Winner's Circle

As tradition dictates, the 2003 winners for next year’s growing season have been chosen from the following: All-America Selections, Fleuroselect and All-America Rose Selections. Judges for all three associations used a standardized grading system that scored how well the variety performed during the trialing period, measuring disease-resistance, hardiness, color and novelty in test gardens across the United States.

All-America Selections

The unique plant feature of Agastache foeniculum ‘Golden Jubilee’ is the golden foliage that gently modulates to lime-green on the lower leaves, creating pronounced and commanding colors in the garden. Golden Jubilee performs well in full sun or partial shade and will initiate buds during the long days of summer. Dense spikes of lavender-blue florets crown the plants and contrast with its golden foliage for a striking display. Another feature is the strong mint fragrance when leaves are crushed. Mature plants can reach 20 inches tall and spread 10-15 inches.

Dianthus caryophyllus ‘Can Can Scarlet’ is a full-flowering, vibrant red carnation that is bred to perform in the garden. This vigorous, easy-to-grow variety produces large, double flowers on strong, 16-inch stems, and when used in larger plantings, produces a sensational sea of uniform color (also awarded by Fleuroselect).

Dianthus chinensis ‘Corona Cherry Magic’ is the first Dianthus with a capricious bicolor pattern of variable cherry-red and lavender. Plants will flower early and will produce 2-inch flowers. Corona Cherry Magic was tested in the greenhouse as well as the trial grounds, for plant quality and bedding plant performance, and it was rated superior. Corona Cherry Magic flowers freely throughout the growing season. Mature plants reach 7-9 inches tall, spreading about 8-10 inches in a full-sun location.

The first white flowering Eustoma that thrives in a sunny garden, ‘Forever White’ exhibited superior garden performance in AAS Trials across North America. The 12-inch, compact branching plant flowered from spring to fall, with 2-inch, ivory-white blooms that covered the plant at various times throughout the growing season. Because of the branching habit, fewer plants or plugs are needed to produce a full, high-quality pot plant.

Gaillardia ‘Sundance Bicolor’ is an unusual bicolor containing mahogany-red and yellow flowers. The 2-inch, globe-shaped composite flowers are primarily double. Proven at trial ground locations, Sundance Bicolor shows heat and drought tolerances and is low maintenance, with no pinching or staking. Judges also noted that Sundance Bicolor has the potential for nonstop blooming throughout the growing season, and plants are relatively pest-free. 

A stately plant reaching 3-5 feet, Pennisetum ‘Purple Majesty’ ornamental millet has wide, purple leaf blades and is embellished with 8- to 12-inch flower spikes that mature to reddish-purple seed spikes. The immature or Á mature seed spikes can be cut and used in floral arrangements. Left on the plant, the spike attracts birds that snack on the seed. Purple Majesty is very tolerant of heat and drought.

Trailing Petunia ‘Blue Wave’ has dark blue, velvety, 2-inch blooms that cover the plant for the entire growing season. From planting to frost, Blue Wave provides a steady stream of color in any full-sun garden. The spreading habit is similar to ‘Purple Wave’, with the potential for Blue Wave to spread 3-4 feet in one growing season. Mature plant height can be 4-7 inches. Plants also recover quickly from severe weather (also awarded by Fleuroselect).

Petunia ‘Merlin Blue Morn’ offers gardeners a unique bicolor pattern. The 2-inch single blooms are white with a soft transition to velvety blue on the edge. This bicolor design has consumer appeal and will translate into impulse sales since it stands out among other multiflora petunias. The blue and white pattern of Merlin Blue Morn is desirable due to the cooling effect of these colors on a hot summer afternoon.

Rudbeckia hirta ‘Prairie Sun’ has a stunning light/dark yellow combination, sturdy upright stems and excellent weather resistance. It produces the unique color combination of a dark green “cone” at the center and golden-yellow petals with pale edges. Its stems grow to a height of approximately 31 inches and flower abundantly from July until October (also awarded by Fleuroselect).

Vinca ‘Jaio Dark Red’ is described as the “best red yet in vinca” by an AAS Judge. The velvety, opulent deep red color is distinctive, and each large 2-inch bloom has a contrasting small white center. Jaio Dark Red was tested in greenhouses and given high scores for the compact branching habit and earliness to bloom.

Fleuroselect

Dianthus caryophyllus ‘Can Can Scarlet’ (See AAS’s ‘Can Can Scarlet’ for description).

Trailing Petunia ‘Blue Wave’ (See AAS’s ‘Blue Wave’ for description).

Rudbeckia hirta ‘Prairie Sun’ (See AAS’s ‘Prairie Sun’ for description).

Viola x cornuta ‘Sorbet Orange Duet’ stands out from the vast assortment of violas and pansies for its stunning color combination of purple and orange and for its compact, mature appearance in the pack. Sorbet Orange Duet also tends to be hardier and more weather resistant than its pansy relatives. Its stems reach a height of 7-8 inches with single flowers reaching approximately 1-1.5 inches in diameter.

Salvia superba ‘Merleau’ is first-year flowering, producing spikes of purplish-blue flowers 100 days after sowing. Growing to a height of 15.5 inches in the garden (almost eight inches in pots), its compact form and floriferous habit won the praise of the Fleuroselect judges, who particularly recommended this variety for its outstanding pot performance.

All-America Rose Selections

Hybrid Tea lovers will find the pureness of ‘Whisper’ and its white color most attractive. Developed by Colin Dickson in Ireland, Whisper enchants the viewer with classically formed flowers of creamy white contrasted against dark green, semi-glossy leaves. Very resistant to disease, this rose will grow up to 5 x 4 feet and boasts 5-inch flowers.

‘Hot Cocoa’ is a novel, brownish-orange floribunda washed with smoke on the top and a deep rusty orange on the underside. Large 4-inch flowers hold their color and tolerate heat very well. Tom Carruth hybridized this vigorous, disease-resistant rose by crossing ‘Playboy’ and ‘Altissimo’ with ‘Livin’ Easy’.

‘Eureka’, which is nearly as wide as it is tall, provides a sparkling hedge-type look with its glittering gold hues. Plants reach a height of three feet and produce 4-inch, apricot-yellow flowers in groups of three or five. Eureka will become very popular because of its abundant blooms, re-blooming ability, glossy green leaves, easy-to-grow vigor and light fragrance. The Kordes Company hybridized Eureka from ‘Bernstein Rose’ and ‘Sun Flare’.

The 2003 Grandiflora winner, ‘Cherry Parfait’ has white petals with a broad red edge.  Excellent in all climates, Cherry Parfait’s loose habit makes it a perfect companion plant for perennials and shrubbery. Seemingly always in bloom, this bicolor rose is attractive throughout the season and is accented by dark foliage. Cherry Parfait was hybridized by the famed house of Meilland from a combination of ‘Meidanu’ and ‘Macman’ with ‘Meichoiju’.