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"Who determines what is new? It is the
job of a 73-year-old organization, All-America Selections," said
Greg Stack. "It has been looking at a lot of 'new' flowers and
vegetables over the years, from private and public plant breeders,
at its Downers Grove headquarters."
In order to test the new varieties sent
to it, All-America Selections sends the samples to about 35 trial
gardens in the United States and Canada, where independent judges
grow the plants and evaluate them over a period of several years.
"Because the plants are grown in
such widely different growing conditions, these 'new' varieties are
put to the test to see which ones hold up well to the claims of
breeders and the growing conditions of the trial garden," Stack
explained. "After several years in the field, judges come back with
their remarks, and those that get consistently high ratings in a
majority of trial gardens are awarded the red, white and blue shield
of AAS for a particular year.
"This is why you see the emblem
attached to some varieties. In 2005, three flowers and three
vegetables have qualified for the shield."
Stack described the six winners.
"Arizona Sun is the first flower
winner. A mahogany red and bright yellow gaillardia, it has 3-inch
blooms and is constantly in flower all summer," said Stack. "It is a
compact grower to about 10-12 inches, making it great for
containers. Even the spent blooms are attractive in that they look
like tufts of seed. It is very easy to grow from seed, and though it
is an annual in some areas, with a little protection it may
overwinter. It is great for cutting and for bringing butterflies to
a garden."
The second new flower is a
blue-flowered vinca called First Kiss Blueberry. The large 2-inch
blooms have a darker center which accentuates the violet-blue color.
Mature plants grow to about 12-16 inches and are great for the sunny
border or in containers, Stack said. As with all vincas, it has
great heat tolerance.
"Rounding out the flowers is a new
zinnia called Magellan Coral. This zinnia is part of a series of
zinnias called Magellan and offers radiant coral blooms," he said.
"The fully double dahlia flower has 5- to 6-inch blooms that are on
top of very compact plants, growing to about 15 inches. Earliness to
bloom and undemanding of attention in the garden are some of the
qualities that drew praise from the judges."
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On the vegetable front, varieties of
eggplant, tomato and squash earned the All-America Selections emblem
for 2005.
The Fairy Tale ornamental eggplant
is a small plant with decorative miniature fruits and is white with
violet-purple stripes. The fruit are sweet with a tender skin and
few seeds. There is an extended window for harvest, and the fruits
can be picked when young, about 1 to 2 ounces, or they can be left
on the plant until they double in weight, without compromising the
flavor or tenderness. Harvest can be expected in about 49 to 51 days
after setting out transplants.
Fairy Tale makes a great ornamental
plant, Stack said. For people who like to grow vegetables in
containers, it offers a tropical look with interesting flowers.
He added that it's the first
eggplant to win the AAS emblem since 1939.
"The new tomato is the Sugary," he
said. "The name says it all. The trial judges raved about its sweet
flavor. The half-ounce, dark pink fruit has a sugar content of 9.5
percent, which is considerably higher than other varieties. The
fruit is produced in clusters like grapes and can be eaten like
them. It has a unique shape -- oval with a pointed blossom end.
"High-yielding and vigorous, the
plants probably need tomato cages in most gardens. Plants will start
to produce fruit in about 60 days from the time transplants are set
out."
The new squash, a winter variety, is
called Bonbon, Stack said. This buttercup-type squash has three
improved traits.
"It is a restricted-growth-habit
squash that means limited-space gardeners can have squash without it
taking over the whole garden," he noted. It also has earliness
qualities and is superior for eating. The upright-habit plant can
spread about eight feet.
"When seeds are sown in the garden,
look for the first ripe fruit about 81 days after sowing. That's
almost a full week ahead of others," he said. "The boxy-shaped dark
green squash is painted with silver stripes and weighs about 3 to 4
pounds. The orange flesh when cooked delivers a sweet flavor; hence
the name Bonbon."
Stack encouraged gardeners to
consider planting new things and decide for themselves what works
best in their gardens.
[University of Illinois news
release] |
