2005 All-America Selections Winners

All-America Selections plants chosen for an AAS Award have been extensively tested and have proven their superior performance at independent judging locations across North America. Each AAS Winner has a unique set of traits or qualities that set it apart from all others in the garden. The cultivar descriptions and photographs below were provided by All-America Selections. Additional information can be found on their Website at
www.all-americaselections.org. AAS also helps gardeners find retail stores offering award-winning seeds and plants.

Gaillardia aristata 'Arizona Sun' Flower Award Winner
This 'Arizona sun' is red and yellow. Each three-inch single flower is mahogany red with bright yellow petal edges. The bright colors are similar to the desert sun in Arizona. Like many annuals, plants produce flowers continuously. Even the spent blooms are attractive as tufts of seed. When grown in a full-sun garden, Arizona Sun is a compact plant reaching only eight to 10 inches tall, spreading about 10 to 12 inches. Gaillardia aristata a.k.a. blanket flower, is native to the Great Plains and usually considered a perennial. Arizona sun performed as an exceptional plant the first year grown from seed. This AAS Winner may over-winter, depending upon the severity of winter. Arizona sun flowers can be cut and used for summer bouquets. They may attract butterflies to the garden in search of nectar.

Vinca 'First Kiss Blueberry' Flower Award Winner
The first blue-flowered Catharanthus rosea is an AAS Winner named 'first kiss blueberry.' The large two-inch single blooms have a darker eye which accentuates the violet blue color. For decades breeders have been diligently working towards a blue vinca. Now first kiss blueberry fills the color void. Gardeners will look for first kiss blueberry plants to add to their collection. Proven to be heat and drought tolerant, mature plants will be about 11 inches tall and spread 16 inches, given adequate growing conditions. Easy to grow from plants, first kiss blueberry can be grown in patio containers or combination planters.

Zinnia F1 'Magellan Coral' Flower Award Winner
'Magellan coral' blooms are radiant. They illuminate the garden. The fully double, dahlia flowered five - to six-inch blooms gleam with brilliant coral petals. The flower quality and color are superior to other zinnia elegans. In addition to the color, Magellan coral plants are brimming with luminous blooms. Consistent flower production is an improved quality. Earliness to bloom is another exceptional trait. From sowing seed to first bloom requires only six to nine weeks. Mature zinnia plants will reach about 15 to 17 inches tall and spread 15 to 19 inches, depending upon growing conditions. Like all zinnias, Magellan coral will perform best in a full-sun growing location. This AAS Winner is adaptable to container culture. In the garden, Magellan coral is undemanding, needing little maintenance.

Eggplant F1 'Fairy Tale' Vegetable Award Winner
'Fairy tale' is a petite plant with decorative miniature eggplants. The fruit appearance is as luscious as the taste. Fairy tale eggplants are white with violet/purple stripes. The fruit are sweet, nonbitter, with a tender skin and few seeds. Another superior quality is the window for harvest. The elongated oval eggplants can be picked when quite small at one to two ounces or they can be left on the plant until double the weight, and the flavor and tenderness remain. Fairy tale eggplants are recommended for marinating and grilling whole. The harvest can begin in just 49 to 51 days from transplanting. The petite plant reaches only 2.5 feet tall and wide, perfect for container gardening. An eggplant has not won an AAS award since 1939, so fairy tale is truly an exceptional new variety.

Winter Squash F1 'Bonbon' Vegetable Award Winner
'Bonbon' is a Cucurbita maxima with three improved traits. They are restricted habit, earliness and superior eating qualities. Bonbon has an upright, semi-bush habit needing less garden space. Mature vines spread about eight feet. When bonbon plants are transplanted into a full-sun garden, look for ripe fruit within 81 days; a full week earlier than other varieties. Bonbon squash has thick orange flesh and when cooked delivers sweet flavor (hence the name bonbon) and creamy texture loaded with vitamin A. The "boxy" shaped dark green squash is painted with silver stripes and weighs about four pounds. Easy to grow, bonbon is not highly susceptible to diseases and is adaptable to any location where squash is grown.

Tomato F1 'Sugary' Vegetable Award Winner
'Sugary.' The name says it all. Judges raved about the sweet tomato flavor. The half-ounce dark pink fruit has a sugar content of 9.5 percent, higher than most others. The fruit is produced in clusters like grapes and can be eaten like them. Sugary tomatoes have a distinct shape; they are oval with a pointed blossom end. In addition to the Flavor, sugary plants produced a high yield with a noticeable lack of cracked fruit. Look for ripe fruit on the strong semi-indeterminate vines within 60 days from transplanting into warm, prepared garden soil or large containers. Plants are vigorous and may need pruning to contain growth. Sugary should set a new standard for "cherry" size tomatoes with sweet flavor.