Like Fred said, all three awards are difficult to achieve. In the first step, Honorable Mention, to receive the award a cultivar must receive votes from at least 4 different regions, with a final total of at least 20 votes. Garden Judges can vote for no more than 12 of the nominated cultivars. This year there were nearly 250 cultivars nominated for the HM. After 3 years cultivars that received the HM are then placed on the ballot for the Award of Merit. For the Award of Merit cultivars must receive votes from at least half of the 15 regions and no more than one third of the total votes for the cultivar can be from any one region or the tabulation formula kicks in. With the formula excess votes are removed to create the balance of regions and votes required. The 12 cultivars with the most votes are then awarded the AOM. ( If there are ties in the votes of the top 12 there can be a few more that receive the award.) In two years the AOM cultivars are placed on the ballot for the Stout where there is only one winner, the one that receives the most total votes . There must have been nearly 300 cultivars on the AOM ballot this year and judges can only vote for 12.
Congratulations to all the award winners... including Fred for receiving an Honorable Mention for Lillian's Thin Ice!
I was also excited to see Itsy Bitsy Spider, a personal favorite of mine, received an Honorable Mention. Still remember the first time I saw it blooming... and just had to have it.
