CLOSING CEREMONY (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Midseason late-very late 38” (96.5cm) Slight fragrance.
The name kind of tells you the story. It starts flowering with the midseason varieties, and continues through until the very end of the iris bloom season. Very rich pink standards repeat themselves in a soft band on white falls. Big showy powder blue beards certainly add a touch of class. Very nice form with good bud count and stems. A true delight to look at, it is a favorite for sure! Sdlg. TO160A: Somebody To Love X TK109ZZ: (TG52CC: (Uptown Lady x Don’t Stop Believing) x Slice Of Heaven)

COSMETOLOGIST (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 35” (89cm) Sweet fragrance.
This is a plicata pattern that has a lot going on. Standards have a very light lavender ground, with lavender dotting showing in the center, and then becoming a medium lemon band. Falls are a light lavender white ground, with a deep burgundy haft bar, and a faint lilac lavender dotted edge. Even the beard is complex, with a white base and hair tips that change from burgundy to orange as it moves towards the heart of the flower. Cosmetologist comes from a line of plicatas that are not from traditional plicata breeding; they descend from recessive plicatas that appeared in bicolor breeding lines. Very nice form, bud count, and stems. Sdlg. TO237D: For The Ages X Open Flame plicata sibling

DISCO PARTY (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 38” (96.5cm) Slight fragrance.
This beauty certainly reminds me of a wild disco party. Clean medium lemon-yellow standards are the perfect match for the wildly patterned falls. The large canary yellow sunburst center becomes a lavender to maroon wash that is then encircled with a lemon band. Nice, tall, well-branched stems carry the well-formed flowers with pride, screaming look at me! Sdlg. TM141B: Color Wheel X unknown

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

HONOR STUDENT (Paul Black 26)
SDB Midseason-late 12” (30.5cm) Slight spicy fragrance.
Of course this student gets top marks. Rampant growth ensures a clump filled with perfectly formed blooms. The color of the light violet-blue standards is repeated in a wire rim around the mid to dark violet-blue shaded falls. Large light lavender beards with frosted white tips are showcased in a nest of white haft darts. Sdlg. EE132A: La La Palooza sibling

RUNNING LATE (Paul Black 26)
SDB Late-very late 15” (38cm) Pronounced sweet fragrance.
I keep working on pushing SDB bloom further and further into TB season. Running Late hits that mark by blooming with midseason TBs. Tightly formed flowers have pale pinkish white standards, contrasting with strongly flared dark purple falls, blending paler to edges. Hazy white darts surround unique burnt orange to violet beards. Rampant growth creates clumps filled with bloom. Sdlg. DD140I: Y191A, Perfectly Composed sibling X Black Y278B: (Black V316F, Circus Act sibling x Don't Fix It)

IT’S A WRAP (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Midseason-late 37” (94cm) Slight fragrance.
This gorgeous pink iris was named It’s A Wrap because we always know that when it starts to bloom we are heading towards the end of the bloom season. Marked for introduction from its maiden bloom, we have been patiently building stock and are excited to finally offer it. This gorgeous pink self is slightly lighter below the beards, which are a wonderful shade of shrimp pink. This glorious color is displayed on perfectly formed flowers that are wide, ruffled, and lightly laced. Good stems and high bud count make this a long bloomer and a good candidate for best specimen at the late shows. Sdlg. TL51ZZ: Strawberry Shake X Slice Of Heaven

MAGICAL WONDERLAND (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Midseason-late 35” (89cm) Slight musky fragrance.
Deep plum to grape purple standards rise above light lavender white falls with a deeper lavender wash below the beard, extending out to a wide peach orange band. Magical Wonderland has fantastic form, with very heavy substance. Its flowers are very, very ruffled; it is gorgeous in full bloom. Sdlg. TN27HH: Artificial Intelligence sibling

PERFECT IN EVERY WAY (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason-late 38” (96.5cm) Sweet fragrance.
Ooh la la, this one is a stunner. I am not usually overtaken by yellow and white, as the pattern has been done before, but... I simply cannot get enough of this. The form is impeccable, the stems and bud count are first rate, and the clumps are like heaven! The color is so clean and clear, and applied in such a way, that it makes me want to just pull up a chair and sit and stare at it all day long. Is it a glaciata? If you look deep in the heart, you will see the smallest of short purple lines. Whatever the classification, it is certainly gorgeous and highly recommended. Sdlg. TO150C: Gone Viral X Feast For The Eyes

SIGN OF PEACE (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Midseason-late 38” (96.5cm) Light fragrance.
Light peach standards have pink infused centers. Falls are cream, with a faint peach edge and deep rosy pink hafts. The form on Sign Of Peace is impeccable, and the flowers are held high on well branched and budded stems. The overall impression is of class and elegance. A true beauty of an iris. Sdlg. TN30B: Ten of Hearts X Fields Of Gold sibling

UNDENIABLE (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason-late 42” (106.5cm) Sweet fragrance.
Slate white standards have a blue flush in the center. Falls are a gorgeous slate lavender blue with a lighter wash area around the blueish white beard. There is also a slightly darker lavender rim on the falls. Undeniable was named for obvious reasons; there was never any doubt that it was going to be released. It has beautiful form on tall, well-branched and balanced stems, and is a very strong grower that blooms and blooms from early to late in the iris bloom season. A truly outstanding garden iris coming from two outstanding parents. Sdlg. TN82ZZ: Private Party X Flirty Tease