Bearded Irises
Tall Bearded, Intermediate Bearded, Border Bearded, & Arilbred Irises
(Bennett Jones, 1968), SDB, 14", midseason bloom.
Deep brown self; blue-purple beard.
High Commendation 1968, Award of Merit 1972, Cook-Douglas Medal 1974.
(Brad Kasperek, 1993), TB, 32", midseason bloom, broken color.
Standards medium violet with random off-white splashes; falls dark violet with random breaks and splashes of off-white; beards burnt orange tipped medium violet; ruffled; slight fragrance.
Honorable Mention 1996; Award of Merit 1998.
(Brad Kasperek, 1993), TB, 36", midseason bloom, broken color.
Lightly ruffled medium violet blue with random blotches of medium to dark blue violet; beards orange, tipped medium blue violet; pronounced fragrance.
Honorable Mention 1996; Award of Merit 1998.
(Brad Kasperek, 1996), IB, 26", early midseason bloom.
Standards and style arms violet (RHS 83B); falls greenish yellow (1C) ground, veined and edged violet; beards lavender, hairs tipped orange tan; ruffled; slight fragrance.
Honorable Mention 1999; Award of Merit 2002; Sass Medal 2004.
(Brad Kasperek, 1993), TB, 32" tall, midseason bloom, broken color.
Standards light lavender ground washed medium lavender and off-white with medium violet splashes; falls same, heavier medium violet purple on shoulders; beards burnt orange tipped medium violet; ruffled; slight fragrance.
Honorable Mention 1996; Award of Merit 1998.
(Brad Kasperek, 1994), TB, 38" tall, early bloom season, broken color.
Standards light tan fading to grey, slight violet on midribs-streaked silver white; style arms tan, violet lip; falls dark to medium violet highlighted with creamy white streaking; beards yellow, tipped violet; lightly ruffled; slight sweet fragrance.
Honorable Mention 1998, Award of Merit 2000.
(Tom Burseen, 2002), TB, 36", midseason bloom.
Standards light lavender blue; style arms washed purple; falls bright rust red, golden edge wash, burgundy veining concentrated at beard; beards yellow gold to gold in throat, light lavender at end; ruffled, flared; sweet fragrance.
Honorable Mention 2006.
(Thomas Johnson, 2013), TB, 33" (84 cm). midseason to late bloom.
Standards bright sunshine yellow; style arms yellow; falls violet-purple wash below beards, deep yellow thumbprint hafts and wide diffused edge; beards old gold; sweet fragrance.
Walther Cup 2016; Honorable Mention 2016, Award of Merit 2018; John C. Wister Medal 2022.
(Michael Sutton, 2019), TB, 38", late midseason bloom.
Standards butter yellow, slightly darker at edge; style arms Dresden yellow; falls dark purple to near black, ¾˝ pale lilac inner rim, ¼˝ Dresden yellow rim at edge; beards yellow-orange; spicy fragrance.
(David Toth, 2018), TB, 30", midseason bloom, broken color.
Standards butter yellow, random maroon-red streaks or splashes; style arms yellow, maroon-red streaks; falls light burnt red, butter yellow, red, and dark maroon-red streaks and splashes; beard hairs based maroon-red, tips golden yellow, short ¼˝-³⁄₈˝ maroon horns; slight sweet fragrance.
(Robert Annand, 1999), TB, height 35" (89 cm), midseason to late bloom, broken color.
White, irregularly blotched, striped and dotted purple; beards orange, end and hair tips yellow; broken color pattern.
(Kathie Kasperek, 1995), TB, 36", midseason bloom, broken color.
Standards deep mustard lightly streaked wine purple; falls deep mustard heavily streaked and splashed wine purple, with colors blending at edge of markings; beards grey yellow; ruffled.
Honorable Mention 1997, Award of Merit 1999.
(James Gibson by Cooley's Gardens, 1996), TB, 35", midseason bloom.
Standards warm chocolate brown; falls white ground, plicata markings of chocolate brown and violet blue; beards mustard; ruffled.
Honorable Mention 1999; Award of Merit 2002.
Photo: Andrew Brownfield
(Paul Black, 2016), TB, 36", early to late bloom, broken color.
Standards ivory, blushed light rose rib; style arms mid-light rose, light grey-blue beside ridge, ivory crest; falls cream, mid peach haft, white beside beard veined plum, random splashed dots and segments of red-grape; beards mid tangerine; slight musky fragrance.
Honorable Mention 2018;
(Paul Black, 2020), TB, 32", early to midseason bloom, broken color.
Standards pale buff-pink, randomly splashed and streaked mid lilac; style arms mid peach, streaked lilac; falls mid buff-peach, white around beard, random streaks, splashes and sanding of dark purple to lilac; beards greyed marigold; slight sweet fragrance.
Honorable Mention 2022
(Paul Black, 2023), TB, 29" (73.5 cm), midseason to late bloom.
Standards white; style arms white, light yellow rim on crest; falls white, light yellow hafts with plum veins, center lined greyed purple, lower third mid-red purple lined and heavily mottled, 3/4" white distal band; variegated foliage; beards white base, mid orange throat, light orange middle, white end; pronounced sweet fragrance.
Both photos: Paul Black
(Allan Ensminger, 1980), BB, 25" (64 cm). midseason bloom, broken color.
White ground variegata, striped with imperial violet; yellow beard tipped violet.
Honorable Mention 1983; Award of Merit 1987. Novelty Iris.
