Plant these All-America Selections in 2011
I'm sitting here, garden catalogs in hand, thinking about the mess I called a garden last year and strategizing how to turn it all around for 2011. The past summer's drought decimated the lawn, helped along in no small part by the absence of supplemental irrigation. In autumn, I started a renovation of the front yard, relocating irises - German and Dutch, along with daylilies, phlox, liatris, Alliums, Montauk daisies, black-eyed Susans and purple coneflowers, ensuring that I'd have a completely barren landscape upon which to gaze over winter. There aren't even any "bones" left to speak of. Talk about depressing.
In March, phase 2 will involve filling the gaps with Knockout roses from the backyard, some relocated spireas and catmints, and replacing what's left of the ever-shrinking front lawn with woolly thyme But, until then, I'll have to be patient. Some garden columnists in my shoes would be waxing poetic about their dreams of spring, but I'm not dreaming: I'm downright jumping out of my skin.
So, with graph paper and my trusty eraser, I contemplate which plants will fill in the blanks and consider some of the 2011 All-America Selections. Every year, new plant introductions are tested by independent growers throughout North America in the quest to find the season's best offerings, which are honored with an AAS title. Seven of the year's best performers have been named already; you can expect to see them for sale at local nurseries and in catalogs this spring. (More winners will be announced later this month.)
Cool season winner: Ornamental kale Glamour Red F1
This is All-America Selections' first winning kale (edible or ornamental) in 78 years of trials. Glamour Red has unique, shiny, fringed leaves that are more vividly colored than other ornamental brassicas and a 10- to 12-inch head. Bred by Takii & Co.
Cool season winner: Viola Shangri-La Marina F1
This 6-inch-tall mounding Viola cornuta sports prolific 1 1/4-inch blooms that have light blue petals and a velvety dark blue face surrounded with a narrow white border. The vigorous frost-tolerant biennial provides a solid mat of fall color until covered with snow, and recovers nicely in spring. Grow in full sun as a low edging or in baskets and pots. Bred by Tokita Seed Co. Ltd.
Vegetable winner: Tomato Lizzano F1
Lizzano is the first late-blight-tolerant cherry-fruited semi-determinate variety on the market, a huge development in the wake of the scourge on Long Island in the past two growing seasons. For the uninitiated, "semi-determinate" tomato plants grow larger than determinate ones but not as rampant as indeterminates. Still, they need some staking in the garden, though they're well-suited to patio containers or hanging baskets. Expect one large crop all at once, and some sporadic fruit production until frost. Plants grow 16 to 20 inches tall with a 20-inch spread and promise abundant yields of bright red 1-inch fruits weighing about 0.4 ounces. Judges noted better eating quality, yield and plant habit than comparisons. Harvest begins 105 days from sowing seed or 63 days from transplant. Bred by Pro-Veg Seeds Ltd.
Vegetable winner: Pumpkin Hijinks F1
Small, uniform, 6- to 7-pound fruits with smooth, deep orange skin and distinctive grooves mature early and are ideal for painting and carving. They offer strong stems, high yields, easy harvesting and a notable resistance to mildew. Allow space for vines that spread up to 15 feet. Bred by Sakata Seed America Inc. Days to harvest: 100 days from sowing seed, 85 days from transplant.
Vegetable winner: Tomato Terenzo F1
This high-yielding, determinate red cherry-fruited bush tomato blooms prolifically on low-growing, trailing, plants. All determinate plants produce only one crop of tomatoes. This one has sweet-tasting fruit that's standard size for a cherry at about 1 1/4 inches and 0.7 ounces. Growing 16 to 20 inches tall, it's well-suited to hanging baskets or containers and is very easy to grow. Bred by Pro-Veg Seeds Ltd. 56 days from transplant to harvest.
Flower winner: Gaillardia Arizona Apricot
This Gaillardia x grandiflora has a new and unique apricot color for its class. The 3- to 3 1/2-inch daisylike flowers have yellow edges that deepen to a rich apricot in the center, and the plants bloom from early summer into autumn. They are compact and about a foot in height, with bright green foliage and a tidy uniform habit that makes them best suited for the front of the bed. Deadheading throughout the season encourages repeat blooming. Bred by Ernst Benary of America Inc.
Bedding plant winner: Salvia Summer Jewel Red
This annual Salvia coccinea was hailed for its early and generous flower blossoms, continuing from spring to autumn. Plus, each densely branched dwarf plant remains a tidy 20 inches tall. The half-inch red blooms are a magnet for hummingbirds and goldfinches. Use it in full-sun containers, mixed beds and borders. Bred by Takii & Co. Ltd. Length of time from sowing seed to flower: 50 days.
