a lemon-yellow wash that is dotted deep black cherry, with a dark bar around the beard and line below the beard. The fall then has a wide black cherry band. It differs from its sister ‘Love In The Dark’ in that Deep Appreciation is near black, whereas the former is a very deep oxblood red. Very stunning! Sdlg. TM149QQ: Love In The Dark sibling

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 BELIEVER (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason-late 36” (91cm) Sweet fragrance.
Standards are a very complex color; deep rosy lavender centers blend to medium lavender, edged with a yellow buff band. Falls are a rich mustard yellow, with a lighter wash from below the beard to the deep mustard edge. Dream Believer is a super strong grower, and is very floriferous, completely covering itself in bloom, to create an eye-popping display. Sdlg. TN27FF: Artificial Intelligence 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

DRESSED FOR THE OCCASION (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 37” (94cm) Sweet fragrance.
Medium red purple standards sit atop deeper black cherry red falls with brilliant tangerine to red beards. Flowers are large and very ruffled. Stems are tall, with good bud count and show branching. Dressed For The Occasion is very elegant in the fields; it commands attention. Sdlg. TN162B: Own The Night X Heat Of The Moment

EXACTLY RIGHT (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 38” (96.5cm) Sweet fragrance.
Blue purple standards have large rich red plum centers. Falls are a deep blue purple with a red violet brindled wash. Exactly Right has excellent form, with strong substance and very wide and heavily ruffled petals. Really a very gorgeous iris. Sdlg. TN213A: Opulent Affair X Only Imagine sibling

EYE LOVE YOU (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason-late 36” (91cm) Slight musky fragrance.
I have been working on the ‘pansy face’ pattern, or you could say ‘signal’ pattern, in TBs for quite a few years. Trying to get different colors in the pattern has been fun. Eye Love You has a lot going on in the color department. Standards are flesh to peach, with large pink centers and a lavender infusion up the midrib. Falls are light lavender with a deep maroon signal, and upon closer inspection, there is a very faint lighter peach band. The orange beard sitting on top of the maroon signal just makes the whole thing pop. It certainly makes for a brilliant display in the fields, and won’t be mistaken for any other iris. Sdlg. TN31ZZ: Truth Or Dare X Autumn Tease

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

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

CANARY CRUSH (Thomas Johnson ’26)
SDB Early-midseason 14” (35.5cm). Sweet fragrance.
Deep canary to mustard yellow petals have an almost brown beard with a blue tip. Very wide and ruffled, creating quite a pleasing effect. Sdlg. TO76A: TK278A: (TG332: (TD227A: (Wit x It’s Amazing) x TD247B, Jewels sib) x Keppel 09-16A) X Cheers To You

GOING CONCERN (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 38” (96.5cm) Sweet fragrance.
Another iris with a distinctive and complicated color scheme. Standards are very light yellow, with deeper lemon and pink blended centers, and lighter edge with lemon veins. Falls have a large yellow sunburst pattern in the center, becoming a very pronounced deep burgundy, and then bordered with a precise wide lavender blue band. A very striking and unique flower, it makes a startling clump. Sdlg. TN232YY: Beautiful Mind sibling

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

FIRST CLASS (Sutton '22)
TB Midseason-late 35" (89 cm)
Slight sweet fragrance Cream standards with deep apricot pink center. Falls have a light red violet wash with a light apricot center and band. Magical X Strawberry Sorbet