OH MY (T. Johnson ’20)
SDB Late 15” (38cm)
Oh my is all I keep saying when I walk by this one and look at the beard. The standards are a bit twisted but the deep navy to near black beards are incredible. Strong growth and bloom with three buds per stem. Amazing!
Sdlg TJ61B parentage unknown

OUTRAGEOUS VISION (P. Black '21)
SDB Midseason-Very Late 15” (38cm)
Here’s another in the expanding line of late blooming, multiple budded and branched SDBs. Classically formed flowers have smoky light violet to buff pink blended standards and light pink to violet styles. Mid violet blend falls have cream hafts with dark plum veins that extend downward. Dark orange beards make it even more outrageous. Three well-spaced branches have 7-9 buds.
Sdlg. Y211A: V193E: (Date with Destiny x Q47C, Devil’s Delight pod parent) X V322A: involved.

PASTEL PATTERNS (K. Keppel '21
TB midseason 32" (81 cm)
Standards cream with light blue plicata edge; Falls cream-peach with deep violet hafts and lighter purple edge and center stripe. Keppel 09-93A: (Ink Patterns x 07-176B) X 07-176B, Hold the Line pollen parent

PIECE BY PIECE (T. Johnson ’21)
TB Mid 36” (91cm)
White ground standards are almost completely sanded and dotted gold, lighter in the center. Falls are white with deep red violet hafts and rim at distal end of petal. The border on the sides of the fall is heavily dotted medium lavender. Yellow beards with light lavender tips add to the interest. This is a very interesting and different color combination for a plicata. Very lovely and cheery. A good strong grower with nice stems and buds and classic form. Fantastic! Sadly, for hybridizers the cross tag had faded and I could not read it, so it is unknown parentage.
Sdlg TK172A: unknown parentage.

PORTLAND PINK (P. Black ‘15)
SDB Late-Very Late 15” (38cm)
It was tagged for introduction from its maiden bloom. Saying it is unique is a vast understatement. It is the best formed of all the pink SDBs. Color has great depth and richness. Its one flaw is some flowers have a 4th standard. It is a big advancement in my project to create SDBs that bloom into TB season. It begins bloom in early TB season. How cool to have a SDB for a TB timed show. The cross that created it, an IB X IB, shouldn’t have been fertile but it did have viable seed. Even more amazing, ‘Portland Pink’ is fertile. It can be picky about its partner but can have anywhere from a few to normal numbers of seed and they germinate. Shorty, the pod parent, is from a pink tetraploid MTB seedling X my SDB, ‘Juicy Tidbit’. The pollen parent is a multi-branched & budded IB from a small flowered TB, ‘Inspired’ sib X my SDB, ‘Love Spell’. Growth is strong and increase rapid. Although it is from 2 IBs, it has never exceeded SDB height. What about using it in hybridizing? Go on, have your way with it. It is fertile with SDBs, IBs, tet MTBs, BBs and TBs. I haven’t tried MDBs. Expect wide variation in flower and plant size of seedlings.
Cook-Douglas Medal 2021
Sdlg. T234A: Shorty X (Inspired sib x Love Spell)

PUZZLED (T. Johnson ‘15)
TB Midseason-Late 37” (94cm)
Yes, it will always be a puzzle as to what the parentage is since the tag was lost. ‘Puzzled’ is such a unique creation that most people won’t care. Standards are buttery peach with orangish texture veins. Wide and ruffled falls are an interesting irregular maroon wash over light lavender ground blending lighter toward edges. Beards are dark orange. Show stalks have ample buds. Growth is strong and increase abundant.
Sdlg. TD81B: Born This Way sib

QUEEN OF DARKNESS (P. Black ‘19)
SDB Early-Midseason 14” (36cm)
She does rule supreme in the garden. Iridescent red purple standards and styles sit above purple black falls set ablaze by big bright orange beards. Clumps packed full of stalks give a long bloom season.
Sdlg. Y292D: V340B: (T271F: (R284 turquoise plic sib: (Graph x P168G, Total Denial sib) x Q95A, My Cher sib) x T272 wine sib: Unknown) X U159A: (R222C: (Devoted x P199A: (T.Johnson TX100A, pod parent of It’s Amazing x N334C sib, pod parent of Worry Wart)) x (Devoted x P144A: ((L223A: Brash x Pink Frosting) x Pink Potion)))

SHIMMY SHAKE (T. Johnson ’19)
AB quarter bred. Early 16” (41cm)
Purple Standards with faint darker veins. Falls are rosy violet with a large black signal that becomes red at the signal edge.
Sdlg. TH177B: Unknown parentage.

