DOWNERS GROVE, IL – All-America Selections (AAS) is pleased to announce the first of the AAS Winners for the 2014 gardening season. One is a Bedding Plant Winner, ‘Sparkle White’ gaura, and one is a vegetable, ‘Mascotte’ bean.
As is always the case, both of these winners were trialed next to two other similar varieties that are currently on the market. The AAS Judges grew each entry and the comparisons then did a side-by-side analysis of growth habit, taste, disease resistance and more to determine if these were truly better than those already available to home gardeners. Only those flower entries with superior garden performance or the vegetables with superior taste and garden performance are given the AAS stamp of approval.
With this announcement, these varieties become available for immediate sale. Brokers and growers can purchase these varieties immediately. Consumers will find this seed for sale in the coming months as supply becomes available with catalog companies, in seed packets, from mail order companies and various websites. AAS Winners will also be available as young plants in lawn & garden retail stores next spring, in time for the 2014 gardening season.
A complete list of trial grounds and judges can be found here: http://www.aaswinners.com/trial_grounds/index.cfm
A complete list of all AAS Winners since 1932 can be found here: http://www.aaswinners.com/winners/index.cfm
Gaura ‘Sparkle White’
AAS Bedding Plant Award Winner
‘Sparkle White’ gaura will bring a touch of airy elegance to the garden with its long slender stems sporting a large number of dainty white flowers tinged with a pink blush. This beauty is perfect mass planted in sun-drenched landscape beds, in groupings with other perennials or in larger containers. Home gardeners will appreciate that this season-long bloomer also has excellent heat tolerance and a more uniform flowering habit than other seed gauras. Commercial growers can utilize ‘Sparkle White’ as a first-year flowering perennial or as an annual, showing its wide range of uses.
Bred by Kieft Seed
AAS® Winner Data
Genus species: Gaura lindheimeri
Common name: Gaura
Unique qualities: Earlier flowering, better branched, more uniform flowering time, no pinch
Flower color: White with a pink blush
Foliage color: Green
Flower form: 4 petal zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
Flower size: 1.75 inches
Plant height: 12 to 24 inches
Plant width: 18 inches
Plant type: Perennial, zone 5b-9
Garden location: Full sun to part sun
Garden spacing: 12 inches
Length of time from sowing seed to flower: 12-13 weeks
Closest comparisons on market: ‘The Bride’ and ‘Summer Breeze’
Bean ‘Mascotte’
AAS Vegetable Award Winner
The first AAS winning bean since 1991, this compact variety is perfect for today’s small-space gardens. ‘Mascotte’ is a bush type bean that produces long, slender pods that stay above the foliage for easy harvest. This bean also has white showy flowers for ornamental value during bloom time. Judges appreciated the crunchiness and taste of this bean as well as the plentiful harvest all season long. The ‘Mascotte’ root system is ideal for patio containers and window boxes, and this versatile variety performs well in garden beds too. That means you can raise delicious beans in any outside space. The French ‘Mascotte’ (like its English translation “mascot”) is a symbol of good luck and was chosen for the variety’s gardener-friendly habit.
Bred by Clause Vegetable Seeds
AAS® Winner Data
Genus species: Phaseolus vulgaris
Common name: Bush bean
Unique qualities: Extra fine, long, stringless pods. Compact plant and root system is ideal for patio containers, window boxes, and garden beds. Pods are held well above the leaves, keeping them visible and easy to pick. White seeds.
Fruit size: 5-6 inches long, ¼ inch diameter
Fruit shape: Straight, slender and round
Fruit color: Green
Plant type: Annual
Plant height: 16-18 inches
Plant width: 8-10 inches
Garden location: Full sun
Garden spacing: Sow seeds 2-3 inches apart within the row. Allow 12 inches between rows.
Window Box spacing: 3 seed holes of 3-4 seeds in a 30-36 inch window box
Container spacing: Sow seeds in groups of 5. Space groups 4 inches apart.
Length of time to harvest: 55 days
Closest comparisons on market: ‘Cropper Teepee’ and ‘Maxibel’
Disease tolerances: High resistance to BCMV and Cl, Intermediate resistance to Psp
All-America Selections® was founded in 1932 and continues as the oldest independent testing organization in North America. Every year, new, never-before-sold varieties are trialed in our Trial Grounds and 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 each year.
Source: All-America Selections
