AAS Winners for 2010 Announced

19 Aug, 2010 LDB Solutions

All-America Selections changes program to make winners available immediately.

All-America Selections (AAS) has announced a change to the introduction schedule of AAS Winners. The AAS Board has announced the immediate introduction and availability of AAS winning varieties. Seed is now available from suppliers. Plants will be available this spring.

Echinacea purpurea ‘PowWow Wild Berry’ AAS Flower Award WinnerThis purple coneflower differs from all others for flower color, branching and plant size. Gardeners will love the deep rose-purple 3 to 4 in. flowers that retain color on the plant longer. Plants were tested across the United States and Canada. This first year flowering perennial (hardy to USDA Hardiness Zone 3) has superior performance including a basal branching habit, resulting in more flowers per plant. Reaching a height of 20 to 24 in. in the full sun garden, this AAS Winner blooms continually without deadheading. 'PowWow Wild Berry' is an intermediate day-length flowering variety with most rapid and uniform flowering at 14 hours, flowering approximately 20 weeks after sowing. Therefore, seed should be sown before the end of January for the most prolific and uniform flowering in the first year. U.S. Utility Patent Applied For. Bred by PanAmerican Seed Co.

Genus species: Echinacea purpura
Common name:Purple Coneflower
Unique qualities: Flower color, branching and plant size
Flower size: 3 to 4 in.
Flower form: Single daisy
Plant height: 20 to 24 in.
Width: 12 to 16 in.
Garden location: Full sun
Garden spacing: 16 to 18 in. apart
Length of time from sowing seed to flower: 20 weeks for June flowering

Gaillardia F1 ‘Mesa Yellow’ AAS Flower Award Winner
‘Mesa Yellow’ is the first hybrid blanket flower with a controlled plant habit and prolific flowering. The 3-in. daisy like flowers and globe shaped seed heads offer a superior presentation of color which continues throughout the summer. Gardeners will be glad to know they can cut the blooms for casual bouquets. The flowers, when left on the plants, will attract butterflies. Judges noted the improved plant habit of ‘Mesa Yellow’ with mature plants reaching 20 to 22 in. in a full sun garden location. The neat, mounded plants are adaptable to smaller space gardens or any type of containers. When planted near the inside edge of the container, they will cascade down the container. They are relatively maintenance free. ‘Mesa Yellow’ plants proved to be wind and rain resistant, meaning the plants recover quickly from severe weather. ‘Mesa Yellow’ was bred by PanAmerican Seed Company and blooms two to three weeks earlier than comparisons.

Genus species: Gaillardia x grandiflora
Common name: Blanket flower
Unique qualities: The first F1 Gaillardia from seed. Does not get tall, loose and floppy.
Flower size: 3 in.
Flower form: Single flower
Flower color: Yellow
Plant Height: 16-18 in.
Width: 20-22 in.
Garden Spacing: 12-18 in.
Length of time from sowing seed to flower: 120 days in spring

Marigold F1 Hybrid African ‘Moonsong Deep Orange’ AAS Flower Award Winner
AAS Judges noted the intense deep orange flower color that could not be captured by a picture or digital image. The fade-resistant orange flowers make others look more golden than orange. This unique color is one of three desirable, improved traits. The flower size from 2 ½ to 3 ½ in. and fully double blooms rank among the best of the class. Easy to grow in a 5 to 6 in. pot, plants will flower in about 70 days under short days or 84 days under long day growing conditions. ‘Moonsong Deep Orange’ plants are vigorous, tolerating stress such as heat or drought. In the full sun garden, the erect plants will reach about 12-15 in. tall. Over the summer, the old blooms will be covered with green foliage, which keeps the plants looking fresh throughout the growing season. Bred by Syngenta Flowers.

Genus species: Tagetes erecta
Unique qualities: Unique deep orange color, excellent garden vigor, long lasting garden performance
Flower size: 2.5 to 3.5 in.
Flower form: fully double
Plant height: 12 to 15 in.
Width: 11 to 14 in.
Garden location: Full sun
Garden spacing: 14 to 18 in. apart
Length of time from sowing seed to flower: 70 to 84 days

Snapdragon F1 ‘Twinny Peach’ AAS Bedding Plant Award Winner
Who took the snap out of Snapdragon? ‘Twinny Peach’ the AAS Winner, is a snapdragon without the snap. Why? Because it is a double or butterfly flower form that does not have the jaws or joints to snap. The double flower form is the origin for the name ‘Twinny’ or twins. Another unique quality is the blend of peach tone colors. The soft shades of peach, yellow and light orange are distinct, and no other snapdragon offers this range of colors. Match ‘Twinny Peach’ with blue tones of Salvia farinacea or purple foliage plants and your garden will be a knockout. In the full sun garden, ‘Twinny Peach’ will produce abundant flower spikes, plenty to cut and place in vases for fresh indoor bouquets. Plants will continue to flower all season with little garden care. Like all snapdragons, ‘Twinny Peach’ is easy to grow and it exhibited heat tolerance in the AAS Trials. This new variety was bred by HEM Genetics.

