All-America Selections (AAS) has announced the latest round of AAS award-winning varieties. Each of the 11 varieties was trialed throughout North America by professional, independent, volunteer judges who grew them next to comparisons that are considered best-in-class.
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Canna 'South Pacific Orange' (American Takii)
Sister to 2013 AAS Winner South Pacific Scarlet, this newest AAS Winner is compact in habit and well suited for both landscape and container use. This variety is more vigorous, more uniform, and has more basal branching than comparison cannas.
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Cuphea ‘FloriGlory Diana’ (Westhoff Flowers)
Cuphea, commonly known as Mexican Heather, is an ideal plant for borders, mass plantings, and containers. ‘FloriGlory Diana’ was highly praised by the AAS Judges for its larger flowers, impressive number of flowers, and the darker, more intensely colored magenta flowers.
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Gypsophila ‘Gypsy White Improved’ (Sakata Ornamentals)
Semi-double blossoms on this new, improved variety of gypsophila are a bit larger in size and produce more flowers per plant, resulting in a fluffy white mound of beauty. ‘Gypsy White Improved’ has better branching and a better growth habit than its predecessor, making it ideal for containers, small spaces, and garden beds.
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Marigold ‘Super Hero Spry’ (Benary)
‘Super Hero Spry’ is a compact (10 to 12 inches) French marigold with dark-maroon lower petals and golden yellow upper petals perched on top of dark-green foliage. It has a uniform and stable color pattern, is early to bloom, and no deadheading is required.
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Pak Choi ‘Asian Delight’ (Seed Solutions of America)
‘Asian Delight’ Pak Choi (or Bok Choy) is a Chinese cabbage that does not bolt, even weeks after other varieties went to seed. ‘Asian Delight’ forms small to mid-size (5- to 7-inch) heads that have a tasty, tender white rib and dark-green, textured leaves.
This new AAS pepper winner won over judges by being earlier to mature than the comparison varieties. ‘Red Ember’ produces a large number of rounded-end fruits on durable, medium-sized plants.
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Pepper Habanero ‘Roulette’ (Monsanto/Seminis Home Garden)
‘Roulette’ resembles a traditional habanero pepper in every way (fruit shape, size, and color, and plant type) with one exception — no heat. Its 1-ounce fruits are red with thick walls when it matures, and a citrusy habanero flavor. Earlier production yields large, uniform fruit, and a very high yield.
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Pepper Hungarian ‘Mexican Sunrise’ (Seeds by Design)
‘Mexican Sunrise’ Hungarian Pepper brings a full spectrum of colors from lime-green to yellow, then orange and red as the fruit matures. These earlier maturing conical, pendant-shaped peppers produce a thick walled fruit that can be eaten at any stage.
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Tomato ‘Chef’s Choice Red’ (Seeds by Design)
The fifth addition to the popular Chef’s Choice tomato series is ‘Chef’s Choice Red,’ which produces globe-shaped, tomato-red beefsteak type tomatoes. It has just the right balance of acid to sugar. AAS judges raved about the prolific yield of 8-ounce fruits that the strong, 5-foot indeterminate vines produced.
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Tomato ‘Valentine’ (Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
With an appetizing deep-red color, ‘Valentine’ has a very sweet taste and will hold longer on the vine without cracking or losing its eating quality. ‘Valentine’ tomato is quite prolific and will mature earlier (55 days from transplant) than the comparisons used for this entry.
Sporting large, dahlia-like blooms on a sturdy, compact plant, this variety provides cut flower gardeners and growers with a great hue for today’s floral trends. The unique color evolves from dark-coral/peach/orange to a lighter peach with a dark center as the flowers age.
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Canna 'South Pacific Orange' (American Takii)
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Cuphea ‘FloriGlory Diana’ (Westhoff Flowers)
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Gypsophila ‘Gypsy White Improved’ (Sakata Ornamentals)
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Marigold ‘Super Hero Spry’ (Benary)
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Pak Choi ‘Asian Delight’ (Seed Solutions of America)
The group of AAS Winners for the 2018 garden season includes:
• Canna ‘South Pacific Orange’ F1 (National)
• Cuphea ‘FloriGlory Diana’ (National)
• Gypsophila ‘Gypsy White Improved’ (National)
• Marigold ‘Super Hero Spry’ (National)
• Pak Choi ‘Asian Delight’ F1 (National)
• Pepper cayenne ‘Red Ember’ F1 (National)
• Pepper Habanero ‘Roulette’ F1 (National)
• Pepper Hungarian ‘Mexican Sunset’ (Regional)
• Tomato ‘Chef’s Choice Red’ (Regional)
• Tomato ‘Valentine’ F1 (National)
• Zinnia ‘Queeny Lime Orange’ (National)
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Check out the slideshow above for a brief look at the award-winning varieties. More detailed information about each of them is available on the AAS website. Each AAS Winner will also be marketed through an extensive social media and public relations campaign.
015Presenting All-America Selections’ Latest Round of Award-Winners
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Brian Sparks is senior editor of Greenhouse Grower and editor of Greenhouse Grower Technology. See all author stories here.
November 17, 2017 
