FUNKY TOWN (Black ’24)
TB Midseason-late 35” (89cm)
Musky fragrance. Over-the-top color and pattern are its hallmark. Is there room left for anything else? Thirty years ago such things were hardly imaginable. Veined and banded standards rise above falls with contrasting hafts, cascading centers, and a contrasting band. Wow! Add to that well-branched stalks with three branches and a spur with 10-12 buds. Get on board for the Funky Town Express. Sdlg. BB21A: Flash Of Brilliance X Espionage

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)

HODGEPODGE (Black ’24)
TB Midseason-late 33” (84cm)
Sweet fragrance. A very pleasing pastel broken color with strong growth and 8-9 buds. Standards are mid lilac in the center with irregular streaks of peach and a cream band. Falls have a pale violet center blending into a wide pale pink band. Hafts are light peach, veined white and there is irregular light to dark random streaks of violet overall. Ruffled! Sdlg. AA11M: Big Break X You’re A Mess

CAUSING A COMMOTION (T. Johnson ’25)
TB Early-midseason 36” (91.5cm) Sweet fragrance.
Standards are very light yellow to white with a darker edge. Falls have a large yellow central sunburst area with a white flash below the beard. There is a very wide deep mahogany red band. The flowers are extremely wide and ruffled with a wild pattern.
Sdlg. TN208YY: TK95E: (TG21B: (Blueberry Parfait x Watercolor Print) x Disco Lights) X TK47A: (Arrivederci x Dressed To The Nines)

DASHING STRANGER (T. Johnson ’25)
TB Midseason-late 38” (96.5 cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
Yellow standards sit atop deep maroon falls. There is a yellow area that surrounds the beard and a light yellow-beige blended edge. Tall and well-branched stems assure that Dashing Stranger gets noticed in the later part of the flowering season.
Sdlg. TL229A: unknown lost tag X unknown lost tag

DRAMATIC FINALE (T. Johnson ’25)
TB Late-very late 38” (96.5cm) Slight fragrance.
Standards have dark reddish violet centers with a wide blue violet area and then a lighter edge. Falls are the same with deep reddish violet hafts. The flowers on Dramatic Finale are extremely ruffled and a bit flared. Nice stems with good bud count are the norm. Dramatic Finale is very late and is not recommended in hot early climates such as Southern CA or Arizona where it may be susceptible to heat burn. It should be a great variety to close the season in the more northerly gardens.
Sdlg. TL6ZZ: Barbara Rider X Espionage

FALCON HEART (T. Johnson ’25)
TB Early-midseason 36” (91.5cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
Standards are light yellow with medium lemon yellow centers. Falls have a very deep maroon central spot that becomes a wash as it moves toward the edge. There is then a light violet blushed area before becoming a clear light yellow band. A very clean and dramatic pattern and another step in the ‘pansy face’ pattern.
Sdlg. TN50D: TH68C, Autumn Tease sib: (Seasons In The Sun x Risk Taker) X Truth Or Dare

HAPPY GIRL (T. Johnson ’25)
TB Early-midseason 37” (94cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
Medium peachy orange standards rise above cream ground falls with a wide rosy pink dotted plicata band. There is also dotting across the hafts and a light blush of peach. A really bright and cheerful bicolor plicata.
Sdlg. TM134TT: Flash Mob X TK161A: (TG396A: (Fashion Diva x unknown illegible tag) x Beautician)

AT THE HELM (T. Johnson ’25)
SDB Early-midseason 14” (35.5cm) Slight fragrance.
Yellow standards over white falls with a heavy rosy lilac overlay and lighter edge. Really round form and nice stems with plenty of buds. Different!
Sdlg. TO27A: Get Ready X Here And There

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)

FINAL APPROACH (T. Johnson ’25)
SDB Midseason-late 14” (35.5cm) Slight fragrance.
Light lemon yellow standards sit atop dark butter yellow falls. There is an eye-catching white flash below the frosted blue beard. Very showy!
Sdlg. TO15A: Little Miss Sunshine X Yoda

