WHY BE NORMAL (T.Johnson ‘14)
TB Midseason-Late 35” (89)
No reason that I can think of to be normal when you can be outrageous. ‘Why Be Normal’ is a true flat iris, one having no standards and six falls with beards rather than one that merely has weak standards. Mid caramel falls have mid brown hafts and center stripes extending from mid mustard gold beards. Nest of white styles with gold crests is very cool. Nicely branched stalks have no trouble supporting these large flowers.
Sdlg. Downtown Man X (Gypsy Lord x Exposé)

FINDING PEACE (Thomas Johnson ’22)
SDB Late 13” (33cm)
Sweet fragrance. Pink standards and lighter pink falls. There is a large white patch around the big bushy frosted blue beards. A very sweet looking iris.
Sdlg TL266C: TI310C: (sib to Blue Eyed Girl x sib to Oh Wow) X Breathtaking.

HONOR ROLL (Thomas Johnson ’22)
TB Midseason 36” (91cm)
Sweet fragrance. Honor Roll is the fourth sister in this cross to be introduced and it has been used heavily in my hybridizing program. Palest cream standards are veined and infused light lemon and deep gold at the base. Falls are a very deep plush burgundy with a wide light lavender band that blends into a light yellow edge. Heavily ruffled parts of the petal backs show and add to the effect with multiple layers of color. Nice stems with good branching and bud count make it a winner. A very beautiful iris and a favorite for sure. Check out all the pictures of Honor Roll as the flower ages through the days the yellow pigments become more creamy white. Gorgeous either way, we love this iris and we think you will too.
Sdlg TJ252YY: Sib to last year’s intros, Strike A Chord, Break My Heart and Read My Mind.

HOUSE OF LIGHT (Thomas Johnson ’22)
TB Early-Midseason 34” (86cm)
Sweet fragrance. Standards have golden yellow centers and icy blue-white edges. Falls are golden yellow with a white flash that extends from just below the beard and blends into a gold band near the petal edge. House Of Light is a very vigorous grower and is always one of the very first to start blooming. Strong show stems with ample buds make it an early season showstopper. A nice iris to kickstart the TB season.
Sdlg TK164B: TG403A: (unknown ) X sib to Just A Crush.

I WRITE THE SONGS (Thomas Johnson ’22)
TB Late 36” (91cm)
Slight sweet fragrance. Lavender pink standards are flushed flesh pink in the center. Falls are a lighter lavender pink with a faint pink band. Big bushy blue beards with frosted white hair tips. Very nice classical form with good ruffles. Nicely branched stems with good bud count. One of the deepest blue beards we have achieved thus far on a pink iris. Now if we can just hold that beard color and turn the petals a flamingo pink!! There is always something to shoot for!!
Sdlg TK155A: Simply Fabulous X unknown, illegible tag.

RUNAROUND (Thomas Johnson ’22)
TB Early-Midseason-Late 37” (94cm)
No fragrance. Peach and cream blended standards. White falls with a wide red violet plicata band and thin belly stripe that extends from below the beard to distal end. Nice classic rounded form shows off the deeply contrasting dark mustard yellow style arms, creating quite a dramatic look. Strong growth and show stems with loads of buds allows for a very long season of bloom. A very good and showy garden iris.
Sdlg TJ154ZZ: sib to Marry the Night X (Petticoat Shuffle x ((( Silk Brocade x Epicenter) x Keppel 98-204A: sib to Tunnel Vision pod parent) x (High Master x (Silk Brocade x Epicenter))))

TURN BACK TIME (T. Johnson ’22)
TB Midseason 40” (102cm)
Sweet fragrance. Standards have a cream ground that is almost completely overlaid with gold and a crystalline white petal edge. Falls are white with a lilac blue plicata band and dotted bar on either side of the beard. I simply love this iris. The color combination is so unique and carries the wow factor when in flower. Tall well branched stalks beckon to you from across the garden.
Sdlg TK101A: (Petticoat Shuffle x (sib to Hysteria x Danger Money)) X Beautician

HAPPY PLACE (T. Johnson ’23)
SDB Early 14” (36cm)
Slight fragrance. Happy Place got its name based on its cheery nature. It is just such a happy iris that makes me smile. Brilliant canary yellow self with a white line extending below the large bushy white beards. The falls are slightly darker yellow in the center. Very bright and a favorite. Sdlg. TK283A: Hit The Jackpot pod parent X Ribbit pollen parent.

