All-America Selections is an independent non-profit trialing organization established in 1932 and still going strong 92 years later! AAS trial sites and display gardens are spread across the US and Canada, including nine gardens in Iowa. Reiman Gardens is proud to be both a trial site for multiple categories and a display garden highlighting recent winners. Check out the All-America Selections website for trial and display sites, winners, blogs, and so much more!
Be sure to visit Reiman Gardens this summer to see what's in trials this year! You'll see new breeding work in tomatoes, zinnias, and cosmos, but you might also fall in love again with some of the new entries in salpiglossis! Make your own evaluations and see if your favorites are announced as winners for 2025!
March is here, and we are all sowing seeds with ultimate optimism! Do you have your garden planned out? Is every little corner and crevice full? If you have room for just one more plant this year, consider one of these AAS Winners!
Verbena tenuisecta 'Sweetheart Kisses': This moss verbena is something I hadn't seen before our trials last year and it clearly made an impact on judges, receiving an award in January of 2024! The species name 'tenuisecta' means "thinly cut" in reference to the delicate foliage, and this foliage makes a nice groundcover, perfect for small spaces, containers, or rock gardens. I found the range of pink and white shades to be very charming and especially nice in early summer and fall. 'Sweetheart Kisses' adds color and texture all season. Available soon!
Brassica juncea 'Red Kingdom': If you're looking for a quick warm-up to the growing season, check out this mizuna (or Japanese mustard) as an easy, tasty start to spring. Direct sow in early April and harvest in just under a month later, 'Red Kingdom' is a great addition to your table both raw and cooked. Dark red leaves create a beautiful effect, making this mizuna just as ornamental as is edible. You'll also be impressed with how well 'Red Kingdom' performs in the heat of the summer, delaying bolting longer than other spring greens.
Rudbeckia x 'American Gold Rush': Did you know AAS also trials perennials? The first perennial winner was announced in 2020 and this Rudbeckia deserves all the recognition it has received from many industry groups, including being named 2023 Perennial Plant of the Year by the Perennial Plant Association. Bright golden-yellow blooms, easy to grow in all conditions, and greatly improved resistance to fungal infection that plagues other Rudbeckias in Iowa summers, 'American Gold Rush' is worth seeking out at your local garden center (propagated vegetatively, not by seed). You and all your pollinator friends will love this one!
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