SMOLDERING PASSION (T. Johnson ’21)
TB Mid-Late 35” (89cm)
Smooth black cherry standards over deeper black cherry falls with fully saturated tangerine orange beards. The clarity and smoothness of the color is very clean and crisp looking in the garden. Fantastic growth and show stems coming from the wonderful parent ‘Sharp Dressed Man’. Very striking and sharp looking for sure!!
Sdlg TJ80ZZ: Iconic X Sharp Dressed Man

STARDUST EVENING (P. Black '21)
TB Early-Midseason 31” (79cm)
Even before opening, its opalescent silver gray buds are intriguing. As the buds open there is a transformation to dark purple flowers. Dark indigo purple standards are narrowly banded dark red purple as are styles. Wide, ruffled and laced falls are dark indigo purple becoming lighter toward edges and rimmed dark purple. Mixed old gold to brown beards are sandwiched between white hafts heavily veined/sanded black purple. Stalks have 3-4 branches and 7-8 buds. It is an interesting parent.
Sdlg. Y170B: V159P, Pleasure’s All Mine sib X Creature of the Night sib

STITCHES (T. Johnson ’19)
TB Mid-Late 36” (91cm)
Sweet fragrance. Light yellow standards with a very narrow darker plicata stitched edge. Falls are white with a narrow purple stitched edge and short purple lines on either side of fuzzy mustard beards. Coming from parents carrying the plicata gene but not plicata themselves adds a bit more genetic diversity to the pattern. A nice clean pattern that is proving to be a garden favorite. Good growth and heavy substance flowers on strong stems carrying up to 10 buds.
Sdlg. TGH58A: Stole the Show X (TD 334YY: Nothing but Class X Sib to Cameo Minx).

TOTALLY CHARMED (B. Blyth ’21)
TB Mid. 37” (94cm)
Apart from its excellent production of show stems, this lovely Iris should really charm the judges. The standards are white with a faint flush of soft pink at the midribs. The falls are wide and lightly ruffled and pastel peach over cream. Some light tan veining radiating from the hafts. Very fertile. Organza, its pod parent is proving to be a super parent.
Sdlg Y110-B: Organza X Lost in Dreams.

TRUTH OR DARE (T. Johnson ’18)
TB Late 36” (91cm)
A total new pattern in TBs is emerging. We have loved this one from its maiden bloom. Garden nickname had been “pansy face” because it reminds us of a pattern you would find on a Pansy flower. Standards are lemon yellow deeper at the base. Falls are white with a faint yellow halo band near edge of petals. What really sets this flower off is the dramatic rusy to red central signal that surrounds the orange beard. Not the easiest of parents but from what we have bloomed from it so far it is well worth the effort. Nice stem with up to 8 buds.
Sdlg. TG111B: (Rogue Trader x (Rules of Love x Decadence)) X Daring Deception.

TULA (T. Johnson ’21)
SDB Mid 12” (30.5cm)
Named after our little dog, Tula is a beauty that was labeled for introduction since its maiden bloom. Standards are an off white with light violet plicata dots and lemon flush throughout. Falls are interesting with white ground overlaid almost completely with deeper violet plicata dots. Adding to the interest are deep violet veins that extend from around the beard to petal edge. All of this is highlighted by very shocking medium lemon style arms that are very visible, creating a strong contrast. Three buds, good growth and bloom habits make this a garden favorite and a fun parent.
Sdlg TJ8B: sib to Get Ready.

WHAT A VIEW (T. Johnson ’20)
TB Late 36” (91.5cm)
Solid golden yellow standards. Falls are white ground with nutmeg brown plicata haft and edge. Very flashy flowers with beautiful form and heavy ruffling. Is proving to be a very good parent.
Sdlg TH58C Sib to Stitches

ZIG ZAG (T. Johnson ’21)
SDB Late 12” (30.5cm)
Two things immediately come to mind when I think of this flower: the brilliant beard and the wonderful wide, round and ruffled form. It could be described as a rimmed broken color plicata. A very interesting mix of several patterns in one. I have used it heavily in breeding. Zig Zag is one of many iris to be introduced out of the fantastic parent Alaia.
Sdlg TK282B: Stylish Miss X Alaia.

ONLOOKER (Hager ’85) Easy to grow. Excellent aril traits and fantastic parent!

CURLY FRIES (Thomas Johnson ’22)
SDB Early 11” (28cm)
Sweet fragrance. Yellow standards. Falls have a white ground with yellow hafts and wide band. Maroon lines radiate out across the hafts and below the beard forming a pattern. The cross that produced Curly Fries was made note only for color but form. Both parents are known to transmit a nice ruffled form to its children so it seemed like a perfect marriage. Really beautiful ruffles and a bright orange beard. Very cool looking.
Sdlg TK268D: Unwritten X Alaia.

QUIGLEY (Thomas Johnson ’22)
SDB Midseason 15” (38cm)
Slight fragrance. I found it quite difficult to capture the unique beauty of Quigley in a photograph. I am still not completely satisfied. The color is more vibrant than the photo shows. It is one of those that I kept coming back to admire and study its unique coloration. Really fun in full clump, sorry I missed getting a good clump shot, but there is so much happening at once in the spring and such little time. Brassy gold standards with a little white ground showing in the centers. Falls have a white ground below the beard then cinnamon dotting and a central belly stripe. A brassy gold band encircles the fall. Very different and unique.
Sdlg TL227A: Unknown parentage, illegible tag.

SECRET PASSWORD (Thomas Johnson ’22)
SDB Early-Midseason 15” (38cm)
Sweet fragrance. Butter yellow standards. Falls are white with a large mustard yellow spot and lemon yellow band. Beards are frosted sky blue. Very round form and a gorgeous color combination.
Sdlg TK283C: pollen parent to Little Miss Sunshine X (Open Your Eyes x Thump)