WRAPPED IN LIGHT (T. Johnson ’25)
SDB Early-midseason 14” (35.5cm) Slight fragrance.
Pink with a wide golden yellow border on the standards, falls and even style arms. There is also a slight lemon blush at the hafts. A really beautiful color combination that is so pleasing to the eye. Stunning!
Sdlg. TO25B: Drifter X Little Band Of Gold

NEVER ENDING STORY (T. Johnson ’25)
TB Early-midseason 37” (94cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
Very light lemon to cream standards have darker lemon centers. Falls are a deep red violet with a small yellow area around the beard. There is a bit of bluish violet blending below the beard, and a wide heavily ruffled and blended yellow band. Never Ending Story has gorgeous classical form with heavy ruffles on nice stems. A really lovely iris!
Sdlg. TN231A: Coat Of Many Colors X Honor Roll

RARE GEM (T. Johnson ’25)
TB Early-midseason 36” (91.5cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
Mauve pink standards rise above mauve and lavender pink blended falls with lighter centers. There is texture veining that juts out from around the deep lavender purple beard. Gorgeous ruffled and wide form showcases the pattern. Nice stems and buds as well. Quite a striking iris.
Sdlg. TJ149ZZ: TF6E: (Secret Affair x Haunted Heart) X TD70C, Poem Of Love sib: (Fine Romance x Rite Of Passage)

SHEMOZZLE (T. Johnson ’25)
TB Early-midseason 36” (91.5cm) Sweet fragrance.
Lemon yellow standards rise above very complex patterned falls. There is a yellow flash around the beard, then a reddish band at the haft that becomes a blue violet wash. The pattern then transitions to a lavender band, and finally a lemon band. Quite a busy little thing, but also very showy. Gorgeous ruffled form and nice stems are the norm.
Sdlg. TN231C: Coat Of Many Colors X Honor Roll

BODACIOUS BEARD (P. Black '25)
BB Midseason-late 27” (68.5cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
There is no ignoring this exceptionally nice creation. Its big bushy mid marigold beards demand you stop and look. Standards and narrow band on white falls are mid gold. Perfectly proportioned show stalks have three branches and 9-10 buds. Near perfection. Exciting parentage.
Sdlg. CC127D: Spiced Apples X Z145I: (V385B: (First Lady Of Spring x Silver Ice) x V168A: (Coral Splendor x Simply Coral))

GOLDEN MARMOSET (P. Black '25)
AB (OGB-) Midseason-late 22” (56cm) No fragrance.
Its brilliant color ensures this easy to grow arilbred won’t be overlooked. The falls of bright mid gold flowers are washed light coppery red, becoming lighter to their edge. A bold dark-mid black cherry to ruby blended chevron signal surrounds mid caramel beards. There are two branches and five buds.
Sdlg. CC146C: Shaman's Magic X Wild

TWO-TONE FOLIAGE (P. Black '25)
SDB Early-midseason 13” (33cm) Slight musky fragrance.
This is one of the few variegated foliage SDBs. It also has a hint of broken color in the center of the mid purple falls. Standards are mid mauve. Foliage is streaked green and cream. It is not totally stable. There will be some reversion to all-green foliage. Always cut the all-green plants out.
Sdlg. CC216B: Futuristic X Y277B, Platitude sib

DARK EYED LASS (P. Black '25)
SDB Early-midseason 10” (25.5cm) Pronounced sweet fragrance.
Here it is, the one many of you have been asking about since I first posted its picture on FB. I’m also in love with it. It is one of those irises where everything works together to make a stunning creation. Light yellow standard centers blend to wide stark white bands. Irregularly edged big brown-black fall spots transition to wide white bands, including a white dart up their distal center. A nest of white darts encircles white beards. OH MY!
Sdlg. DD163A: BB248A, Touch Of Turquoise sib X Zaa Zaa Zing

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)