Six new varieties earn prestigious AAS Winner award

All-America Selections, North America’s most well-known and respected non-profit plant trialing organization has six impressive new winners that brokers, growers and retailers can still add to their 2022 product mix. Breeder contacts are included in each winner description below.

All AAS Winners are trialed throughout North America by professional, independent, volunteer judges who grow new, never-before-sold entries next to comparisons that are considered best-in-class. Only those entries that have superior garden performance, better than the comparisons, are granted the AAS award designation.

The newest AAS Winners are:

• Celosia Flamma Orange (National)
• Pepper Quickfire F1 (National)
• Torenia Summery Love Pure White F1 (Regional)
• Verbena Beats Purple+White (National)
• Verbena bonariensis Vanity (National)
• Zinnia Queeny Lemon Peach (Regional)
  

The twelve 2022 Winners previously announced are:

• Begonia Viking Explorer Rose on Green F1 (National Gold Medal)
• Eggplant Icicle F1 (National)
• Lettuce Bauer (National)
• Pepper Buffy F1 (National)
• Pepper Dragonfly F1 (National)
• Petunia Bee’s Knees (National Gold Medal)
• Sunflower Concert Bell F1 (National)
• Tomato Pink Delicious F1 (Regional)
• Tomato Purple Zebra F1 (National)
• Tomato Sunset Torch F1 (Regional)
• Torenia Vertigo Deep Blue F1 (Regional)
• Watermelon Century Star F1  (Regional)
  

Garden communicators are free to begin writing about these varieties now to build demand.

Each of the newer AAS Winners are, or soon will be, featured in custom videos that can be found in social media posts and on the AAS YouTube channel.

Celosia Flamma Orange

AAS Ornamental from Seed Winner

National Winner

Flamma is coming in hot! Get ready to bring some fiery orange color to your garden with Flamma (“The Flame”) celosia. This compact variety has numerous branches, each with a strong flower plume, as well as secondary blooms, which give a long show of color in the garden.  AAS Judges were impressed with the superior garden performance and how well it stood  up to hot, humid and rainy conditions during the trial season. Not only does Flamma have exceptional heat tolerance but also stuns with its early flowers that won’t fade. Whether you decide to grow this in beds or in containers (it was trialed in both) you will have a great show of orange color all season long. 

Bred by Clover Seed Co.

Distributed in North America by Sakata Seed Corporation

(Click link for order contact)

AAS^® Winner Data

• Genus species: Celosia plumosa
• Common name: Celosia
• Flower color: Orange
• Flower size: 5 inches
• Plant height: 9-11 inches
• Plant habit: Bushy
• Plant type: Annual
• Garden location: Full sun
• Garden spacing: 10-12 inches
• Length of time to bloom: 45-50 days from sowing seed, 20-25 days from transplant
• Closest comparisons on market: Fresh Look Orange, Ice Cream Orange
  

Pepper Quickfire F1

AAS Edible Winner

National Winner

Mighty, strong, hot and quick! What more might one want in a hot Thai type pepper? Quickfire peppers produce plenty of hot delicious fruits on a compact, sturdy plant that is perfect for container gardening. No staking is required. This pepper has tremendous ornamental value but was bred for its taste and yield. Culinary gardeners will definitely want to give this gem a try in their Thai and other Southeast Asian dishes where a little heat and kick give the meal some quick fire!

Bred by Tozer Seeds, Inc.

https://www.tozerseeds.com/

(Click link for order contact)

AAS^® Winner Data

• Genus species: Capsicum annuum
• Common name: Pepper
• Fruit size: 1.7 inches
• Fruit shape: Conical
• Color: Red
• Plant height: 6 inches
• Plant spread: 6 inches
• Plant habit: Compact
• Garden location: Full sun
• Garden spacing: 18 inches
• Length of time to harvest: 65 days from sowing seed, 50 days from transplant
• Closest comparisons on market: Hot Burrito
  

Torenia Summery Love Pure White F1

AAS Ornamental from Seed Winner

Regional Winner: Southeast, Mountain/Southwest

Summery Love Pure White is a new torenia variety that wowed the judges for its pure white coloration that sported larger blooms than the comparisons. This variety bloomed consistently over a long, wet, hot and humid summer and showed better vigor and health than other similar varieties that are currently available. “This [is a variety that] should be used in mass plantings for a great showing!” stated one judge. At only 8 inches tall, Summery Love maintains a compact plant over the season but has more branches and more flowers for a durable show of pure white color.

