My garden seed catalogs are arriving, and I am always happy when I find the All-America Selections (AAS) logo in a plant’s description. These plants have been vetted by the AAS, an independent nonprofit organization that tests new plants. They have about 80 test gardens from Alaska and Canada to California and Florida. They also have almost 200 display gardens all across the continent that are not used for judging but to show gardeners how well the plants grow locally.
The judges evaluate the plants all season long, not just an end of season harvest. Only the entries with the highest nationwide average score are considered to be worthy of a national AAS award. Some plants will do better in a hot, dry climate or a cool, humid region and wouldn’t win a national award, so the country is divided into six regions where a plant might win one or more regional awards.
