Three new garden flowers have been awarded the prestigious honor of being an All America Selection (AAS) for 1996. These new cultivars have been judged superior in their class, based on their performance in test gardens all over the country.
Petunia ‘Heavenly Lavender’ is an old-fashioned double petunia. The large, 2.5- to 3-inch blooms are a pure lavender and consistently produce a full doubling of petals.
Petunias generally perform best in full sun and benefit from pinching (pruning back about half of the height) as the plants get leggy in midsummer.
Petunia ‘Fantasy Pink Morn’ is a new type of dwarf petunia that is about two-thirds the size of a normal petunia plant. Known as a “milliflora” type, these new plants bear numerous small flowers that are about 1 inch in diameter. ‘Fantasy Pink Morn’ adapts well to containers and other small garden spaces. The compact growth habit also means little or no pinching is required.
Salvia farinacea ‘Strata’ brings a new bicolor bloom to the gardener’s palette. The 10- to 12-inch flower spike is white with small, delicate blue flowers providing a striking contrast. Viewed from a distance, the two colors appear to blend to a pastel blue. Salvia farinacea has become very popular in recent years for its ability to tolerate heat and drought and still produce a bounty of blooms.
The AAS winners are selected from many new cultivars. Selection is based on garden performance, as well as production performance in the greenhouse. Although no plant offers a guarantee in an individual garden, the AAS winners have proved themselves worthy through many different types 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.
Last updated: 11 April 2006