Genus species: Antirrhinum majus
Common name: Snapdragon
Unique qualities: First double flowered snapdragon with compact habit. Unique color.
Flower size: 1.25 in.
Flower form: Butterfly
Flower color: Pastel shades of peach, yellow and light orange
Plant Height: 11.75 in.
Width: 7.75 in.
Garden Spacing: 6 in. apart
Length of time from sowing seed to flower: 70-84 days

Viola F1 ‘Endurio Sky Blue Martien’ AAS 2010 Cool Season Award Winner
A burst of clear blue greets gardeners with ‘Endurio Sky Blue Martien.’ This unique spreading/mounding viola may look delicate, but delivers tough-as-nails performance in the garden. In mild southern regions it flowers throughout the winter, laughing off wind, rain, cold temperatures and passing snowfalls. In northern temperate climates, it dazzles gardeners with two-season color – flowering well after first frost when planted in autumn and once again in spring after snow has melted and soil has warmed. It can also be planted in early spring, covering planters and landscapes with sky-blue blooms well into summer. Delicate .75-in. flowers cover plants in beautiful sky blue. Spreading/mounding plants grow to 6 in. tall and 10-12 in. wide, creating a bright spot in any garden. It is also perfectly suited to window boxes and hanging gardens, as well as balcony and patio planters. ‘Endurio Sky Blue’ was bred by Syngenta Flowers, Inc.

Genus/species: Viola cornuta
Common name: Viola
Unique qualities: Spreading, mounding habit fills planters and garden beds quickly for maximum pot and landscape color impact. Plants flower throughout winter
in mild climates and re-bloom for second season when autumn planted in northern, temperate regions.
Flower size: .75 in.
Flower form: Single
Flower color: Sky Blue
Plant Height: 6 in.
Width: 12 in.
Garden Spacing: 10-12 in.
Length of time from sowing seed to flower: 9 weeks

Zinnia ‘Double Zahara Cherry’ AAS Bedding Plant Award Winner
This interspecific cross between zinnia species, results in dependable resistance to leaf spot and mildew diseases. Growers can easily produce ‘Double Zahara Cherry’ flowering plants for spring bedding plants without the fear of plant loss due to these two diseases. Recommended for 4-in. pots or larger, the handsome symmetrical dark green plants produce fully double 2 ½ in. blooms. The flowers remain attractive for impulse sales at retail stores. Early to bloom in about 8 - 10 weeks, ‘Double Zahara Cherry’ has fewer inputs and more reliability. Growing in a full-sun garden, this AAS Winner will mature at about 12 in. tall and wide. Heat tolerant in the garden, ‘Double Zahara Cherry’ can be perfectly matched with other sun loving annuals for container plantings. Bred by PanAmerican Seed Company.

Genus species: Zinnia, interspecific
Unique qualities: Fully double and larger flowers, disease resistant
Flower size: 2.5 in.
Flower form: Composite, fully double
Plant height: 13.5 in.
Width: 12.5 in.
Garden location: Full sun
Garden spacing: 12 to 18 in. apart
Length of time from sowing seed to flower: 60 to 65 days

Zinnia ‘Double Zahara Fire’ AAS Bedding Plant Award Winner
Large 2 ½ in., fully double flowers crown these disease resistant plants. ‘Double Zahara Fire’ has proven leaf spot and mildew resistance. This is linked to the ease of growing in the greenhouse for spring flowering plants and the length of flowering season. There is less risk of plant loss while growing these zinnias under cool, low light conditions. Gardeners can rely on ‘Double Zahara Fire’ for reliable, season long performance. Plants will continue to bloom from spring to the end of the growing season, with little garden maintenance. Mature plants will be about 14 in. tall and spread 12 in.. Similar to all zinnias, this AAS Winner will perform best in full sun and thrive on summer heat. ‘Double Zahara Fire’ was bred by PanAmerican Seed Company.

Genus species: Zinnia interspecific
Unique qualities: Fully double and larger flowers, disease resistant
Flower size: 2.5 in.
Flower form: Composite, fully double
Plant height: 14 in.
Width: 12 to 14 in.
Garden location: Full sun
Garden spacing: 12 to 18 in. apart
Length of time from sowing seed to flower: 60 to 65 days

Zinnia ‘Zahara Starlight Rose’ AAS Bedding Plant Award Winner
A stunning combination of new and old describes ‘Zahara Starlight Rose.’ Zinnias are old-fashioned flowers but these rose and white flowers are a new bicolor for this sun loving class of annuals. Other new traits are the proven resistances to leaf spot and mildew, which can devastate healthy plants and cause an early death. These superior qualities resulted in long lasting zinnia plants that provide generous color all season. ‘Zahara Starlight Rose’ is heat and drought tolerant, easy to grow in gardens. A perfect plant for the novice or experienced gardener because it is so undemanding with a maximum number of blooms. The mature plants are mid-sized, about 12 to 14 in. tall and wide, large enough to make a bold statement in containers or patio urns. Gardeners will be able to grow ‘Zahara Starlight Rose’ from seed or plants. This new zinnia was bred by PanAmerican Seed Co.

Genus species: Zinnia marylandica
Common name: Zinnia
Unique qualities: First rose and white bicolor zinnia, with disease resistance
Flower size: 2.5 in.
Flower form: Composite, single flower
Flower color: Rose and white bicolor
Plant Height: 12-14 in.
Width: 12-14 in.
Garden Spacing: 10-12 in.
Length of time from sowing seed to flower: 61 days

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