All-America Selections, with over 90 years of trials and award winners, is the only national, non-profit plant trialing program in North America. Reiman Gardens is proud to be both a trial site for ornamentals, edibles, and perennials showcased as both in-ground and containerized trials and a display garden highlighting recent winners. Check out the AAS website for trial and display sites, winners, blogs, and so much more!
This time next month, you'll likely get to read about some of the newest All America Selections winners; evaluations have been submitted and numbers are now being crunched. I'm looking forward to sharing what entries had outstanding performances this season! In the meantime, here are a couple of my all-time favorite winners:
Capsicum baccatum 'Mad Hatter': This bishops crown pepper won in 2017, but we grew it this year just for a Wonderland tea party garden. The shape is eye-catching and everyone wants to know more about 'Mad Hatter'. The flavor of these peppers is very citrusy and stays mostly sweet--in hot, dry growing conditions, they can become a bit spicy, especially by the seeds. Great when harvested at any color, this is a winner you may have missed, but you will definitely want to try it in your own garden next year--add it to your list, I know you have one started!
Colocasia esculenta 'ROYAL HAWAIIANⓇ Waikiki': Tricolor foliage on dramatic red stems, 'ROYAL HAWAIIANⓇ Waikiki' will wow any gardener in any space. This elephant ear is a "petite" 3 feet, so it will fit into many beds and make a big impression in entryway containers. Like most Colocasias, this cannot be grown from seed, but young plants are easily sourced online. This award winner is a MUST!
Solanum tuberosum 'Clancy': This is a potato grown FROM SEED (not a seed potato!). 'Clancy' produces small (4-5" round) red potatoes that are perfect roasted or smashed! After starting from seed, you treat this potato as you would others in your garden, mounding soil every few weeks until harvest.
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