Bearded Irises
Tall Bearded, Intermediate Bearded, Border Bearded, & Arilbred Irises
(Keith Keppel, 2008), TB, 36" tall, midseason bloom.
Standards blue white; style arms white faintly edged pale blue; falls white, 1/2" to 1" columbine blue shaded edge; beards bright yellow.
Honorable Mention 2011, Award of Merit 2013.
(Allan Ensminger, 1993), TB, 34", midseason to late bloom, broken color.
Standards white with campanula splashes; falls white with campanula streaks and splashes; beards nasturtium red; slight fragrance.
Honorable Mention 1996, Award of Merit 1999.
(Michael Sutton, 2002), TB, 30", early to late bloom + rebloom, broken Color.
Standards champagne, sectioned or splashed and streaked violet purple; style arms satinwood streaked violet purple; falls white ground splashed and streaked purple, satinwood edge; beards brick, tangerine and white hair tips, purple base; slight sweet fragrance.
(Frederick Kerr, 2004), TB, 35", midseason bloom.
Standards and style arms blue white infused darker, stigmatic lip blue; falls near blue-black, narrow lighter edge, strong white ray pattern beside beard; beards tangerine red.
Honorable Mention 2007.
(M. Hamblen, 1972), SDB, 12", midseason bloom. High Commendation 1971, Honorable Mention 1973, Judge's Choice 1973, 1974, Award of Merit 1975.
Photo courtesy of Iris Encyclopedia.
(Schreiner, 2013), TB, 35" tall, midseason bloom.
Standards white, hint of light tan infusion in center; falls raspberry, 1/2" lavender edge, pale tan spot around beards; beards deep orange.
Honorable Mention 2015.
(Paul Black, 2016), SDB, 12", early to midseason bloom.
Standards light green-yellow, light grey-blue rib; style arms white, light yellow edge and crest; falls white, dark brown veins over haft changing to dark red-violet blended spot at end of beard, white dart at end of beard, ¾˝ wide light yellow segment in distal center from spot to edge of petal; beards light yellow in throat, white in middle and end; slight musky fragrance.
Honorable Mention 2018.
(Paul Black, 2002), SDB, 15", midseason bloom.
Standards and style arms mauve rose; Falls dark red texture-veined black, wide mauve rose band; beards old gold, violet base; slight spicy fragrance.
Honorable Mention 2004, Award of Merit 2006, Cook-Douglas Medal 2008.
(Bonnie Nichols, R. 2017), TB, 36-42", midseason to late bloom.
Standards orient pink, shell pink midribs, edges buff; style arms shell pink with darker orient pink highlights; falls orient pink, edges deep shell pink, hafts salmon; beards Dutch vermillion, ivory blended shell pink feathery flounces with violet underside; ruffled; spicy fragrance.
Zurbrigg-Mahan Seedling Cup 2016. Honorable Mention 2021; Award of Merit 2023.
(Kathie Kasperek, 2001), TB, 32" tall, midseason bloom, broken color.
Standards and style arms orange buff; falls orange buff ground, netted deep jasper red overlay, butter cream streaking; beards bright deep orange; broken color; ruffled; slight fragrance.
Honorable Mention 2005; Award of Merit 2009.
(Paul Black, 2017), SDB, 13", early to midseason bloom, broken color.
Standards mid khaki, silvery white rim, mid wine mottled base; style arms light buff-pink, mid old gold crest and ridge; falls light butter around beard, remainder red-plum wash with random cream streaks; beard hairs based white, mid old gold in throat, mid-light old gold in middle, ends white.
(Gerald Richardson, 2002), TB, 34" (86 cm), Early to mid-season bloom. Broken Color.
Standards and style arms blended amber buff, mottled reddish violet streaking; falls pale buff to light yellow amber, heavily streaked and mottled violet; beards amber; broken color; slight fragrance.
(Lloyd Zurbrigg, 1990), TB, 35", midseason bloom and rebloom.
Standards white, tinted violet at top; falls light blue violet, white center and hafts; cream beard; sweet fragrance.
Avonbank 1991. Honorable Mention 1995; Award of Merit 1997; Wister Medal 2000.
(Marky Smith, 2013), TB, 31" tall, late to very late bloom, Flatty.
Standards sides black-violet, red-violet toward base, white center sprays with some broken violet color, wide lavender rims on violet sides, 3" white center rims; style arms white; falls deep black-violet, thin, slightly irregular white center dividing stripe, wide 1/4" or more lavender ruffled rims, sometimes blending to red-violet just beyond the rims; beards absent; large flower when flattened in hot weather; ruffled.
Honorable Mention 2016; Award of Merit 2021.
(Marky Smith, 2009), SDB, 13", early bloom season.
Standards oyster cream; style arms pale grey, crests oyster cream; falls blackened mulberry, cream wire rim, cream feathers around beard; beards yellow orange in throat, yellow tipped cream in middle, cream at end; ruffled.
Honorable Mention 2014, Award of Merit 2017.
(Kathie Kasperek, 2007), TB, 36" tall, midseason bloom, broken color.
Standards and falls orange, random splashes/washings of red raspberry; style arms orange; beards dark red-orange; ruffled, broken color pattern; slight fragrance.
Honorable Mention 2010.
(Chuck Chapman, 2004), SDB, 12" (30 cm). Early midseason bloom.
Light blue self; dark blue violet crescent spot below beard, black at base of crescent; beards yellow, orange in throat; pronounced sweet, spicy fragrance.
(Paul Black, 2016), TB, 45" (114 cm), Midseason to late bloom.
Standards dark red purple; style arms mid-dark red purple, mid mauve pink edge; Falls velvety purple black, slightly lighter narrow band, cream on each side of beard with black veins; beards bright red orange; slight spicy fragrance.
