AAS Winners for 2021

Ellen C. Wells

All-America Selections recently announced two more winners in the Class of 2021 AAS Winners. Those additions are:

Squash Goldilocks F1 (National). This acorn squash performed extremely well throughout the country, proving to be a vigorous, yet compact, plant with high yield, disease tolerance and a rich, nutty flavor. Plus, it’s bright orange! Use it in fall décor and then serve it with a meal. The fruits are just 4 in., a nice single-serving size. Bred by EarthWork Seeds and distributed by Osborne Quality Seeds.

Celosia Kelos Candela Pink (Regional). The AAS Judges raved about Candela Pink’s bright pink blooms that rose above the foliage and kept their plumey pink color all season long. Use it as a filler or thriller to add height and interest in a combination planting, or use masses of it in the border. It reached about 25- to 30-in. tall. Bonus: Use it as a dried flower. Bred by Beekenkamp.

Here’s something cool and new for 2020: Each of the newer AAS Winners are now featured in custom videos that can be found in social media posts and on the AAS YouTube channel. AAS also has numerous types of marketing materials for promotional use.

Also new, All-America Selections has started to work with some industry businesses that host summer events where their trials are open to brokers and growers. That means you can see the recent AAS Winners for yourself at work in the trials displays. A listing of participating trial gardens can be found on the website at all-americaselections.org. GP