SMIRK (Black ’24)
SDB Midseason-late 14” (35.5cm)
Sweet fragrance. It’s all about the big black cherry spot contrasting with the lighter violet standards. Makes showy clumps filled with bloom. Sdlg. BB246N: Debonair Bear X Yoda

SUNNY NATURE (Black ’24)
SDB Midseason-late 14” (35.5cm)
Sweet fragrance. From blue and garnet parents comes this sunny yellow creation with complementary rose washed fall spot accented by luscious melon beards. Sdlg. BB229O: Black U112B: (Sky Of Blue x Crank It Up) X Black U114B, Blazing Garnet sib

AS IF (Black ’24)
SDB Midseason-late 14” (35.5cm)
Sweet fragrance. It takes a sassy attitude to wear such bold colors. You won’t walk by an eye-popping clump of this beauty. Sdlg CC251B: Black Z205E, Grape Moon sib X Sassy Salsa

ANKLE-BITER (Black ’24)
MDB Midseason-late 7” (18cm)
Musky fragrance. It’s the little ones you must look out for. Don’t let their size fool you; their dramatic coloring has great carrying power. Sdlg. BB212P: Black X224C: (Intoxicating x Black V322A: (Black T248C: (Black Q95A, My Cher sib x Black P168F, Total Denial sib) x Black T233A: (Black P188B: (Black M251A: (Black J392A: (Black F240A: (Sweet Bite x Black B281B: (Tweety Bird x Black 91216, Spin Again sib)) x Minidragon) x Black J282C, Amusing sib) x Tickety Boo) x Black R264: (Delayed Development x Black P189 T-beard purple, He's So Shy sib)))) X Black X233A: (Intoxicating x Spectator)

SO HAPPY TOGETHER (Black ’24)
TB Midseason-late 35” (89cm)
Musky fragrance. The quest for a TB with blue standards and pink falls has been a long and frustrating road for many hybridizers. Along the way there are beautiful seedlings worthy of introduction, and this is one of those. Larger flowers are carried on sturdy stalks. Notice the peach pink styles peering from between violet-blue standards. Standards are a blended light blue-violet and pink. Falls are blended light orchid pink with a slight buff center stripe below the beard. Sdlg. BB86E: Bubbly Beauty X For Lovers Only

SURE TO TURN HEADS (Black ’24)
TB Midseason-late 33” (84cm)
Sweet fragrance. Put this iris at the top of your list. Its maiden bloom said, “I’m a star,” and so it is. It easily makes my top ten list. Tight compact form and heavy substance ensure it won’t fall apart in adverse weather. Exuberantly ruffled standards contrast with tightly pie crust ruffled fall edges so as to adorn but not obscure the stunning plicata patterning. Sturdy show stalks have 4 branches with 11-14 buds. Growth is robust and clean. Clumps are filled with stalks and bloom. You’re sure to turn your head as you walk by. Sdlg. BB106B: Crocodile Smile X Black Z100D, Background Noise sib

FIVE STAR (Black ’24)
TB Midseason-late 37” (94cm)
Sweet fragrance. Gorgeously formed, ruffled, and lightly laced blooms are adorned with big delicious beards. Light mid pink standards are blended buff at the edges. Falls have a creamy cantaloupe center with orange hafts and lighter edge. Supremely show-branched stalks have 3 branches and spur resulting in 10-12 blooms. Very strong, robust, and clean growth. A favorite since maiden bloom; everything about it is five stars!! Sdlg. BB78A: Black Y4A: (Fantasy In Pink x Bedroom Romance) X Black Y84A: (Black V22C: (Toast Of The Town x unknown) x Black W22A: (Clouds Go By x What A Beard!))

SPECIAL AGENT MAN (Black ’24)
TB Midseason-late 35” (89cm)
Sweet fragrance. Another ‘Crocodile Smile’ child. It has an interesting combination of cool colored standards and warm falls. Falls show a slightly different expression of the plicata pattern. Also notice the interesting dotted plicata pattern on the back of the falls, characteristic of many ‘Crocodile Smile’ offspring. Near solid gray plum standards sit atop butter yellow ground falls with a nearly solid overlay of dark plum and marigold beards. Sdlg. BB108A: Black Y56B: (Hot Off The Press x All Too Exciting) X Crocodile Smile

BOUNTIFUL BLOOM (Black ’24)
TB Midseason-late 35” (89cm)
Sweet fragrance. Want a show-stopping mass of bloom in your garden? Bountiful Bloom gives exactly that. Multitudes of show stalks fill these robust, disease-resistant clumps. It is a superlative garden variety. Mid pink standards are blushed violet up the midrib. Falls are mid red-violet with pink blushed hafts. Sdlg. BB76A: Black Y4A: (Fantasy In Pink x Bedroom Romance) X Fashion Week

GO CAT GO (Black ’24)
TB (small flowered) Midseason-late 32” (81.5cm)
Sweet fragrance. Here we have one of my infamous “small flowered tall bearded” introductions. Disclaimer: There is no such class. It is a TB, the only class for it. It is from about as diverse a parentage as one can get. There are TBs, tet MTBs, IBs, and SDBs in its background. What a breeding bonanza! Expect considerable variation in seedling heights in breeding. Clumps are filled with show stalks that have 3 to 4 branches and 12-15 buds. It is a showstopper. Growth and disease resistance is A++. Perfect for windy areas prone to toppling taller TBs. Every garden should have one. Sdlg. BB111D: Black Label X Black Y77A: (Black U59A: (Soft Whisper x Simply Coral) x Daffy Duck)

