2000 All-America Selections - winners of horticultural industry competition

Flower & Garden Magazine, Jan, 2000 by Kris Wetherbee

By now, most gardens of 1999 have become a thing of the past. Before long, the new year and new millennium will bring with it every gardener's hope--the promise of a great garden to come. Soon, gardening catalogs and nurseries will tempt us with a roundup of colorful new edible and ornamental varieties making their eye-catching debut.

Naturally, I always get caught up in the thrill of trying a few myself. That's part of the adventure of gardening. However, the best part is hitting pay dirt--finding those winning varieties which deliver those promises and even more. For the beginnings of a great garden, you can't go wrong with All-America Selections Winners.

These varieties have been grown and tested by plant breeders, seed companies and universities from all over the world. Nona Koivula, Executive Director of All-America Selections, says that "it can take 5 to 15 years of working with and testing out a particular variety before it's ready to send in as an entry." Even then a variety must be of the highest quality, demonstrating new and improved characteristics before it's declared an AAS winner.

All-America Selections have been recognizing these winning varieties since 1933. Many of AAS winners from years past have remained today's favorites for many gardeners. `McKana Giant' columbine (AAS 1955), `Early Sunrise' coreopsis (1989), `Janie' marigold (AAS 1980), and `Thumbelina' zinnia (AAS 1963) are still widely grown flowers. So are vegetables `Green Comet' broccoli (AAS 1969), `Salad Bush' cucumber (AAS 1988), `Red Sails' lettuce (AAS 1985), `Peter Pan' squash (AAS 1982), and `Celebrity' tomato (AAS 1984).

The number of winners can vary each year from the all-time high of 29 in 1934 to just 1 winner in both 1954 and 1976. Though each year's winning varieties have been judged to be remarkably reliable and productive under a wide range of conditions, Koivula notes there is a difference in the selection of winners from long ago and those of today.

"More seed companies existed 20 years ago than today. Consolidation of smaller seed companies has drastically affected how winners are selected--there are just less varieties submitted as entries to select from," says Koivula. "An average of 75 entries was common 20 years ago. Today the average is down to about 40," she adds.

This year's nine winning varieties will bring you a celebration of endless colorful flowers and prolific vegetables with outstanding flavor, plus a good start to a great garden.

COSMOS `COSMIC ORANGE'

Cosmos have always been a good bet for a `no fuss' annual flower, but `Cosmic Orange' really shines with a profusion of season-long bright orange 2-inch double and semi-double blooms. The nice compact growth (about 12 to 15 inches tall) of the vigorous plants makes it perfect for container gardening as well.

DIANTHUS F1 HYBRID `MELODY PINK'

For fresh bouquets with old fashioned elegance, sprays of pink flower clusters make `Melody Pink' a cut above the rest. This annual dianthus was bred with cut-flower use in mind. Long stems bearing one-inch flowers with a serrated petal edge bring a lacy look to floral arrangements, as well as the garden. Growing to 24 inches tall, `Melody Pink' brings months of flowering pleasure through heat and cold.

SUNFLOWER `SORAYA'

Sunflowers are a garden tradition, but `Soraya' breaks the traditional mold by sporting unique 4-to 6-inch blooms with sun-kissed orange petals surrounding an alluring chocolate brown center. `Soraya' is also unique since it's the first sunflower to ever earn an AAS award. Vigorous, branching five-to six-foot tall plants can produce 20-25 long-stemmed flowers on each plant.

TITHONIA `FIESTA DEL SOL'

For a deer-resistant plant that provides an abundance of flowers for informal bouquets, garden enhancement and wildlife such as butterflies and birds, Mexican sunflowers remain a towering favorite. This year's AAS winner `Fiesta Del Sol' offers something more--the first dwarf variety of Mexican sunflower peaking out at 2 to 3 feet in height. Lush green foliage creates a striking backdrop for bright orange 240 3-inch daisy-like flowers.

VINCA `STARDUST ORCHID'

You've never seen a color pattern like this one, the first vinca (Catharantus roseus) with orchid blooms and a white center. Whether grown in the garden or container, `Stardust Orchid' will astound you with abundant large 1 1/2 inch blooms that span the season despite the weather.

CABBAGE F1 HYBRID `SAVOY EXPRESS'

Short on garden space? How does a compact and quick to mature savoy cabbage that's sweet and tender sound? `Savoy Express' is the earliest savoy cabbage, just perfect for that crispy slaw or cabbage salad, and each 1-1 1/2 pound head can be spaced only 12 inches apart. Planted in the spring or fall, get ready for those tasty heads to mature in about 55 days from transplanting.

PEA `MR. BIG'

Let's face it--shelling peas can sometimes seem to take forever. Not so with `Mr. Big,' a first class sweet English pea with really large pea pods. That means more peas for each pod you shell. Since the plants begin producing in about 60 days and often set two pods per node, you can expect high yields from the disease-resistant 2-to 3-foot vines (vine needs vertical support).