All-America Selections (AAS) is a non-profit organization founded in 1932 that promotes new garden varieties through impartial trials across North America. Volunteer judges with horticultural expertise evaluate entries in categories like vegetables, flowers, and herbs at over 80 trial sites. Entries receiving high scores are named AAS Winners and introduced to consumers through AAS's publicity efforts, including their website, social media, display gardens, and participating retailers. AAS aims to identify superior plant varieties for home gardens.

1. What is
All-America
Selections?

2. “A non-profit
organization, founded in
1932 by Mr. Ray
Hastings, that promotes
new garden varieties
judged to have superior
garden performance in
impartial trials
throughout North
America.”

3. AAS continues as the oldest, most
established international testing
organization in North America.

4. Entries
Breeders enter new, never-before-sold cultivars
to be judged in one of four categories:
1. Seed Ornamentals
2. Vegetative Ornamentals
3. Edible/Vegetables from Seed
4. Herbaceous Perennials

5. AAS Trials Sites in
U.S. and Canada
1. Seed Ornamentals – 47 sites
2. Edible/Vegetable – 28 sites
3. Vegetative Ornamentals – 18 sites
4. Herbaceous Perennials – 24 sites
Total of 80 AAS Trial Judges!

6. • Horticulture professionals
• Seasoned trialing experts
• Unpaid – they volunteer their time
• Unbiased - cannot judge entries from their own
company
• The basis of our trialing program
AAS Trial Judges

7. AAS Scoring
Judges score each entry from 0 to 5
All entries have 2-4 comparisons
0 to 1 = same or inferior to comparison
2 = better than comparison
3 to 4 = superior to comparison
5 = breakthrough breeding, Gold Medal Winner
Final scores based on averages and percent of
judges who score it a 2 or higher.

8. Introduction Criteria
Breeder gives the variety a marketing name
Breeder submits publicity photos
Has seed-in-the-bag
Gone through germination testing
Product is priced and ready to ship
By now, it can be declared an “AAS Winner”

9. Introduction Dates
AAS Winners are announced three times a year
January
July
November

10. Publicity Program
Information distributed to:
• Seed Companies
• Distribution chain
• Growers
• Retailers
• Garden Writers
• Bloggers
•Consumers

11. Publicity Program
Robust website:

12. Publicity Program
Implementing Social Media:
• Pinterest
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Slide Share
• Etc.

13. Publicity Program
Display Gardens
Almost 200 public gardens grow and display the
past five years of AAS Winners.

14. Publicity Program
Preview Gardens
Select garden writers/bloggers grow and
evaluate the past five years of AAS Winners in
their own gardens then are able to write about
garden performance first hand.

15. AAS Winner availability
AAS Winners (National and Regional) are
available in local garden retailers, online and in
seed packets. Just look for the AAS Winner
logos:

16. AAS Winner availability
AAS Winners (National and Regional) are
available from many online retailers. Just click
here for a list of participating retailers: