There was a time when new it took forever to get the word out about new plant introductions. There was no organized method of trialing, testing and comparing new plants in a variety of growing conditions. In 1932, the All America Selections (AAS) designation was created as a means for seed companies to work cooperatively to test and market new flower and vegetable varieties, with the goal of being able to tell home gardeners which new introductions were actually improved varieties.
2007 is the 75th anniversary of AAS. To appreciate their efforts, consider how standard these classic AAS winners have become.
- Flowers Include: Achillea 'Summer Pastels' (1990), Petunia F1 'Wave® Purple' (1992), Rudbeckia 'Indian Summer' (1995) and Cosmos 'Cosmic Orange' (2000).
- Vegetables & Herbs Include: Kentucky Blue Pole Bean (1991), Fernleaf Dill (1992), Baby Bear Pumpkin (1993), Cabbage Savoy Express (2000).
The 4 AAS Winners for 2007 are profiled on the following pages.
