All-America selections

It's fun to try out new kinds of plants in the garden each year. Some I have good luck with, others not so much. My odds of success might go up if I choose seeds with an All America Selections, or AAS, designation on the packet label. 

Diane Blazek is the executive director of AAS, and says consider the designation a stamp of approval.
  
"Our tag line is tested nationally and proven locally. It has been tested and trialed by professional horticulturists so they know what they're looking for," says Blazek. "Unlike maybe other new varieties, and I'm not saying all are like this, but you never know if something has really been tested, and did it perform? Most companies will do their own trials, but this means that it's been tested in at least 30-places throughout North America."

AAS conducts trials for vegetables and flowers. Blazek says only new varieties grown from seed are tested.  

Each year, plant breeders submit new varieties for testing. The judges grow and analyze each entry on criteria such as disease and pest tolerance, novelty in form or flavor, yield, and overall garden performance. 

"Does it survive, does it thrive, is it different, is it better, because we grow them next to comparisons? Usually there's at least two, sometimes three comparisons," she says. "So, you're looking at a zinnia side-by-side to a current zinnia that's already on the market that is a great performer, so our entries have to perform better than the ones that are currently on the market in order to become an AAS winner."

Once a plant is given the AAS designation, it will keep it forever. The winning plants date back to the 1930’s.