All-America Selections (AAS) and Perennial Plant Association (PPA) are conducting an herbaceous perennial trial.

“National perennial trials are important for both the industry and the consumer,” said Leslie Halleck, southern regional director at PPA. “Rather than have both organizations (PPA and AAS) develop competing perennial trail programs, it seemed the perfect solution was to team up and work together. This collaboration is the key to finally executing a highly organized, thorough and well-marketed perennial trial program that will benefit PPA members and their customers.”

The pilot program of trialling perennials will begin immediately, with entries due July 1. Herbaceous perennials propagated from seed, cutting, tissue culture or bare root all are acceptable entries. A seed entry can be trialled against a vegetative or TC comparison and vice-versa.

Those entries will be sent to 24 trial sites beginning in early 2016. The first winners from the perennial trials will be announced in 2019—the trial will be a three-winter trial, allowing  judges to measure and record winter survivability and subsequent growing season performance. Other trial entries will continue to be trialled over one growing season.

In addition, breeders who wish to have herbaceous perennials tested for first-season performance can continue to use the one-season trial. All other herbaceous perennials would be placed in the three-year perennial trial.

For the long-term, entries have to be new, never-before-sold. However, for the first entry year, AAS will accept entries that have been on the market for twelve months or less. After submission to the herbaceous perennial trial, entries may be introduced commercially.