Eight new ornamental garden plants have been awarded the prestigious honor of being an All America Selection (AAS) for the year 2002. These new cultivars have been judged as superior in their class based on their performance in test gardens all over the country.
The AAS winners are selected from many new cultivars, based on garden performance as well as production performance in the greenhouse. Although no plant offers a guarantee of success in an individual garden, the AAS winners have proven themselves worthy over a broad range of growing conditions. Try these new selections alongside your old standbys so you’ll have a means of comparison. AAS winners should be available through local garden centers and mail order catalogs next spring.
Although geraniums are usually grown for their showy flowers, ‘Black Magic Rose’ is distinguished by striking foliage with a black center on each leaf. The dark foliage provides a great backdrop for the bright rose colored blossoms. Black Magic Rose reaches up to 14 inches tall with a similar spread. Geraniums perform best in full sun and do well in container gardens.
Vinca (Catharanthus roseus) ‘Jaio Scarlet Eye’ has a distinct rose-scarlet flower color with a small white eye. The large, 2 inch blooms blanket the compact, one-foot tall plants. ‘Jaio Scarlet Eye’ should have good heat and drought tolerance to provide season long color yet require minimum maintenance. Vinca performs best in full sun and can also be grown in container gardens.
Cleome ‘Sparkler Blush’ is the first hybrid spider flower, selected for compact growth (3ft. tall) and profuse pink flowers. Cleome is heat and drought tolerant and this new compact form will help gardeners find new ways to use this striking flower.
Like the now legendary ‘Purple Wave’ petunia, ‘Lavender Wave’, has a true trailing habit and great profusions of flowers. ‘Lavender Wave’ stays short, only reaching 6 inches, but each plant can spread up to 4 feet.
‘Tidal Wave Silver’ is a bit different in habit, growing a bit taller to about 1 1/2 – 2 ft and can reach even taller if given a trellis or other support to grow on. The silvery white blooms have a dark purple center. All of the ‘Wave’ petunias do great as edging plants or in containers.
Pansy ‘Ultima Morpho’ has a distinct two-tone design. The upper petals are grayish-blue while lower petals are bright yellow. The name of this flower is inspired by the blue and yellow Morpho butterfly. Pansies are cool-season plants but many new cultivars, including ‘Ultima Morpho’, have been bred for heat tolerance and continue flowering all season.
Rudbeckia hirta ‘Cherokee Sunset’ features a mix of large, double and semi-double flowers in shades of sunset colors; yellow, orange, bronze, and mahogany. The plants reach up to 30 inches tall with some of the taller, thinner stems benefiting from staking. ‘Cherokee Sunset’ flowers profusely during the first year from seed much like an annual bedding plant, but may also overwinter to provide perennial color. The blooms also do well as cut flowers.
Looking for a “cool” chili pepper with good looks and good taste? ‘Chilly Chili’ bears loads of bright, 2-inch peppers that change color as they ripen from yellow to orange to red. The “heat” was bred out of these peppers, making them perfect for salads, stir-fry, or garnish.
For more information about these and previous year’s winners, point your Web browser to http://www.all-americaselections.org.
[Photographs provided by All-America Selections.]