LOVE IN THE DARK (T. Johnson ’25)
TB Early-midseason 38” (96.5cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
Quite an intensely colored iris. Standards are solid deep oxblood red. Falls are cream with a lemon wash on either side of the beard extending down to the wide red dotted band. Very showy in the fields this last year, making quite a statement at the end of its row.
Sdlg. TM149WW: Raspberry Pie X Flash Mob

SPICY SECRET (T. Johnson ’25)
TB Early-midseason 37” (94cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
Near solid mid raspberry standards have just a hint of white showing in the center. Falls are stark white with a wide raspberry band. A very nicely formed flower with a super clear pattern.
Sdlg. TM149YY: Raspberry Pie X Flash Mob

DUSK TO MIDNIGHT (L. Miller ’25)
TB Early-midseason 31” (78.5cm) Slight musky fragrance.
Dusky pale lavender standards contrast nicely with dark violet purple to black falls, highlighted by a lighter veined rim and haft area. Huge flowers are carried on strong stems carrying up to 8 buds. A great iris with a very good pedigree.
Sdlg. 619J: Ninja Warrior X Haunted Heart

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

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

RUM AND RAISIN (P. Black '25)
SDB Early-midseason 13” (33cm) Pronounced sweet fragrance.
If you like earth tones, Rum And Raisin is for you. Standards are mid-light caramel tan. Multiple rings of color in the falls start with mid gold hafts with light tan plicata marks, then to a wide mid raisin band blended to mid gold bands. Muted mid marigold beards are a subtle contrast. YUM!
Sdlg. DD153D: AA220F: (W233B, See No Evil sib x Artist's Hand) X Artist's Hand

BEYOND FABULOUS (P. Black '25)
TB Midseason-late 32” (81.5cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
An abundance of ruffles, pleasing color contrasts, and all-around great garden performance make Beyond Fabulous a prime candidate for your garden. Light grayed cantaloupe centers blend to very wide pale icy blue-white bands. Dark blended dark purple falls have white hafts heavily lined and sanded dark maroon and are finished with medium wide icy white streaked bands. Two-toned beards are mid marigold, ending in light violet. Three branches provide 8-9 buds. Strong growth.
Sdlg. BB73B: My Passion X Z139: (V89: (unknown x Hotsy Totsy) x Hotsy Totsy)

BUTTERFLY EYE (P. Black '25)
TB Early-midseason 33” (84cm) Pronounced spicy fragrance.
Butterfly Eye is an example of the recently emerging cascade patterns where the fall centers have various contrasting colors, from veins to solid cascades. Light slate violet standards blend to a wide pale violet-white band. Wide pale violet-blue falls help emphasize the cascade patterning. Large dark indigo blue hafts transition to widely spaced dark indigo veins and mottling. Fat beards are an interesting tobacco brown. Strong growth produces show stalks.
Sdlg. DD56A: AA8A: (Foreign Agent x Bedroom Romance) X Y18A: (Multnomah Falls x Bubbly Beauty)

PLAY WITH ZEBRAS (P. Black '25)
TB Midseason-late 34” (86.5cm) Pronounced musky fragrance.
Talk about a zebra of a different stripe. This is one of the few broken color plicatas, and one with sterling plant habits and superbly formed flowers. White standards have a wide dark purple plicata band and closely spaced dotting over the center. Wide and ruffled falls are white with dark purple broken color segments, streaks, dotting, and sanding. Show stalks have three branches and 7-8 buds. I’m working on zebras in other colors now. What a fun project this is!
Sdlg. AA84N: Come And Dance X Starry Starry Night

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)

COME FLY WITH ME (P. Black '25)
TB Early-midseason 34” (86.5cm) Pronounced sweet fragrance.
Standards are mid blue veined darker blue. Here is where it gets interesting to describe. Falls are the same as standards except a bit grayed, but with contrasting rich walnut brown hafts. Gilt gold rims widen to narrow light gray bands. Its uniqueness draws one back again and again for a closer look. It is a strong grower, with 2 branches plus spur and 6-7 buds.
Sdlg. BB112N: Y69B: (Jungle Mist x W2A: (Beauty Becomes Her x U1B, Luxuriant sib)) X X135A: (U50A: (After The Rain x S110D: (Blue Trill x N193A, Blue Trill sib)) x U59A: (After The Rain x Black Is Black))

