USA
November 14, 2018
Begonia Viking™ XL Red on Chocolate F1
AAS Ornamental Seed Winner
National Winner
Bred by Sakata Seed Corporation
http://sakataornamentals.com
A brand new begonia with large, uniquely colored dark leaves has arrived! Judges were impressed with how the deep bronze/brown color remained sharp and intense throughout the season, no matter where they were located; north, south, east or west. The color tones shine through to give a stunning garden appearance. Covered with vibrant red flowers, the compact plant retains its shape well and does not become rangy. “Given the options, I would choose this variety for my landscape beds.” states a judge who plans beds for a public garden. “This year's weather seemed unusually conducive to disease on large-leaf begonias but none of these plants were affected” states another judge. These extra-large (XL) mounded plants are perfect in both landscapes and containers.
Marigold Big Duck Gold F1
AAS Ornamental Seed Winner
National Winner
Bred by Ameriseed
http://www.ameriseed.net/
QUACK! There’s a new marigold in the pond! Big Duck Gold sports very large golden-yellow flowers that continue blooming throughout the season, much longer than the comparisons. These marigolds begin the season putting energy into establishing a solid, healthy plant with clean, deep-green foliage. Then, when it starts blooming, watch out! Full, “plump” blooms top the 15” plants (which are slightly taller than the more compact comparison varieties) and continue blooming through the end of the season. You’ll want to use these marigolds everywhere: in beds and containers; in landscapes as mini hedges, back of the border plants, or even as filler in new perennial beds.
Nasturtium Baby Rose F1
AAS Ornamental Seed Winner
Regional Winner – Northeast, Heartland, Mountain/Southwest
Bred by Takii Europe BV
https://www.takii.eu/
Exciting news! The last nasturtium AAS Winner was back in the early days, in the 1930’s. Now it’s time to introduce a wonderful rose colored nasturtium perfect for today’s gardens. Baby Rose is a petite-flowered, mounding variety with healthy, dark foliage ideal for containers and small space gardens. AAS’ expert judges praised the uniformly compact plants that sported flowers with consistent coloration. Their compact habit means less “flower flopping” with their blooms remaining upright throughout the season. The rose color is uncommon in nasturtiums, and contrasts beautifully with the dark-green foliage. Bonus: both the leaves and flowers are edible!
Growers will find this variety to be an excellent addition to their potted plant programs.
Pepper Just Sweet F1
AAS 2018 Edible Winner
National Winner
Bred by Seminis Home Garden
www.seminis-us.com
A unique snacking pepper with four lobes like a larger bell pepper, only smaller. Not only are the 3 inch fruits deliciously sweet with nice thick walls but the plants are vigorous growers (up to 36 inches tall and 15 inches wide) that don't need to be staked because they've been bred to have a strong bushy habit. Many judges conduct consumer taste tests and reported back that this pepper won those tests, hands down. The Just Sweet peppers are exceptionally bright, shiny and a vivid yellow color with a flavor described as sweet with aromatic accents. Great lunchbox item for kids!
Petunia Wave® Carmine Velour F1
AAS Ornamental Seed Winner
National Winner
Bred by PanAmerican Seed
www.panamseed.com
This newest color of the popular Wave® petunias was one of the highest scoring plants in the 2018 trials! AAS judges enthusiastically came up with an array of ways to describe the unique carmine rose color: “Fabulous,” “Stunning,” “Intense,” “Vibrant,” “Lively,” “Bright,” “Non-fading,” “Outstanding,” “Bright colors regardless of clouds or sun,” “Tough competition but this entry shined through,” and so on. You get the picture; the judges loved this entry! Large 2-2.5 inch flowers literally cover the easy-care spreading plants that rarely need deadheading because new blooms continuously pop-up and cover the spent blooms. Wave® is an excellent landscape performer and does equally as well in containers or hanging baskets as it does in the landscape.
Tomato Chef’s Choice Black F1
AAS 2018 Edible Winner
Regional Winner – Southeast, Mountain/Southwest and West/Northwest
Bred by Seeds By Design Inc.
https://www.seedsbydesign.com/
And now there are six! This variety is the sixth color variation in the popular Chef’s Choice tomato series. Chef’s Choice Black is a beefsteak type tomato with a dark green/brown/black hue. AAS Judges reported vigorous, healthy plants with clean and uniform fruits that were early to set and had a meaty interior with great flavor. This hybrid boasts a prolific yield of 8-ounce fruits grown on strong, 5-foot indeterminate vines. You’ll harvest 30 or more blemish-free fruits throughout the season from this disease-resistant plant with dark green leaves and well-behaved form. Grow the whole Chef’s Choice series for a beautiful and unusually colorful tomato salad!
Tomato Fire Fly F1
AAS 2019 Edible Winner
National Winner
Bred by Seeds By Design Inc.
https://www.seedsbydesign.com/
Similar to the Goldilocks story, this adorable newcomer is not as small as a currant tomato and not as large as a cherry tomato, but is a “just right” in-between size. The fruits produced are super sweet pale white to pale yellow round fruits less than 1 inch in size and weigh about 1/2 oz. Delicate, translucent skins offer a mild acid flavor that enhances the sweet taste. They’re small juicy fruits exploding with flavor, perfect for snacking and in salads. Indeterminate plants must be staked or caged as they grow upward to 5-6 feet and have good disease resistance.
Tomato Red Torch F1
AAS 2019 Edible Winner
National Winner
Bred by A. P. Whaley Seed
https://awhaley.com/
Red Torch is a striped oblong tomato with 1.5” long fruits that weigh about 1.5 ounces. This hybrid is a very prolific early-season producer. The combination of excellent flavor, great texture and high yields make this hybrid better than other varieties in the trendy niche market of striped tomatoes. Plants have been bred with excellent tolerance to environmental stresses like heat and harsh growing conditions. Fruits are borne on indeterminate vines that grow 5-6’ tall and ripen 60-70 days from transplanting. Judges were pleased with both the earliness and yield of this variety in addition to the unique skin coloration.
Tomato Sparky XSL F1
AAS 2019 Edible Winner
Regional Winner – (Heartland)
Bred by A. P. Whaley Seed
https://awhaley.com/
Sparky is one of the few X-tended Shelf Life (XSL) cherry tomatoes available to home gardeners. Sparky brags about being early to mature, prolific and very flavorful. Fruits are well suited for market growers and produce a large amount of usable fruits per plant. You’ll enjoy gardening with these plants that have excellent tolerance to environmental stresses like heat and harsh growing conditions. Very sweet fruits have an average Brix score of 8.5. Round fruits weigh 1 ounce and are 1inch in diameter. Indeterminate 5-6’ plants produce fruits 60-70 days from transplant.
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