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The medal, which is highly coveted in the USA, has been awarded for 18 years for acknowledged excellence and superior quality in ornamental plant breeding. A wide variety of Benary new introductions have been on the list of candidates in recent years. In 2006, these included Benary's new vernalization-free astilbe 'Astary'® and fibrous begonia 'Nightlife'. In July 2006, the new bronze leaf tuberous begonia 'Nonstop Mocca' was the first Benary cultivar to actually be awarded the highly renowned "Greenhouse Grower Editor’s Medal of Excellence".
The 'Nonstop Mocca' series was chosen as the best cultivar from a pool of some 500 novelties propagated vegetatively and by seed.
A jury of nine judges from leading companies from all levels of US floriculture declared 'Nonstop Mocca' the winner. A Medal of Excellence winner must meet a variety of criteria at a high quality level. Bred by Ms. Christiane Heins, 'Nonstop Mocca' convinced the judges with its high plant quality, stunning contrast between bronze leaf color and brilliant yellow, orange, scarlet, deep orange, and white flower colors. 'Nonstop Mocca' combines uniform and early flowering with low production costs and excellent garden performance. A versatile nonstop bloomer and accent plant, it offers a wide variety of sales possibilities for bedding, window boxes and baskets.
'Nonstop Mocca's great profitability in both production and marketing as well as its excellent, reliable performance at the consumer end right up until the frost season were additional factors in awarding it the highly coveted Greenhouse Grower Editor's Medal of Excellence. The award, which is highly reputed in the industry, gives 'Nonstop Mocca' the status it deserves. This year, 'Nonstop Mocca' joins Fleuroselect Gold Medal winner Eryngium 'Blue Glitter' and AAS winner Celosia 'Fresh Look Gold' to form a trio of international winners.
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