WOW GEE WHIZ (P. Black 21)
SDB 15” (38cm)
It is amazing to have three prime selections from the same cross. This luminata plicata has old gold standards washed darker brass overall and interesting green midribs. Mid gold styles lead to bold yellow luminata type fall spots that have light tan plicata markings becoming mid cinnamon toward edges. The lower half of fall is dark mahogany with a gilt gold rim. The big burnt orange beards will make you go ‘Wow Gee Whiz’. Great from a distance or up close. Strong growth.
Sdlg. Z190H, Flying Monkey sib

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.

REGAL IMPACT (Blyth ‘22)
TB Early-Midseason 38” (97cm)
Sweet fragrance. Striking and colorful variegata. Standards are blended honey tan and falls are rich smooth burgundy black. Beards black tan tipped tangerine orange. Interesting parent and should give some great seedlings. We made a cross in the Sutton Garden when it was in California; it is a major part of the pollen parent.
Sdlg Y51-1: Last Kiss Goodnight sib X ((Sutton T232A: (Revere x Grand Circle) x Sutton V213-1: (Pumpkin Cheesecake x Snowed In)) x Jordan's Joy x Adoree)).

DON’T YOU DARE (Thomas Johnson ’22)
TB Late 34” (86cm)
Sweet fragrance. Pure bright yellow standards. Falls have deep yellow hafts on either side of the beard. The bright yellow on the hafts becomes lighter towards the petal edge. There is a strong dark violet inkblot below the beard that extends to near the petal edge. Ruffled and slightly flared flowers for the late season. A very interesting and striking pattern.
Sdlg TK3C: Barbara Rider X Espionage.

GARDEN PRINCE (Thomas Johnson ’22)
TB Midseason-Late 36” (91cm)
Sweet fragrance. Stately and bold probably best describes Garden Prince. Classic form on this lovely lavender-blue-purple. The hafts and style crests are touched chocolate. The fall is also bordered in a deeper violet edge. Orange beards tipped blue complete the look. Very nicely branched stems and with good bud count. An intriguing iris and one that always drew me for a closer look when walking through the seedlings.
Sdlg TJ117YY: sib to last year’s introduction Dance Off.

GIRLS WANNA HAVE FUN (Paul Black '22)
TB Midseason-Very Late 35” (89cm)
Pronounced sweet fragrance. Combinations of the plicata pattern with other patterns have created a seemingly never ending universe of new and unique patterns and colors. One of those is a butterfly type design where a luminata patch would be. There will be many variations of these to come. This one has mid pink standards with subtle darker rose lines and outer edge. Velvety dark purple-black falls have white darted chevon haft patches overlaid with near black lines sandwiched between purple sanded veins in a modified butterfly pattern. Coral beards enhance its uniqueness. Clumps are gloriously filled with an abundance of stalks having 3 branches and 8-9 buds.
Sdlg. Z88W: Dearest X Black U53X, Rise Like a Phoenix sib

APPLE OF MY EYE (Paul Black 23)
TB Late-Very Late 35” (89cm)
Pronounced sweet fragrance Oh YES, I really like this one. Be sure to take in the lovely, nuanced colors. Tight classically formed flowers have waxen substance and sheen. Lightly laced red brown standards blend to wide dark mulberry bands, a very interesting color transition. Narrow crinkle laced black cherry falls are touched with white dotting. The white chevron around the multi-layered beard is heavily mottled mid black cherry. Three layered beards are white to dark purple and tipped old gold. Strong, disease resistant foliage. Show branched stalks have 3 branches plus spur and 9- 10 buds. Sdlg. AA268A: Ruby Tracery X Black Y54A, Drag Race sib

BE YOURSELF (Paul Black 23)
TB Early-Late 35” (89cm)
Pronounced sweet fragrance Don’t be afraid to strut your stuff and let the world know who you are. This one wears its brash, loud and boisterous colors as a badge of uniqueness. Light ruby veins and wire rim encircle light gold standards. Dark gold style crests have dark brown stripes. White fall centers are outrageously veined and sanded dark wine transitioning into wide solid red-black band with crinkle laced edges dotted white. Show stalks with 3-4 branches and 8-10 buds. Shouts for attention! Sdlg. Z95D, Unimaginable sib

FIELDS OF GOLD (T. Johnson ’23)
TB Midseason-late 36” (91.5cm)
Light sweet fragrance. Standards are a deep lemon yellow with the edges being a light lemon. Falls are an interesting blend of lemon and maroon in the center giving somewhat of a brown effect. The petal edge of the fall is encircled in a wide cream and lemon blended band. The color of the fall can be quite different depending on the weather and the year. This last spring we were cool and wet the whole time and the flowers opened up a rich brown in the fall and then transitioned to the lighter color. Check out additional pics on the website to see for yourself. Fields of Gold is another example of the fun color ranges coming out of the fantastic parent Truth Or Dare. Sdlg. TK130B: Courageous One and I Believe sib.

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.

ONE IN A MILLION (T. Johnson ’23)
TB flat Midseason 35” (89cm)
No fragrance. To the best of our knowledge this is the first TB flat plicata to be introduced, thus the name. No standards and 6 falls. The style arms are etched on the crests with the same pattern as is on the edge of the falls. The falls are white then bordered and stitched red violet. Sometimes but not always each fall will have a center belly stripe of violet that appears as a narrow straight line extending from the beard to the petal edge. Sdlg. TL172ZZ: Parentage is unknown lost tag.

