2024 AAS Winners

Here are the winners of the AAS 2024:

• Broccoli Purple Magic F1
• Broccoli Skytree F1
• Pepper Red Impact F1
• Celosia Burning Embers
• Geranium Big EEZE Pink Batik
• Impatiens interspecific Solarscape® XL Pink Jewel F1
• Marigold Siam Gold F1
• Petchoa EnViva™ Pink
• Petunia Sure Shot™ White
• Verbena Sweetheart Kisses

Broccoli Purple Magic F1

This purple broccoli is magical! How else do you explain a broccoli that has it all? From its beautiful purple color, tight uniform heads and bright beads to its great broccoli flavor, this easy to grow broccoli is also stress and heat tolerant. A showstopper.

“Wicked good! Nicest purple broccoli we’ve ever seen” exclaimed one very experienced edible judge.

Excellent broccoli to try growing in cooler seasons. Can be eaten raw, stir-fried, roasted, lightly blanched, or steamed for the best texture, either way, you will find it sweeter and more tender than traditional green broccoli.

Growing tips

Start transplants indoors 12 weeks before your first frost date. Keep seeds warm (70 F, 21 C) until they sprout then move to a sunny location. Plant into well-worked soil 5 weeks before the last spring frost. Water well, plants should not dry out or wilt. Harvest primary head after about 90 days after transplant. Continue to care for the plants to encourage smaller side shoot heads.

Judges’ comments

• Entry heads were tight. Beautiful purple color extended throughout heads and stems. Entry had a true strong (in a good way) broccoli flavor.
• Nice, sweet flavor, good purple color. Definitely would grow this at home.
• Excellent deep purple color on the head and leaves. Very uniform heads. Large heads. Tight beads.
• Loved how this entry was purple from plant to head. Nice field holding and good taste.
• Wicked good. The nicest purple I’ve ever seen, ever. Purple head, nice dome. Purply stem and florets. Big plant matured uniformly. Excellent purple color.

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Broccoli Skytree F1

Skytree broccoli is a towering AAS Winner that will take your garden and your taste buds to new heights. Its upright stems make it easy to harvest, and its deliciously tender stems and florets are sure to please even the most discerning broccoli lover.

One judge declared, “A truly fresh punch of wonderful broccoli deliciousness!” Skytree broccoli is very versatile and can be steamed, roasted, stir-fried and eaten raw. No matter how you choose to enjoy it, Skytree broccoli is sure to be a hit with your family and friends. So, reach for the sky and plant some Skytree broccoli in your garden today!

Judges’ comments

• Easy to harvest, performed well under adverse weather conditions. The flavor of the stem is sweet as claimed.
• Nice salad bar type. Nice juicy stalks even in the heat. Tender. Mid-maturing as to comparisons.
• Heads are more compact and plants are very uniform.
• Excellent head. Tall plant for ease of harvest. Very early to mature.
• Entry had one 3″-4″ (7-10 cm)central head standing up taller than the side shoots. It was the tallest of all 5 broccolis in the trial. The heads were easy to harvest, and the long shoots were tender and easy to cook. The flavor had significantly more true broccoli taste and packed a truly fresh broccoli punch.

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Pepper Red Impact F1

Lamuyo-type peppers are notoriously difficult to grow, but the new Red Impact variety is here to change that. This AAS Winning pepper is easy to grow and produces thick, sweet walls, even when green. It is also much sweeter than other varieties and loaded with fruits for a high yielding gem. Red Impact plants are upright and tidy, with a strong disease package that protects your investment. The fruit is dark red, highly uniform in shape and size, and if you are looking for a delicious and easy-to-grow pepper, Red Impact is the perfect choice for you.

Growing tips

Benefit from being staked

Judges’ comments

• “The entry fruits were large, about 8″ (20 cm) long, and mostly straight”
• “Lots of fruit production”
• “Entry did have HUGE fruits compared to the comparisons, which made harvest easier (easy to see a 6″ (15 cm) bright red pepper!)”
• “Good flavor makes this a multi-purpose pepper for your garden”
• “The sheer size of these peppers is astonishing. They are literally almost 100% larger than the others, volumetrically speaking. Insanity”

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Celosia Burning Embers

Burning Embers is a new celosia bred for its gorgeous bronze foliage with dark pink veins that contrast nicely with the vibrant pink flower plumes. Plants are well-branched and produce more flowers over a longer bloom time. Numerous AAS Judges commented that this entry had the largest and longest-lasting flowers of all the celosia varieties they trialed. Plus, Burning Embers does very well in both heat and humidity while remaining completely covered with blooms that withstood the test of time.

