2nd year in our gardens. Starting to get some mature characteristics. Doing well considering it's not in one of the prime real estate areas. This bed is way too crowded. Satisfaction will have to have a new home next year.

First of all Steve we are happy to be hearing from you knowing you stood in the face of Sandy and are safe. We are so happy you are.
The Benedict Award is a bit confusing to us when following it in the AHS website. It is hard to see what is "honorable mention" and what are "winners". But as you point out, all of the hostas mentioned are wonderful.
Thanks all for the photos of 'Satisfaction'.
Theresa

Here's what a baby 'Satisfaction' looks like. It is obviously tasty, darn.
Jan

Theresa,

Here's how it works with the Benedict Medal. A Hosta has to be selected three times in order to be chosen for the medal. In the first year 15 Hostas were selected as Honorable Mention.

The next year 10 Hosta were given the Award of Merit (sort of like a silver medal) and those had to be selected from the HM category. In this year 17 more plants were added to the HM category.

In the third year (2009) the first Benedict Medal was given to June. The winner had to come from those plants that had already received first HM, then the AOM. More plants were added to the AOM and HM categories.

Each year more plants are added as HM or AOM plants, but only one of those is chosen as the Benedict Medal winner. It is the most prestigious award a plant can be given. Similar to the Stout medal in daylilies.

It's not simple, but that's because it is difficult for a plant to win the medal. It takes at least 3 years and probably longer for a plant to win.

That's probably as clear as mud. :)

Steve

Steve,

That explanation makes a lot of sense. The winner has to be the best of the very best. For me it's like a dog winning Best in Show; she's got to take Best of Breed and Best of Group first.

Love that photo of the mature Satisfaction, one more to put on the want list.

Thanks for that Steve. It does make sense now. Obviously a very prestigeous award.
Jan

Wow, Beautiful plant.

bkay

Love this one. The picture is from last year. I had to move Summer Serenade over and give Satisfaction the whole space. It's grown very well for me.

I consider myself a pretty smart chick, but still had to think a lot about what you'd said about the award Steve. I do get it now, finally, and it does make sense. If you feel a soft kiss on the cheek reading this, just go with it. Thanks! Your love of hostas is an inspiration to me.
'Satisfaction' is fab and I love all the photos. I can never see enough!
Theresa

Here is my NOID which was identified by Steve as being Satisfaction. To MY "satisfaction," I might add.

Later I bought another Satisfaction so I could compare the two. Of course, the NOID version was a 2010 garden addition, and is thus 2 years more mature than the second doppelganger.
I still admire the way this hosta looked in February and in March, and then bloomed with pale lavender scapes in April. A very strong hosta. We'll see how it performs next spring.

not the best one shown so far, but fwiw:

I decided to toss my second Satisfaction into the arena since it came really named Satisfaction, from Hornbaker. The first one pictured above was a NOID from PDN (one of several NOIDS in that first and ONLY hosta order with them). In this picture it is both darker and narrower of leaf. Maybe by the end of 2013 it will be showing mroe of the corrugation characteristic of the mature leaf. I like it very much.

Also, I got Piedmont Gold this summer.

Here is my young H.'Satisfaction', will be much bigger and nicer soon. Other green ones with large yellow border are my young H.'Goodness Gracious' and 'Seducer', also looking forward to have those big. Bernd