BRING IN THE CLOWNS (Paul Black 23)
TB Late-Very Late 34” (86cm)
Pronounced musky fragrance Exuberantly ruffled standards and falls remind one of the exaggerated ruffles of the circus clown’s collar. Dark charcoal red brown falls show a bit of light yellow plic ground centers. Bright light-mid yellow ground falls have narrow dark charcoal red brown plic bands. White chevrons around dark old gold beards have brown-black veins and sanding. Superbly branched stalks have 3 branches plus spur and 9-10 buds. If ruffles are your thing then this clown should be in your garden. Sdlg. Z100V, Felix the Cat 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

ABSOLUTE PERFECTION (Paul Black 23)
IB Early-Late 25” (63cm)
Pronounced musky fragrance I think without a doubt this is the finest of the black and white plicata IBs. Centers of iridescent purple-black standards reveal just a bit of white plic ground. White falls have wide black plic bands with purple interior markings. Show stalks have 2 branches plus spur and 7-8 buds. Vigorous growth and increase. Stunning clumps. It is fertile. Sdlg. AA277A: Midnight Velvet X Lap of Luxury

DIFFERENT PATH (Paul Black 23)
BB Early-Midseason 26” (66cm)
Slight sweet fragrance In addition to using the species I. junonia in my SDB breeding, I’ve also used it in TB breeding to bring new genes into plicatas. In only two generations, form is modern and show stalks have been the norm. Gently ruffled standards are mid tan-gold rouged light rose over centers. White blended to butter ground falls have rosy plum plic hafts and 1” bands. Mid-marigold beards echo the standards. Easy growth produces quick clumps filled with stalks having 4 branches and 8-9 buds. Sdlg. Z149A: Black X220A: (Barbara May x I. junonia) X House of Cards

DROP DEAD GORGEOUS (Paul Black 23)
BB Late-Very Late 24” (61cm)
Slight musky fragrance You’ll return again and again to gaze upon this sultry siren. Full, classically formed flowers have smooth mid-dark garnet standards. Velvety black cherry falls are delicately edged in narrow paler ruffles. Glowing light yellow hafts are veined and sanded black cherry and adorned with smoldering burnt orange beards. Clean, vigorous growth produces show stalks with 3 branches and 7-9 buds. The IB, 'Morning Show' was used to provide a different genetic base in the quest for "the red iris". Sdlg. Z121A: Black V170A: (Morning Show x Black P248B, Hi Love pollen parent) X Black X59A, Radiant Garnet sib

HEARTBURST (B. Blyth ’23)
TB Midseason 36” (91cm)
Sweet fragrance. Golden-yellow standards with slightly darker centers. Falls are deep maroon with a lighter lined and dotted center. Good stems and buds on a lovely plicata. Sdlg. A111-2: Blyth X139-1: (Lover’s edge sib) X Beside Myself.

TOTALLY HOT (B. Blyth ’23)
TB Midseason 37” (94cm)
Sweet fragrance. Rich golden yellow standards have a maroon line in the center and some sporadic red dots. Falls have a deep yellow ground that is heavily overlaid with deep maroon red rays that become a solid band at petal edge. Tall well branched and showy stems. An extremely bright yellow ground plicata. Sdlg. Z33-1: Plenty Of Jazz sib.

FLIPPANT (Paul Black 23)
IB Midseason-Late 24” (61cm)
Pronounced sweet fragrance Who can get too serious with a clump filled with these wildly colored jokers? What one can take seriously are the superbly formed flowers carried in abundance on show stalks. Cream standards have wide maroon plicata bands and heavily marked centers. Light yellow falls have wide maroon plicata bands. Widely spaced dramatic dark maroon veins course downward. Vivid Marigold beards shout, “I don’t care!”. Show stalks have 2 branches plus spur and 8-9 buds. An exceptional garden variety. Sdlg. Z167A: Black U194G, Peppito sib X Cat Tales

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

PRINCESS PRETTY PINK (Paul Black 23)
TB Midseason-Late 34” (86.5cm)
Slight musky fragrance This later blooming pink ground plicata avoids the winter damage that plagued so many earlier ones of this type. Ruffled standards are mid pink blending to mid apricot edges. Mid coral styles echo these warmer colors. Light pink falls have white luminata type patches lined mid plum. Narrow ruffled red-plum plicata bands encircle the expansive falls. Coral beards are the perfect accessory. Vigorous growth creates sumptuous clumps filled with show stalks having 3 branches and 8-10 buds. Sdlg. BB149G: Black Y135A: (All too Exciting x Fancy Ideas) X Z100G, Background Noise sib

CARICATURE (T. Johnson ’24)
TB Early-midseason 36” (91cm)
Sweet fragrance. Golden yellow standards infused pink in the centers. Falls are lavender with a deep raspberry fall wash extending from the beard halfway down the petal. Beards are a brilliant tangerine. Lovely form, branching, and strong growth combined with a very eye-catching pattern makes Caricature a striking garden plant. Sdlg. TL195A: Bombshell X (Dream About You pod parent x Twilight Rhapsody)

MARK MY WORDS (T. Johnson ’24)
TB Early-midseason 39” (99cm)
Slight fragrance. Golden yellow standards. Falls have a yellow ground with a deep mahogany red plicata wash and band. Sdlg. TM152C: (Marry The Night sibling x TD314ZZ: (Blyth O211-A: (L94-1: (Ostentatious x G48-5: (Burst x Epicenter)) x L266-1: (G48-5 x Zestful Miss)) x Blyth R41-6, Stay Stylish pollen parent sibling) X High Desert

