ArcaMax

The AAS testing program is 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.

Last week, we covered the vegetables, and this week we cover the ornamental flowering plant winners.

The species Coreopsis grandiflora has the unfortunate common name of large-flowered tickseed. It is a perennial native to the eastern half of North America. The new variety, SunGlobe, is better than the native plants because it blooms from late spring until fall. At a little over a foot tall, it is about half the size of the native plants. The 2-inch-wide flowers are golden yellow. They should be deadheaded after blooming to help prevent seeds from spreading in the garden. If you have a slightly dry and sunny location, this plant will attract a lot of butterflies.

Another 1-foot-tall perennial plant that attracts butterflies is a hybrid between two species of Dianthus. Supra Cherry Picotee has flowers with cherry red centers and pink edges. It needs full to part sun, and it is heat and drought resistant. It can grow in the garden or in containers for flowers from late spring until frost.

For the first time in AAS history, a plant has won a gold medal in both the vegetable and flowering plant categories. Kale Rubybor is not just another pretty kale; it tastes good, too. The very ruffled leaves start out purple, turn a frosty light blue and eventually mature into a dark purple. The plants maintain a dense bushy shape that makes it a great ornamental plant in a container, or several planted together can have a big impact in landscape beds. Most ornamental kale varieties are bitter, but Rubybor is tender and not bitter. Because it can take the heat, it can be planted in the spring and harvested from spring until fall.

Rudbeckia hirta is an annual black-eyed Susan native to all over North America. Claire Orange has 3-inch flowers on a compact 12-inch plant. It blooms from spring to fall. It needs full sun, and it is helpful to deadhead the spent flowers to promote more blooms.

Spectacular is a new variety of Sedum spectabile, which is most known for the variety Autumn Joy. Spectacular may replace Autumn Joy because it has sturdy stems that don't flop over like Autumn Joy. The 3-inch pink flower clusters bloom in the fall. It needs full sun, and the soil can dry out a bit.

Many Zinnia plants grow tall, but Profusion Double White has 3-inch flowers on a 14-inch-tall plant. This annual plant will have white flowers all summer long, even in full sun, where many white flowering plants wilt. It is also more disease resistant than many other zinnias.

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Email questions to Jeff Rugg at info@greenerview.com. To find out more about Jeff Rugg and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Copyright 2026 Jeff Rugg. Distributed By Creators.