FLAME OUT (P. Black '25)
SDB Early-midseason 12” (30.5cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
Flame Out is an awesome approach to red. The red ground of the ruffled standards is washed red-black. Super wide and perfectly ruffled falls are mid red with a deeper wash. The mid gold half-moon center is plicata mottled and sanded dark red-brown, and surrounds big mid marigold beards.
Sdlg. DD153A: AA220F: (W233B, See No Evil sib x Artist's Hand) X Artist's Hand

BLACKBERRY SLUSHY (P. Black '25)
SDB Early-midseason 14” (35.5cm) Pronounced spicy fragrance.
Rich dark black-purple standards with white heavily plicata marked centers. Light peach ground falls have mid maroon heavily plicata marked hafts becoming sanded veins then dark maroon lower third. Large vivid orange beards cry out for attention.
Sdlg. DD153B: AA220F: (W233B, See No Evil sib x Artist's Hand) X Artist's Hand

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

GHOSTLY APPARITION (P. Black '25)
SDB Midseason-late 13” (33cm) Slight musky fragrance.
It is similar to the tall bearded ‘ghost plicatas’. White standards have wide mid blue-violet plicata bands and random dotting over centers. White ground falls have mid blue-violet plicata hafts, variable light blue-violet distal wash, and narrow mid blue-violet stitched band. Fascinating beards are half tangerine and white.
Sdlg. DD154D: X252A: (Love Spell x V322A, Jolly pollen parent) X Y263A: (New Release x W218C, Flirtin' Skirts 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

BURNING FLAME (Thomas Johnson ’26)
SDB Early-midseason 12” (30.5cm) Sweet fragrance.
These smaller, more tailored flowers create a wallop of a punch in the color department! That BEARD!! Sdlg. TP254B: Forever Aglow X TL282B: (Kay x Roaring Fire)

ADORED (Thomas Johnson ’26)
SDB Early-midseason-late 13” (33cm) Sweet fragrance.
Our obsession with blue bearded pinks continues. Every generation gets the flower color a richer pink, and the beards bigger and a more saturated blue. Nice round and ruffled form with good stems and three buds ensure a good display. Sdlg. TP277A: unknown cross, tag lost

CHITTER CHATTER (Thomas Johnson ’26)
SDB Early-midseason 13” (33cm) Sweet fragrance.
Golden yellow standards are flushed violet at the midrib. Falls are a rich cerise cherry red with a blue violet dart below the large violet beard. Showy!! Sdlg. TO16A: Pet Project X Yoda

CLASSIC JEWEL (Thomas Johnson ’26)
SDB Early-midseason-late 13” (33cm) Slight fragrance.
The faintest of pink petals are a touch darker in the standards and the hafts. Beards are large and powder blue. From a distance, it looks white with a powder blue beard. Stunning! Sdlg. TO103B: My Sweetness X Five And Dime

CANARY CRUSH (Thomas Johnson ’26)
SDB Early-midseason 14” (35.5cm). Sweet fragrance.
Deep canary to mustard yellow petals have an almost brown beard with a blue tip. Very wide and ruffled, creating quite a pleasing effect. Sdlg. TO76A: TK278A: (TG332: (TD227A: (Wit x It’s Amazing) x TD247B, Jewels sib) x Keppel 09-16A) X Cheers To You

FEEL THE NOISE (Thomas Johnson ’26)
SDB Midseason-late 12” (30.5cm) Sweet fragrance.
Lemon yellow standards have orange tones. Falls are maroon, with a wide gold band and an intense, large tangerine beard. Sdlg. TO116I: Master The Flame X Might Explode

GOT STYLE (Thomas Johnson ’26)
SDB Early-midseason 12” (30.5cm) Slight fragrance.
The really round and ruffled form catches the eye on this cute little yellow and white plicata with random purple stitching and dotting. Sdlg. TN280B: Curly Fries sibling X Tula

HEART AND SOUL (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 35” (89cm) Slight musky fragrance.
Heart And Soul has a pattern that one would be more likely to see in an SDB: a large, plush, deep burgundy fall spot on super brilliant canary yellow to gold petals. The colors are so bright, especially in the sun, that one wants to reach for the sunglasses! Absolutely amazing, and shows from clear across the field. Heart And Soul has strong growth, and lots of bloom on nicely branched stems. Sdlg. TN31YY: Eye Love You sibling

MIXED BERRY Thomas Johnson ’26)
SDB Early-midseason 14” (35.5cm) Sweet fragrance.
Deep, near-solid purple standards have just a slight bit of white ground showing in the center. Falls have a white and variable lemon ground, with a lavender wash that is overlaid with a deep red purple plicata band. Sdlg. TP288B: Detail Oriented X I’m In Love

AT LAST MY LOVE (Paul Black 26)
SDB Late-very late 14.5” (37cm) Pronounced sweet fragrance.
For those wanting a SDB to enter in a typical TB show, here is another one of my multiple branched and budded, late blooming SDBs that fits the bill. Light rose infuses up the midribs of the mid lilac standards. Falls are mid red-violet, blending lighter to their edge. Big orange beards are sandwiched between white hafts veined dark plum. Two basal branches have a spur on each, and the main stem has 2 branches, all adding up to an incredible 10-11 buds. Sdlg. DD131D: Y211A, I Dreamed A Dream sibling X Silence Please

BLUE SONGBIRD (Paul Black 26)
SDB Midseason-late 13” (33cm) Pronounced sweet fragrance.
It is a cheery song this little bird sings. Clear light blue standards perch atop mid blue falls. The beard is a heavily saturated darkest navy blue. Makes a satisfyingly beautiful clump. Can be used for broken color SDB breeding. Sdlg. EE127A: Slightly Confused X By The Sea

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

LA LA PALOOZA (Paul Black 26)
SDB Midseason-late 13” (33cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
Its medley of color will certainly make you take notice. The light grayed violet infused mid brass color of the standards is repeated in a narrow band around the wide falls. Irregularly edged large dark red-brown spots streak into the band. Jolly fat two-toned beards begin with mid gold throats and end in light violet. Sdlg. EE132B: Black BB218A: long and involved X Wow Gee Whiz

RUNNING LATE (Paul Black 26)
SDB Late-very late 15” (38cm) Pronounced sweet fragrance.
I keep working on pushing SDB bloom further and further into TB season. Running Late hits that mark by blooming with midseason TBs. Tightly formed flowers have pale pinkish white standards, contrasting with strongly flared dark purple falls, blending paler to edges. Hazy white darts surround unique burnt orange to violet beards. Rampant growth creates clumps filled with bloom. Sdlg. DD140I: Y191A, Perfectly Composed sibling X Black Y278B: (Black V316F, Circus Act sibling x Don't Fix It)

TWINKLING EYES (Paul Black 26)
SDB Midseason-late 11” (28cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
This sibling of ‘Dark Eyed Lass’ is similar, but adds warming light gold hafts and indigo shadings around the big near-black spots on widely banded white falls. White standards dance above its dramatically colored falls. Big fluffy yellow to white bi-color beards are a joyful accent. Sdlg. DD163B: BB248B, Touch Of Turquoise sibling X Zaa Zaa Zing