Downers Grove, Illinois, USA
August 17, 2010
In an annual tradition for almost 20 years, All-America Selections (AAS) hosted their annual Summer Meeting August 4-6 in Chicago, Illinois. This event is an opportunity for breeders, brokers/distributors, mail order seed companies, seed packet companies, growers, retailers and AAS Trial Judges to network and learn more about recent AAS Winners as well as varieties currently undergoing trialing. This year the group spent one day in the city of Chicago visiting an AAS Display Garden at Garfield Park Conservatory, City Escape Garden Center, the prairie-style Lurie Garden at Millennium Park and the vegetable gardens grown by Growing Power as part of the Chicago Park District's gardens in Grant Park. The second day of tours saw the group visiting a local farmer's market in Glen Ellyn, IL, visiting the AAS Trials at L&M Greenhouses in St. Charles, IL, seeing the American Garden Award display at Cantigny Gardens and wrapping up the day viewing the gardens at Ball Horticultural Company.
An annual highlight of the AAS Summer Meeting is the Awards Banquet, held this year on Thursday night, where two prestigious horticulture industry awards are presented.
The AAS Breeders Cup Award was designed to recognize a person who dramatically influenced horticulture by breeding new cultivars that brought significant improvement to those classes. In 2004, it was established that, each year, AAS would alternate the award between a flower and vegetable breeder.
The AAS office is very proud to announce that the 2010 Breeders Cup Award recipient is Todd Perkins (photo), flower breeder for nearly 25 years at Syngenta Flowers, formerly Goldsmith Seeds. Todd's breeding work includes, but is not limited to: Aquilegia 'Origami', Cleome 'Sparkler', Viola 'Penny', Zinnia "Swizzle', 'Magellan', and 'Zowie!', Rudbeckia 'Tiger Eye', Pansy "Mammoth', Angelonia, 'Carita', Coreopsis 'Cory' and Salvia 'Velocity'. In graciously accepting this honor, Todd offers this: “I am truly honored to be recognized by the members of my professional community. I can’t accept this award, however, without acknowledging the people who have influenced my career: Lowell Ewart, for introducing me to this amazing profession. Glenn Goldsmith, for inviting me to join his team and encouraging me to dream big. The incredible team which was Goldsmith Seeds, who never met a challenge too big or an idea too extreme that they couldn’t take it on."
The second award of the evening was the equally prestigious AAS Medallion of Honor, an award designed to recognize someone with a lifelong dedication to advancement in the field of horticulture.
The AAS office is especially honored to announce that recently retired Executive Director, Nona Koivula (photo, left), is the 2010 recipient. In Nona's 25+ year career as the leader of both All-America Selections and National Garden Bureau, she put in endless hours promoting the two organizations and building secure relationships with a large group of consumer garden writers. Accomplishments of special note are the Medal of Excellence from Greenhouse Grower magazine in 2004 and the 2005 Wilfred J. Jung “Distinguished Service Award in the Field of Horticulture”from the Garden Writers Association. When asked how it felt to be the recipient of an award she herself had presented numerous times, Nona responded, "I am deeply grateful for this recognition and the opportunity to serve as Executive Director of AAS for 25 years."
We salute both Todd and Nona for their dedication and passion for everything horticulture.
The 2011 AAS Summer Meeting will be held at the Hyatt Regency Monterey in Monterey, California August 10-12. Please e-mail the AAS office for more information.
(www.all-americaselections.org) All-America Selections was founded in 1932 and continues as the oldest independent plant testing organization in North America. Every year, never-before-sold varieties are trialed in our Trial Grounds where professional horticulturists determine which varieties will be deemed winners based on their garden performance. AAS relies upon a public relations program to inform gardeners about AAS Winners that are announced three times a year.
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