Past Winners

2004 SPACECOAST SWEETNESS Kinnebrew-J.
2003 BARBARA DITTMER Morss-M.
2002 ROSES WITH PEACHES Kirchhoff-D.
2001 COYOTE MOON Kirchhoff-D.
2000 ELEGANT CANDY Stamile
1999 BEN LEE Hansen
1999 WITCHES WINK Salter-E.H.
1998 TIGERLING Stamile
1997 DRAGONS EYE Salter-E.H.
1996 CUSTARD CANDY Stamile
1995 SILOAM DAVID KIRCHHOFF Henry-P.
1994 STRAWBERRY CANDY Stamile
1993 EXOTIC ECHO Sellers
1992 SILOAM MERLE KENT Henry-P.
1991 ENCHANTER’S SPELL Hudson
1990 JANICE BROWN Brown-E.C.
1989 SUGAR COOKIE Apps
1988 SILOAM JIM COOPER Henry-P.
1987 PANDORA’S BOX Talbott
1986 CHORUS LINE Kirchhoff-D.
1985 SILOAM VIRGINIA HENSON Henry-P.
1984 WYNNSON Criswell
1983 SILOAM BO PEEP Henry-P.
1982 LULLABY BABY Spalding-W.
1981 LORD CAMDEN Kennedy
1980 SILOAM PURPLE PLUM Henry-P.
1979 RED RUM Pittard
1978 LITTLE GREENIE Winniford
1977 LITTLE INFANT Monette
1976 ED MURRAY Grovatt
1975 LITTLE BUSINESS Maxwell-T.
1974 BUFFYS DOLL Williamson-L.
1973 BAMBI DOLL Wild
1972 GUARDIAN ANGEL Gore
1971 SUZIE WONG Kennedy
1970 GREEN FLUTTER Williamson-L.
1969 LITTLE WART Spalding
1968 RENEE Dill
1967 LITTLE RAINBOW Reckamp
1966 MELON BALLS Wild
1965 LUXURY LACE Spalding
1964 McPICK Lenington

Annie T. Giles was a school teacher by profession, educated at University of Texas and Southern Methodist University.

She developed a love for gardening from her mother, growing cannas, chrysanthe-mums, and amaryllis. Although a member of the American Iris Society, her interests gravitated to daylilies.

Annie never registered daylily cultivars, but was an important leader for daylilies, both in AHS Region 6 (Texas and New Mexico) and also at the national level.

She served as Regional Publicity Director (1957-58) and Regional Supervisor/ Regional Vice President (1959-60). She served on the AHS Board of Directors (1960-65). Perhaps uniquely, she was both RVP and a director in 1960.

While on the Board, she chaired Registrations, then Regional Vice Presidents (as First VP), and was Publicity Director following two years (1962-63) as AHS President.

Upon becoming president, it was written that: “Miss Annie’s contribution was in serving in various offices of the AHS … For she lives, breathes, dreams, and publicizes the Hemerocallis from dawn to dark and from January to December.”

She once wrote about herself in the 1960 AHS Yearbook, “And about that busy Regional Vice President – well, she [Giles] got out four Newsletters (January-April-August and December) with a mailing list of approximately 400. She wrote 1000 letters pertaining to hemerocallis, traveled 13,000 miles, and made 24 talks – yes, about hemerocallis.”

She was also an AHS Exhibition and Awards & Honors Judge.

Two of her hobbies were woodcarving and China painting. She painted a China plate award, also named for her, for Best Seedling given at a Region 6 meeting.

She donated a silver trophy, activated in 1964, which carries her name for the AHS Best Small Flower. Medals are now given in lieu of that trophy, which now resides in the AHS Archives.

–Courtesy of the AHS Archives