Testing a Plant

Each year, specialists grow these plants like crops in a farm field under the baking sun and open to the driving rain. They test the plants in these harsh conditions to help assure success in your garden, even if you don’t give them the royal treatment. Hybridizers send their best and brightest to trial gardens to be put through the rigors of a regional summer.

Behind the scenes and well before a plant arrives at your local garden center, botanists test thousands of varieties for uniqueness and general improvement. One such testing program is All-America Selections (AAS). It began at a time when no one had heard of social media, owned a digital camera or could call up the latest news from a home computer. It was an era before information about new plants was easily disseminated. In 1932, W. Ray Hastings of the Southern Seedsmen’s Association of Atlanta, Georgia came up with a way to inform the public about new varieties. This also benefitting commercial seed companies. The first All-America Selections program was comprised of trial grounds set up by seed companies. These companies grew new varieties in different conditions throughout North American climates. Independent judges grow and asses flower and vegetable varieties.

The main principle was, and is still today, that all plants would be new, previously unsold varieties. They have conducted AAS Trials every year since 1932. The number of sites varies, but usually consists of around 80 trial locations throughout the United States and Canada. Universities, public gardens, breeding companies, growers, brokers, extension agents, and retailers are current and potential judging sites. They also compare these new varieties with those already available in the trade.

How it Works

Judges slot plants into one of four categories, including:

1. Ornamentals from Seed
2. Ornamentals from Vegetative Cuttings
3. Edibles (fruits and vegetables from seed)
4. Herbaceous Perennials (they’re announcing first winners in 2019)

They announce AAS Winners three times each year in November, January, and July. Think of AAS as the plant version of Underwriter Laboratories or Good Housekeeping’s Seal of Approval. The program gives home gardeners some assurance of improved garden performance when planting AAS Winners.

AAS Trial Grounds

Just one of these trial grounds is set up at C. Raker & Sons in Litchfield, MI. A leading wholesaler of custom grown plugs and liners in North America, C. Raker & Sons supplies more than 3,000 plant varieties to retail garden centers around the planet.

Their trial grounds this year featured over 3,400 unique varieties represented in approximately 100,000 plants. It’s a sight to see for anyone with an eye toward success in their own garden. The trial grounds are also open to wholesalers, retailers, breeders, and others in the horticultural industry, assuring that those who grow and offer plants for sale will choose the best.

A section of the testing grounds at Raker is set aside for both AAS Trials and AAS Display Gardens, where previous years’ winners are exhibited.

According to Raker Trial Gardens Director Greg Michalak, two judges evaluate flowers in the AAS trials. “We document the progress of the plants from sowing until the end of the season. There are checklists we use and we take photos for every step to help with the judging,” he explained. “They are officially evaluated a few times throughout the summer. We don’t treat these any differently than our other trials.”

Diane Blazek, Executive Director, All-America Selections receives the raw data from all of the trial judges. Since the premise of AAS is the comparison of new plants to existing varieties, only those that perform better, and are thereby considered improvements, are declared winners. Future news releases about winning varieties include descriptions and comments written by judges who evaluate the plants in the field.

Some 2017 AAS Winners

1. Celosia ‘Asian Garden’. Judges gave this pollinator-magnet high marks for its well-branched stature and deep pink, long-lasting blooms that even sailed through some frosts.
2. Dianthus ‘Supra Pink’. This hybrid carnation was judged by judges in Mississippi, Ohio, Michigan and Colorado. They stated it had superior heat tolerance, compact habit and ability to bloom without removing spent flowers.
3. Geranium ‘Calliope Medium Dark Red’. The judge praised this winner for its versatility. Great for containers, combination plantings, hanging baskets as well as in an in-ground landscape. It also is able to withstand heat and drought.
4. Penstemon barbatus ‘Twizzle Purple’. With its vibrant purple blooms, upright habit and ability to bloom during its first year from seed, this hybrid of a U.S. native rated especially well in the Great Lakes region.
5. Verbena ‘EnduraScape Pink Bicolor’. Its versatility put this variety on the map. Judges based this on its tolerance of drought and heat plus an ability to survive temperatures down to the low teens. Compared with others on the market, this Verbena is vigorous, sturdy, and long-blooming.
6. Vinca Mega Bloom ‘Orchid Halo’ and ‘Pink Halo’. A major improvement over the Vincas of the early 1990s. The Mega Bloom series sport blooms that practically cover the foliage. The plants’ are also able to withstand humidity and resist disease. It’s no wonder these Vincas wound up in the winners’ category.
7. Zinnia ‘Profusion Red’. Rounding out the Profusion series, this variety is deeper in color and more compact than its closest cousin, ‘Profusion Cherry’, which was an AAS winner in 1999. They considered this a breeding breakthrough 17 years ago. All varieties in the series flower early and are disease resistance.

See the Winners

No matter where you live or garden, you’re also probably within striking distance to an AAS Display Garden. While not all of the best plants available for your garden are AAS winners, it’s interesting to see those chosen by this program used in a garden setting.

• More information about All-America Selections Winners can be found here.
• Raker Trial Gardens will be open from 9 am to 4:30 pm (EST) July 19 through September 1. Groups consisting of more than 10 people should call ahead, as lunch and greenhouse tours are offered. For more information about visiting the Raker Trial Gardens, contact Deb Eichler or phone 517-542-2316