SMILING AMETHYST (Black ’24)
BB Midseason-late 26” (66cm)
Sweet fragrance. A sibling to the small flowered TB, Go Cat, Go, only downsized, but with the same great garden traits, including branching and buds. Perfect for those windy areas where taller TBs tend to topple over. Sdlg BB111B: Black Label X Black Y77A: (Black U59A: (Soft Whisper x Simply Coral) x Daffy Duck)

ASSORTED COLORS (Black ’24)
SDB Midseason-late 13” (33cm)
Sweet fragrance. Its bright yellow standards invite you in for a closer look at the more subtle red-violet plicata falls. Very pretty!! Sdlg. BB212O: Black X224C: (Intoxicating x Black V322A: (Black T248C: (Black Q95A, My Cher sib x Black P168F, Total Denial sib) x Black T233A: (Black P188B: (Black M251A: (Black J392A: (Black F240A: (Sweet Bite x Black B281B: (Tweety Bird x Black 91216, Spin Again sib)) x Minidragon) x Black J282C, Amusing sib) x Tickety Boo) x Black R264: (Delayed Development x Black P189, He's So Shy sib)))) X Black X223A: (Intoxicating x Spectator)

ANKLE-BITER (Black ’24)
MDB Midseason-late 7” (18cm)
Musky fragrance. It’s the little ones you must look out for. Don’t let their size fool you; their dramatic coloring has great carrying power. Sdlg. BB212P: Black X224C: (Intoxicating x Black V322A: (Black T248C: (Black Q95A, My Cher sib x Black P168F, Total Denial sib) x Black T233A: (Black P188B: (Black M251A: (Black J392A: (Black F240A: (Sweet Bite x Black B281B: (Tweety Bird x Black 91216, Spin Again sib)) x Minidragon) x Black J282C, Amusing sib) x Tickety Boo) x Black R264: (Delayed Development x Black P189 T-beard purple, He's So Shy sib)))) X Black X233A: (Intoxicating x Spectator)

MAKE UP YOUR MIND (Black ’24)
TB Early-midseason 33” (84cm)
Sweet fragrance. This is one of the first broken color plicatas. Subsequent generations indicate it is an inheritable trait, so let the breeding begin. Nothing in the parentage indicates the possibility of broken color. About 1/3 of the seedlings from this cross were plicatas, about 1/3 were selfs, and about 1/3 were broken color plicatas. Well-branched stalks have 2 branches and a spur producing 7-9 blooms. Vigorous growth provides quick clumps. Intriguing to see each flower marked differently. Sdlg. AA84T: Come And Dance X Starry Starry Night

SPECIAL AGENT MAN (Black ’24)
TB Midseason-late 35” (89cm)
Sweet fragrance. Another ‘Crocodile Smile’ child. It has an interesting combination of cool colored standards and warm falls. Falls show a slightly different expression of the plicata pattern. Also notice the interesting dotted plicata pattern on the back of the falls, characteristic of many ‘Crocodile Smile’ offspring. Near solid gray plum standards sit atop butter yellow ground falls with a nearly solid overlay of dark plum and marigold beards. Sdlg. BB108A: Black Y56B: (Hot Off The Press x All Too Exciting) X Crocodile Smile

GO CAT GO (Black ’24)
TB (small flowered) Midseason-late 32” (81.5cm)
Sweet fragrance. Here we have one of my infamous “small flowered tall bearded” introductions. Disclaimer: There is no such class. It is a TB, the only class for it. It is from about as diverse a parentage as one can get. There are TBs, tet MTBs, IBs, and SDBs in its background. What a breeding bonanza! Expect considerable variation in seedling heights in breeding. Clumps are filled with show stalks that have 3 to 4 branches and 12-15 buds. It is a showstopper. Growth and disease resistance is A++. Perfect for windy areas prone to toppling taller TBs. Every garden should have one. Sdlg. BB111D: Black Label X Black Y77A: (Black U59A: (Soft Whisper x Simply Coral) x Daffy Duck)

BEAUTIFUL ESSENCE (Black ’24)
TB Midseason-late 34” (86.5cm)
Sweet fragrance. Yes, another ‘Crocodile Smile’ offspring. To say its plicata markings are subtle is an understatement. Some might question it being a plicata, but both parents are plicatas. It isn’t a glaciata because there are some subtle anthocyanin markings. A beautifully elegant flower, with all good garden traits, it should be an excellent parent. Standards are warm white with a pale stitched edge. Falls are warm white with minimum buff plicata hafts and edge. Sdlg. BB105D: Crocodile Smile X Z62C: (All Too Exciting x Black U53X, Rise Like A Phoenix sib)

LEMON PEEL (Black ’24)
TB Early-midseason 34” (86.5cm)
Musky fragrance. Another of the ‘Crocodile Smile’ offspring, with bright yellow ground falls. Plicata markings are variable from flower to flower, which indicates ‘Crocodile Smile’ or its offspring should be good to pair with broken color plicatas. A waxy texture over the falls is fairly common. Notice the vivid yellow styles. Fun and unique. Sdlg. BB104L: Crocodile Smile X Black Y135A: (All Too Exciting x Fancy Ideas)