Big blooms with ruffles have been in style. Paul Black has been developing a line of small bloomed iris

Here is a link that might be useful: Mid America Gardens.

Here is an example:
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The problem in the iris world is that they need to be "puffed up show-offs" to get noticed. The last I heard (which is probably a vast understatement now) there were 60,000 varieties of iris and another 1,000+/- introduced each year.

If you're not a show stopper, you're at a greater risk nowadays of disappearing than the historics from hundreds of years ago.

The Tall Beardeds are most likely the majority of what you've been shown/seen and there are others that deserve much more attention than they've had. For instance, Miniature Tall Beardeds are required to be small, dainty and elegant with wiry stems or they're out of class. If you're intent on growing bearded iris, I highly recommend trying any and all of the median/miniature dwarf classes.

Ruffles, lace, frills, and space age appendages are all considered favorable developments in the iris world, so you can expect to see more. The historics have an air to them that the modern overkill plants won't rival and I recommend looking into them as well. Try taking a look at some of the gorgeous old things on Superstition's historic galleries.

Paul Black is developing small flowered TBs and I'm excited to see him take his groundbreaking work in yet another direction. You can't go wrong if you look into the things he and Tom Johnson have been doing lately.

The diversity is out there, you just have to get past the onslaught of TBs.

Brock

I just had an idea than might work, if you click here, it should take you to a page of just the MTBs that I've added to the plantfiles on davesgarden. It should give you an idea of what they look like. They're some of my favorites.

Brock

Wow! Thank you all very much for your replies : )

I'll definately take a look at those links

I love Mid Americas new small flowered intros. I have Dolce, one of their first intros of the small ones, and I just love it.

MTB or Table Irises thrive without staking and pampering and grow well in some places that Modern Tall Bearded Irises do not do so well.
This has a lot to do with the diploid heritage and the fact that their ancestors bypassed the infusion of I.mesopotamica,trojana, and cypriana that lead to the development of the modern Tall Bearded Irises which are all Tetraploids.
Only a few of the Newer MTB are Tetraploids

I have still not worked out posting photos so you will have to excuse my links which is to a Table Iris 'Meadow Lark' which grows well for me at home.I have 25 different MTB varieties at present and more are on the way.
Brock Thanks for you photo link.Top photos

Here is a link that might be useful: MEADOW LARK

Currently I'm still in the thrall of big headed iris with frills. See, I don't mind staking.

But I suspect that down the road I'll get tired of the flashy things and will better appreciate historics and contemporary iris with smaller flowers. They are clean and bright looking.

I don't like ploidy daylilies, much prefering the simple earlier verisons. But then, I dont' much like daylilies, period.