To commemorate their 75th anniversary, All-America Selections has designated 5 of their past winners as CLASSICS. These selections have withstood the test of time. These plants will be grown at all of the AAS display gardens for public viewing; they are indeed the best of the best.

AAS went back and reviewed all of their past winners and decided that these 5 choices were worthy of the title of classics. The choices have demonstrated over time that they had superior qualities. Here are the All-America Selections Classics:

Petunia ‘Ultra Crimson Star’

This stunning bedding plant introduced in 1988 will be sure and draw attention to your garden.3-4 inch blooms of purple with spokes of white. Crimson Star will produce blooms all season without pinching back or deadheading.

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Petunia 'Wave Purple'

One of the tremendously successful Wave Series petunias. This plant will spread to a width of 3 to 4 feet. This petunia also requires little or no pinching back. This makes an excellent choice as a trailing plant in containers. In order to maintain the abundance of blooms this plant need fertile soil; water soluble balanced fertilizer applied every couple of weeks should fill this need.

Pansy ‘Majestic Giants Mix’

Introduced in 1966, this plant produces huge 4-inch blooms of the traditional violet centers and a rainbow of accent colors such as scarlet, blue, yellow orange and white. An excellent early or late season choice to extend the bloom season

Tomato “Big Beef”

Fruits in the 8 to 12 ounce range are the rewards of this variety. The fruits are ready for harvest in about 78 days after transplanting. This plant is resistant to almost all of the diseases that can affect tomatoes. Thus variety is an excellent choice for the beginner as it is so easy to grow

Dianthus “Ideal Violet”

If you’re in the market for a Dianthus that is both heat and cold-resistant 'Ideal Violet' is the one for you. The variety with 1 ½ inch blooms which was introduced in 1992 has proven itself over the years. It makes an excellent companion plant for violas and pansies late in the season.

There you have it, these are some of the tried and true plants that have been given the AAS Classics title by the All-America Selections. I’m sure you’ll be happy if you choose any of these for your garden.

Images courtesy of All American Selections