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.

SHIVERS (T. Johnson ’23) TB Midseason 37” (94cm) Sweet fragrance. Wow, just wow is what I say each time I see this one in flower. Nearest attempt yet to a black amoena that we have seen. Icy blue white standards have a gilt gold edge and the visible style crests are also etched in gold. Falls are about a dark a black purple as there is. Beards are a burnt orange. Shivers is also blessed with beautiful form, ruffles, stems and good bud count. Absolutely spectacular. Check out additional pictures including clump shots of it on the website. Sdlg. TJ303ZZ: By Starlight sib.

PERKY LASS (L. Miller ’23)
TB Midseason-late 32” (81cm)
Slight sweet fragrance. As I work toward pink ground plicatas interesting combos are happening. The standards of Perky Lass are light pinkish salmon, lightly washed light violet. Falls are pinkish-salmon bordered with heavy maroon dotting, heaviest beside striking dark tangerine beards. 7 to 8 buds are held on show stalks. Sdlg. 5817C: 9813A, Lost cross X Powder Keg.

OH SO DIFFERENT (Paul Black 23)
TB Midseason-Late 30” (76cm)
No fragrance It takes center stage with one of the most dramatically unique flowers. Standards and falls are both a study in color and pattern. Light buffy tan blended standards are widely banded with fine dark plum filigree. Old gold style crests striped dark brown emerge from between them. White falls are a puzzle of purple black veins and sanding overall becoming darker and more closely spaced toward edges. White stitching on reverses adds more distinction. Mid marigold beards help focus the eye. Of course, this has been a favorite since it first bloomed. Three branches have 8-9 buds. Easy and fast growth. Sdlg. AA73L, How Bizarre! Sib

RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS (Paul Black 23)
TB Late-Very Late 35” (89cm)
Slight sweet fragrance Sparkling pristine white flowers have standards decorated with wide vibrant mid violet plicata bands and sparse sanded veins over their centers. Amount of center markings varies considerably from sparse to overall. Contrasting dark plum style crests peak out over white falls with narrow mid purple plic bands. Dark wine sanded darts cover the hafts then give way to closely spaced light yellow veins. Light marigold to white beards are the perfect complement. Clumps provide a light and bright spot in your garden. Two branches and spur have 5 buds. Sdlg. Z64E: All too Exciting X Black W143F, Wild Streak sib

SATAN’S TANGO (Paul Black 23)
TB Early-Late 32” (81cm)
No fragrance This bold devil is all about motion and intensity. Let the dance begin. Highly ruffled vivid mid yellow standards swirl around same-colored styles with crests streaked rust. Edges of velvety red-black falls are trimmed mid red and yellow. White veins thrust over the hafts in a moustache pattern. Clumps are ooh la la hot! Moderate sized flowers are born in great abundance on show stalks with 3 branches and 8-9 buds. Clean foliage and easy growth make this a top pick garden variety. Sdlg. Z95K, Unimaginable sib

HYBRIDIZERS TAKE NOTE
FUTURISTIC (Paul Black 23)
SDB Midseason-Late 12” (30cm)
Slight sweet fragrance As far as I know, this is the first variegated foliage SDB to be introduced. I’ve bloomed others but none good enough to introduce. ‘Futuristic’ had an interesting beginning. Bloom the first year was a mix of gray-white flowers, grayed pink flowers and some broken colored of gray and pink. Since then, most have transitioned to light gray with a light tan haft veined darker slate tan and narrowly bordered slate violet. There are very subtle light tan broken color segments. Mid old gold beards give a little life to these more somber colors. ‘Futuristic’ is fertile and can produce variegated foliage and broken color flowers but progress is slow. Sdlg. Y262A: Black V277B: (Black S283B: (Black O335B, Burlesque Cutie pod parent x Worry Wart) x Eye of the Tiger) X Black V324A, Egghead sib

RAGTOP (Paul Black 23)
SDB Late-Very Late 15” (38cm)
Pronounced sweet fragrance For breeders, here’s a lovely twofer for you, luminata and plicata on one side and lace of the other. It makes for an exciting parent. Ruffled and lightly laced khaki standards have slate red violet bases. Light khaki style crests are laced. Mid yellow hafts are veined mid mahogany and darker mahogany over lower half. A neat narrow ruffled and laced light khaki band encircles them. Soft old gold beards are the perfect complement. Sdlg. AA259D: Jolly X Little Bit of Lace

SPILT MILK (Paul Black 23)
AB OGB- Midseason-Late 28” (71cm)
Slight sweet fragrance Interestingly, this cross had about 1/3 broken colored seedlings. I don’t know where it comes from. Ecru standards have light old gold centers turning to lines and then heavier stitched borders. Random rosy wine splashes further decorate them. Crests of dark gold styles are striped red-brown. White falls are heavily washed and mottled dark brown. Random streaks and flecks of white make it a bit whimsical. Multi-layered dark brown and old gold beards terminate in small black aril signals. Two well-spaced branches have 5 buds. Sdlg. BB186B: Smokin’ Hot X Let’s Play Dress Up