All-America Selections Announces 2010 Plant Wins
Gaillardia Snapdragon Viola and Zinnia Chosen for Flower Gardens
Aug 11, 2009
Here is a reliable list of flowering plant winners announced for 2010. All-America Selections annually announces a plant collection, flowers and vegetables that have demonstrated high-quality growing traits in the garden.
This year a perennial Gaillardia x grandiflora, blue Viola cornuta, bi-colored Zinnia marylandica and a double flowering snapdragon, Antirrhinum majus, makes the list. All four plants have proven to thrive in a broad range of garden conditions, given reasonable plant care.
Perennial Gaillardia Mesa Yellow
Gaillardia x grandifolia ‘Mesa Yellow’ has single-petal yellow blooms that grow to three inches in diameter. The summer flowering plant matures to 18” tall and 22” wide, appropriate for planting beds as well as container gardens.
Gaillardia is commonly called blanket flower. Older varieties tend to self-seed but do not always survive over winter. All Gaillardias attract butterflies and thrive in full sun.
Cold Hardy Blue Viola
Viola cornuta ‘Endurio Sky Blue Martien’ has a sky blue color tinged with purple. The entire plant grows to only 6” tall but has a mounding habit that spreads up to 12” wide.
This Viola performed well in southern gardens thriving through winters that had mild snowfalls and strong winds. In the north, these Violas planted in fall survived harsh winters and rebloomed in spring.
Annual Zinnia Disease Resistant
Zinnia marylandica ‘Zahara Starlight Rose’ is a bi-colored zinnia, with a double row of white and rose petals. The heat and drought tolerant plant grows up to 14” tall and requires spacing of up to 12” between each other. Zinnia marylandica ‘Zahara Starlight Rose’ has proven to be leaf spot and mildew resistant.
Zinnias, in the past, have struggled to survive through summer fighting leaf spot and mildew especially in humid climates. Zinnias grow best in full sun and are considered easy to grow plants for new gardeners.
Double Flowering Snapdragon
Another easy to grow annual is a new double flowering snapdragon called Antirrhinum majus ‘Twinny Peach.’ The peach, yellow and light orange shades of the butterfly shaped flower create a mass of blooms. The plant grows almost 12” tall but retains a compact form.
Snapdragons are heat tolerant requiring little plant maintenance. However, snapdragons are not useful in drought tolerant conditions like sustainable gardens. Antirrhinum majus ‘Twinny Peach’ is still an excellent choice for beginning gardeners.
For gardeners who want more plant winners, All-America Selections winners for 2008 may be of interest. The winners for 2009 were comprised of vegetable plants able to be grown in containers. The recent announcement of the 2010 Fleuroselect gold medal winners included Gaillardia x grandifolia 'Mesa Yellow.'
Permission received for all photos used in this article.
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