COUNTING STARS (T. Johnson ’20)
TB Early 38” (96.5cm)
Standards have a white ground almost completely overlaid with lavender plicata dotting and a very narrow purple wire edge. Falls are white heavily overlaid with deep purple black dotting at the hafts and forming a wide band. Nice burnt orange beards pop out of the center adding nice contrast. A very nice early variety that has wonderful stems and covers itself in bloom. Outstanding in clump!!
Sdlg TI172F MARRY THE NIGHT X TF89A:(HEAD OVER HEELS x Blyth R95-3:(ADORANOVA SIB)

RASPBERRY PIE (T. Johnson ’20)
TB Midseason 33” (84cm)
White ground plicata with near solid deep raspberry black overlay in standards. Falls are a stark white with deep black cherry edge and thin pencil line belly stripe. Makes simply dazzling clumps with lots of stems carrying 8 to 11 buds. Very nice!
Sdlg TI129B HUCKLEBERRY SUNDAE X TF77ZZ:(MARRY THE NIGHT SIB)

STAR IN THE NIGHT (P. Black '09)
IB Midseason-Late 25” (63cm)
What a breathtaking sight a clump of 'Star in the Night' makes! Darkness descends as dark blue purple standards turn to inky blue black falls. White beards laid over violet bases shine brightly. Flowers are gently ruffled so as not to diminish the simple beauty of Star in the Night. Muted white rays amplify that brightness. Clean, healthy plants support bountiful stalks with 2 branches and 6-7 buds. Spectacular garden show.
Sdlg. O247C: Ocean Depths X Wish Upon a Star

STARDUST EVENING (P. Black '21)
TB Early-Midseason 31” (79cm)
Even before opening, its opalescent silver gray buds are intriguing. As the buds open there is a transformation to dark purple flowers. Dark indigo purple standards are narrowly banded dark red purple as are styles. Wide, ruffled and laced falls are dark indigo purple becoming lighter toward edges and rimmed dark purple. Mixed old gold to brown beards are sandwiched between white hafts heavily veined/sanded black purple. Stalks have 3-4 branches and 7-8 buds. It is an interesting parent.
Sdlg. Y170B: V159P, Pleasure’s All Mine sib X Creature of the Night sib

OWN THE NIGHT (Thomas Johnson ’22)
TB Midseason 35” (89cm)
Sweet fragrance. A dark purple self, or bicolor with ruffles or lace, and a yellow beard has been a project of mine. Own The Night is headed in that direction. Medium purple standards sit atop plush deep purple falls with a light narrow edge. Mustard tipped beards set it off. Very nicely ruffled and formed with strong stems and ten buds. Marked as an introduction since maiden bloom. Flashy!!
Sdlg TJ212A: (Seasons In The Sun x Born This Way) X sib to Elite

RUNAROUND (Thomas Johnson ’22)
TB Early-Midseason-Late 37” (94cm)
No fragrance. Peach and cream blended standards. White falls with a wide red violet plicata band and thin belly stripe that extends from below the beard to distal end. Nice classic rounded form shows off the deeply contrasting dark mustard yellow style arms, creating quite a dramatic look. Strong growth and show stems with loads of buds allows for a very long season of bloom. A very good and showy garden iris.
Sdlg TJ154ZZ: sib to Marry the Night X (Petticoat Shuffle x ((( Silk Brocade x Epicenter) x Keppel 98-204A: sib to Tunnel Vision pod parent) x (High Master x (Silk Brocade x Epicenter))))

STARRY STARRY NIGHT (P. Black '22)
TB Midseason-Very Late 36” (91cm)
Slight musky fragrance It is a night you’ll long remember. Classically formed, ruffled and lightly laced purple black flowers have standards with white sanded veins over their centers that show their plicata heritage. White fall hafts have closely spaced purple black lines and sanded veins transitioning to velvety purple black falls. Butterscotch beards turn to white climaxing in a white shooting star dart for a dramatic accent. It has a stunning presence even before opening. Bud reverses have chartreuse haft centers streaking into white center bands then white veins streaking into dark purple outer bands. It is an awesome look. Sturdy growth produces 4 well-spaced branches but only 7 buds. As if this wasn’t enough, it has been a mystery progenitor of many broken color plicatas. There is nothing in the parentage to suggest this trait. I’m still exploring its potential. In one cross, about a third of the seedlings looked like it, a third were standard plicata types and a third were broken color plicatas. There is much to be explored!
Sdlg. Y161A: Me and My Shadow X Black V159B, Pleasure’s All Mine sib

