All- America Selections for 2012

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Posted by @paulgrow on
Each year AAS judges get together to judge the “best of the best” flowers and vegetables. The panel is comprised of individuals associated with some of the premier seed companies in the country. These awards are not given lightly. Each entry must meet high standards in order to be considered for these prestigious awards. There are four winners for 2012, two each in the flower and vegetable categories.

Ornamental Pepper ‘Black Olive’

The AAS Judges said this entry was a standout, especially in the southern gardens where heat was a major presence during the 2011 trials. All season long this beauty kept its upright habit with nicely draping leaves and dark purple/black fruit which appeared in small clusters along the stems. As summer progresses, the fruits mature to red giving a beautiful contrast against the dark purple foliage and bright purple flowers. Retailers and growers can sell this multi-use ornamental as a 20” border plant, a great color splash for containers or as a cut flower in mixed bouquets. Bred by Seeds By Design.

Winner Data
Genus species: Capsicum annuum
Common name: Ornamental Pepper
Unique qualities: Attractive purple foliage, fiery hot edible fruit, nice as cut flower
Fruit: Purple maturing to red
Flower size: 0.4 inches
Flower color: Pale purple
Foliage color: Deep purple
Plant height: 18 to 20 inches
Plant width: 12 to 15 inches
Garden location: Full sun
Length of time from sowing seed to flower: 14 weeks (98 days)
Disease resistance: TMV

2011-12-11/paulgrow/ce6308

Ornamental Pepper ‘Black Olive’

 

Salvia ‘Summer Jewel Pink’

Sister to earlier AAS Winner Salvia ‘Summer Jewel Red’, this dwarf sized, compact plant has a prolific bloom count throughout the growing season. As a bonus, the blooms appear almost two weeks earlier than the other pink salvias used as comparisons. And of course, the hummingbirds love pink, just as much as they do red! Commercial growers will appreciate the earliness, excellent pack performance and uniformity.
Bred by Takii & Co, Ltd.

Winner Data
Genus species: Salvia coccinea
Common name: Hummingbird sage, Scarlet sage, Texas sage
Unique qualities: More compact and earlier to flower
Flower color: Light pink
Foliage color: Green
Flower form: Spike
Flower size: ½ inch
Plant height: 20 inches at most
Plant width: 16 inches
Plant type: Dwarf, branching
Garden location: Full sun
Garden spacing: 10 to 12 inches apart
Length of time from sowing seed to flower: 50 days
Closest comparisons on market: ‘Coral Nymph’

2011-12-11/paulgrow/4f7492

Salvia ‘Summer Jewel Pink’

Pepper ‘Cayennetta’ F1

‘Cayennetta’ is an excellent tasting mildly spicy pepper that is very easy to grow, even for novice gardeners. This 3 to 4-inch chili pepper yielded bigger fruits from a very well branched upright plant. It required no staking which would make it a perfect plant for container or patio gardens. Unique to this variety is that it has good cold tolerance as well as dense foliage cover to protect the fruits from sun scorch and it handled extreme heat very well. This pepper is an all-around good choice no matter where you’re gardening. Market growers will benefit from the heavy yield and prolific fruit set from each plant. Everyone will love the excellent pepper flavor that outshone all the comparison varieties. Bred by Floranova Ltd.

Winner Data
Genus species: Capsicum annuum
Common name: Chili Pepper
Unique qualities: Very compact habit with dense foliage
Fruit size: Length 3 inches, Weight 0.18 oz
Fruit shape: Tapered bayonette shape
Fruit color: Green matures to glossy red
Plant type: Compact bush habit, dark green dense foliage
Plant height: 24 inches
Plant width: 20 inches
Garden location: Full sun
Garden spacing: 2 feet apart
Length of time to harvest: 69 days from transplant, 97 days from sowing
Closest comparisons on market: ‘Andy F1,’ ‘Gusto Purple F1’ and ‘Apache F1’

2011-12-11/paulgrow/0dc873

Pepper ‘Cayennetta’ F1

Watermelon ‘Faerie’ F1

‘Faerie’ is a non-traditional watermelon in that it has a creamy yellow rind with thin stripes yet still yields sweet pink-red flesh with a high sugar content and crisp texture. Home gardeners will like growing something unique in their gardens and the fact that the vines are vigorous yet spread only to 11’ means it takes up less space in the garden. Each 7-8” fruit weighs only four to six pounds making it a perfect family size melon. Professional growers will appreciate the disease and insect tolerance as well as the prolific fruit set that starts early and continues throughout the season. Bred by Known-You Seed Company.

Winner Data
Genus species: Citrullus lanatus
Common name: Watermelon
Unique qualities: Early and easy fruit setting, deep-globed shape, light yellow rind with thin stripes giving it a very pretty look, pink-red flesh with high and stable sugar content as well as a very crispy flavor
Fruit size: 4 to 6 pounds
Fruit shape: Deep globe 7 inches x 8 inches
Fruit color: Light yellow rind with thin stripes, pink-red flesh
Plant type: Spreading vine
Plant width: 11 ½ foot spread
Garden location: Full sun
Garden spacing: 8 to 10 feet
Length of time from sowing seed to harvest: 72 days
Disease tolerances: Vigorous plant can tolerate general diseases and insects
Closest comparisons on market: ‘Golden Crown’ ‘for color, ‘Vanguard’ for earliness, and ‘New Queen’ for fruit size.

2011-12-11/paulgrow/b1da44

Watermelon ‘Faerie’ F1

Seeds for the 2012 and previous year’s winners are available at most mail order suppliers and better garden centers.

AAS has many display gardens throughout the U.S. and Canada. Click here for a location near you.

 

Images and descriptions courtesy of AAS

 
Comments and Discussion
Thread Title Last Reply Replies
Love the watermelon by valleylynn Dec 29, 2011 5:06 PM 5

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