And the Winners Are…The 2003 All-America Selections

By Mary Anne Michael, KCMG 1994

Let’s face it--gardeners are greedy.  We have more than enough plants to fill four times the space any of us has, but we want more plants.  And we crave new varieties as well as proven standbys.  Every year we eagerly await the announcement of the All-America Selections winners, as well as the picks of the various plant societies.   So to help you survive the cold and snow, here are this year’s AAS winners.

AAS Gold Medal Flower Award Winner

Given only about once or twice a decade, this award recognizes plant breeding breakthroughs.  This year it went to a unique plant, an Ornamental Millet, ‘Purple Majesty’ (Pennisetum glaucum).   I saw purple millet and purple ornamental corn this summer in display gardens at the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, and they were very striking.  This millet grows from 3 to 5 feet tall and does best in a well-drained, sunny site, although it is also suitable for a large container.  The leaves are long and slender, green when young but turning shiny purple with a red mid-vein as they mature. The 8- to 12-inch flower spikes are gold and ripen to dense purple seed spikes that are good for bird food or for decoration.  

AAS Flower Award Winners

Agastache ‘Golden Jubilee’ (Agastache foeniculum).  Agastaches are growing in popularity, and this one’s gold foliage sets it apart.  The leaves have the typical mint aroma and can be used to flavor tea.  It grows well in sun or part shade, is not bothered much by pests, and needs no pinching to keep a good shape.  Lavender blue flower spikes attract bees and butterflies.

Carnation ‘Can Can Scarlet’ (Dianthus caryophyllus).  Double scarlet flowers are strongly scented with the familiar clove aroma.  This is a good performer, blooming steadily throughout the season, even during hot, humid weather--a definite plus in the Kanawha Valley.   Excellent as a cut flower, it has strong, 8- to 12-inch stems with blue-gray foliage.

Petunia ‘Blue Wave’ (Petunia hybrida).  Another in the ‘Wave’ family, this one has flowers of velvety blue.  Like its relatives, it can grow 3 to 4 feet in a season, filling gaps in borders as well as cascading from a container.  It blooms best if given a slow-release fertilizer when planted and another dose in mid-season.

Petunia ‘Merlin Blue Morn’ (Petunia hybrida).  Uniquely colored blooms have beautiful, pure white centers and dark blue edges.  It also blooms profusely throughout the season, although it doesn’t have the big growth habit of the ‘Wave’ petunias.   It’s said to be especially lovely trailing gracefully over the edge of a pot.

Rudbeckia ‘Prairie Sun’ (Rudbeckia hirta).  Rugged rudbeckias seem to do well in our area, and this latest hybrid has interesting coloration.  The typical daisy blooms are a combination of gold and primrose yellow and have lime-green cones.  Said to be similar to ‘Irish Eyes’ but blooming a bit later, these are described as tall annuals that may overwinter.

AAS Bedding Plant Award Winners

Dianthus ‘Corona Cherry Magic’ (Dianthus chinensis).  This is a tiny plant, 2 to 3 inches tall, and has very unusual coloring.   Large, single flowers are either cherry red, lavender, or individual combinations of those colors with stripes, flecks, or a colored corona.  Hmmm.  It “tolerates” a variety of temperatures and blooms throughout the season in northern areas. Hmmm again.

Eustoma ‘Forever White’ (Eustoma grandiflorum).  This hybrid was developed from a Colorado wildflower with white flowers.  In its native prairie environment, it stands up well to heat and drought.  It doesn’t seem to do well if planted before soil warms.

Gaillardia ‘Sundance Bicolor’ (Gaillardia pulchella).  Not reliably cold hardy, this plant has a mounding habit and bicolor, double flowers of mahogany red and yellow.  It spreads and is good to fill in empty areas and loves full sun, as all gaillardias do.  This one may be a winner for us, too, since it tolerates heat, drought, and “severe” weather conditions.

Vinca ‘Jaio Dark Red’ (Catharanthus roseau).   Lately I’ve become enamored of rich, winey reds, and this plant may find a place in my garden this summer.  Said to be the best red vinca so far, its blooms are described as velvety and opulent, with dramatic white centers.  It tolerates a high degree of humidity as well as dry conditions and is especially good for containers and hanging pots.

AAS Vegetable Award Winners

Summer squash ‘Papaya Pear’ (Cucurbita pepo).  This yellow squash should be popular with home gardeners, since it produces prolifically and is usable at both an immature stage and a fully ripe one.  It is shaped like a pear and has excellent flavor.  It’s also ready to harvest at about 42 days from sowing, making it earlier than most squash varieties.

Melon ‘Angel’ (Cucumis melo).  The description of this melon made my mouth water:  firm, sweet, crisp.  The fruit matures at 2 or 3 pounds and is ready to harvest about 60 days from transplanting.  When ripe, the outside turns creamy yellow, and the interior flesh is white.

If any of these winners interest you, ask your local nurseries and garden centers to carry them this spring.  Otherwise, you can find mail-order sources by going to www.all-americaselections.org/.