Growing tips

Sowing temp: 77F – 86F
Transplanting size: 3-4 inch (7-10 cm)
Transplant 25 days after germination

Judges’ comments

• A great number of flowers are held above the gorgeous bronze foliage. Plants are well-branched and have sturdy stems. Long bloom time. Bees love it!
• Enjoyed everything about this variety, long blooming.. tolerated all the weird weather conditions I had from frost to cold wet spring to hot dry summer.
• Specimen sports good bloom coverage and high count. The intense red color is better than the comparison. Very easy to grow and heat/drought tolerant.
• Nice bright color! Dark bronze foliage and rich red plumes. Plants still looking nice and holding color into our fall.
• Overall, a great performer in the container kept blooming into the heat of summer.

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Geranium Big EEZE Pink Batik

The Big EEZE geranium series is known for its superior container performance, medium vigor, and heat tolerance. The newest addition to the series, Pink Batik, is an AAS National Winner that is sure to impress gardeners with its unique coloration and minimal maintenance requirements. Batiking is known for being a labor-intensive way to produce beautiful colorations on fabric but this new geranium is a super “EEZE” way to get stunning petal colors on a very floriferous plant with very little effort needed. Says one judge: “The combined flower output of all our entry plants totaled well over 100 blooms and each one was the same size with an equal amount of pink and white striations.” That sounds like multiple-winner qualities!

Judges’ comments

• This trial does have a beautiful bloom and did perform better than I expected with it being in full sun (~10h) during our 10 weeks of 105F+ heat (40C)
• The mosaic-style flower is gorgeous! It is even present on the flower buds, which provides great interest.
• Great flower power! Unique color. No disease issues noted.
• This geranium performed like a champ all summer long. The flower color was unique and flower heads were large. Foliage color was complementary to the flower color.
• What a beautiful geranium! The mosaic blooms were absolutely beautiful and plentiful. We did occasionally see a solid petal but I don’t think this took away from the plant at all. The heat tolerance was excellent, as many other geraniums in our trials died much earlier.

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Impatiens interspecific Solarscape® XL Pink Jewel F1

Solarscape seed-propagated impatiens provide unbeatable color in full or partial-sun garden areas. Durable Solarscape outperformed the comparison varieties and because it is grown from seed, it gives you more options for starting impatiens at home. Vibrant pink satiny blooms cover the mounded plants non-stop all season, adding a bright and pleasing tropical appeal to the garden. Solarscape XL Pink Jewel has superior disease resistance, especially to the dreaded impatiens downy mildew. Looks great when massed in beds and borders and since it was trialed in both containers and in-ground, we know it does well in both. Try Solarscape for a showy display in your garden!

Growing tips

Ideal for garden beds and containers. Thrives in full sun to part shade conditions. Water often to establish; once plants are established, medium watering is needed. Plants will take on substantial vigor as the season goes on and will embrace community behavior when planted in massing.

Judges’ comments

• The flowers on the entry plants are a beautiful color and have a nice pearlescent sheen that catches the eye from a distance.
• The entry has many more flowers.
• Strong flowering, good bloom size, nice habit.
• Spectacular all season, full of blooms with a great habit.
• This entry has an extremely high amount of flowers and the form is perfect in a container.

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Marigold Siam Gold F1

Growing this marigold in your garden is like taking a trot around the globe! Named for a former country located halfway across the world, Siam Gold has beautiful, mounded foliage that produces globe-like, fully double golden flowers all season long. The large flowers are held on top of sturdy stems and above the foliage for full color visibility making a striking focal point in the garden. Blooms were very tight and held up all summer long. The uniformity of the plant gives a neat, tidy appearance in the garden. Siam Gold is excellent for cut flowers but no staking is needed. Try this beauty for a staycation where no travel is needed!

Growing tips

Growing marigolds from seeds is a fairly easy process, they can be sown right into your containers! Seeds should be sown when the weather has officially warmed up for the year. Sow the seeds into your container when night temperatures are fairly warm. If night temperatures dip below 50, your seeds will take longer to germinate or may not ever germinate. Seeds will take a couple of weeks to germinate, so keep this in mind if you are wanting to add other flowers to the same pot.

If you live in a climate where a chance of frost is still possible in the spring, be sure to bring your pots in overnight or cover them with a frost cloth to protect them from freezing temperatures.

To transplant, create a hole in your container where the marigold will go. Simply remove the nursery container from the plant and set it aside. Gently loosen the roots up on the plant, this will help it establish once planted. Set the plant into the hole, and fill around the root ball – the soil line should be level with the container when it’s all said and done. You don’t want to plant too deeply, as this could cause the stem to rot. Planting not deep enough may hinder the roots from adapting to the new soil.

