SERGEY (T.Johnson ’16)
TB Midseason-Late 34” (86cm)
‘Sergey’ is an unsually gorgeous and subtle blue and yellow blended bicolor that was much admired at the 2015 AIS convention. It has wonderful form, growth, buds and stem. It is Being used heavily in breeding. Named in honor of our friend, Sergey Loktev, who has been a great advocate of irises and a frequent garden visitor from Russia.
Sdlg TF100A: Cameo Minx X First Avenue

EARTH AND SUN (Paul Black 23)
TB Early-Midseason 29” (74cm)
Pronounced sweet fragrance Vibrant sunny dark gold standards beam down on toasty mid to dark brown falls blended over a mid-gold base. Centers are washed light brown and etched with darker brown veins and finished with gilt gold rims. Mid marigold beards add warmth. Three branches produce 7 buds. Exciting bright clumps. Sdlg. Z89A: Black V143F, Heartfelt sib X Black U53B, Rise Like a Phoenix sib

I LIKE LACE (Paul Black 23)
TB Late-Very Late 30” (76cm)
Slight musky fragrance Prickly lace on lighter colored irises kicks their appeal up another notch. Heavily laced light violet standards dance above palest violet falls toned slightly darker toward their margins. Deeply sculpted texture veins add a three-dimensional quality. Light yellow beards are the perfect accessory. Two branches and 7 buds. Sdlg. AA270A: Soul Mate X Super Model
I apologize the image quality isn't the best

HOW BIZARRE! (Paul Black 23)
TB Midseason-Very Late 36” (91cm)
Slight musky fragrance My ‘Action Packed’ has given rise to many other excitingly patterned standards and falls like ‘How Bizarre!”. Pale chalky grayed violet elliptical standards centers give way to wide mid tan-gold bands heavily veined and rimmed mid red brown. Velvety purple black falls have white centers heavily veined and sanded dark purple. Old gold beards echo standards color. An easy late show winner with 3 branches and 7 buds. Strong growth and clean disease resistant foliage. Sdlg. AA73A: Laser Light Show X Black X141E: (Black U53D, Rise Like a Phoenix sib x Black U38B, Jungle Mist sib)

SHINING BRIGHT (T. Johnson ’24)
TB Midseason-late 38” (97cm)
Sweet fragrance. The name on this iris describes it perfectly. The standards are yellow, and the falls are a light lilac with a lighter center and yellow hafts. It is a definite bright shining spot in the field. Nicely formed flowers are held proudly on well branched and budded stems. The result of crossing two great irises. Sdlg. TL7B: Barbara Rider X Hospitality

TOTAL SURPRISE (T. Johnson ’24)
TB Early-midseason. 37” (94cm)
Slight fragrance. Total surprise indeed is what happened when this one first bloomed. Certainly not what I was expecting, but happy for sure. White standards have a yellow blush to them. Falls are rust to red with a white spray pattern around the beard and a light lavender to white band. Total Surprise is the product of two great parents, who have both proven their worth over and over again. Sdlg. TL137ZZ: When Doves Cry X Dressed To The Nines

ENTHUSIASTIC (Black ’24)
TB Early-midseason 30” (76cm)
Sweet fragrance. Larger flowers have loads of color and carrying power. Expansive wide falls boost its garden presence. Mango to orange standards rise above falls that are light buff around the beard, with a red-plum haft and wash that transitions to a solid wide mango band. A very unique and colorful variety that will certainly brighten your garden. Exciting! Sdlg. AA274A: Black X89B, Paisley Print sib X Hey Look Me Over

GARDEN APPEAL (Black ’24)
TB Midseason-late 32” (81.5cm)
Sweet fragrance. This smaller flowered tall bearded beauty traces back to ‘Passionate Embrace’ and the unusually colored flowers it produces, particularly in the citrus colors. Its myriads of show stalks cover the clumps in bloom. The white fall bands make it pop. Contrasting style arms are characteristic of ‘Passionate Embrace’ offspring, as are unique colors and show branched stalks. Sdlg. BB116C: Black Y84C: (Black V22C: (Toast Of The Town x unknown) x Black W32A: (Clouds Go By x What A Beard!)) X Solar Sunrise

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)

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)

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

JUST FOR JACKIE (P. Black '25)
TB Midseason-late 33” (84cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
Jackie is one of my best friends. She has always been a big help by leaving pink post-it notes on seedlings she thinks I should keep. We’ve had many good laughs together. She also insists on helping me plant my iris seeds each fall. Of course I wouldn’t hurt her feelings by saying no. She makes it all fun. She likes brown irises, so for her here is a white and dark red-brown plicata. Note the pronounced lines in the falls. Strong stalks have three branches and 8-9 buds. This is one of many exceptional seedlings coming from Crocodile Smile.
Sdlg. BB106C: Crocodile Smile X Z100D, Background Noise sib

GLOWING MAGIC (P. Black '25)
TB Early-midseason 29” (73.5cm) Slight sweet fragrance.
This luscious glaciata is a blended medley of mid pink to peach with mid apricot hafts and bands. Glaciatas are prone to virus. So far this lovely creation has remained virus free. Strong growth produces stalks with 3 branches and 7-8 buds. An excellent parent for all types of plicatas. One of my favorite irises, with an added bonus of medians in its background.
Sdlg. CC67E: Y152B, Fantasmagorical sib X Fantasmagorical

CINNAMON SURPRISE (P. Black '25)
TB Midseason-late 33” (84cm) No fragrance.
This sibling to Calypso Joe is considerably more sedate. Mid-light yellow centers of the standards blend to mid Dijon gold. Mid-light yellow falls have light cinnamon plicata hafts, becoming narrower and lighter at the distal end. Vigorous growth and show stalks make it a desirable addition to your garden.
Sdlg. CC68C: Fantasmagorical X Z70H, Capture A Little Sun sib

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

EYE SEE YOU (Thomas Johnson ’26)
TB Midseason-late 34” (86cm) Musky fragrance.
One of the shorter TBs this year. Brilliant canary yellow standards rise above medium lavender-mauve falls with a large deep burgundy haft and light yellow band. The extremely wide falls help to enhance the deep haft pattern. Another totally distinctive iris that literally makes me stop and stare when it is in bloom. The color and pattern are shockingly bright!! Sdlg. TO235A: Plot Twist X Open Flame

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

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

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