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All-America Selections for 2006 Terry L. Yockey |
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Every year umpteen new plants are introduced and many don’t live up to all their advance hype. There are, however, some full-proof new choices out there such as the award winning All-America Selections. AAS winners have been tested at trial sites all across North America where they are rated on form, color, and disease and pest resistance. Only the very best varieties receive this prestigious award so you can be assured that they will perform as admirably in your home garden as they did at the test sites.
This year there are seven flower award winners starting with Diascia F1 ‘Diamonte Coral Rose’. Diascias were relatively unknown in our part of the country until just a few years ago when gardeners discovered this dependable and free-flowering South American native. ‘Diamonte Coral Rose’ grows about 10 inches high and spreads about 18 wide and stays covered with one-inch tubular coral-rose blooms from early summer right through fall. This frost-tolerant new plant is a good choice used as an edging plant or in hanging planters and other containers.
I’m always looking for beautiful new vegetables for my kitchen garden and this year there is a new ornamental pepper selection named ‘Black Pearl’. ‘Black Pearl’ has striking black foliage and sports clusters of small round shiny-black fruits that start out dark and eventually ripen to a bright red. They are edible, but only if you like very hot peppers. Height is about 20 inches with a width of about 19 inches.
Dark purple ‘Victoria’ salvia has long been a garden workhorse, and now there is the lilac-purple Salvia farinacea ‘Evolution’ that has all the same attributes and more. ‘Evolution’ is frost-tolerant, does not require dead-heading and you can cut and dry the flower stalks for winter bouquets. It will grow to about 18 inches tall and 15 inches wide and does its best in a full sun location.
Slightly bigger than a Johnny-Jump up, yet not as large as a standard pansy, Viola F1 ‘Skippy XL Red-Gold’ is a charming addition to flower borders or mixed containers. The blossom “face” is bright yellow surrounded by an unusual combination of ruby red with violet-red shading. Unlike most Violas, this little trooper is very heat-resistant and will bloom from spring right through the heat of summer.
Zinnia F1 'Zowie! Yellow Flame' really lives up to its name. This medium height Zinnia has consistently semi-double, bright scarlet-rose and yellow flowers that will really “fire-up” your border. It is very heat and drought resistant and easy to grow from seeds. A good candidate for the cutting garden, 'Zowie! Yellow Flame' has a vase-life of up to 2 weeks. It reaches about 24-27 inches high and 26 inches wide.
Hybridizers crossed several species of Dianthus and the result was Dianthus F1 'Supra Purple', a highly superior new variety that is vigorous, heat tolerant and flowers prolifically throughout the growing season. The rosy-purple blossoms are finely cut and look almost fringed. At only 10 inches high and 10 inches wide, this plant makes an excellent edging or container plant.
The last AAS flower selection for 2006 is Nicotiana F1 'Perfume Deep Purple'.
I’m thrilled about this one; because unlike many hybrids that have the fragrance
bred right out of them, 'Perfume Deep Purple' not only looks good--it smells
good! The rich deep purple flowers decorate your gardens during the day and then
as dusk arrives they begin to release the lovely perfume that attracts nocturnal
moth pollinators. 'Perfume Deep Purple' will flower all season long without any
pinching, pruning or For larger photos and more AAS winners, visit the AAS website at http://www.aaswinners.com. |
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