Choosing a Location – Marigolds grow best in full sun and being in a location that receives shade can hinder them from blooming or make your plants leggy.
Maintenance

Marigolds are low-maintenance plants once established. They will benefit from frequent deadheading and a consistent watering routine.

Judges’ comments

• “Mounded and very dense foliage. Flowers still blooming and cover the top of the plant nicely. Easy to grow.”
• “Bright fresh golden-yellow flowers are large-~ 2-2.5” (5-7 cm) across.”
• “Excellent cut flower. Well-branched, long-stemmed. Blooms hold well. Lots of buds.”
• “Continuous blooms! The plant was covered with blooms all summer. I really liked the mounded growth habit and size of this plant.”
• “Blooms were tight and held up well for summer.”

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Petchoa EnViva™ Pink

AAS Judges were wowed by the well-controlled mounding plant habit of EnViva Pink over the entire season. The bright pink flower with a yellow throat is very eye-catching… “Absolutely stunning!” according to one judge. The flowers have a nice iridescent shimmer that toughed it out even when conditions got tough, like an irrigation system failure! All season long, EnViva stayed in glorious color even during the heat of the summer. Large flowers bloom from Spring through Fall in garden beds, containers, and hanging baskets. Plants are heat tolerant and flowers bounce back after rain.

Growing tips

Large flowers bloom Spring through Fall in garden beds, containers, and hanging baskets. Plants are heat tolerant and flowers bounce back after rain. Plant in full sun, and water normally.

Judges’ comments

• A strong, mounding plant with better architecture than comparisons.
• Bright pink flowers with yellow throat are eye-catching.
• Trial has an awesome bright hot pink color that contrasts really well with yellow throat. It was nice and uniform.
• The entry lived up to the breeder’s claims and definitely had a controlled growth habit. After we refertilized, the entry reflowered to fill in any empty spaces.
• ABSOLUTELY STUNNING! This trial exceeded all expectations and I cannot speak highly enough about it.

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Petunia Sure Shot™ White

The versatile SureShot petunias are garden gladiators that can withstand any bizarre weather conditions. Whether you plant them in garden beds, containers, or hanging baskets, these beauties will thrive, come rain or shine, heat or cold. Their vibrant white blooms cover the plants, attracting bees and other pollinators to their lightly fragrant blossoms. SureShots are a “sure bet” for any garden, and they’re sure to turn heads with their stunning display of color.

If you’re looking for a petunia that can handle anything your garden throws at it, then SureShots are the perfect choice for you. Plant them today and watch as they transform your garden into a show-stopping oasis!

Growing tips

Add a little zest to your container and hanging basket! Water and fertilize regularly for optimal performance and flower power!

Judges’ comments

• This petunia has been covered with snow-white blooms through adverse summer conditions and is still going strong.
• The entry filled in well and stayed uniform all season.
• The entry in this trial had consistently high bloom counts throughout the season.
• Looked great all season long. Healthy plants had consistent blooms.
• The flower color is clear and bright for the whole season. Performance is stronger than the comparison yet controlled and tidy.

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Verbena Sweetheart Kisses

Kiss your summer worries goodbye with Sweetheart Kisses Verbena! This low-growing wonder, praised by AAS judges for its vibrant red, rose, pink, and a hint of white blooms, adds instant charm to any garden. Delicate, airy foliage (tenuisecta means “thinly cut”) forms a soft cushion, setting the stage for an explosion of color that lasts all season long. Sweetheart Kisses thrives in sun-drenched days and dry spells. Plant this versatile plant in the ground, let it grow as a stunning groundcover, or fill your containers with its cheerful blooms. And the best part? Sweetheart Kisses is a breeze to grow!

Start from seed and in just 55 days, your garden will be buzzing with butterflies and bees, all drawn to its irresistible nectar. So, give your garden a kiss of summer magic with ‘Sweetheart Kisses’ Verbena. It’s easy, eye-catching, and loved by pollinators— what more could you ask for?

Growing Tips

Sweetheart Kisses can be started indoors or directly sown in the garden.
Indoors: Sow seeds five weeks before planting outdoors. Transplant after the last frost.
Outdoors: Sow seeds in spring after the last frost. In mild climates, seeds can be planted in the fall.
Seed Depth: ¼ inch, lightly cover seed
Plant Spacing: 12 inches (30 cm)
Days to germinate: 7-12 days

Judges’ comments

• Tight upright uniform habit, holding muti-colored bright blooms.
• Nice variety of colors during the season. Compact plants, nicely branched.
• There is a nice mix of white and pink blooms. Trial has done well through our hot and dry summer.
• The flower color variation is stunning!
• Very fast and full growth, nice color.