DOUBLE DEALING (P. Black '25)
TB Early-midseason 30” (76cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
Breeding for broken color irises is difficult, and even more so for variegated foliage. The presence of both in the same iris is still a rare achievement. Double Dealing meets the challenge. Variegated foliage has segments that are blue-green, grass green and white. Broken color flowers have standards of light tan-yellow with mid rosy mauve broken color segments. Falls are mid tan-gold with mid maroon sanding and dark maroon broken color segments, streaks, and splashes. Stalks have 2 branches plus spur and 8 buds.
Sdlg. BB117A: Y87A: (V24C, Cockeyed Optimist sib x W144C: (T46C: (Claim To Fame x Advantage) x T52CR: (N134AAR: (Island Coral x K113A: (Throb x I4B: (Blazing Sunrise x C17D, Vibrant sib))) x Advantage))) X Y115B, Breaking Free sib

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

CALL TO ATTENTION (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 38” (96.5cm) Slight fragrance.
The nice contrasting of this bicolor definitely catches your attention. Medium lemon yellow standards are very clean and clear. Falls are a rich deep burgundy red with a narrow lemon rim. Beautiful, full, round, and ruffled form, with great clarity of color. Sdlg. TM113RR: Distant Shores X Painted Sky

COMPLETE OPPOSITE (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 38” (96.5cm) Slight fragrance.
What can we say about this one? Contrast certainly comes to mind! Deep blue purple standards sit atop cinnamon brown falls. Tall stems with lightly ruffled flowers have carrying power out the kazoo! Holy cow, does this one make a statement. It is the iris that garden visitors most often tell me about; it seems to imprint! Certainly unique, and won’t be mistaken for anything else! Stems and branching are good. The flowers are not as wide and ruffled as I usually like, but are certainly adequate. Sdlg. TN13A: Mood Ring X unknown seedling

AMERICAN ADVENTURE (Paul Black 26)
TB Late-very late 33” (84cm) No fragrance.
Rich, dramatic, and luxuriously ruffled, American Adventure makes a bold statement in the spring garden. The deep inky purple plicata markings over the muted white center of the standards contrast with the chalky white falls, which have a light purple fancy plicata wash that deepens to near black edges. Blooms are heavily textured and graced with artful rippling. Vigorous growth produces show stalks with 3 branches plus spur and branch spur, giving a superb 10-11 buds. Dark stalks and mid purple spathes add an artistic touch. Sdlg. DD20A: Y14E, Bespoke sibling X Awash In Purple

CAROUSEL RIDE (Paul Black 26)
TB Midseason-late 33” (84cm) Slight musky fragrance.
This ride gives striking, high-contrast colors with exceptional pattern and texture. Standards rise in softly ruffled layers of warm rosy mauve delicately plicata-stitched mid grayed mauve. Broad falls open creamy white, dramatically etched and feathered in deep grape-purple, concentrating along the margins and radiating inward in fine lines for a bold, artistic effect. Bright orange beards add a vivid spark. Vigorous plants produce show stalks having 4 branches plus spur and a branch spur giving 11-12 buds. Sdlg. DD51A: Girls Wanna Have Fun X BB149C, Princess Pretty Pink sibling

DIAMONDS ON VELVET (Paul Black 26)
TB Early-midseason 36” (91.5cm) No fragrance.
A tall show-stopping iris with persuasive garden presence. Broad, ruffled, mid navy-blue standards rise above dramatic, expansive, darkest navy falls, etched with fine veining centered around a brooding golden sienna beard that adds striking contrast. Strong upright stems carry the blooms well above purple-based blue-green foliage. Sdlg. DD60B: How Bizarre! X Dot Dash Dot