(Brad Kasperek, 2001), TB, 35", midseason bloom, broken color.
Standards tan, splashed and streaked coffee; falls tan overlaid brown, splashed and streaked coffee, hafts white veined brown; beards burnt yellow brown; ruffled; slight fragrance.
Photos: Andrew Brownfield
(Allan Ensminger by D. S. Varner, 1984), TB, 34", midseason bloom, broken color.
Pink ground with variegated purple raspberry streaks.
Photo by The American Iris Society.
(John Painter, 2003), TB, 34", midseason to late bloom, broken color.
Standards dark pansy violet streaked white; style arms dark pansy violet; falls dark pansy violet heavily streaked white; beards violet, hairs tipped white.
Honorable Mention 2006.
(Brad Kasperek, 1997), TB, 38", late bloom, broken color.
Standards azalea pink, splashed Indian Lake and spinel red; style arms azalea pink; falls azalea pink with pinkish white stripes, infrequent splashes of Indian Lake and spinel red; beards bright medium orange; ruffled; slight fragrance.
Honorable Mention 1999.
(O. David Niswonger, 1989), SDB, 12" (30 cm), midseason bloom.
Ruffled chartreuse with burgundy spot on falls; white beard tipped blue.
Honorable Mention 1992; Award of Merit 1994.
Photo: Andrew Brownfield
(Hugh Stout, 2018), SDB, 11", early midseason bloom.
Standards and style arms bright light yellow; falls rufous-mahogany, yellow veining in hafts, dark rufous veins down petal, tight yellow edge; beard hairs based white, tips orange peel; slight sweet fragrance.
Honorable Mention 2023.
(David Toth, 2019), TB, 32", early bloom, broken Color.
Standards very pale yellow splashed lightly with purple; style arms pale yellow streaked purple; falls very pale yellow splashed and splotched in shades of light purple to red-purple; beards based white, tips orange; slight sweet fragrance.
Photo by David Toth and Indian Creek Irises
(Allan Ensminger, 1997), IB, 22", midseason to late bloom, broken color.
Pastel mauve, streaked white; style arms pastel mauve; beards blue, red tip; slight fragrance.
(David Toth, 2019), TB, 36", midseason to late bloom, broken color.
Standards white with gold blush, streaked lightly with purple; style arms pale gold; falls white streaked with shades of gold; beards based white, tips rusty gold, short violet horns; slight spicy fragrance.
Photo: Andrew Brownfield
(Thomas Johnson, 2006), SDB, 12", midseason bloom, broken color.
Standards ecru, irregular violet spots; style arms pinkish rose, turquoise at rib, ecru crest; falls ecru, brassy olive hafts, irregular violet spots, white dart at end of beards merging into blue center line; beards yellow tipped white; broken color pattern; slight sweet fragrance.
Honorable Mention 2008, Award of Merit 2011.
(George Sutton, 2007), TB, 37", early to late bloom and rebloom.
Standards guardsman red; style arms same, touch of yellow; falls blended, hint of yellow wash; beards gold; ruffled; slight spicy fragrance.
Honorable Mention 2012.
(Donald Spoon, 2004), TB, 36", midseason to late bloom, broken color.
Standards yellow; style arms darker yellow with two maroon center stripes; falls yellow, maroon splashes at hafts and lower periphery, violet splashes and pronounced white ground below beards; beards orange; broken color; ruffled; slight floral fragrance.
(O. David Niswonger, 1983), SDB, 13" (33 cm), midseason bloom.
Standards maroon; falls dark maroon, edged lighter maroon; yellow tipped beard.
Honorable Mention 1986; Award of Merit 1988.
(Donald Sorensen, 2010), SDB, 12", midseason bloom and rebloom.
Standards yellow; style arms yellow; falls white, yellow central area veined dark brown, light yellow edge, small white center line; beards yellow gold in throat, medium yellow in middle, white base, hairs tipped light yellow at end; slight musky fragrance.
(Lynda Miller, 2021), MTB, 22" (56 cm), midseason to late bloom, broken color.
White, splashed deep violet self; beards white.
Honorable Mention 2024.
Photo: Mid-America Garden
(Allan Ensminger, 1986), TB, 31.5", late midseason bloom, broken color.
Phlox pink with pansy violet splashes; poppy red beard.
Honorable Mention 1989, Award of Merit 1993.
(M. Smith, 1997), SDB, 13", midseason bloom.
Standards hot orange; style arms pale orange, crest hot orange; falls faintly smoked hot orange; beards vermilion; ruffled; slight spicy fragrance.
Honorable Mention 2001, Award of Merit 2003, Cook-Douglas Medal 2005.
Photo: Andrew Brownfield
(Marky Smith, 2013), SDB, 10.5", early midseason bloom.
Standards luminous grey-yellow, darker smoked midrib, domed; style arm midribs cream-peach, crests gold-peach; falls grey-yellow ground completely obscured by heavy grey-purple lines, almost burgundy, brighter gold-yellow area with dark veins surrounding beard, dark violet midline from top of beard to distal tip, thin purple ring at base of beard; beard bittersweet, fuzzy grey-red; ruffled edges.
(Tom Burseen, 2003), TB, height 36", late bloom, broken color.
Standards light amethyst violet, some darker violet splashes; style arms creamy yellow; falls white, violet purple wash, random dark purple blotches; beards orange, fuzzy purple horn; ruffled.