Honorable Mention 2018; Award of Merit 2021.
(T. Johnson, 2012), TB, 35" tall, midseason bloom.
Standards white, light violet wash up midrib; style arms white; falls plush violet, wide white band, white spray on either side of beard; beards tangerine; slight fragrance.
Honorable Mention 2014; Award of Merit 2016; Wister Medal 2019; American Dykes Medal 2021.
(Joseph Gatty by Keith Keppel,1992), 13", Early midseason bloom.
Standards white ground, 1/2" Roslyn blue border; beards pale blue at end, white with bronze-tipped hairs changing to sunflower to deep chrome yellow in throat; pronounced sweet fragrance.
Honorable Mention 1995; Award of Merit 1999.
(Joseph Ghio, 2010), TB, 40" tall, late midseason bloom.
Standards are apricot-pink; Falls are deep rosy-purple, black sheen. biscuit pink rim; beards tangerine.
Honorable Mention 2013; Award of Merit 2017.
(Paul Black, 2020), SDB, 15.5" (39 cm), Midseason to late bloom.
Standards light straw, flushed violet base and inside lower center; style arms light-mid straw; falls light lilac-rose washed over buff ground, dark ruby red blended spot in center ¹⁄₃; beard hairs based light lavender, tips greyed tangerine.
(B. Blyth, 2001), 38" tall, midseason bloom.
Standards creamy apricot, faint rose midrib flush; style arms creamy apricot; falls light plum burgundy, 1/4" creamy apricot edge; beards tangerine; heavily ruffled and laced.
Honorable Mention 2006; Walther Cup 2006. Award of Merit 2008; Wister Medal 2010.
(Paul Black, 2013) AB, OGB, 25",midseason to late bloom.
Standards and style arms ice-white; Falls same, 1" blue-black aril signal; beard hairs based white, tips light yellow.
Honorable Mention 2015. Walther Cup 2015, Award of Merit 2017, Mohr Medal 2019.
(Paul Black, R. 2013), TB, 36", midseason to late bloom, broken color.
Standards white, irregular splashes and segments of mid violet; style arms white, light tan, mid violet irregular segments; falls white around beard to light tan, irregular segments and splashes of mid violet to red-purple to blue-purple; beards tangerine in throat and middle, white end, hairs based white.
Honorable Mention 2016, Award of Merit 2018.
(Thomas Johnson, R. 2005), TB, 38", midseason bloom.
Standards buff pink, medium violet center flush on lower 2/3 of petal; style arms buff pink, slight violet center flush; Falls medium orchid-violet, orange buff ground around beard; beards orange-brown, hairs medium orchid-violet at base, tipped orange; lightly ruffled; sweet fragrance.
Honorable Mention 2008.
(Brad Kasperek, 2005), IB, 26" (66 cm). Midseason bloom, broken color.
Standards tan, violet rib, white streaking; style arms light tan; Falls lavender violet, silver white streaking; beards burnt orange; lightly ruffled.
Honorable Mention 2008.
(Tom Burseen, 2014), TB, 35" tall, early to midseason to late bloom, broken color.
Standards pure white, red-purple random splattering; style arms white, washed gold; falls pure white, yellow-gold washed hafts, random dark purple splatters; beards poppy orange, tattered and feathered white horns, gold stems; flared and ruffled; slight sweet fragrance.
Honorable Mention 2017; Award of Merit 2019; John C. Wister Medal 2021; Favorite Guest 2023. Novelty Iris; Dykes Medal 2023.
(M. Sutton, 2019), TB, 31" tall, midseason to late bloom.
Standards amber yellow, purple flush up midrib; style arms amber yellow; falls dark violet-near black blending into ½˝ violet band bordered by a ¼˝ tuscan yellow rim at edge; beards orange; serrated edges; sweet fragrance.
(Thomas Johnson, 2019), TB, 37", midseason bloom.
Standards and style arms lemon yellow; falls red-violet, lavender band and slight yellow wire rim; beards yellow to orange; musky fragrance.
Honorable Mention 2021.
Photo: Mid-America Gardens
(Ben Hager, 1984), 40" tall, midseason bloom.
Standards clear canary yellow; Falls mid-blue violet; blue beard tipped orange; ruffled.
High Commendation 1985; President's Cup 1986; Favorite Guest 1986; Walther Cup 1988; Honorable Mention 1988; Award of Merit 1990; American Dykes Medal 1993.
(Brad Kasperek, 1994), TB, 33" tall, early midseason bloom + rebloom, broken color.
Light lavender ground splashed reddish violet; falls slightly flared; beards antique gold, tipped lavender; ruffled; slight sweet fragrance.
Honorable Mention 1998.
(David Toth, 2019), TB, 34", early bloom.
Standards and style arms straw yellow; falls deep bright purple, wide streaks and blotches of straw yellow; beards golden yellow; pronounced musky fragrance.
Favorite Guest Iris 2022; Honorable Mention 2023.
(Paul Black, 2015), MDB, 7.5" (19 cm). Midseason to late bloom and re-bloom.
Standards green-white fading to white; style arms white, mid violet in heart; falls white, dark burgundy spot bisected by white wedge stripe from beard to edge, white rays over haft surrounded by olive-brown veins; beards mid lavender; slight sweet fragrance.
Honorable Mention 2017; Award of Merit 2019; Caparne-Welch medal 2021.
(Paul Black, 2005), SDB, 14", midseason to late bloom.
Standards burnished greenish gold; style arms white, greenish gold rib and crest; falls pale greenish yellow, slightly darker haft; beards dark indigo; ruffled; slight sweet fragrance.
Honorable Mention 2008.