Congratulations Fred Benzinger and Margo Reed!

     Fred and Margo were both recipients of awards from the AHS (American Hemerocallis Society) in 2004. The awards were announced at the fall board meeting. Fred won an Award of Merit for his outstanding cultivar, H. 'Buttered Popcorn'. Margo won two Honorable Mentions for her cultivars H. 'Creature of the Night' and H. 'Tigereye Spider'.

H. 'Buttered Popcorn' was registered by Fred in 1971. It is a 6" dormant tetraploid on 32" scapes. H. 'Buttered Popcorn' blooms mid-late with very frequent rebloom reported by most growers and is fragrant. Fred described it as a butter yellow self on the registration form. The parentage is: MARY TODD X [(ANN RUSSELL x ELFIN) X (ANN RUSSELL x ELFIN)] H. 'Creature of the Night' was registered by Margo in 1999. This beautiful flower measures 7" and is held up by 34" scapes. Margo describes it as a deep purple flower with a cream midrib and topped off with a lemon throat. Like all of Margo's introductions, it is a diploid. H. 'Creature of the Night' is dormant. Bloom is mid season and it is an extended bloom. Parentage is not available.   H. 'Tigereye Spider' is an incredible flower that Margo registered in 1994. This dark eyed beauty is a dormant diploid with 6" flowers on 34" scapes. This cultivar has a lot going for it. It blooms early to mid season and is an extended bloomer. It is often enjoyed later in the season due to it's reblooming characteristic. It is a true spider with a ratio of 5.68:1. Margo describes it as a bronze orange with a black-orange eye. The parentage is BLACK PLUSH X KINDLY LIGHT.    Photo credits, from top left (single bloom H. 'Buttered Popcorn') clockwise: Donna Curington, Phyllis Cantini, Lisette, Margo Reed, Margo Reed, and Marie Grant. Thank you to everyone who let us use your pictures.