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As the weather warms and the
snows recede, it’s time for me to dive into the plethora of seed and
plant catalogs and magazines that have arrived at my doorstep. Yes,
spring is here, and this is the time to plan new additions to this
year’s garden. Since my plant wish list usually outstrips my
wallet’s capacity, I’ll have to discriminate when it comes to
choosing new things to try, but how? One way to filter through the new
varieties is to look for ones the professionals liked — the
award-winners.
I called Nona Koivula, executive
director of All-America Selections, a non-profit organization that for
more than 70 years has been growing, evaluating and awarding honors to
outstanding new vegetable and flower varieties. The trial grounds are
located around the country, and the evaluators are professional
horticulturists. 
“These
AAS-winning varieties have stood the test of weather, soil and pests in
a variety of locations around the country,” says Koivula
·
‘Zowie!
Yellow Flame’ zinnia. Which 2006 winners have Koivula
excited? “‘Zowie! Yellow Flame’ zinnia is an outstanding new
variety. It is a bi-color, with large, brilliant red centers and yellow
petal flowers. ‘Zowie! Yellow Flame’ is a free-flowering, vigorous
plant that’s perfect for cutting,” she says.
·
‘Black
Pearl
’ ornamental pepper. Another beauty is ‘Black
Pearl’ ornamental pepper. The foliage is truly jet black. The peppers
start out black then mature to a bright red. “The foliage holds its
color all summer — even in heat and drought,” Koivula adds. The
peppers form in cluster-like berries. They’re edible, but fiery hot.
·
‘Purple
Haze’ carrot. I wouldn’t be true to my Italian
roots if I didn’t include a new vegetable for the veggie garden. Did
you know that carrots were originally red and purple, not orange? Well,
it’s taken a few hundred years for us to get back to carrot
fundamentals.
“Although
there have been some red and purple carrots on the market the last few
years, ‘Purple Haze’ is more uniform and productive than the other
purple carrots,” says Koivula. It features a purple skin and bright
orange interior. Imagine “Purple Haze” shredded in a carrot salad or
cole slaw! Unfortunately, the color bleeds when steamed, so they’re
best eaten raw or quickly microwaved or stir-fried.
·
‘Black Lace’ elderberry. There
are some plants I’ll try without a professional recommendation.
Keeping with the purple color theme, here’s a dark-colored foliage
plant that’s perfect for my cold, USDA zone 4 climate. “Black
Lace” elderberry (Sambucus nigra ‘Eva’) looks like a
Japanese maple but grows faster and produces colorful pink flowers.
Burgundy-colored leaves grace this 6- to 8-foot-tall shrub that grows in
a wide range of soils. It performs best in full sun.
Okay, the credit card is maxed
out, so that’s it. All these varieties will be available as plants or
seeds from your local garden centers and nurseries this spring.
Charlie Nardozzi, a nationally recognized garden writer, book author,
speaker and radio and television personality, has appeared on HGTV, PBS
and Discovery Channel television networks. He is the senior
horticulturist and spokesperson for the National Gardening Association
and Chief Gardening Officer for the Hilton Garden Inn.
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