The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
These flowers are blooming winners!
Ilove winter, especially when there’s snow on the ground to make the days brighter. All that reflected light! But I also look forward to spring and a new growing season, so I love learning about the new plants that breeders come up with each year. The AllAmerica Selections are particularly enticing. These are flowers and vegetables that are trialed all around North America and have proven to do well in a variety of climates and conditions. Not only do they look and/or taste great, they also perform well.
Here are the most recent winners in the flower category. Maybe some of them will end up in your garden this year. (For full details, visit all-americaselections.org.)
Begonia Viking XL Red on Chocolate (F1)
With uniquely-colored dark leaves that provide a deep contrast to vibrant, 1-inch, red flowers, this new begonia is absolutely stunning. It’s also a real champion in the garden, performing well despite some of the unusual weather many of us experienced in our gardens last year. Judges were impressed with how the deep bronze/brown leaf color remained sharp and intense throughout the season, no matter in which part of the country the plants were trialed. They also noted excellent disease resistance. The heat-tolerant plants grow tall (28-34”) but remain compact. Perfect in both gardens and containers.
Plant in full to partial sun 3236 inches apart. Watering needs are normal and no deadheading or staking is required. Blooms from late spring until frost. Pollinator-friendly.
Marigold Big Duck Gold (F1)
Marigolds have been a favorite in gardens around the world since seeds were brought from Mexico to Spain in the 1500s and new varieties are introduced every year. Big Duck Gold has plump, 3-inch golden yellow flowers that bloom summer to frost on 15-inch, bushy plants. Perfect everywhere: in beds and containers; as mini hedges, back of the border plants, or even as a filler in new perennial beds. Judges observed that, “at the end of the season (Big Duck Gold) is the only one standing. The comparisons have all flowered out, or died!”
Plant in full sun, 26-18 inches apart. Water needs: dry to normal. Can tolerate heat and rain. (After the summer we had last year, being tolerant of rain may be the most important feature!) No staking or deadheading required.
Nasturtium Baby Rose
This is the first nasturtium AAS Winner since 1933. (Nasturtium “Golden Gleam” was a Gold Medal winner that year.) Now, 86 years later, comes this wonderful, uncommon rose-colored variety. Baby Rose is a compact, mounding variety ideal for containers and small space gardens. Judges praised the uniformly compact plants (12 inches tall) and the consistent color on the 2-inch flowers. Blooms remain upright throughout the season, summer to frost. The rose color is uncommon in nasturtiums and contrasts beautifully with the dark-green foliage. Use as a low edging or let it spill out of a container.
Plant in full to partial sun 20 inches apart. Tolerates drought, heat, cold, rain, and wind. Both leaves and flowers are edible. Pollinator-friendly. No staking required. Dead-heading recommended.
Petunia Wave Carmine Velour (F1)
The Wave Purple Petunia was introduced to American home gardeners when it won an AllAmerica Selections award in 1995. This newest color wowed the 2018 judges, who used words like “fabulous,” “stunning,” and “intense” to describe the unique carmine rose color. Judges also noted “Great landscape performance during a hot, humid summer.”
Plant in full to partial sun 1224 inches apart. Tolerates rain and heat. Plants grow 6-8 inches tall, but will spread like a ground cover (3-4 feet). Suitable as a low edging or in containers/hanging baskets. No staking and virtually no dead-heading required as new blooms continuously pop up and cover the spent flowers, summer to frost. Water needs: dry to normal. Pam Baxter is an avid organic vegetable gardener who lives in Kimberton. Direct e-mail to pamelacbaxter@gmail. com, or send mail to P.O. Box 80, Kimberton, PA 19442. She invites you to share your own gardening stories on Facebook at “Chester County Roots.” Pam’s book for children and families: Big Life Lessons from Nature’s Little Secrets is available on Amazon, along with her new companion journal, You, the Explorer, at Amazon.com/ author/pamelabaxter.