Bred by Known-You Seed America Corporation

knownyouseed.com

(Click link for order contact)

AAS^® Winner Data

• Genus species: Torenia fournieri
• Common name: Wishbone flower
• Flower color: Pure White  
• Foliage color: Green
• Flower size: 1.1 inches
• Plant height: 7-8 inches
• Plant habit: Compact
• Plant type: Annual
• Garden location: Full sun or shade
• Garden spacing: 7 inches
• Closest comparisons on market: Kaui White, Little Kiss White
  

Verbena Beats Purple+White

AAS Non-Seed Ornamental Winner

National Winner

Verbena Beats is an incredible new series of verbena that is an incredible plant that performs all summer long. The AAS Judges raved about how early to flower Purple+White was, making it a pollinator magnet all season long. The unique purple and white bicolor blooms maintain a nice, attention-getting pattern and thrives even during severe heat stress. A bonus is how Verbena Beats Purple+White is resistant to powdery mildew making it easier to grow and maintain for gardeners of all levels of experience.

Bred by Selecta One

www.selectanorthamerica.com

(Click link for order contact)

AAS^® Winner Data

• Genus species: Verbena cultivars
• Common name: Verbena/vervain
• Flower color: Purple/White/Pink
• Flower size: 2 inches
• Plant height: 6-8 inches
• Plant habit: Compact, Mounded/Spreading
• Plant type: Annual
• Garden location: Full sun
• Garden spacing: 10-12 inches
• Bloom time: Spring, Summer, Fall
• Closest comparisons on market: Vanessa Compact Rose Bicolor
  

Verbena bonariensis Vanity

AAS Ornamental from Seed Winner

National Winner

It’s not every day we see a new variety of a classic cottage garden plant but Vanity is one to wow! Not only does this type of verbena create a pollinator paradise in your garden, but also the compact habit makes it sturdier and easier to maintain. Deep blue/purple flowers are 1-1.5” across and continue to attract butterflies day in and day out. Vanity prides itself on performing well in hot dry conditions  while remaining a showy garden plant. Once you try Vanity, you will feel the same as the AAS judge who stated: “This entry was my favorite in all of this season’s entries!”

Bred by Van Hemert Seeds

https://www.vanhemertseeds.com/

(Click link for order contact)

AAS^® Winner Data

• Genus species: Verbena bonariensis
• Common name: Purpletop vervain
• Flower color: Purple blue
• Flower size: 1.5 inches
• Plant height: 30 inches
• Plant habit: Upright
• Plant type: Annual, Perennial in zones 7-10
• Garden location: Full or partial sun
• Garden spacing: 15 inches
• Length of time to bloom: 85 days from sowing seed, 30-40 days from transplant
• Closest comparisons on market: Finesse, Buenos Aires
  

Zinnia Queeny Lemon Peach

AAS Ornamental from Seed Winner

Regional Winner – Northeast, West /Northwest

Zinnia Queeny Lemon Peach is an easy-to-grow annual with vigorous, healthy plants  covered with stunning 2-4” blooms. The lemon-yellow bloom color with dark peach center is consistent across multiple plants, plus it’s a perfect height to use as a cut flower if you want to bring the beauty indoors. As the blooms age, they have a reverse fading habit that presents beautiful color shades that start as a bright lemon yellow, moving to a buff or light coral color. Another bonus is that the plants continue to bloom all summer without deadheading and stand up well in summer heat. This is sure to be a new member of your favorite garden royalty!

Bred by Hugo Dittmar

Distributed by Floragran B.V.

https://www.floragran.com/

(Click link for order contact)

AAS^® Winner Data

• Genus species: Zinnia elegans
• Common name: Zinnia
• Flower color: Lemon yellow
• Flower size: 2-4 inches
• Plant height: 18-24 inches
• Plant habit: Upright
• Plant type: Annual
• Garden location: Full sun
• Garden spacing: 10 inches
• Length of time to bloom: 70 days from sowing seed, 56 days from transplant
• Closest comparisons on market: Queeny Lime Orange, Swizzle Scarlet Yellow

All AAS Winners are marketed through social media, public relations and trade shows and are proudly grown in 195 AAS Display Gardens across North America. In addition, the AAS office creates and maintains a wide variety of marketing pieces and resources such as:

• Printable brochures.
• AAS Display Gardens.
• AAS Introduction Gardens.
• Wholesale Sources.
• PowerPoint Presentations on SlideShare or on the AAS website.
• AAS Benchcards and Variety Markers