2005 Year in Review

2005 All America Winners

Magellan Coral Zinnia

First Kiss Blueberry Vinca

Arizona Sun

Sugary Tomato

Fairy Tale Eggplant

Bonbon Squash

Three flowers and three vegetables were chosen as All America Selection (AAS) winners for 2005. Winners are selected after intense evaluation at Trial gardens throughout the United States. Winners are awarded for displaying unique qualities such as early flowering, a different color, plant shape and size, or disease and insect resistance. Over the past years, new colors and plant sizes have been the hallmark of many winners. This year is no exception.

“Magellan Coral” zinnia is a brilliant coral double zinnia, having twice the number of petals as a traditional zinnia. Flowers are 4 to 6 inches in diameter on 12 to 16-inch plants. Plants are easily started from seed, though transplants will no doubt be available. Use this zinnia in containers or planted directly in the ground.

Blue is one of the rarer colors in the garden, and Vinca “First Kiss Blueberry” comes the closest of any vincas to this color. Flowers can best be described as blue-violet with a darker center, perched on dark green foliage. Vincas are excellent container plants as they thrive in hot, dry conditions.

Gaillardia or Indian Blanket Flowers are native to the Midwest, adapting easily to summer’s heat and dry conditions. “Arizona Sun” is a dwarf cultivar with uniform flower colors of red centers with yellowish-orange petals. Butterflies are attracted to the plants. Plants are no more than 10 inches tall covered with 2 to 3-inch flowers.

Everyone likes tomatoes and “Sugary” tomato should be no exception. It’s a small rosy-pink tomato that you can just pop in your mouth or put on salads. Tomatoes look like a cross between the old-fashioned cherry tomatoes and the new grape-types with a pointed end. While the fruit is small, the plants can reach six feet in height and continually produce all summer.

“Fairy Tale” eggplant is great for container gardens or tucked into a small place in the flower garden. Eggplants are lavender-purple with white streaks, approximately an inch or two in diameter and six inches long at the ideal picking stage. Like Vinca, these dwarf eggplants prefer warm conditions and should be planted out after Mother’s Day.

“Bonbon” is a string-less orange-fleshed winter squash, thriving in summer’s heat. These “buttercup” squashes are definitely not for the space-challenged as they will spread 6 to 8 feet, but they are slightly shorter than typical varieties. They are easily grown from seed, starting outdoors in hills in May.

Gardeners can find most of the 2005 AAS winners in garden catalogs or at many garden centers in the spring. Whey buying plants choose those that are short, stocky and free of pests.

When starting seeds indoors, make sure to provide plenty of light. Seedlings prefer warm day temperatures of 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, but cool night temperatures in the mid to upper 50s.

by  Editor, theCity1.com
February 18, 2005