HIGH WIRE ACT (T. Johnson ’25)
TB Early-midseason 35” (89cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
High Wire Act is such a beautiful iris, especially in a clump where it really shines, showing off its beautiful gold rim. Standards are cream with very faint gold veining in the center and a violet line up the midrib. The wide ruffled gold band really catches the eye. Falls are white, with a very wide rust red dotted band and white wire rim. A violet line down the center of the petal, from below the beard to the petal’s edge, adds another dimension of intrigue.
Sdlg. TM22WW: All The Rage X TJ249C, Flirty Tease sib: (TG400A: (Blyth T179-2: (Champagne Journey x Mysterioso) x unknown) x Dressed To The Nines)

LOADED QUESTION (T. Johnson ’25)
SDB Early-midseason 13” (33cm) Slight fragrance.
Standards are pink with wide gold bands. Falls are pink with orange hafts and a rosy pink plicata overlay. Loaded Question is spectacular in a clump, assuring its place in the introduction lineup.
Sdlg. TN298E: Born To Boogie X Foofaraw

PAMPERED PRINCESS (T. Johnson ’25)
SDB Midseason-late 13” (33cm) Slight fragrance.
Bisque pink with a deep peach pink center in the falls. A wide white line extends from the blue tipped beard down to the edge of the petal. Classically formed and ruffled, creating an exquisite look.
Sdlg. TO44A: Pet Project X Believe

TOPOGRAPHY (T. Johnson ’25)
TB Midseason-late 36” (91.5cm) Sweet fragrance.
Light salmon pink standards are echoed in the band around the rich rosy pink falls. The falls are extremely wide and overlapping. What really sets Topography apart from the others is its intensely ruffled and lightly laced flowers. Nice show stems are the norm.
Sdlg. TL163YY: TH55A: (Full Of Grace x Pick-Up Line) X Ballroom Belle

DOT TO DOTS (L. Miller ’25)
MTB dip. Midseason 16” (40.5cm) No fragrance.
White ground standards are heavily dotted purple. Falls have more white showing, with purple lines ending in dots near the petal edge. Nice branching and buds.
Sdlg. 3718B: Zipped Up X Pixel Packin’ Mama

DESERT OASIS (P. Black '25)
AB (OGB-) Midseason-late 33” (84cm) Slight musky fragrance.
Quarter arilbreds keep getting better and better, and more aril looking, with the big plus that they are easy to grow. Awesome white standards have light yellow centers and lined filigree with mid yellow styles peeking out. The light-yellow base of falls are washed and blended mid rose. Dark black-cherry streaked chevron signals surround brassy old gold beards.
Sdlg. CC142A: Smokin' Hot X Rise Like A Phoenix

COZY KITTY (P. Black '25)
SDB Midseason-late 13” (33cm) No fragrance.
This kitty looks more like it is ready to go partying rather than cozy up at home. Falls on light pink flowers with mid pink styles have mid red-purple lined and sanded hafts and center stripes. Beards are flaming neon coral pink. Makes a joyful clump. Another interesting parentage.
Sdlg. CC220B: Y263A: (New Release x W218C, Flirtin' Skirts sib) X X224C: (Intoxicating x V322A, Jolly pollen parent)

TWIZZLER (P. Black '25)
MDB Early-midseason 7” (18cm) No fragrance.
This small guy has caramel tan standards with interior mid slate wine plicata markings. Very round falls have light caramel tan ground with dark slate wine lines, plicata dotting, and dappling. Mid-dark tangerine beards glow from the heart.
Sdlg. CC230B: Z183D: (Galaxy Quest x unknown) X Z187C: (V218C: (Pinky Ring x Skimbleshanks) x Jolly)

CLAP YOUR HANDS (P. Black '25)
SDB Late-very late 14.5” (37cm) Slight musky fragrance.
This is another in my line of late blooming, multiple branched and budded SDBs. It is the beginning of an effort to put a contrasting fall spot into this line. Two toned grayed yellow blooms are carried on show stalks having two branches plus spur and 6-7 buds. Talk about a show iris!
Sdlg. DD108A: Out Of The Ordinary X Wide Eyed

RAZZLE DAZZLE ME (P. Black '25)
TB Late-very late 31” (78.5cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
Can one possibly get more color on an iris? Probably, but this one makes a good run at it. Mid gold standards and styles top wide falls having mid red-purple centers with light grape finely sanded veins. Warm white hafts on each side of beards are heavily sanded and lined dark brown blended to dark black-brown edges. Moderate brassy khaki bands decorate the edges. Its pod parent Hotsy Totsy is an interesting parent for me. Two branches plus spur carry 7 buds.
Sdlg. BB17O: Hotsy Totsy X Bright Within

BOOM BOX (P. Black '25)
TB Midseason-late 35” (89cm) Slight musky fragrance.
Oh yes, we’re a little loud and obnoxious, but also brilliantly colorful. Clear mid yellow standards are a clean contrast to falls that are dark black cherry streaking into rose tinted white bands. It certainly won’t be confused for another. White beards tipped light yellow are a perfect accent. Taller stalks have 3 branches with 9 buds.
Sdlg. BB28P: Read Between The Lines X Z139: (V89: (unknown x Hotsy Totsy) x Hotsy Totsy)

