All-America Selections has been trialing edible and ornamental plants for over 90 years, presenting awards to entries that will impress home gardeners with their performance regionally or nationally. There have been plenty of exciting new winners that merit a place in your garden that will be highlighted in this series.
AAS Winners are grown and planted at nearly 200 Display Gardens all over the US and Canada, including nine gardens in Iowa. To see these winners and more, check out www.all-americaselections.org and search under the Display Gardens tab. For a sneak peek at potential future winners, plan a visit to Reiman Gardens, an All-America Selections Trial Garden.
Here at Reiman Gardens, we spent a day last week planting out all of our trials for 2023! We have a lot of great plants being trialed this summer, so stop by once to check everything out, or stop by frequently to see how your favorite entries perform against industry standards and previous AAS Winners. We also have lots of lovely Winners from previous years on display as well, including the plants in today's newsletter.
Verbena bonariensis 'Vanity': Perfect for cottage garden-style plantings and pollinator habitats alike, 'Vanity' verbena grows a manageable 30" (compared to some that can top out over 48") through the hottest, driest days of summer. Plant a few extra plants in your cutting garden to round out bouquets all season.
Capsicum annuum 'Quickfire': 'Quickfire' is a Thai-type hot pepper that brings the heat to your cooking faster than the comparisons it was trialed next to. 'Quickfire' stays compact, so it works well in an ornamental planting or a container. This pepper is so prolific, you can pick some for dinner and still have a beautiful show. I plan on pickling some this year (and labeling them very carefully)!
Capsicum chinense 'Roulette': 'Roulette' is (mostly) on the opposite end of the heat spectrum from 'Quickfire'. 'Roulette' boasts the good looks and bright, citrusy flavor of a habanero pepper without the eye-watering heat. There can be an occasional hot one, but they are the exception, not the rule. If you love the flavor of a habanero but are averse to the burn, take a chance on 'Roulette'!
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