The Perfect Plant

Add a wow factor to your space with award-winners from All-America Selections. They’re designed, tried and tested to make your garden pop.

- Heather Ray

THINK OF YOUR IDEAL PLANT. How would you describe it? Would it bloom sooner, yield more fruit, grow taller or stay shorter? Today, seed breeders have the tools and know-how to strive for botanic perfection, bringing out the full potential of any given variety. “It’s all about accumulating good genes for specific traits and then inbreeding until the variety is consistently uniform or true to type from seed,” says Paul Readly, seed breeder for American Takii Inc. in Salinas, California. His Summer Jewel Lavender salvia won a 2016 All-America Selection (AAS) award.

Because seeds can take up to 10 years to perfect, receiving the AAS designation is something Paul is very proud of. “AAS winners truly run the gantlet and emerge as superior plants for any garden in North America,” he says. The designation is considered the highest seal of garden performance approval in the United States.

How AAS Trials Work