Looking Ahead to Spring Trialed and True All-America Selections

by Nina A. Koziol

Plant breeders are busy people. In 2021, more than 1,250 plant patents were issued in this country. Many, but not all, of these plants will make it to market. But how do you know which ones will be worthy workhorses for your projects?

That’s where plant evaluations are helpful. The AllAmerica Selections (AAS) group has trialed annuals, vegetables, and herbs since 1933. But in 2015, AAS began evaluating perennials in earnest across the U.S. and Canada.

“We wanted a more all-encompassing trial program for more types of plants,” explains Diane Blazek, executive director of All-America Selections and the National Garden Bureau in Downers Grove, Illinois. AAS is an independent non-profit organization that tests new plant varieties. “We had previously allowed perennials in the trial, but it was only a one-season, first-year flowering trial.” For example, Coreopsis ‘Early Sunrise’ received an AAS award in 1989 for its profuse flowering.

“After working out the details in collaboration with the Perennial Plant Association, we launched the three-winter trial to test for survivability, but also for overall garden performance,” Blazek says. “This is key for landscapers who want to know which new varieties will perform well over the long term. Our judges are horticulture experts who evaluate all the entries on garden performance, consumer appeal, number of flowers, and many other traits that breeders claim are unique.”

The new perennial trial program has been well-received. “Home gardeners, growers, retailers, and landscapers love that we’ve expanded our program, and breeders are very happy to be able to brag about their robust perennial breeding programs.”

AAS will continue evaluating new perennials. “We are keeping constant with 24 trial sites all over North America to really prove garden performance in all regions. We accept perennials that are propagated from seed, vegetative cuttings, tissue culture, and bare root.”

Here’s a look at current and past perennial winners.