RUNNING IN CIRCLES (T. Johnson ’23)
TB Midseason 36” (91.5cm)
Sweet fragrance. One of our favorite intros for this year and that is saying a lot with its competition and the fact that it is a plicata. The color on this is hard to convey in a picture as the presence it has in the garden. It is simply spectacular in clump with its extremely bright color and sharp pattern. Standards are icy white with a near solid overlay of blue lilac. The falls are white with a blue haft, center dart below beard, and band. Even the beard is tipped in blue. Gorgeous, wide, and ruffled form make it irresistible. Running In Circles has also been admired by garden visitors. Recommended! you won’t be sorry! Sdlg. TL180G: ((Ink Patterns x pollen parent of Counting Stars) X (pod parent of Say It Right x Marry The Night sib))

LIGHT THE NIGHT (Paul Black 23)
TB Late-Very Late 35” (89cm)
slight spicy fragrance Beaming out of the night is a bright flash of light. Sparse white lines creep up the midribs of dark red-purple standards. Velvety red-black falls are accented with short white rays alongside beards and longer dart at the end of white beards overlaid tan gold. Three branches provide 8-9 buds. Possible parent for rebloom via ‘Part Two’. Beautiful garden presence. Sdlg. AA78J: Part Two X Starry Starry Night

MISPLACED DOTS (Paul Black 23)
TB Midseason-Very Late 42” (107cm)
Slight spicy fragrance Other crosses using ‘Starry Starry Night’ have yielded more startling broken color plicatas. Plic markings on ‘Misplaced Dots’ are quite variable but the overall look is a traditional violet blue plicata. In breeding it has both the possibility of rebloom and broken color plics. Mid violet blue standards have slightly darker edge stitching and white plic centers. Styles are dark violet blue. Narrow mid violet blue plic bands encircle white falls with centers heavily and randomly dotted mid violet blue. Super tall stalks have 3-4 branches plus spur and 9-11 buds. Moderately sized blooms and stalks that flex help keep stalks upright in the wind. Sdlg. AA78A, Light the Night sib

SPARKLE AND SHINE (Paul Black 23)
TB Midseason-Late 31” (79cm)
Slight sweet fragrance What an impressive clump this one makes in the garden. Stark white standards dance above strongly flared warmer white falls that become wide mottled and washed mid violet bands. Fiery orange beards demand you come in for a closer look. The bloom keeps on going and going with 4 branches and 10-11 buds. Sdlg. AA63A: Color Wheel X Black Y126 caramel sib: (You Belong to Me x Black Y61B, Creature of the Night sib)

BURNING QUESTION (T. Johnson ’24)
TB Early-midseason 37” (94cm)
Sweet fragrance. Dark wine-red standards have a bit of a bluish cast to them. Falls are a rich deep burgundy with a mustard yellow beard. Nicely ruffled and branched. Sdlg. TM94ZZ: Own The Night X Night Whispers

MAKE UP YOUR MIND (Black ’24)
TB Early-midseason 33” (84cm)
Sweet fragrance. This is one of the first broken color plicatas. Subsequent generations indicate it is an inheritable trait, so let the breeding begin. Nothing in the parentage indicates the possibility of broken color. About 1/3 of the seedlings from this cross were plicatas, about 1/3 were selfs, and about 1/3 were broken color plicatas. Well-branched stalks have 2 branches and a spur producing 7-9 blooms. Vigorous growth provides quick clumps. Intriguing to see each flower marked differently. Sdlg. AA84T: Come And Dance X Starry Starry Night

PRETTY SIGHT (Black ’24)
TB Early-midseason 34” (86.5cm)
Sweet fragrance. This taller sibling of ‘Make Up Your Mind’ is a very handsome traditional plicata in a lovely cornflower blue shade. It adds one more branch and a complement of 9-10 buds on show stalks. It too is a strong clean grower. Standards are a near solid cornflower blue with a buff wire edge. Falls have a white ground with cornflower dotting inside a more solid band, and then a complementary buff band. Sdlg. AA84X: Come And Dance X Starry Starry Night