AAS Adds Another Batch to 2015 Winners
All-America Selections has announced a third round of 2015 Winners, bringing the grand total this year to 25! The seven winners detailed below join the 12 varieties announced last November and six announced last July. This is a 75-year high for All-America Selections 1939 was the last time there were this many winners.
Many of the winners announced for 2015 are the first in a class to be granted an AAS award, such as brussels sprouts and oregano.
A complete list of all AAS winners since 1932 can be found here. Are you growing any AAS winners, new or old? How has the program helped your business? Shoot me an email at jdolce@greatamericanpublish.com and let me know!
2015 National Winners:
Beet ‘Avalanche’ (Bejo Seeds)
‘Avalanche’ exhibits a mild, sweet taste with a uniform root shape and no reddish tinge, making for more attractive produce. Judges raved about the raw eating quality when they discovered where was no earthy beety taste, nor any bitter aftertaste.
Broccoli ‘Artwork’ (Seminis Vegetable Seeds)
This unique dark green stem broccoli has only recently become available to home gardeners. ‘Artwork’ starts out similar to a regular crown broccoli but after harvesting that first crown, easy-to-harvest tender and tasty side shoots continue to appear long into the season.
Chives, Garlic ‘Geisha’ (Terra Organics)
‘Geisha’ is a vigorous grower with a nice ‘just-right’ garlic flavor. Slightly wider, flatter and more refined leaves topped by pretty white flower stalks late in the season mean this is another edible that can serve a dual purpose as an ornamental.
Dianthus ‘Jolt Pink’ (PanAmerican Seed)
An interspecific dianthus, ‘Jolt Pink’ has brightly colored and large, showy flower heads on strong stems. Bred to be the most heat tolerant dianthus on the market, it performs extremely well all summer long. Jolt is shorter on the bench, making it better for shipping.
Petunia ‘Tidal Wave Red Velour’ (PanAmerican Seed)
‘Tidal Wave Red Velour’ boasts gorgeous deep red velvety blooms that don’t fade in the heat of summer. Large flowers cover the vigorously spreading plants that rarely need deadheading because new blooms continuously pop up and cover the old, spent blooms.
2015 Regional Winners:
Basil ‘Persian’ (Terra Organics) [Heartland, Mountain/Southwest and West/Northwest]
‘Persian’ basil is a large, vigorous plant that is a prolific producer of pleasant tasting leaves. Not only does this basil taste excellent but the green foliage, sturdy branches and large leaves make for a great ornamental plant.
Oregano ‘Cleopatra’ (Genesis Seeds) [Northeast and West/Northwest]
Pretty silver gray foliage makes this an herb that will be appreciated for its ornamental value. Unique from Greek and Italian oreganos, ‘Cleopatra’ has a mildly spicy, pepperminty flavor. This compact, trailing plant produces a high yield of leaves.
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