HASHTAG (T. Johnson ’23)
SDB Early 12” (30.5cm)
Slight fragrance. Very light yellow-orange standards. Falls have a white ground that is completely lined with deep maroon red lines and veins. The hafts are touched yellow. Beards are white with tangerine hair tips. Very striking and the first lined SDB in this color that we know of. The parents of this one are the two iris named after our two little dogs. Sdlg. TM175A: Alaia X Tula.

BRILLIANT DEBUT (Thomas Johnson ’23)
TB 38” (96.5cm)
Sweet fragrance. White standards with yellow centers and irregular lemon markings at the petal edges. Falls are deep lemon yellow with a white area below bright orange beards. Not just another yellow and white iris, there was no denying this one’s introduction. Highly visible from clear across the field on its tall well branched stems. Sdlg: TJ334YY: Lost In Dreams sib X Bashful Love.

DISTANT SHORES (T. Johnson ’23)
TB Midseason-late 36” (91.5cm)
Sweet fragrance. Icy white standards are infused light violet and pink at the midrib. Falls are lavender-blue violet with a lighter lavender edge. What brings life to Distant Shores is the pink in the base of the standards. It draws your eye in for a closer inspection of the frosted blue violet beard. Nicely ruffled flowers are held on well branched stalks. A good quality iris, a solid performer, and an easy doer. Sdlg. TJ308A: pod parent of Rolling In The Deep X Secret Status.

FEEL THE BEAT (T. Johnson ’23)
TB Midseason 36” (91.5cm)
Sweet fragrance. Milky white standards have medium lemon centers. Falls have a large maroon signal in the center that is touched gold on either side of the beard. The signal then bleeds down the fall and transitions to a solid deep lilac and finally becoming lighter lilac, forming a band at the petal’s edge. This has been a fun iris to hybridize with for the pansy face pattern. Oddly enough it is a sister to Loving Embrace which is a salmon amoena and Brilliant Debut which is a yellow amoena. So the range of colors in this cross is amazing. Sdlg. TJ334A: Loving Embrace sib.

LET ME BE THERE (T. Johnson ’23)
TB Midseason 35” (89cm)
Sweetly scented. Let Me Be There is a WOW iris that cannot be overlooked! Standards are deep lemon yellow. Falls are white with a diffused lilac border. Hafts are touched lemon. The form and ruffles are indescribable, simple gorgeous. We have used Let Me Be There heavily in our breeding program and have been glad we did. An absolute must iris! Sdlg. TL151B: Dressed To The Nines X Gala Event.

