When did the Gold Medal plants program and award begin?
Answer
The PHS Gold Medal Plant award program was established in 1979 with a donation from nurseryman J. Franklin Styer, owner of J. Franklin Styer's nursery in Concordville, Pa. Mr. Styer, who had served as a member of PHS Council for many years, wanted to encourage home owners to grow a broader variety of quality plants in the landscape, and worked with PHS to establish an awards program. A blue-ribbon committee of horticulturists came together and spent several years testing a selected group of garden-worthy plants, awarding entries for preliminary commendation beginning in 1981, followed by the first full awards in 1988. Originally called the J. Franklin Styer Award of Garden Merit, the name was changed to the Gold Medal Plant award in 1992. Once restricted to woody ornamentals, the award now recognizes exceptional perennials and pollinator-friendly plants.
The attached file, an article from PHS News 1996, gives a brief history of the award.
First award winners, described in January 1988 issue of Green Scene.