MEGASTAR (P. Black '25)
TB Midseason-late 35” (89cm) No fragrance.
This was my favorite seedling out of all of the BB year seedlings. I returned repeatedly to have another look. There is such an overwhelming amount of color and patterning that one viewing isn’t enough to take it in. It is another Crocodile Smile child, which shows its importance as a parent. Warm white standards have a wide light violet plicata outer band and a wide light khaki tan sanded and lined plicata band. Style arms are contrasting dark gold. White falls have wide dark violet to dark plum lined and sanded plicata bands. Rich brown beards are the perfect accent. Three branches produce 8-9 buds.
Sdlg. BB105P: Crocodile Smile X Z62C: (All Too Exciting x U53X, Rise Like A Phoenix sib)

JUST FOR JACKIE (P. Black '25)
TB Midseason-late 33” (84cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
Jackie is one of my best friends. She has always been a big help by leaving pink post-it notes on seedlings she thinks I should keep. We’ve had many good laughs together. She also insists on helping me plant my iris seeds each fall. Of course I wouldn’t hurt her feelings by saying no. She makes it all fun. She likes brown irises, so for her here is a white and dark red-brown plicata. Note the pronounced lines in the falls. Strong stalks have three branches and 8-9 buds. This is one of many exceptional seedlings coming from Crocodile Smile.
Sdlg. BB106C: Crocodile Smile X Z100D, Background Noise sib

STRIPES ARE IN (P. Black '25)
TB Midseason-late 32” (81.5cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
Here is another of the fantastic Crocodile Smile offspring with unique lined falls in various colors that I’ve been anxious to introduce. White standards have wide almost solid dark purple plicata bands and heavily stitched and sanded centers. White falls have intermittent lines over their centers and a solid center stripe. The number and length of lines is variable. I can’t wait to see more of its kids. Three branches and 8-9 buds is typical.
Sdlg. BB106N: Crocodile Smile X Z100D, Background Noise sib

PLICATA PORTRAIT (P. Black '25)
TB Early-midseason 34” (86.5cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
She is all dressed up for her picture perfect moment. White ground standards have wide solid dark maroon bands and heavy overall plicata sanded centers. Interiors of the standards have white ground with plicata marks similar to falls. Broad white falls have mid red-violet sanding within wide dark maroon plicata bands. Widely spaced dark maroon lines traverse the centers. Three branches have 8-9 buds. Strong growth.
Sdlg. BB106O: Crocodile Smile X Z100D, Background Noise sib

BOUNCING BLUE BETTY (P. Black '25)
TB Midseason-late 34” (86.5cm) Slight spicy fragrance.
I’ll leave it to you to figure out which Betty and where the bounce is. Is it in her footsteps? She is elegantly appealing. Ruffled icy white standards echo the interesting white falls that are delicately washed pale blue to several shades darker toward their edges. Statuesque stalks can have 4 branches with 11-12 buds. Put some bounce in your garden.
Sdlg. CC76A: Z40B: (V67A: (R72A: (Fancy Dog x M80CC: (First Page x Man About Town)) x Blueberry Parfait) x V191D: (R174B: (Frontline x Bluebird Of Happiness) x Dancing Star)) X X1A: (Adriatic Waves x All Ashore)

ARE YOU KIDDING ME (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 38” (96.5cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
The name was inspired by our young iris enthusiast friend Dylan Just. If you have ever seen his lively inspiring iris videos, you will certainly recognize the phrase “are you kidding me” as his signature punchline. It is a very fitting name, and very descriptive of the way I myself felt the year it first bloomed. It comes from the line of unique iris that have been coined the ‘pansy face’ pattern. I love everything about this iris, from its lavender standards with maroon base, to its wide and ruffled falls with deep maroon central overlay. The beards are blended a mysterious old gold to purple. Strong growth and gorgeous show stems just solidify the deal. Sdlg. TN180A: Feel The Beat X Autumn Tease sibling

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

DANCE FESTIVAL (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason-late 38” (96.5cm) Slight fragrance.
Lines, lines, and more lines! I have been working with this pattern for a number of years and have gotten some very interesting things. If I were to choose just one word to describe this, it would be floriferous! It completely covers itself in tall, well branched and budded stems, and blooms for a long time. It is not the first to start blooming, but about midway through the early season it starts, and goes and goes. The picture kind of speaks for itself. Check out the additional pictures of it, including clump shots. Sdlg. TN171ZZ Open Heart X Leave Me Breathless

DEEP APPRECIATION (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 38” (96.5cm) Slight musky fragrance.
Deep black cherry to black standards show a slight bit of yellow ground in the center. Falls have a white ground with a lemon-yellow wash that is dotted deep black cherry, with a dark bar around the beard and line below the beard. The fall then has a wide black cherry band. It differs from its sister ‘Love In The Dark’ in that Deep Appreciation is near black, whereas the former is a very deep oxblood red. Very stunning! Sdlg. TM149QQ: Love In The Dark sibling