DOWNERS GROVE, IL – In yet another break from tradition, All-America Selections (AAS) hosted their annual Summer Meeting for the first time ever in the state of Michigan. Over 70 attendees came together August 7-9 to tour central Michigans trials from a base in East Lansing.
This event is an opportunity for breeders, brokers/distributors, mail order seed companies, seed packet companies, growers, retailers, AAS Display Gardens, AAS Trial Judges and the media to network and learn more about recent AAS Winners and varieties that are currently being trialed by the AAS Judges.
The AAS Summer Summit was held in conjunction with the Michigan Garden Plant Tour, which features a number of trials throughout the state.. Michigan State University is a trialing site for AAS Flowers, Bedding Plants, Cool Season and Vegetables, and an American Garden Award garden. C. Raker and Sons is an AAS Trial site for Flowers, Bedding Plants and Cool Season, and an AAS Display Garden. A number of recent AAS Winners were beautifully featured throughout their extensive trial and display beds.
The group also ventured to Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids to visit Elzinga & Hoekstra Greenhouses, Mast Young Plants and the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. Mast Young Plants is an AAS Trial site for Vegetables and Bedding Plants. After touring their trials, the group participated in a live consumer panel discussion where five non-gardening consumers shared their thoughts and ideas regarding why they dont pursue a horticulture hobby and what our industry might do to convince them to buy a few flowers or plants.
An annual highlight of the AAS Summer Summit is the Awards Banquet and this year it was held at the beautiful Frederick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park.
The AAS Breeders Cup Award is designed to recognize a person who has dramatically influenced horticulture by breeding new cultivars that bring significant improvement to their class. AAS is proud to announce the 2012 Breeders Cup Award recipient is Paul Thomas, a vegetable breeder for Petoseed for almost 30 years, and an AAS Vegetable Trial Judge during most of his tenure there. Some of his most noteworthy breeding includes the best-selling tomato „Better Boy, AAS Winners „Chefini squash, „Aristocrat and „Greyzini zucchinis, „Bell Boy pepper, „Triumph and „Victory cucumbers and „Small Fry tomato. Although he officially retired in 1993, Mr. Thomas continues his tomato breeding work independently with some support and assistance from Magnum Seeds. A number of former colleagues were either present or sent congratulatory notes to express their appreciation for all of Mr. Thomas contributions to the industry and specifically to AAS.
The second award is the prestigious AAS Medallion of Honor, an award designed to recognize an individual with a lifelong dedication to advancement in the field of horticulture.
All-America Selections is honored to announce that recently retired Dr. Jim Alston, (“Doc” Alston ) of Park Seed Company is the 2012 recipient of the AAS Medallion of Honor. Former coworker Stephanie Turner of Park Seed presented the award to her mentor as she explained his lifes work and many achievements. An impressive highlight of Dr. Alstons career is his involvement in the Seeds in Space program with NASA in the 1980s and 1990s. Flower breeding was the mainstay of Dr. Alstons work and he created numerous new varieties of Begonia, Salvia, Coleus, Capsicum, Rosa, X Pardancanda, Lantana, Mandevilla, and Brugmansia, including noteworthy Brugmansia 'Cherub'. AAS was fortunate to have Dr. Alston as an AAS Trial Judge for many years where his contributions were greatly appreciated.
The AAS Summer Summit participants thanked Paul and Jim for their dedication and passion for the horticulture industry.
The 2013 AAS Summer Summit will be held in mid-August in the Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada. Please email the AAS office for more information.
(www.all-americaselections.org) All-America Selections was founded in 1932 and continues as the oldest independent plant testing organization in North America. Every year, never-before-sold varieties are trialed in our Trial Grounds where professional horticulturists determine which varieties will be deemed winners based on their garden performance. AAS relies upon a public relations program to inform gardeners about AAS Winners that are announced three times a year.
Source: All-America Selections