And the Winners Are…

The 2002 All America Selections

By Kay Ferrill, Kanawha County Master Gardener (P)

Every year certain plants are recognized as outstanding. For the best of the best, consider these winners.

For more than 60 years, All America Selections has rated flower varieties for color, fragrance, length of bloom time, and endurance.

AAS winners for 2002 include:

Geranium ‘Black Magic Rose’ has distinct bicolor foliage. Green edges a black center, and each floret has a white eye surrounded by bright rose. Heat tolerant, ‘Black Magic Rose’ prefers full sun. It may reach 14 inches by 18 inches.

Vinca ‘Jaio Scarlet Eye’ is the only rose-scarlet variety. The blooms are 2 inches in diameter. The 12-inch plants are heat and drought tolerant.

Cleome ‘Sparkler Blush’, the 1^st hybrid cleome, is only 3 feet tall and blooms freely.

Ornamental Pepper ‘Chilly Chili’ offers lots of garden color as the fruit changes from yellow to orange and to red but is non-pungent. Safe for children and pets, the 2-inch peppers make an ornamental garnish. This plant reaches 12 inches with a 10-inch spread.

Petunia ‘Lavender Wave’ trails a profusion of flowers. Only 6 inches tall, it can spread to 4 feet.

Petunia ‘Tidal Wave Silver’ will grow up to 18 inches or more if provided a support. Its silvery white blooms have a dark purple center.

Named for the Morpho butterfly, Pansy ‘Ultima Morpho’ features bright yellow lower petals topped by grayish blue upper petals. ‘Ultima Morpho’ was bred for heat tolerance.

Rudbeckia hirta ‘Cherokee Sunset’ mixes double and semi-double flowers ranging from yellow to bronze. Reaching 30 inches, it may need staking. While blooming profusely in the first year from seed, it may overwinter.

The All-American Rose Selections for 2002 feature a classic hybrid tea and a landscape shrub.

‘Love & Peace’ offers 5-inch flowers of golden yellow edged with pink. Petal count is 40; foliage is dark glossy green;  the fragrance is fruity. It reaches 5 feet and spreads 3 feet. Bred by Jerry Twomey and Ping Lim, ‘Love & Peace’ is introduced by Bailey Nurseries.

‘Starry Night’, a landscape shrub, varies from 3 feet by 3 feet in cool climates to 6 feet by 6 feet in mild. Disease resistant, its foliage is medium green and glossy. The 5-petal, pure white flowers resemble dogwoods. Hybridized from ‘Anisley Dickson’ and Rosa wichurianna by Pierre Orard, ‘Starry Night’ is introduced to the US by Edmunds’ Roses.

The American Hemerocallis Society’s highest honor is the Stout Silver Medal. Named for Dr. Arlow Burdette Stout, father of modern daylilies, this annual award is only given to a cultivar which has received the Award of Merit within the three previous years. 

‘Ida’s Magic’ received the 2001 Stout Award. A tetraploid, repeat bloomer, ‘Ida’s Magic’ features 6- inch flowers of amber peach with a ruffled gold edge.

The American Iris Society’s highest award is the Dykes Memorial Medal. The 2001 winner is ‘Yaquina Blue’. A tall (37 inch) bearded iris, ‘Yaquina  Blue’ is deep marine blue with ruffled 4- inch blooms. It blooms in midseason.

The Mailorder Gardening Association presents the Green Thumb Awards each year. In 2001 they named these plants winners.

Hemerocallis ‘Rosy Returns’ is the 1^st hardy rose-pink daylily. Only 14 inches high, this plant will produce 9 to 12 buds on each stem. The blooms are 4 ½ inches wide with a deep rose eyezone and yellow throat. Hardy in zones 4-9, ‘Rosy Returns’ is available from Wayside Gardens.

‘Legacy Buffalo Grass’ is an all-female strain specifically for lawn turf grass. Unmown, it only reaches 4-6 inches. A soft narrow blade grass, it is hardy in zones 4 – 9. High County Gardens offers it as plugs.

Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Hanibi’ is a lacecap hydrangea with brilliant white flowers. Only 36 inches high and wide, it is suitable as a container plant in either full sun or light shade. It is available from Wayside Gardens.

Canna ‘Pink Sunburst’ blooms from July to October with variegated leaves of green, red and yellow. It is 28-34 inches tall and is cold hardy in zones 7 and above. However, it must be dug and stored in colder areas. ‘Pink Sunburst’ is deer resistant. It is available from Van Bourgondien.

Hibiscus syriacus ‘Lavender Chiffon’ received a gold medal at the Royal Boskoop Horticulture Society Show in Holland. The large, 3-4 inch, semi-double lavender flowers resemble an anemone. The 6-8 foot tall bush blooms from midsummer to frost. Suitable in zones 5 – 9, it is available from Wayside Gardens.