Interesting…..I do like it. I‘m not familiar with the whole process to pick the winner. How about the runner ups?

Sherry

Sherry, I can't find a list of other award winners. I'll post when I find it.

As far as I understand, hybridizers nominate their own flowers for consideration for the awards. The Stout medal progression starts with a nomination for Honorable Mention. If the daylily wins an Honorable Mention, it is in the running for Award of Merit. The Stout medal is chosen from the Award of Merit pool. A daylily stays in each section for only a certain number of years (maybe three, but I'm not sure about that). After that, it is no longer eligible for the Stout.

How many awards didn't Elliot win last year? We see continued domination by the southern segment of AHS, which underscores its increasing irrelevance. A southern evergreen--one wonders how many votes it got in the North.

Mantis, thats a great point. If thats how it works, then the winners mean little to us northern gardeners. Sounds like a self promoting exercise?

This reminds me of my problems with Northwind Dancer.

Edit: Just looked Tim Herrington up, 5 awards since 2014. Its been on the list for a long time….

Sherry

Never heard of this one. But then I don't pay a lot of attention to miniatures.

Debra

I saw it last year, it was cute but not my favorite. But like Debra, i am not into minis.

Hey, something has changed, i can post from my phone again!!!

Does that look "copper red" to you? The color on the database is all over the place. Not interested enough to trial it myself. I think Mary's Baby would have been a better choice (but then I would-lol). Maryl

It's small, its a double. Not on my radar. And since it is southern as Mantis says, also not on my radar. Typically I avoid all awards of all types. Just a political thing.

Brad

Who are the judges each year? Or is a voter thing? Or what?

I checked the list of previous winners….I have several of them. Now I’m wondering if winning means mass production and some bigger $$$$ ?

Sherry

The judges for these awards is the group of individuals who are known as garden judges. You have to take specific training to be a garden judge. I think it is a series of 3 workshops. The training supposedly instructs you how to judge the whole plant, not just the flower.

I have thought about becoming a garden judge, but I don't attend many conferences nor do I visit many gardens, especially outside of my own region. Doing so is a requirement for certification.

As far as I am concerned, the fact that a daylily has won an award makes no difference to me when I decide to buy it. Maybe some people are drawn to award winner so sales go up.

In my opinion there are several problems with these awards. I dislike the fact that the hybridizer is the almost the only person who can nominate a daylily. I guess there is a committee who can nominate one they believe is worthy that was never nominated previously. I don't know how often they do this, but I do know Apache War Dance was at one time eligible for the Stout because it was nominated by this committee. We all know that there are people who think very highly of their work and are great self-promoters. Other hybridizers might be more modest and therefore more reluctant to nominate their own plants.

The awards are going to favor bigger growers. A certain daylily must be in wide circulation or it will never get noticed by the garden judges.

Also, the number of garden judges in a certain area might make it more likely that daylilies from that same area are noticed. Since so many winners are from the southern areas, I wonder if there are more garden judges in the south.

Well, I have rambled on enough.

Nancy

Here is the vote breakdown for the Stout. You can see the North/South division. Mean Green was narrowly edged out.

I notice that Browns Ferry Debutante got a lot of votes for HM. What is that one like, Debra?

I don't like that one at all. Wow! I can't imagine Mean Green coming in second to that thing.

kay

I love Mean Green, can't believe it was passed over for this. I guess it is all in preferences.