GETTING SOME SUN (P. Black '25)
TB Midseason-late 30” (76cm) Slight musky fragrance.
Moderately sized flowers and shorter stalks help keep this sunny creation upright when the weather turns cloudy and rainy. Mid-dark yellow standards are echoed in the color of the hafts, band and texture veins of the white falls. Big mid marigold beards demand you come closer. Two widely spaced branches carry 7 buds.
Sdlg. CC124H: Z137A: (W152B: (T80A: (Fantasy In Pink x Q6A: (Dearie x Drifting Bubbles)) x Multnomah Falls) x Shivaree) X Z115A: (V160B: (S158A, Like A Breeze pod parent x Enough Is Enough) x Celebration)

DEVIL IN DISGUISE (P. Black '25)
TB Midseason-late 34” (86.5cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
The disguise is a brilliant success. Who’d expect anything evil about this lavish blending of dark to mid purples adorned with an angelic near white beard. Super wide falls with lightly ruffled edges allow an unobstructed display of its alluring color. Minimal plicata marking of the standards at the midrib hint at its plicata heritage. Three well-spaced branches carry 9-10 buds.
Sdlg. DD62A: AA78B, Misplaced Dots sib X Awash In Purple

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

ANTI HERO (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 36” (91cm) Sweet fragrance.
An absolutely stunning flower with very wide overlapping hafts and exuberant ruffles. The color of the standards is a very complex blending of orange, light orange, pink, and lavender tones. Falls are creamy white with peach touched hafts and a wide lilac to lavender band. Anti Hero is also blessed with nicely branched and budded stems, making her a winner on the show bench as well. Sdlg. TO187B: Just Between Us X unknown seedling number, illegible tag

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 36” (91cm) Sweet fragrance.
Standards have centers that are a deep purple graduating deeper towards the heart of the flower. A wide buff yellow band with subtle deeper gold veins rim the standards. White falls have wide, overlapping form, with a deep golden yellow band. A stunning reverse bicolor with large, wide, and ruffled flowers. Sdlg. TN27C: Mood Ring X Easy On The Eyes

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

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

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

FUTURE DREAMS (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 37” (94cm) Sweet fragrance.
For many years I have worked with plicatas that are the result of outcrosses to bicolors, to increase vigor and bring more diversity in color and pattern. Future Dreams is so named because of the wide-ranging breeding potential in this pattern. Standards are deep lavender purple with darker maroon veining. Falls are white with a deep maroon haft and band. If that weren’t enough, upon closer inspection, you will notice broken color within the band. A totally unique and distinctive color and pattern variation in plicatas. Flowers are well-formed, and carried on strong show stems with lots of buds. Future Dreams has a good pedigree, and once again shows the importance of ‘Tenacity’ as a parent, both for quality and diversity. Sdlg. TO236M: Running In Circles sibling X Tenacity

ALL OVER THE PLACE (Paul Black 26)
TB Early-midseason 33” (84cm) Slight spicy fragrance.
A striking garden standout, this broken color iris showcases an artful blend of light to mid violet and creamy white, brushed and splashed together so no two blooms are alike. Heavily ruffled standards rise above broad, arched falls capped with white to marigold beards. Strong upright stems have 3 well-spaced branches plus spur and 8-9 buds. Pairs beautifully with pastels or more bold colors. Sdlg. BB127B: You're A Mess X Black Y111C: (Black V100A, I Broke It sibling x Black W143B, Wild Streak sibling)

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

HEAVEN’S ANGEL (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Midseason-late 36” (91cm) Slight fragrance.
“Wow” is what I say whenever I see this one! The form is absolute perfection. Add a warm color confection to the large, wide, and heavily ruffled flowers, and you have a winner! Standards are warm, clear medium pink, with a cream edge. Falls are the lightest pink to near white, with a stunning lavender band. Beards are near white, so as to not distract from the whole package. Nicely branched and budded stems round it out as a must have. This is one I have been waiting to introduce since its maiden bloom. Sdlg. TO187C: Anti Hero sibling

