PRIMGHAR, Iowa — This is the time of the year when the suspense builds. Who will be the Super Bowl champion? Who will be the Olympic champions? And, who will be the All American Selections (AAS)?
Just like the Super Bowl or Olympics, championships are won. The same can be said of AAS winners. The purpose of All American Selections is to inform home gardeners about new varieties of fruits, vegetables and flowers that are truly improved.
The process involves approximately 80 trial sites throughout the U.S. and Canada. There are four types of trials – ornamental from seed, ornamental from vegetative cutting, edibles (fruits and vegetables from seed), and herbaceous perennials (first winners to be announced in 2019).
AAS judges are professional horticulturalists who volunteer their time to evaluate all entries next to comparisons. Competing breeding companies donate seed to be used in comparisons for each entry. An AAS winner is an ornamental or edible that is superior in garden performance compared to other like varieties on the market.
So, who are the winners for 2018? Sweet American Dream corn is listed as perfect fresh, roasted, grilled, canned or frozen. Asian Delight F1 Pack Choi, a Chinese cabbage, was cited by one judge as “the best white stem mini Pak Choi I have ever seen.”
Three tomato varieties captured AAS titles. Valentine F1 was the most appealing grape tomato. Red Racer F1 captured honors for its cocktail size that is big in taste. Chef’s Choice Red F1 produces globe-shaped, tomato-red, beefsteak type tomatoes.
Three peppers garnered honors. Hungarian Mexican Sunrise F1 will decorate the garden with a spectrum of colors – lime green to yellow and then orange and red – as the fruit matures. Roulette F1 resembles a traditional habanero pepper except No Heat! Red Ember F1 is a new cayenne pepper ideal for shorter growing seasons because it is earlier maturing.
Onyx Red, an ornamental pepper, was selected for its black foliage and overly abundant shiny red fruits. FloriGlory Diana, a Mexican heather, was chosen for larger flowers, an impressive number of flowers and flowers with more intense color. Queeny Lime Orange, the champion zinnia, displays color changes from dark/coral peach/orange to a light peach with a dark center as it matures. And, the semi-double blossoms of Gypsy White Improved will delight Gypsophila growers.
But, my two favorite AAS winners were the South Pacific Orange F1 canna and Super Hero Spry marigold. The first – South Pacific Orange F1 – is a compact canna with vivid bright orange blooms. Super Hero Spry is a compact French marigold with dark maroon lower petals and golden yellow upper petals, which requires no deadheading.
Why are these two my picks? The answer is easy – both carry the colors of my alma maters – Oklahoma State University and Iowa State University. Go Cowboys and Cyclones!
— Beth Ellen Doran, Beef Specialist and Iowa Master Gardener, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
For more news from Iowa, click here.