All-America Selections

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All-America Selections Announces 2022 Winners

All-America Selections (AAS) is an independent non-profit organization that tests new, never-before-sold varieties for the home gardener. After a full season of anonymous trialing by volunteer horticulture professionals, only the top garden performers are given the AAS Winner award designation for their superior performance. Thank you to AAS for providing descriptions and photos of these exciting new varieties.

While planning to include any of these winners for the next gardening season, keep in mind availability. Often these jewels are hard to come by in the first year. Before heading out, call your local garden centers and ask for these plants or seeds by name. Also, see the AAS buyer’s guide for names of companies that sell AAS winning seeds and plants. Visit all-americaselections.org/buy-winners for more information.

Begonia Viking™ Explorer Rose on Green F1 2022 AAS Ornamental Winner

Erase that sea-faring conqueror image and replace it with this garden-faring beauty that performs exceptionally well and has high impact color. This trailing begonia “explores” the garden by spreading and spilling its branches over the edges of hanging baskets and containers. Prolific rose-colored flowers stand out against the glossy green foliage and do so all season long. It has a strong tolerance to heat and many diseases, as well as both wet and dry conditions. “Stellar performance for containers” states one AAS Judge. “Good plant with season-long integrity,” says another. These new Vikings are sure to be a garden favorite.

Eggplant Icicle F1 2022 AAS Edible-Vegetable Winner

This cylindrical white eggplant earned the prestigious AAS award for several reasons. The Icicle plant has fewer spines than most eggplants, making for a less painful harvest! With larger fruits than other white eggplants, it produces a nice yield while also providing fewer seeds. The large, durable, and vigorous plants hold up to insect damage and the environment. The pure white skin does not tend to yellow like many other white varieties of eggplant. The improved taste and texture has universal appeal (whether fresh or cooked), one judge served it to his children: “Even my 11-year-old asked for seconds when I breaded and fried them at home.” That’s a culinary testimonial!

Lettuce Bauer 2022 AAS Edible – Vegetable Winner

Oakleaf lettuce is a delicious and versatile edible that is super easy (and fast) to grow in the garden. Harvest at the baby leaf stage or grow into the rosette-shaped full-sized head. Bauer will please with its darker green color and nicely uniform compact size that can be grown almost anywhere… in-ground, containers, or window boxes. The dense heads produce a plethora of sweet, crisp sturdy leaves. Now all you need is your favorite vinaigrette!

One judge went a step further and tried growing Bauer in a home aeroponics system. He reported that it did brilliantly, making it an excellent candidate for controlled environment production. Pepper Buffy F1 2022 AAS Edible – Vegetable Winner

Will this Buffy fend off bloodsucking supernatural beings? We’re not sure, but we do know it’s one very delicious hot pepper! “I dig this fiery little pepper!” says one judge. “I have nothing negative to say about this variety,” exclaims another. This Buffy will do right by you by producing a good yield of juicy, thick-walled green to red fruits on strong, healthy upright plants. Buffy’s fruits are more attractive than the comparisons as well as slightly larger making them perfect for flavorful sport peppers but also for use in other applications. The peppers are held high on the plant adding ornamental value to the garden. Buffy was faster to mature than Tobasco in the AAS trials with a bit less heat than Ascent until the seeds are added in. In summary, Buffy deserves its moment of recognition and deserves a place in your garden.

Pepper Dragonfly F1 2022 AAS Edible-Vegetable Winner

Dragonfly pepper plants produce beautiful purple peppers that

have thick, sweet walls, unlike the thin papery walls of other purples on the market. Similar to the beloved dragonfly that flits around your garden, this pepper transforms itself from a green pepper into a purple fruit that is as delicious at the green stage of maturity as it is when fully purple and mature. Overall, a much better purple color than comparisons with above average, robust pepper flavor. Fruits are held high on the plant, keeping them from the soil. The 4-lobed fruits do not fade and if left on the vine, turn a beautiful, bright red color.

Petunia Bee’s Knees 2022 AAS Ornamental Winner

This yellow petunia was so outstanding and eye-catching in the AAS Trials that the judges deemed it a Gold Medal Winner! The first petunia to win a gold medal distinction since 1950! Each Bee’s Knees petunia is filled with lush blooms that put on a colorful show of deep yellow, non-fading flowers all season long. The intense yellow petunia color contrasts beautifully against the deep green leaves. Bee’s Knees offers great garden performance in a variety of conditions and requires very little maintenance. Gardeners will love its deep, rich yellow color and its versatile mounding habit. Works great as an element in mixed containers or as a hanging basket but also thrives as a long-blooming groundcover.

