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

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

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

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)

CAROUSEL RIDE (Paul Black 26)
TB Midseason-late 33” (84cm) Slight musky fragrance.
This ride gives striking, high-contrast colors with exceptional pattern and texture. Standards rise in softly ruffled layers of warm rosy mauve delicately plicata-stitched mid grayed mauve. Broad falls open creamy white, dramatically etched and feathered in deep grape-purple, concentrating along the margins and radiating inward in fine lines for a bold, artistic effect. Bright orange beards add a vivid spark. Vigorous plants produce show stalks having 4 branches plus spur and a branch spur giving 11-12 buds. Sdlg. DD51A: Girls Wanna Have Fun X BB149C, Princess Pretty Pink 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

INNER DESIRE (Paul Black 26)
TB Early-midseason 32” (81.5cm) No fragrance.
This intensely saturated jewel will captivate your heart. The interior of dark red-grape standards is white with wide plicata banding of mid red-grape. The falls have a mid blue-purple area surrounding mid tangerine beards, that first transitions to a wide, warm white, heavily plicata-marked band, before ending in a wide, rich wine-magenta band. Its unique color will draw you in for a closer look. Well-branched stalks have 4 branches and 7-8 buds. Unusual buds (fall reverse) are greenish cream heavily dotted mid grape. Another wonderful and unique iris coming from ‘Crocodile Smile’. Sdlg. BB107G: Black Y55B, Crocodile Smile sibling X Crocodile Smile

POMPOUS PARROT (Paul Black 26)
TB Midseason-late 38” (96.5cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
This sassy character commands attention with its bold, high-contrast coloring and lavishly ruffled form. Soft, luminous, salmon pink standards, delicately stitched darker, rise above richly saturated near-black purple falls, creating a striking bicolor effect. The falls are accentuated by a radiant white butterfly shoulder, drawing the eye to a glowing orange beard that adds warmth and intensity. Its pod parent provided the genes for its amazing show stalks, which have 5 branches and 16-17 buds. A superb parent. Sdlg. DD51D: Girls Wanna Have Fun X BB149C, Princess Pretty Pink sibling

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

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

SCATTERSHOT DOTS (Paul Black 26)
TB Midseason-late 30” (76cm) Pronounced sweet fragrance.
Here’s another in the limited realm of the strange broken color plicatas. Each flower is patterned differently. Typically marked standards have a light buttercream ground with a dark charcoal-purple wide rib, heavily plicata-sanded center, and wide band. White falls have light yellow variably-sized hafts, irregular broken color segments of wine to purple dotting and sanding, and a narrow dark wine plicata band. Sdlg. EE25A: Black AA84W, Make Up Your Mind X Wild About You

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

SULTRY BEAUTY (Paul Black 26)
TB Midseason-late 31” (78.5cm) Pronounced spicy fragrance.
This beauty sweeps onto the dance floor in an elegant velvet gown. The satin sheen of her tightly fitted mid boysenberry top courses downward to her velvety dark burgundy skirt, underlaid with near black veins. Iridescent boysenberry-edged ruffles complete the ensemble. Mid orange beards add a bit of flash. Strong growth produces show stalks with 4 branches and 8-9 buds. It is valuable as a broken color parent. Sdlg. CC57A: Black Y115A, Breaking Free sibling X Goat Rodeo

BLUE SONGBIRD (Paul Black 26)
SDB Midseason-late 13” (33cm) Pronounced sweet fragrance.
It is a cheery song this little bird sings. Clear light blue standards perch atop mid blue falls. The beard is a heavily saturated darkest navy blue. Makes a satisfyingly beautiful clump. Can be used for broken color SDB breeding. Sdlg. EE127A: Slightly Confused X By The Sea

CANDY BEARD (Paul Black 26)
MTB Midseason-late 26” (66cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
Oh yes, these beards are good enough to eat. Mid pink styles peer from between mid-light blue-pink standards. White falls have wide rosy pink plicata banding, lines and dotting over the center. Makes a very colorful clump. Well-branched stalks have 3 branches and 7-8 buds. Sdlg. EE181A: Bright Victory X Candy Tycoon

CAPTURE MY HEART (Paul Black 26)
BB Midseason-late 25” (63.5cm) Slight musky fragrance.
Nice ruffles, a little lace, and yummy citrus colors – be still my heart! Mid peach-apricot standards blend to a mid apricot border. Mid peach-apricot blended falls darken toward its margin. Vibrant tangerine beards pulse from the heart. Vigorous growth produces show stalks having 3 branches and 8-9 buds. Sdlg. EE66A: BB116G, Garden Appeal sibling X Black CC131A: (Black Z240A: (Tickle My Fancy x Black X99 purple sibling: (Black T96B: (Wicked Good x Laughing Clown) x Penguin Party)) x Black Z240B: (Tickle My Fancy x Black X99 purple sibling: (Black T96B: (Wicked Good x Laughing Clown) x Penguin Party)))