AAS Winners

With the endless variety of plants on the market, and new ones developed each year, how can a landscaper stay on top of the latest introductions that will be ideal for client gardens? Start with a search at All-America Selections (AAS), the oldest, independent testing organization of flower and edible varieties in North America. A non-profit, AAS was started in 1932 as a reaction to the new “Garden Club” movement of the 1920s and 30s. W. Ray Hasting, president of the Southern Seedsmen’s Association of Atlanta, GA, proposed the idea as a way for home gardeners to learn which new plant varieties were “truly” improved, as opposed to just being advertised that way. Separating Wheat From Chaff Today, AAS conducts confidential and impartial trials each year of new, not-yet-introduced annuals, ornamentals, perennials, and vegetables throughout North America. Plants come from a variety of retailers, like Bonnie, Burpee, and more. Every autumn, AAS accepts the new entries, which are then grown and tested in more than 50 widespread locations. Existing varieties are grown side-by-side to the new entries for one-to-one comparisons. Over 80+ trial judges—including horticulture professionals at universities, public gardens, extension offices, seed companies, breeding companies, retailers and commercial growers—look for significantly improved qualities. These qualities include: earliness to bloom or harvest; disease or pest tolerance; novel colors or flavors; novel flower forms; total yield; length of flowering or harvest; and overall performance. Only the best trial performers, those that are superior to their comparisons, are declared AAS Winners. Entries ...