Sunflower Concert Bell F1 2022 AAS Ornamental from Seed Winner

Concert Bell puts on quite a performance with a unique flower presentation of multiple clusters of 10 to 12 flowers on an erect columnar stem. Beautiful golden yellow blooms appear earlier than the comparisons. Each plant grows to a very uniform height of 5 to 6 feet and if used as a cut flower, makes an instant, ready-made bouquet from just one cut. Excellent seed germination makes this beauty very easy to grow and is perfect for continuous sowing to keep blooms going through the end of summer. Concert Bell was trialed in a year of adverse weather conditions and multiple judges commented on its durability and sturdiness even through strong storms and winds. Tomato Pink Delicious 2022 AAS Edible – Vegetable Winner

With “Delicious” in its name, it has to be good! This early maturing tomato supports the trend of having heirloom look, flavor and texture with hybrid disease resistance and improved germination meaning it is much easier for home gardeners to grow. When grown next to the comparisons, this variety is definitely earlier with a higher yield and a very uniform fruit size. The beautiful big fruits do not crack as much. What really sets this variety apart is the excellent flavor and a high Brix for a sweeter than normal pink tomato. Bonus: Much better disease resistance than controls in both the Southeast and Heartland regions.

Tomato Purple Zebra F1 2022 Edible – Vegetable Winner

Purple Zebra tomato is a fun new addition to striped tomatoes, producing tomatoes that are rich with complex flavors and a moderately firm texture. Dark red fruits with green stripes and a deep mahogany red interior do not produce

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All-America Selections Announces 2022 Winners

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muddy coloration like other tomatoes of this type. The taste is sweet and acidic leaning to sweet. Overall, this tomato has a better taste and thinner skin than comparisons with excellent disease resistance. Judges in the know say this is a very marketable fruit for farmers’ market growers. High disease resistance to ToMV, Verticillium Wilt Va/Vd, Fusarium Wilt Race 1, Leaf Mold A-E, Late Blight PH2/PH3, and intermediate resistance to TYLCV and TSWV.

Tomato Sunset Torch F1 2022 AAS Edible-Vegetable Winner

You might just carry a lifelong torch for this cute new tomato! Sunset Torch has strong, dramatic striping from stem to tip. This is a very vigorous grower and was the first to ripen in multiple regions. As one judge explains the appeal, “The open growth habit displays fruit that pleases the eye before reaching the mouth!” Overall better performance, less splitting, good yields, a mildly sweet, fruity flavor, and disease resistance make this cutie a winner. Sunset-colored fruits are produced on easy-to-harvest trusses. High disease resistance to ToMV, Verticillium Wilt Va/Vd, Fusarium Wilt Races 1 and 2 and intermediate resistance to TYLCV and TSWV

Torenia Vertigo Deep Blue F1 2022 AAS Flower Winner

Torenia Vertigo is a brand new F1 Torenia ideal for both containers and the landscape. AAS Judges were impressed with the number of flowers on each plant and the vibrant non-fading blue petals that contrast beautifully with the sky blue and yellow centers. This torenia performed exceptionally well in warmer climates such as in the Mountain/Southwest and Florida. Torenia Vertigo has a compact habit, flowers for a very long period of time, and has glossy green foliage. The large blooms do not fade even when exposed to strong sunlight.

Watermelon Century Star F1 2022 AAS Edible-Vegetable Winner

Century Star is a new seedless watermelon similar to the popular heirloom variety, Moon and Stars. Century produces a good yield of 10 lb. fruits on long vines. Gardeners in the Great Lakes region will be rewarded with healthy plants, attractive spotted rind fruits, and a great tasting, crisp, sweet internal flesh when they grow Century Star watermelon.

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1. Begonia Viking™ Explorer Rose on Green F1 2. Eggplant Icicle F1 3. Lettuce Bauer 4. Pepper Dragonfly F1 5. Pepper Buffy F1 6. Tomato Pink Delicious 7. Tomato Purple Zebra F1 8. Petunia Bee’s Knees 9. Tomato Sunset Torch F1 10. Torenia Vertigo Deep Blue F1 11. Watermelon Century Star F1 12. Sunflower Concert Bell F1

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