Holy moly, was I ever surprised when I laid eyes on an announcement for the 2007 All-America Selections.
The last few years have seen numerous selections of flowers, bedding plants and vegetables, all of which must pass rigorous field testing around the country to make the cut.
This year, not so many. One flower, two bedding plants and one vegetable made the cut and are being recommended to gardeners. Who knows whether this is the result of weather changes making harder growing conditions or just a particularly tough crowd of judges.
The single flower winner is celosia "Fresh Look Gold." These plants look as fresh in September as they did when planted in spring. Fresh Look Gold plants are embellished with bright golden plumes that remain colorful all season, not "browning" with maturity. I hate when that happens.
The plumes remain attractive, and there is no reason to deadhead and no pest problems are expected, so Fresh Look Gold needs little maintenance in a sunny garden. It's a carefree annual useful in both formal and informal gardens. Fresh Look Gold proved to be heat, humidity and rain tolerant. Plants grow to a foot tall.
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Early flowering with a well-balanced plant form, Pacifica Burgundy Halo is recommended for spring or summer plantings. With proven heat and drought tolerance, performance of the plant is assured.
In a full-sun garden location, these vinca plants reach a foot tall and wide when mature. Due to growing ease and continuous flowering, Pacifica Burgundy Halo is suitable for any garden or patio planter that receives sun. Because vinca needs less water than other annuals, planting it in containers means fewer trips with the hose. Pacifica Burgundy Halo provides color all summer without pinching or tending to plant maintenance.
Petunia "Opera Supreme Pink Morn," the other bedding plant selection, has trailing, iridescent pink blooms with a silvery shine. The 21„2-inch flowers are pink, shading to creamy white in the center, with a yellow throat. These three colors on a bloom are named a "morn" type.
Plants continuously flower, and gardeners can relax and let the plants do what comes naturally — flower. The hybrids are capable of growing 3 feet in sunny locations. This spreading quality covers garden soil and chokes out weeds. Plants grow only 4 to 6 inches tall.
And now, the sole vegetable that was named as a selection in 2007: pepper "Holy Molé." It will provide a memorable harvest of peppers and the first hybrid pasilla-type pepper, which is used to make the famous mole sauce.
Holy Molé showed improved vigor, earliness and considerably higher yield than the comparisons in side-by-side trials. A reason for the higher yield is the virus resistances bred into the variety. It is resistant to two common viruses that stunt plants and reduce pepper production.
Immature green peppers are 7 to 9 inches long. If left on the plant, the fruit will mature to a dark chocolate color. The pepper flavor is nutty and tangy. Holy Molé is easily grown in a sunny location and thrives on summer heat. Mature plants are 3 feet tall.
Sams Valley gardener Joyce Schillen is author of "The Growing Season," a book on organic gardening. Her e-mail address is joyceschillen@msn.com.