INNER DESIRE (Paul Black 26)
TB Early-midseason 32” (81.5cm) No fragrance.
This intensely saturated jewel will captivate your heart. The interior of dark red-grape standards is white with wide plicata banding of mid red-grape. The falls have a mid blue-purple area surrounding mid tangerine beards, that first transitions to a wide, warm white, heavily plicata-marked band, before ending in a wide, rich wine-magenta band. Its unique color will draw you in for a closer look. Well-branched stalks have 4 branches and 7-8 buds. Unusual buds (fall reverse) are greenish cream heavily dotted mid grape. Another wonderful and unique iris coming from ‘Crocodile Smile’. Sdlg. BB107G: Black Y55B, Crocodile Smile sibling X Crocodile Smile

POMPOUS PARROT (Paul Black 26)
TB Midseason-late 38” (96.5cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
This sassy character commands attention with its bold, high-contrast coloring and lavishly ruffled form. Soft, luminous, salmon pink standards, delicately stitched darker, rise above richly saturated near-black purple falls, creating a striking bicolor effect. The falls are accentuated by a radiant white butterfly shoulder, drawing the eye to a glowing orange beard that adds warmth and intensity. Its pod parent provided the genes for its amazing show stalks, which have 5 branches and 16-17 buds. A superb parent. Sdlg. DD51D: Girls Wanna Have Fun X BB149C, Princess Pretty Pink sibling

SCATTERSHOT DOTS (Paul Black 26)
TB Midseason-late 30” (76cm) Pronounced sweet fragrance.
Here’s another in the limited realm of the strange broken color plicatas. Each flower is patterned differently. Typically marked standards have a light buttercream ground with a dark charcoal-purple wide rib, heavily plicata-sanded center, and wide band. White falls have light yellow variably-sized hafts, irregular broken color segments of wine to purple dotting and sanding, and a narrow dark wine plicata band. Sdlg. EE25A: Black AA84W, Make Up Your Mind X Wild About You

STRANGE BEAST (Paul Black 26)
TB Midseason-late 33” (84cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
Such a mix-up of color and pattern! No two flowers of this broken color sort are the same. Superbly formed flowers have light gold and light mauve broken color segments. More dramatically formed falls are a broken color medley of mid to dark gold and mid to dark burgundy, with a white dart at the end of light marigold beards. Don’t be surprised if you encounter an occasional variegated foliage plant. It intermittently decides to give one. It definitely does not have stable variegated foliage. Strong stalks normally have 2 branches and 7 buds. Sdlg. EE69F: Black Y87A: (Black V24C, Cockeyed Optimist sibling x Black W144C: (Black T46C: (Claim To Fame x Advantage) x Black T52CR: (Black N134AAR: (Island Coral x Black K113A: (Throb x Black I4A: (Blazing Sunrise x Black C17D, Vibrant sibling))) x Advantage))) X Hodgepodge

CANDY BEARD (Paul Black 26)
MTB Midseason-late 26” (66cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
Oh yes, these beards are good enough to eat. Mid pink styles peer from between mid-light blue-pink standards. White falls have wide rosy pink plicata banding, lines and dotting over the center. Makes a very colorful clump. Well-branched stalks have 3 branches and 7-8 buds. Sdlg. EE181A: Bright Victory X Candy Tycoon

HONOR STUDENT (Paul Black 26)
SDB Midseason-late 12” (30.5cm) Slight spicy fragrance.
Of course this student gets top marks. Rampant growth ensures a clump filled with perfectly formed blooms. The color of the light violet-blue standards is repeated in a wire rim around the mid to dark violet-blue shaded falls. Large light lavender beards with frosted white tips are showcased in a nest of white haft darts. Sdlg. EE132A: La La Palooza sibling

SORCERER’S SPELL (Paul Black 26)
IB Early-midseason 22” (56cm) Pronounced sweet fragrance.
Beware of the dark side lurking here. Mid red-purple standards blend lighter toward their edge. Open standards reveal showy rose and gold styles. Velvety dark purple falls shade to near black margins. The light tangerine over white beard rests in a white luminata plicata patch. There are sometimes random white streaks and splashes. Use it to create IB and BB broken color flowers. Three branches carry 8-9 buds. Sdlg. EE86A: Nickel’s Worth X Lumistreak