LOVELY LIVVY (T. Johnson ’23)
TB early-midseason 35” (89cm)
Lightly scented. LOVELY LIVVY (T. Johnson ’23) TB early-midseason 35” (89cm) Lightly scented. This gorgeous iris is named to honor the late great Olivia Newton-John. Olivia was not only a very talented celebrity but she was a gorgeous human being. Although I never met her, I certainly followed her career and life. Always a kind, warm and loving person, she never acted the celebrity, taking time to acknowledge all who came upon her. She courageously fought breast cancer in an out of remission for 20 years. Never one to complain she always looked on the positive side of things. The latter part of her life was dedicated to finding a cure for Cancer. She founded the Oliva Newton-John Cancer And Wellness Centre In Melbourne, Australia, the country she called home. Here she tirelessly raised money to support cancer research using plant-based treatments. Lovely Livvy was the pet name the media used throughout Olivia’s life to describe her. The iris we have chosen to honor her kind of named itself. Firstly, it is pink, the color of breast cancer awareness. On top of that, I made the cross in the garden of Barry and Lesley Blyth (using two of Barry’s seedlings), who live only miles from where Olivia grew up. Lovely Livvy is an extraordinary and unique creation in a color combination that has not yet been seen in iris until now. White standards are flushed pink. Falls are a deeper rose pink with a gorgeous ruffled white band. Olivia with her kind and generous heart inspired me to do my part, so I donated a portion of the proceeds of each plant sold in its introductory year (2023) to her Cancer research centre in Australia. Sdlg. TJ335B: X267-12 (U232-1: (S290-3: Raise the Curtain x Another Woman) x (S69-1: (02-185c: Restless Heart x Queen’s Circle) x (02-191B: Tour De France x Rippling River))) x Bashful Love. X Walk Right Back pod parent.

MARSHMALLOW SKIES (T. Johnson ’23)
TB Midseason 37” (94cm)
Light sweet fragrance. Very light lavender to white standards with a bit of pink at the base. Falls are a rich medium lavender. This is an iris that we adore. The flowers are so immense and with the wide ruffles it looks like floating clouds when it is in full flower. It is so hard to capture its true grandeur in a photograph. Lovely and an easy grower. Sdlg. TK153B: Whimsical Lady sib.

POSITIVE THINKING (T. Johnson ’23)
TB Midseason-late 36” (91.5cm)
Light sweet fragrance. It is hard not to think positive when viewing this happy, cheerful iris. Standards are a brilliant canary yellow. Falls are creamy white with a canary yellow haft and band. There is also a touch of lilac on the shoulders and blushed below the beard. An interesting and beautiful application of color. Nicely ruffled, well-branched show stems are the norm. Sdlg. TL235C: Colour Bazaar X Catwalk Queen.

SECRET CHORD (T. Johnson ’23)
TB Midseason 35” (89cm)
Light fragrance. The color of Secret Chord is hard to describe but here we go. Standards have a brassy gold base then they are washed and dotted mulberry in the center finally forming a brass band. Falls are creamy white with deep violet on either side of, (and forming a dart just below), the beard. There is a deep mulberry red fall band with purple violet dots inside the band. All in all it makes for a very startling color combo. Combine all that with wide heavily ruffled form and you have a grand garden iris. We have used Secret Chord heavily in our breeding program. It has proven to be a great parent for form and deep patterned plicatas. Sdlg. TK211ZZ: Be Not Afraid sib

TENACITY (T. Johnson ’23).
TB Midseason 36” (91.5cm)
Sweet fragrance. Lavender blue standards with a yellowish green veined network in the center. Falls are an intensely deep velvety black purple with a white sunburst. A wide deep purple belly stripe runs from the beard to the purple band. This is one spectacular iris. Great form, buds, branching and growth, and show stalks always. Tenacity has been marked as an introduction since its maiden bloom. She is also proving to be a very good parent. Sdlg. TL214B: TI180C: (Locomotion sib x (Blyth O211-A: (L94-1: (Ostentatious x G48-5: (Burst x Epicenter)) x L266-1: (G48-5 x Zestful Miss)) )x R41-6, Stay Stylish pollen parent sib X TH156A: (Photo Shoot x (Blyth O211-A: (L94-1: (Ostentatious x G48-5: (Burst x Epicenter)) x L266-1: (G48-5 x Zestful Miss)) )x R41-6, Stay Stylish pollen parent sib).

TROPICAL TEASE (T. Johnson ’23)
TB Midseason-late 35” (89cm)
Sweet fragrance. Cream standards with dark pink centers and golden orange edging. Falls are creamy white with deep orange hafts and edge. The flowers are heavily ruffled and ever so slightly laced. A very pretty iris for later in the season. Sdlg. TK107C: Stage Fright sib.

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