PICKING FLOWERS
All-American Selections delivers another bumper crop
This is the second part of a twopart preview of the All-America Selections winners for 2017. All-America Selections (AAS) is an independent, non-profit organization that tests new varieties, then introduces only the best garden performers as AAS winners. Independent AAS judges determine the AAS winners by judging and scoring the entries.
If you are looking for a mild-tasting cherry tomato, the Patio Choice Yellow might be a consideration. Patio Choice Yellow is a new compact tomato developed specifically for small spaces and container gardens. The great thing about this variety is that, while it is very compact, the yield is not affected. It produces very large yields of half-ounce bright yellow cherry tomatoes on short vines that grow only 18 inches tall. Patio Choice Yellow is ideally suited to small yards, patios, balconies, or anywhere you may have room for a pot. If your space is truly limited consider the vertical, as these plants are very well suited for growing in a hanging basket. Growing your own tomatoes, even in a small space, is very easily achieved with this variety.
The next winner is a flower that really caught my attention.
Endurascape Pink Bicolor Verbena is described as being as “tough as nails.” I’m always on the lookout for plants that will tolerate a wide variety of conditions and abuse, and still keep on performing. This variety can tolerate drought and heat, and survive temperatures in the –8 C to –10 C range. It is a long-blooming type, and works well planted as an edging along a walk or border, as well as in large containers and baskets. It is also a vigorous spreading plant. The abundant soft-pink blossoms darken toward the centre of the bloom. It really is a thing of beauty.
Another AAS winner that caught my eye is Celosia Asian Garden. The judges gave this entry high marks in the greenhouse for its good branching and almost bushy growth habit, and its early-to-bloom flower spikes. In the garden, Celosia Asian Garden continued to bloom on sturdy stems, keeping its brightpink colour all summer and holding up through some of the first frosts of the season. The AAS judges commented on the fact that the Celosia was a pollinator magnet, making this AAS winner a sure bet for pollinator-friendly gardens. Planting good pollinator-friendly plants is important to our bees, and should be a consideration of every gardener.
My final choice for inclusion in my AAS list of favourites is Dianthus Interspecific Supra Pink. This plant joins the 2006 AAS winner Supra Purple, and gives gardeners two fantastic colours in an easy-to-grow interspecific dianthus for three-season (spring, summer, fall) garden colour. This is a compact, bushy variety that blooms prolifically, with mottled pink flowers sporting frilly petal edges that hold up well through summer heat and drought. No deadheading is needed on this winner. One judge attempted to deadhead this entry, but it rebloomed too fast to do so! Supra Pink grows to just under a foot high, but is a vigorous grower and will deliver fancy, clear pink flowers for a long time. This Dianthus is an annual in our area.
I have chosen only a few of the AAS winners to preview here. If you are interested in viewing more of the 2017 winners or those from previous years I strongly recommend visiting the AAS website at all-americaselections.org. The photos online are alone worth the visit.
Please remember that these plants I am previewing for you may not be available in your local garden centres this year. Sometimes it takes a year for the growers to collect enough seed for the retail market, so please don’t bother emailing me asking where to find the plants or the seeds. The simple answer is that I don’t know.