Howard Hite Award – 2025 Winner: Jerry Marlatt, Ogden Station Daylilies
Congratulations are extended to Jerry Marlatt of Ogden Station Daylilies in Blissfield, Michigan, for winning the Region 2 Howard Hite Award for 2025.
This year members of Region 2 nominated five exceptional candidates for the Hite Award. The selection committee is composed of a representative from each state in the region. The selection of Jerry Marlatt was unanimous. Jerry has been nominated prior to this year and has definitely earned the honor of the Howard Hite Award.
Jerry has spent most of his life in the Blissfield area. He has been married to Lisa for 52 years. He and Lisa have 2 children, Anne and Nathan and 12 grandchildren. Jerry and Lisa live on the family farm, which has been in Lisa’s family for nearly 150 years. The name “Ogden Station Daylilies” comes from a thriving early railroad town and it was an attempt to keep the name on the local map.
Family is incredibly important to Jerry and Lisa and they have encouraged the grandchildren to be involved in growing daylilies. Two of their grandchildren have hybridized and registered their own introductions. Granddaughter Ella registered “Perfect In Every Way” in 2020. Grandson Abram registered “Corona’s Wrath” in 2021. Jerry and Lisa hope that other grandchildren will develop a love of hybridizing.
Jerry has more than met the criteria for the Howard Hite Award. It all started in 2007 when he purchased 400 unnamed seedlings from Fred Sheill, locally known as “The Daylily King.” Not knowing much about daylilies, Jerry knew he loved the beautiful colors, and in 2009 he began to hybridize. His first registration ‘Merry Margarite’ was in 2014. Since then he has registered 111 cutivars, and has 15 names reserved for future registrations.
Jerry’s hybridizing program consists of something for everyone—toothy edges, appliques, ruffles, sculptured blooms, cristate blooms, and broken patterns. All the while he has been working for better branching and bud count.
Bloom size ranges from 4 to 10 inches and one can find both dips and tets. Jerry’s favorite introduction to date is “Brokenness Is What I Long For.” Manyof the Region 2 members who nominated Jerry expressed their love of some specific cultivars of Jerry’s, including “God’s Mercy,” “Incredible Ada,” “No Need For Dentures,” and “Don’t Go Bacon My Heart.”
Truly an ambassador for promoting daylilies, he has spoken to a number of regional clubs and has presented at the Shirley Farmer Hybridizers’ Meeting. He has a background in biology and chemistry and enjoys sharing information about weed control, pest control, and fertilizer. Jerry has donated many plants for local club and Region 2 auctions, including “I Think I Love You” and “Jolly Joanna” this year at the Summer Meettng. Many who grow ‘Jolly Joanna’ describe it as the whitest daylily in their garden.
The Marlatts have a Display Garden for both ADS and the National Wildlife Federation. Their farm includes a ten acre of conservation area with an emphasis on native pollinators.
Grateful for those who encouraged him, Jerry expressed how much he appreciates Charlie Harper, Mike Anders, and John Heinze. He also offered special thanks to Sandy Holmes for sharing her experyise.
Jerry has a true passion for daylilies, but the passion for his wife Lisa is second to none. Jerry says Lisa is his rock. She handles their website, takes the photos, and keeps Jerry organized. She is also in charge of composting the seedlings that just do not make the cut, the ones that Jerry just does not have the heart to toss.
His advice to beginner hybridizers is to join a daylily club and to an end as many meetings and daylily conferences as possible. He also recommends that you plan your hybridizing, but be flexible. Think outside the box and make some “crazy crosses.”
One last note. “Thank You” to the Southern Michigan Daylily Society. SMDS has sponsored the Hite Award since 1989. This prestigious award has been presented to 33 Region 2 hybridizers. The nomination form is available on our Region 2 website and will appear in print in the next newsletter.
Gail Braunstein, Awards and Honors Chair
The Howard Hite Award is to honor a Region 2 ADS member who has contributed notable achievements in the field of hybridizing. These achievements have been the results of years of dedication to a hybridizing program and have greatly influenced the world of daylilies.
The Award, established in 1989, is sponsored by The Southern Michigan Daylily Society and is named for the late Howard Hite.
Howard was an avid fan of daylilies. In the early 1960’s he began working on a hybridizing program which focused on the entire plant. Strong plants which could withstand the cold winters of Michigan. In 1968 he registered his first daylily “Angelus Bells” and for the next 35 or so years he worked tirelessly, and registered 125 cultivars.
Like most daylily hybridizers, Howard had dreams, he was working for a true blue daylily and he wanted to live to be 100 years old. He didn’t make it to his 100 birthday; however, a week prior to his 99th birthday he submitted his last registration. The daylily was registered as “Christine Walser Hite”, and was named for his mother. Shortly after submitting the registration he passed away.
Although the Howard Hite Award was established in 1989, it wasn’t until 1995 when Howard was presented the award. At that time he joined the ranks of other highly regarded hybridizers, Dr. Charles Branch, Bryant Millikan, Charles Recamp, and Steven Moldovan.
Criteria For Howard Hite Nominations
The Howard Hite Award is a free-form, sand-etched glass plate with an engraved image of Howard Hite’s H. ‘Indonesia’. The award is not based on the quantity of nominations for any individual, but on the quality of the individual’s years of hybridizing efforts to improve daylily cultivars.
The criteria for selection of a recipient are as follows:
- The award is to honor a Region 2 ADS member who has contributed notable achievements in the field of hybridizing from years of a dedicated hybridizing program.
- The award may be given each year only if a recipient is selected.
- A person may receive the award only one time.
- Deceased hybridizers may be considered for the award.
- Any ADS Region 2 Member (including committee members) may submit names of possible recipients to the Awards and Honors Chair before April 15 of each year. The final selection will be determined by the Hite Award Committee composed of four members and the Regional President representing the five states in the Region.
- Names of past nominees may be considered as possible candidates for future years.
2026 Howard Hite Nomination Form in .pdf format available HERE.
Howard Hite Award Winners
1990 Dr. Charles Branch
1991 No Award
1992 Bryant Millikan
1993 Brother Charles Reckamp
1994 Steve Moldovan
1995 Howard Hite
1996 Charles Griesbach
1997 Dennis Anderson
1998 Curt Hanson
1999 Margie Soules
2000 Jon Benz
2001 Leo Sharp
2002 Walter Jablonski
2003 Charles Applegate
2004 Dan Bachman
2005 Dottie Warrell
2006 Don Jerabeck
2007 Richard Norris
2008 Roy Klehm
2009 Jamie Gossard
2010 Robert Ellison
2011 Joel T Polston
2012 James Marsh
2013 Martin Kaminski
2014 Sandy Holmes
2015 Bret Clement
2016 Phil & Luella Korth
2017 Bob Faulkner
2018 John Kulpa
2019 Mandy McMahon
2020 No Award
2021 No Award
2022 Gerda Brooker
2023 Steve Williams
2024 Michael Holmes
2025 Jerry Marlatt