STRIKE A CHORD (T. Johnson ’21)
TB Mid-Late 34” (86cm)
Medium lavender standards are darker at the edge. Falls are a deep lavender purple with a very wide and ruffled medium lavender band. Yellow orange beards are tipped lavender. If you are into the dramatic this certainly fits the bill. Spectacular in clump with an abundance of large ruffled flowers on show stems. Strike a Chord is a sister to Read My Mind and Break My Heart.
Sdlg: TJ252E: Dressed to the Nines X When Doves Cry.

FLAME STITCH (Thomas Johnson ’22)
TB Midseason 36” (91cm)
Sweet fragrance. Brilliant golden yellow standards are edged with a unique rust veined pattern. Rich and plush mahogany red falls have a yellow central sunburst pattern with red lines radiating throughout. Strong growth with nice show stalks carrying 8 or more buds. Quite a dramatic looking iris in the field.
Sdlg TK184: ((Reckless Abandon) x Stole The Show) X ((( Blyth S292: Catwalk x (Chestnuts Roasting) x Blyth S278A: (Dragon Dance sib x Strawberry Spy))) x Reckless Abandon))

SHOCKING SECRET (T. Johnson ’22)
TB Late 37” (94cm)
Sweet fragrance. Shocking Secret was selected for introduction when I first laid eyes on it. It was in flower in the middle of a 20 row seedling patch. The patch was in full flower and still Shocking Secret stood out among the sea of color, staring at me with its deep signal as if to say “pick me”. Medium orchid to lavender self with pink tones infused in the standards. Falls are the same, only with a large dark black cherry signal that surrounds the orange beards. Nicely branched and budded with good form. Yet another introduction from When Doves Cry, proving to be an excellent parent. To say it is dramatic is an understatement.
Sdlg TJ246ZZ: Medal Of Honor X When Doves Cry.

CHASE THE NORTH STAR (T. Johnson ’23)
TB Midseason 33” (84cm)
Light sweet fragrance. Icy blue white standards with a light blue edge. Falls are white with a deep inky blue-black band. Yellow orange beards scream out from the heart. This is the traditional emma cook pattern but with a much deeper blue band than we have seen before. Quite dramatic in person and not to be overlooked. Sdlg. TK24ZZ: Hard To Resist X Brouhaha.

CAN’T BE DENIED (T. Johnson ’24)
TB Early-midseason 36” (91cm)
Sweet fragrance. Deep purple black standards sit atop black falls with a lighter rim and smoldering orange beards. This is a pattern we continue to work on for depth of color, ruffles, and lace. Can’t Be Denied is another step in that direction and is quite dramatic. The heavily ruffled and well-formed flowers are gorgeous. Sdlg. TM75A: Night Whispers X Own The Night

FOR THE AGES (T. Johnson ’24)
TB Early-midseason 36” (91cm)
Sweet fragrance. Light violet flushed standards have a buff rim. Falls are a rich deep violet with a wide medium lavender band. Beards are purple with orange hair tips. Nice wide round and blocky form really helps to show off the dramatic falls. Well branched and budded stems will help it win on the show bench. Striking color and pattern. Sdlg. TL187A: Follow The Leader X What A Circus

MAKE A MOVE (T. Johnson ’24)
TB Midseason-late 35” (89cm)
Light fragrance. Buff to tan standards are lightly sanded and dotted violet. Light lemon-yellow falls have a very deep violet haft, band and short dart below burnt orange beards. Really round and ruffled form creates a very elegant and dramatic look. Sdlg. TL217ZZ: Prophetic Dream X Beautician.

SECRETIVE (T. Johnson ’24)
TB Early-midseason 36” (91cm)
Slight fragrance. Light lilac pink standards, flushed deeper pink in center, sit atop medium lavender falls with deeper violet texture veins and a lighter band. Large beards are a frosted deep violet, creating quite a dramatic effect. Well formed, ruffled, and lightly laced flowers are held on well branched and budded stems. Sdlg. TL160XX: Magic Trick X Que Sera Sera

BOXING RING (T. Johnson ’25)
TB Early-midseason 38” (96.5cm) Sweet fragrance.
Standards are a medium yellow with a darker edge. Falls are a very light yellow with deep lemon yellow hafts. A wide ruffled deep maroon band frames the pattern. It is hard to capture the true grandeur of Boxing Ring in a photo. The flowers are very large and widely formed with great ruffles. It creates a very dramatic look in the garden. Much admired by garden visitors, it is a gorgeous iris that will not be overlooked.
Sdlg. TN118XX: Headshot X TI147B: (Hard To Resist x TE25A: (TY55B: (Starship Enterprise x Pursuit Of Happiness) x Brazilian Art)

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

LEFT AN IMPRINT (T. Johnson ’25)
TB Midseason 37” (94cm) Sweet fragrance.
Clean lavender standards are lightly laced. Falls are a rich medium violet with slightly darker veins. What really sets Left An Imprint apart is the deep inky blue black hafts, creating quite a dramatic effect. Very distinctive!
Sdlg. TN6B: Elite X Imperial Guard

PISTOLS AT DAWN (L. Miller ’25)
TB SA Midseason-late 30” (76cm) Slight musky fragrance.
Golden yellow standards are reflected in the lighter yellow veined area around the beard on the rich red-black falls. Styles have dark maroon veining. Mustard beards have a reddish black-based horn. A favorite with garden visitors. Very dramatic and showy!
Sdlg. 5517: 8214F, Chiseled sib X 10714C: (7810: (10106C: (Panic Button x Fiery Temper) x Saturn) x Mist Arising)

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

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

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

CASTLES IN THE SKY (Paul Black 26)
TB Late-very late 33” (84cm) Slight musky fragrance.
White standards have a wide luminous light cornflower blue plicata banding. Broad white falls are boldly framed with a narrow mid violet-blue plicata band and dramatic solid hafts. Mid blue beards are a subtle complement. Robust, winter-hardy plants produce strong show stalks, having 3 branches plus spur and 9-10 buds. Purple based blue-green foliage adds disease resistance. Stands out even from a distance. Sdlg. CC109A: Black Z100H, Background Noise sibling X Black AA45A: (Rumor Has It x Me And My Shadow)

DIAMONDS ON VELVET (Paul Black 26)
TB Early-midseason 36” (91.5cm) No fragrance.
A tall show-stopping iris with persuasive garden presence. Broad, ruffled, mid navy-blue standards rise above dramatic, expansive, darkest navy falls, etched with fine veining centered around a brooding golden sienna beard that adds striking contrast. Strong upright stems carry the blooms well above purple-based blue-green foliage. Sdlg. DD60B: How Bizarre! X Dot Dash Dot

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

INTENSIFIER (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Early-midseason 37” (94cm) Slight fragrance.
I literally took a step back when this bloomed for the first time. What makes Intensifier so dramatic is the clarity and separation of the color. The standards are pure pristine white. Falls are a plush deep violet to near black, with a light lavender band thinly etched in violet. Beards are orange with red tips. Really dramatic in the fields. Sdlg. TN125A: Headline News X Smashing Sensation

ATHENA (Lynda Miller ’26)
TB Late 31” (78.5cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
The Greek goddess of war and wisdom is represented by the dramatic contrast in this bicolor. Caramel standards are infused light burgundy red violet; caramel styles are accented red-violet. Falls are deep smoky red, with a flash of violet below the dark burnt tangerine beards. Seven to nine buds on nicely branched stems. Sdlg. 6418: Fruit Slices X 8714: (1912C: (Rustle Of Spring x Trial By Fire) x 8410: (Original Cast x Standing Alone))