Very well said, Tim.

I would add a comment to the above that is memorable. Some 4 years ago Keith and I at twilight where out looking at the expanse of irises in his garden, Keith turned to me and said, "Joe did you ever think that we would see what we are seeing in the new directions irises have come to." And I replied, "not only did I not imagine I would be seeing this, but we would be the ones doing it!"

Another sidebar is that I kept track of who was my longest consistent customer. RosaBelle VanValkenburg last held the title that pasted to Thomas Johnson who placed his first order with BVG when a youngster in Canada. Nancy Cunningham reminded me that she has bought some for 32 years in a row. All a fun factoid.

It should make you feel good to know that you played a part in making the world a more beautiful place.

tveguy3 said:It should make you feel good to know that you played a part in making the world a more beautiful place.

and

thank you, thank you for making this world a more beautiful place to experience. thank you hybridizers, all.

I agree, thank you so much for adding beauty to our iris world.

I sincerely hope that you, Joe, and Keith had a good toast to yourselves and your wild success. We all salute you!

Sergio...

Espionage still makes me stop and stare everytime I see it have loved that one from the 1st time laid eyes on it in his garden think it took me an hour just to make it through a few rows of it and the sibs was shocked when I realized they were all from the same cross and everyone of them was perfect.. talk about hitting the jackpot.. Note 3 of the new 2021 intro's are from sibs of Espionage they are also excellent parents.

12-100D is amazing and was still growing there in pretty good quantities so as long as it's there still a possibility he will have no shortage of Plicata's to choose from in the near future many good things still to come !

He released 2 seedlings last year that had 07-176B in the pedigree (Turkish Tapestry) and (Hold The Line) both have branches and are good plants the hope is we can pick the colors of 07-176B up some where down the line and improve it was thrilled something escaped the yard with it in the pedigree gives us backyard hybridizers something to work with


Tim..

Thank you and couldn't agree more it's shocking every year to see what new creations these guys come up with and the wonderful things popping up in there seedling patches. Leaves me in awe every year ..there is a new pattern that I'm excited about and think it will lead to some fun new color combinations in the future.. Thomas called it the Pansy Pattern or Dark spot showing up in in lot's of different colors now very cool !

The pink one was from Joe's that really got me excited still remember finding it right before sunset as it was just opening nothing else even close to it yet was taken a couple years ago hope It's still there and I get to see it in the near future !






TJ-246ZZ


Tk-130 O


Tk-130?


TJ- 115A

I love all these "Pansy patterned" irises that are coming out.

All of those are fabulous but I have to shout out to the Ghio ones as most spectacular! Those pansy prints are an intriguing pattern that is becoming quite popular and so we can explore a new collection of those!!! The Blyth's are gorgeous too but not all of them grow well for me except Serena Louisa. She is a super spreader thankfully!
Thank you for posting such beauties! Too many wants and not enough space.

janielouy said:Too many wants and not enough space.

Thanks again Brad!!! 17-28A is just "there are no words" beautiful. I So so hope this is introduced. There is nothing like it that I know of. And 16-19A is beautiful with its deep purple lower color on the Standards. Not sure what you call it is it still a blush when it is dark like that? But whatever it is, it is very appealing.

The Pink Ghio above is another that just leaves me gasping in awe. And that last Pansy pattern is pretty much perfection, the way the border of the falls matches the color of the standards and the border on the standards matches the color on the falls. Then the brown shade is so luscious and the colors all go so well together. Even the beards blend to perfection. Is this one introduced already?

Joe: Thank you so much for sharing your historical tidbits. What a wonderful journey you have been on. Like the others here, I am so thankful for all the patience and backbreaking labor you and Keith and other hybradizers have endured, so we can fill our little city oasis's with color and beauty!!!

Love the pansy patterns, Brad. Did you get the seedling numbers on these pictures?

ARUBA1334 said:...
The pink one was from Joe's that really got me excited still remember finding it right before sunset as it was just opening nothing else even close to it yet was taken a couple years ago hope It's still there and I get to see it in the near future !

I'll take one of each, please. These are absolutely gorgeous.

Hybridizers do leave an awesome legacy!

I'm catching up on my favorites:
Group 1: the Idle Rich seedlings,
15-89A and 13-66E
(But "I don't like brown irises."!?)
Group 2: 12-44D and 13-17Q (see above)
Group 3: 12-61C and 16-57B

Group 4 The Plicata's

Another Group of plants that I thought was Outstanding this year was fun to see some of these in 2 year clumps and watch them put on a show so many interesting patterns here to choose from really an Iris Collectors dream to find so many unique patterns in 1 place for those of you guys out there that are planning on Hybridizing in the spring try some Plicata crosses it is amazing to see all the different colors and patterns that can pop up. I made some videos at Keiths and Mid America with my phone camera to show how cool these are in a seedling patch but can't get it to upload on here will upload them on Instagram page soon.

15-15A (12-100D X 09-90A)


12-99D(09-90B X 09-93A)


13-15A (High Desert X Dark Energy)


13-16B ( High Desert X 07-176B)


13-16D


12-96A(High Desert X 09-87A)


18-3 (14-46B X 13-6B)


13-19B (High Desert X 11-70D (Inside Track x Spice Lord) x Sorbonne) x 07-176B)



13-17B(High Desert X Flash Mob)


14-45A (11-78A X High Desert)


15-29C(Cosmic Voyage X 09-90A)


12-98A(09-90A X 09-90B)

Jane.. It was spectacular nothing else like that one Joe has Magic Soil

Elsa..TF-115A has not been intro'd yet maybe we will get lucky this year I have been pleading its cause to Thomas it is showing up in his pedigrees pretty sure it made last years (Professor)

Laurie.. Seedling numbers are there now for the Mid America flowers we will look at quite a few more of those soon when we get to Thomas's plants he has come along way with that pattern maybe Joe can help us out with his I don't know the seedling number on it.

Barbara.. Me too there all good love that pattern !

Diana.. Good Picks those 1st couple you mentioned from Idle Rich are excellent there has been many yellows introduced lately that I like but those are special.

Wow, just Wow! I'm on plicata overload! I don't know how anyone could cull any of those, how does one manage to get so many nice ones, I guess when you make thousands of seedlings, it's possible. I'm sure hoping some of my plicata crosses bloom this season. There should be some of them that bloom this year if they make it through the wet rotty spring.

14-45A was the only one of the plicatas I wanted to take home with me. I like plicatas, but apparently not as much as Tom does.