BAKER’S SECRET (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 36” (91cm) Sweet fragrance.
Standards have an interesting blend of yellow and violet that creates a very rich brownish confection. The color reminds me of a dark cinnamon bun dripping with sweet frosting. Falls are white with the faintest of lavender overlaid, then edged with a deep golden yellow haft and band. Baker’s Secret is absolutely amazing in a clump!! Sdlg. TN27QQ: Artificial Intelligence sibling

AUTUMN RICHES (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 35” (89cm) Slight fragrance.
Light lemony buff standards are heavily shot pink in the centers, becoming veining towards the edge. Falls are a rich pumpkin orange. Nicely ruffled flowers that have amazing garden impact with color that radiates across the garden. Sdlg. TN128ZZ: TI225ZZ, Untamed Glory sibling X Come To Life

BALLROOM GOWN (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 39” (99cm) Sweet fragrance.
It is difficult to find the words to describe this one; the picture kind of says it all. Incredible form and with heavy substance, this stately luminata is characterized with a very wide rim on the standards. Intensely ruffled falls have a huge showy central luminata patch. At 39 inches, it is very tall for this pattern, which has tended to be on the shorter side. Show stems that can carry up to three branches, and spurs even on the branches, provide lots of buds for an extended bloom season. We have used this one heavily in our hybridizing program, putting it right at the top of our favorites list. Sdlg. TN21XX: Affair to Remember X Gone Viral

BEATEN TO THE PUNCH (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Very early-midseason 38” (96.5cm) Sweet fragrance.
Very light lemon standards with a violet flush at the base sit atop a very complex patterned fall; its lavender base color is overlaid with a deep violet brindled wash, then bordered in a buff pink band. Beards are a very weird brown to black. The whole package is quite dramatic and intriguing; it always draws me in from across the garden for a closer look. Beaten To The Punch is one of the first to start to bloom, and is held on tall, well branched and budded stems. Beautiful. Sdlg. TN89YY: Stitches sibling X Hit The Bullseye sibling

BEHIND THE SCENES (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Midseason-late 39” (99cm) Slight fragrance.
Eggshell standards have an ecru to greenish yellow base. Falls are very light lavender with a maroon haft, and a deep purple central wash that extends down further in the middle. Large flowers are held on very tall stems. Unique and different. Sdlg. TN47ZZ: Feel The Beat X Space Signal

BLIZZARD WARNING (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 37” (94cm) Slight fragrance.
When faced with the daunting task of naming irises each year, I often put the photos up on the computer screen to help inspire me. When I saw all of the photos for this one, I instantaneously said “Blizzard Warning”, because it just has a wintery blizzard sort of look. White standards sit atop white falls that are veined then washed bluish purple, with a light lavender edge. A very pretty color and pattern that certainly gets a lot of notice in the field. Sdlg. TN223C: This Is Crazy sibling X Just Between Us 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

CAN JUST IMAGINE (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 40” (101.5cm) Sweet fragrance.
Lavender blue standards; falls are lavender blue with a deeper violet blue brindled wash. Beards are burnt orange with lavender tips. Can Just Imagine is very tall and stately, with beautiful show stems. It is a ‘fancy’, which in hybridizing talk means it is about one generation away from being a luminata. A unique and striking feature is its beautiful lavender spathes and stems. It is very hard to photograph but is very noticeable in the garden. We have used this one quite a lot in hybridizing. A very pretty quality iris, and the product of two great parents. Sdlg. TN90ZZ: Beautician X Gone Viral

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)

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

WOVEN TAPESTRY (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 37” (94cm) Sweet fragrance.
Standards are the faintest of oyster blue with violet and pink washed centers. Falls are rich mauve, with a deep reddish purple washed central fall spot. Beards are burnt orange. We just love the colors of this iris, and it is illustrated so well, in a dramatic pattern. Nice stems with plenty of buds. Sdlg. TO238A: For The Ages X Suspicious Minds

COSMIC (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 33” (84cm) Sweet fragrance.
Some iris have such a complex coloration that it is hard to describe. To make matters more difficult, the shade of purple in Cosmic can be different from day to day, and from year to year. We struggled to figure out which picture to use for the catalogue, and have included several shots on the website for you to see for yourself. No matter what the shade, Cosmic is a blooming fool, absolutely covering itself in bloom, and is intensely bright, with its very wide gold band in the standards, and yellow flash overlaying the white luminata patch on the falls. Sdlg. TO148A: Gone Viral X unknown

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

DATE NIGHT (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 38” (96.5cm) Slight fragrance.
A superb, perfectly applied pattern! Date Night is a pristine clean white with a very deliberate lilac band on the falls. The brilliant orange beard brings the whole package to life. So elegant, with fantastic form. A very cheerful iris in the garden, it is sure to make you smile. Sdlg. TO184M: Just Curious X TM52: (Casting Call x Bombshell)

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

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

DONE DEAL (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 40” (101.5cm) Slight fragrance.
Done Deal is one of those iris that has it all: great form, branching, bud count, and vigor. Standards are a pearl white with pink and light salmon blended centers. Falls are a rich lavender with a deep red violet signal around the beard, which becomes a deeper lavender wash throughout the mid-section. We used this one quite a lot in hybridizing for all of its exemplary qualities. Sdlg. TN180ZZ: Are You Kidding Me sibling

DREAM BELIEVER (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason-late 36” (91cm) Sweet fragrance.
Standards are a very complex color; deep rosy lavender centers blend to medium lavender, edged with a yellow buff band. Falls are a rich mustard yellow, with a lighter wash from below the beard to the deep mustard edge. Dream Believer is a super strong grower, and is very floriferous, completely covering itself in bloom, to create an eye-popping display. Sdlg. TN27FF: Artificial Intelligence sibling

DREAM WITH ME (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Midseason-late 35” (89cm) Slight musky fragrance.
Standards are a medium lavender with pink centers. Falls are a medium lavender washed deeper, with a lavender to near white band. Beards are a showy deep lavender. This one is a real garden workhorse, in that it is an easy grower, heavy bloomer, and is very showy. Sdlg. TN77XX: Magic Trick X Candy Dust