All-America Selections: What AAS Winners Mean for Your Garden

Jun 14, 2021by Juanita Schulze

When you see “AAS Winner” in a seed or plant description, what does it actually mean? All-America Selections, usually shortened to AAS, recognizes varieties that have demonstrated improved garden performance in independent trials. The designation can help you compare varieties, but it is not a promise that one plant will be the best choice for every garden.

Understanding the award helps you look beyond a familiar name or an attractive photograph and choose plants that fit your climate, space and goals.

What Is All-America Selections?

All-America Selections is an independent nonprofit plant-trialing organization founded in 1932. Its first winners were announced in 1933. The program evaluates new, previously unsold varieties through trials across North America.

The correct name is All-America Selections, not All American Selections. AAS is not a seed brand and does not simply rank every seed on the market from best to worst. It recognizes qualifying varieties based on their performance in its trial program.

How AAS Winners Are Evaluated

Impartial horticulture experts evaluate trial entries and compare them with similar varieties. The characteristics they assess depend on the crop or ornamental plant.

Earlier flowering or harvest. A variety may reach a useful stage sooner than comparable plants.
Yield and harvest performance. Edible varieties may stand out for productivity or other useful harvest qualities.
Flavor and eating quality. Taste can be an important distinction for edible crops.
Disease resistance. Judges may evaluate relevant resistance traits, depending on the species and entry.
Ornamental qualities. Flower color, form and other distinctive characteristics can contribute to an award.
Overall garden performance. The trials consider how a variety performs as a garden plant, not just how it looks in a photograph.

Not every winner is recognized for every characteristic on this list. Read the individual winner's description to understand what made it stand out.

National, Regional and Gold Medal Awards

National Winners are recognized for significant improvements demonstrated across the trial program. Regional Winners stand out in particular regions rather than performing exceptionally across all regions.

A regional award can be especially useful when its recognized region matches your growing conditions. It does not make that variety inferior; it helps describe where its strengths were demonstrated.

The AAS Gold Medal is a less frequent distinction reserved for a notable breeding breakthrough. It is different from the standard National or Regional Winner designation.

AAS Includes More Than Vegetables

The program trials edible and ornamental plants. Trial types include plants grown in the ground and in containers, ornamentals grown from seed or vegetative cuttings, and perennials.

That means an AAS Winner is not necessarily sold as seed. Some recognized ornamentals are propagated from cuttings. Always check the exact variety and the form in which it is offered.

Does an Award Guarantee Success?

No award removes the need to match a plant to your garden. Soil, drainage, sunlight, planting dates, water and seasonal weather still affect the result. A trialed variety can perform differently in your yard than it did at a trial location.

For Texas gardens, pay particular attention to heat, the length of the growing season and local planting windows. An early variety may be useful for one planting plan, while a regional winner may offer advantages for another.

Disease resistance also needs careful reading. An award does not mean a plant resists every disease or pest, and resistance does not mean immunity.

How to Choose an AAS Winner

Start with your purpose. Decide whether you need fresh vegetables, a preserving crop, container flowers or a larger landscape planting.
Confirm the exact variety. Similar names do not automatically refer to the same plant. Check the full winner name and any hybrid designation.
Read the award details. Look for the award year, National or Regional designation and the traits highlighted in the trial results.
Match the growing requirements. Check mature size, support needs, days to maturity and planting instructions.
Compare current product information. Confirm that the seeds or plants offered are the variety you intend to grow, and check availability before planning around them.

Check the Official Winner Records

The official AAS winner list is a useful starting point for verifying an award. For background on the organization and its trials, visit About All-America Selections.

A variety's award history and its current availability are different questions. Older winners can still be worth growing, while an award listing does not establish that a particular seller currently carries the variety.

Use Awards as One Helpful Tool

AAS recognition gives gardeners another source of information when comparing plants. Combine it with the seed packet, local growing advice and your own experience. Keep notes on flavor, harvest timing and performance so you can decide which varieties deserve a place in next year's garden.

The goal is not to grow only award winners. It is to choose plants thoughtfully and enjoy learning what works well in your own space.