GARDEN APPEAL (Black ’24)
TB Midseason-late 32” (81.5cm)
Sweet fragrance. This smaller flowered tall bearded beauty traces back to ‘Passionate Embrace’ and the unusually colored flowers it produces, particularly in the citrus colors. Its myriads of show stalks cover the clumps in bloom. The white fall bands make it pop. Contrasting style arms are characteristic of ‘Passionate Embrace’ offspring, as are unique colors and show branched stalks. Sdlg. BB116C: Black Y84C: (Black V22C: (Toast Of The Town x unknown) x Black W32A: (Clouds Go By x What A Beard!)) X Solar Sunrise

NIGHT AFTER NIGHT (Black ’24)
TB Midseason-late 36” (91.5cm)
Sweet fragrance. Bountiful ruffles give a bubbly presence to these handsome dark flowers. Larger flowers on well-branched stalks make quite a sight in the garden. Cool beards are big and bushy, with a purple base with orange tips in the throat and center, and purple with white frosted tips at the end. Sldg. BB58A: Black V159I, Pleasure's All Mine sib X Black Z112C: (Black V159J, Pleasure's All Mine sib x Black Hole)

RIPPLES IN TIME (Black ’24)
TB Late 35” (89cm)
Sweet fragrance. Amply ruffled flowers are displayed on superbly branched show stalks. Strong growing, disease resistant foliage makes Ripples In Time a good landscape plant. Three branches and a spur provide 10-11 buds. Its lovely pastel color is a perfect foil for darker colors. Standards are lemon with gold centers. Falls are a blended pale violet to blue with a distinctive deep violet blue center stripe. Sdlg. BB8N: Colour Bazaar X All Ashore

HIDDEN FEATURE (Black ’24)
TB Midseason-late 34” (86.5cm)
Spicy fragrance. At first glance, Hidden Feature appears to be a glaciata, but don’t be deceived. The sun-sensitive anthocyanin (blue/purple pigment) on the fall reverse is activated by exposure to the sun. It is the reason for the irregular application from petal to petal. Intriguing and unusual, but not a rare occurrence. The pattern is called “celestar”. Larger flowers boldly call from a long distance. Sdlg. AA93A: Hey Look Me Over X Black Y76A: (Black U53G, Rise Like A Phoenix sib x Black U20D, Easy As Pie sib)

FUNKY TOWN (Black ’24)
TB Midseason-late 35” (89cm)
Musky fragrance. Over-the-top color and pattern are its hallmark. Is there room left for anything else? Thirty years ago such things were hardly imaginable. Veined and banded standards rise above falls with contrasting hafts, cascading centers, and a contrasting band. Wow! Add to that well-branched stalks with three branches and a spur with 10-12 buds. Get on board for the Funky Town Express. Sdlg. BB21A: Flash Of Brilliance X Espionage

BEAUTIFUL ESSENCE (Black ’24)
TB Midseason-late 34” (86.5cm)
Sweet fragrance. Yes, another ‘Crocodile Smile’ offspring. To say its plicata markings are subtle is an understatement. Some might question it being a plicata, but both parents are plicatas. It isn’t a glaciata because there are some subtle anthocyanin markings. A beautifully elegant flower, with all good garden traits, it should be an excellent parent. Standards are warm white with a pale stitched edge. Falls are warm white with minimum buff plicata hafts and edge. Sdlg. BB105D: Crocodile Smile X Z62C: (All Too Exciting x Black U53X, Rise Like A Phoenix sib)

WHAT! (Black ’24)
TB Midseason-late 36” (91.5cm)
Musky fragrance. Its markings aren’t dramatic but nonetheless it is a broken color. A very refreshing and spring-like creation in sparkling white and light blue. Three well-spaced branches provide 8-10 flowers. Near white standards hover above falls washed light violet-blue with random darker violet-blue mottling. Sldg. BB21B: Flash Of Brilliance X Foreign Agent

HODGEPODGE (Black ’24)
TB Midseason-late 33” (84cm)
Sweet fragrance. A very pleasing pastel broken color with strong growth and 8-9 buds. Standards are mid lilac in the center with irregular streaks of peach and a cream band. Falls have a pale violet center blending into a wide pale pink band. Hafts are light peach, veined white and there is irregular light to dark random streaks of violet overall. Ruffled! Sdlg. AA11M: Big Break X You’re A Mess

WRITING ON THE WALL (Black ’24)
TB Midseason-late 33” (84cm)
Musky fragrance. ‘Crocodile Smile’ has been a supreme parent for creating unusual and different plicatas. A good proportion of seedlings have lovely branching and buds. Like ironing a small checked shirt, the patterning of Writing On The Wall makes it difficult to focus on any one part. It is unusual. Sdlg. BB104J: Crocodile Smile X Black Y135A: (All Too Exciting x Fancy Ideas)

NEVER NEVER LAND (Black ’24)
TB Midseason-late 34” (86.5cm)
Sweet fragrance. ‘Me And My Shadow’ has been an excellent parent. I am excited about the possibilities of using Never Never Land in plicata breeding since it is half plicata. Its vivid red-orange beards will be a wonderful bold addition when transferred to plicatas. Superior garden traits make it a great garden subject. Standards are light blue with a tan wire rim. Falls are velvety purple black with a narrow purple band. A touch of light apricot in the center accentuates the bold red-orange beards. Sdlg. BB164D: Daffy Duck X Me And My Shadow