All-America Selections (AAS) announced four more national winners for 2014 just in time for the gardening season. With the addition of the winners, plus four new regional winners, there is a total of 19 winners for the 2014 gardening season. It is the most AAS winners announced in one year since the first winners were announced in the 1930s.
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Osteospermum ‘Akila Daisy White’
‘Akila Daisy White’ is a tidy, uniform plant with open flowers that produce non-stop blooms all summer long. It showed more drought tolerance than other osteos, and even southern judges praised ‘Akila’s’ ability to keep blooming in the heat.
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‘NuMex Easter’ Ornamental Pepper
‘NuMex Easter’ is a compact plant, growing only to six inches high, with purple, yellow and orange conical fruits that pop up above the foliage for a great display of color. ‘NuMex’ has a shorter crop time, which results in earlier blooms on the compact, uniform plant. Judges think it is the first real ornamental pepper for bedding plant growers.
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‘Florific Sweet Orange’ New Guinea Impatiens
Two-inch blooms in shades of light orange against dark green foliage create a giant impact in the garden, especially in shade or semi-shaded areas where color is needed. New Guinea impatiens are disease tolerant, compact and perfect for small space gardens.
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Angelonia ‘Serenita Pink’
Serenita is a compact, tough angelonia series that is ideal for very hot and humid temperatures, such as southern areas, but it does well in northern gardens, too. ‘Serenita Pink’ features a unique, deep pink flower not usually seen in angelonias. The judges praised this entry for producing a large number of flowers all season long while still being drought and heat tolerant.