Every seed catalog offers hundreds of types of annual flowers and vegetables
and many new selections each year. How can you choose from the multitudes of new
varieties and be assured you're picking a winner? Look for the red, white and
blue logo of All-America Selections on the
seed packet, plant tag or in catalogs this takes the guess work out of finding reliable new
flower and vegetable varieties.
The non-profit All-America Selections (AAS) organization was founded in 1932 to foster the development, production and distribution of new and better horticultural and agricultural varieties, species, strains and kinds in and for North America. AAS winners are superior new annual flower and vegetable plants recognized for significant achievements – a promise of gardening success. Only the very best varieties receive this prestigious award. All AAS winners have been tested for home garden performance in more than 30 independent test sites, each under the responsibility of an AAS judge, all over the United States and Canada. Gardeners can rely on AAS Winners to perform in their garden because of these unbiased, independent tests. Most of the time only one to three flower varieties and the same number of vegetables get this award each year, and sometimes none qualifies.
The following 5 flowers and 4 vegetables are the AAS winners for 2000:
 'Cosmic Orange' Cosmos will provide
color all summer and is very easy to grow in any sunny spot. A sulfureus type,
it produces masses of 2-inch bright orange
blooms all summer on well-branched, 12- to 18-inch plants. It's basically pest
and disease free and heat resistant. Excellent for pots, borders and cutting. |
'Melody Pink' Dianthus is a tough,
long-blooming plant with an antique look great for the garden or bouquet. Taller
than most dianthus at 18 inches to 2 feet, the vigorous plants produce numerous
sprays of 1-inch soft-pink flowers with lacy serrated petal edges on 12-inch
stems. The flowers are a favorite of butterflies and hummingbirds, too. It has
good tolerance to heat and cold, looms in 12 weeks from seeding and keeps
flowering right into fall. Although it's good for
cut flowers, it is not a good plant for borders or edgings as are most
dianthus. |
 'Soraya' Sunflower, named after a
beautiful Persian queen, is the first sunflower ever to win an AAS award. Also a
European Fleuroselect Quality Mark winner, it is one of the very best new
sunflowers. While most sunflowers are golden-yellow, this one stands out with
big, richly colored golden-orange flowers with chocolate brown centers. The 4-
to 6-inch blooms on strong 18- to 26-inch stems are superb for cutting. The
self-supporting plants are rather tall (5 to 6 feet) and extremely
multibranching, starting right at the base. It begins blooming 11 to 13 weeks
from sowing, and even the many flower buds are highly decorative, somewhat
resembling small artichokes. With 20 to 25 flowers from each plant during the
long bloom season, it makes a splendid garden show as well as providing a good
supply of unique cut flowers. |
 'Fiesta Del Sol' Tithonia is the first
dwarf Mexican sunflower. About half the size of a standard Mexican sunflower at
24 to 30 inches tall, it retains all of the wonderful characteristics of the
full-size version. Masses of spectacularly brilliant, velvety orange 2- to
3-inch blooms are produced 12-15 weeks after seeding and continue all summer.
Spent blossoms are quickly obscured by dense foliage and new flowers, keeping
plants attractive all season. This sun-loving annual is very attractive to
butterflies but impervious to deer. The self-supporting plants are virtually
carefree, thriving through heat, humidity and drought. Also good as a cut flower
for informal bouquets and as a container plant. |
 'Stardust Orchid' Vinca produces orchid colored blooms with white centers.
The 1½ inch blooms retain their star-shaped white centers throughout the
season, even under stress and extreme heat. The bushy plants bloom steadily
beginning 14-15 weeks after sowing. When grown in full sun the plants will be 14
to16 inches tall and wide with dark green glossy foliage. Relatively pest free,
this annual performs beautifully in the garden or in containers. |
 'Savoy Express' Cabbage is one of the
earliest cabbages around. Small, dense (just over a pound), 6-inch heads have
only a few wrapper leaves and are ready to eat about 8 weeks from transplanting.
The crinkled leaves are sweet without any bitterness, and a crunchy yet juicy,
not dry, texture. Great for slaw, kraut, stirfries, and traditional New England
boiled dinners. Also ideal for stuffed cabbage as the leaves don't get mushy and
lose their shape. Early, tender, a real space-saver in the garden, and suitable
for both a spring and fall crop. |
 'Indian Summer' Sweet Corn is as
delicious as it is beautiful. This breakthrough super sweet combines the
brightly-colored kernels of Native American corn with the exceptionally sweet
flavor of the best new hybrids. Each consistently plump 8-inch ear is packed
with 16 to 18 rows of yellow, white, red and purple kernels which become even
brighter when cooked. There's nothing else like it. Plants reach 7 feet and must
be isolated from other sweet corn varieties (plant at least 25 feet from other
sweet corns in the garden and 200 feet apart for larger plantings). |
 'Blushing Beauty' Pepper is a unique
large sweet bell pepper that puts on a show with its colorful fruits. The thick
walled, sweet tasting, 4-inch blocky peppers can be harvested at 72 days with a
ivory-blush color or later as they change first to soft gold, then bright gold
blushed with red, then orange-red and finally deep red. Compact, bushy 18-inch
plants are resistant to 3 races of bacterial leaf spot as well as TMV. Ideal for
containers. |
 'Mr. Big' Pea is well named, with such
large peas the pods are bursting at the seams. This English pea is tops in
taste, size, yield, and culture. Long 4½ inch pods hold 9 or 10 plump, dark
green sweet peas that retain quality for an extended time. Great for freezing,
but so good fresh (even straight from the vine) they may not make it to the
freezer. The vigorous vines can grow without support, but providing 2 to 3 feet
of staking to support its bounty makes picking easier. Indeterminate plants
produce early, and are resistant to race 1 wilt and powdery mildew. |
There are many more AAS winners from previous years that still deserve a place in the garden. The Annual Manual lists many of the winners from the last 65 years, and most seed catalogs indicate which of their selections are winners.
– Susan Mahr, University of Wisconsin - Madison
