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 All America Selections (AAS) is a non-profit organization, supported by the seed industry, which
tests new varieties of flowers and vegetables and selects the best ones for introduction into the
home garden market. AAS maintains approximately 45 flower and vegetable trial test gardens from
Mexico through the United States and into Canada. Many of these are open to the public.
Each year a number of new seed introductions, both flower and vegetable, are given awards. These
are usually designated with the AAS logo in seed catalogues.
Because AAS tests new varieties for home garden performance throughout North America, award
winners are usually varieties of high quality and reliability. Some award winners have remained
popular with home gardeners for many decades (the "Straight Eight" cucumber was introduced
in 1939 and is still a favorite).
Vegetables are scored on a one to 10 scale and are evaluated for flavor, yield, appearance,
texture, disease resistance, production and space efficiency, nutrition, and novelty value (such as
peas with tendrils rather than leaves or purple cauliflower).
New varieties are usually judged against existing standard varieties. A new cherry tomato might
be judged against "Sweet 100" for flavor and "Tiny Tim" for yield. Neither of
these are AAS winners themselves, but are, nevertheless, considered standards in their class.
Check out the great AAS winners being offered this season:
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- Pepper F1 - Hole Molé - 85 days. The first hybrid pasilla-type pepper , which is used to
make the famous molé sauce. Hybrid vigor brings very high yields of 7 to
9 inch peppers measuring 1-1/2 inches across. The fruit can be harvested
green or allowed to mature to a dark chocolate color. The flavor is
nutty and tangy. Mature plants can get 3 feet tall. This hybrid has
exhibited resistance to tobacco mosaic virus.
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Celosia - Fresh Look Gold - 18 inches. The most award winning celosia ever has added a new color.
Offering season-long garden color with minimal care this new celosia
performs like a fresh arrangement all summer. Thriving is all kinds of
weather the plants covers up spent plumes by producing new foliage and
blooms. Always looking fresh, needing no grooming or deadheading. The
central plumes can be 8 to 10 inches high and 5 to 6 inches wide. |
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Petunia F1 - Opera Supreme Pink Morn - The iridescent pink blooms are the unique feature of this vigorous
trailing petunia. The 2˝-inch flowers are pink, shading to creamy white in
the center with a yellow throat. It is capable of spreading 3 feet in
sunny locations growing only 4 to 6 inches tall. Use as bedding plant or
in containers. |
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- Vinca - Pacifica Burgundy Halo - A new color in the popular Pacifica series, ‘Burgundy Halo’ displays
burgundy blooms with an extra large white center. Pacifica offers a very
compact and basal-branching habit. Huge, 2 inch flowers with nicely
overlapping petals, and strong performance in pack and garden.
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Last Seasons Winners:
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- Carrot F1 - Purple Haze - Long purple carrot with bright orange
interior; high in vitamin A.
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- Pepper F1 - Carmen - New early Italian-type sweet pepper with very
sweet flavor.
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- Pepper F1 - Mariachi - Mildly hot chili with superior fruit size,
improved earliness fine flavor.
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- Cilantro - Delfino - This new cilantro has fine fernlike foliage,
charming and decorative.
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- Dianthus F1 - Supra Purple - Improved heat tolerance and prolific
bloom over long season
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- Diascia F1 - Diamonte Coral Rose - The first F1 hybrid diascia.
Early and free flowering.
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- Nicotiana F1 - Perfume Deep Purple - Bred for the scent and unique
deep purple flower color.
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- Ornamental Pepper - Black Pearl - Unique pure black leaves, shiny
black to red fruit.
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- Salvia farinacea - Evolution - Violet flowers expands the color
range of farinaceas.
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- Viola F1 - Skippy XL Red-Gold - Hybrid viola with large pansy-like
flowers.
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- Zinnia F1 - Zowie! Yellow Flame - Bright bicolor blooms of
scarlet/rose tipped in yellow.
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Winners 2005:
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- Eggplant F1 - Fairy Tale - Delicious and decorative miniature
purple/white eggplant.
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- Winter Squash F1 - Bonbon - Early, space-wise buttercup type squash
with improved flavor.
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- Cherry Tomato F1 - Sugary - Very sweet and prolific cherry tomato
with pointed oval shape.
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- Gaillardia - Arizona Sun - Compact and free-blooming gaillardia with
red/yellow petals.
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- Vinca - First Kiss Blueberry - New color in vincas– Violet-blue with
a darker eye.
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- Zinnia F1 - Magellan Coral - Luminous, fully double 5-6 inch flowers
of brilliant coral.
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