Fred Benzinger lived just north of Charlottesville, VA and was one of JIm Murphys early mentors. Jim started his Hybridizing program with some of Fred's extended bloom seedlings. I believe Margo told me he'd retired from teaching horticulture at UVA. He was quite a crusty old gentleman when I met him in the late 90's. I visited his garden a couple of times. Once when I mentioned my interest in Daylilies, he ran inside and brought out an article the local newspaper had written about him and his garden, and he insisted I keep it when we left.
At one of the first Regional meetings I attended( 2001, near Baltimore) the area was in a deep drought, and most gardens were under water restrictions. The plants mostly looked wilted and, well, awful, except for Buttered Popcorn. It sat there, blooming its head off, completely unfazed by drought. Though I never grew it, I saw it blooming in many gardens and always looking super. A few years later, when it was on the Stout Medal list, I voted for it! It didn't win. The bloom is a bit old fashioned, but what a dependable plant. That's the only time in my nearly 20 years as a garden judge, that I've ever voted for a cultivar I haven't personally grown.
