LADYBUG: THREE NEW FLOWER VARIETIES EARN ALL-AMERICAN HONORS

Now that days have lengthened and temperatures have risen, gardeners are planning their gardens, and it is this time of the year that All-America Selections are announced for the coming year. The AAS Winners for 1996 are two petunias and a bicolor salvia, petunias, Fantasy Pink Morn and Heavenly Lavender. Also, Strata, a bicolor salvia.

Last year's winners also were two petunias, Purple Wave and Celebrity Chiffon Morn, and the rudbeckia, Indian Summer.

Once again, no vegetable was judged worthy by AAS, which has been making the awards for 63 years and describes itself as a "non-profit educational group formed to evaluate flowers and vegetables from around the world for home garden performance."

The last vegetable winners were in 1994 -- Big Beef tomato and Fanfare cucumber. "The AAS vegetables judges decided none of the entries were significantly improved over the varieties currently on the market" the announcement said. We hope they will have a vegetable on this prestigious list next year.

Flower winners are offered as seed and bedding plants for the coming season. Because gardeners can count on AAS Winners for their gardens, they should look for the red, white and blue shield when selecting seeds. This logo is on seed packets, in seed catalogs and on plant labels of bedding plants. Also, look for this marking at the local AAS Display Garden on the SEMO campus on New Madrid Street, for present and past winners.

Flowers are scored on the basis of color, prolonged flowering, attractiveness of blossoms, uniformity, uniqueness, fragrance and resistance to disease, insects and weather stress. There have been 571 previous flower winners.

"Old-fashioned double petunias are greatly improved with the introduction of Heavenly Lavender," AAS says. Those plants represent numerous large 2 1/2- to 3-inch fully double blossoms. The pure lavender flower color is unique because all comparisons have veins on the petals.

The new Fantasy Pink plant size adapts to all containers used for normal-sized petunias and fits into smaller garden space. The compact habit means gardeners do not have to pinch or prune petunias to have continuous flowers and garden color.

Flowers are pink shading to creamy white at the center. The plant seems to require less sun than the other petunia winner. Both are most likely to be purchased as bedding plants, while the salvia may be grown from seed.

Last summer the AAS petunia winners, Purple Wave and Celebrity Chiffon Morn, performed well for some of us here in our new houses.

Salvia farinacea, the AAS winner, contains all of the alluring qualities of a totally new bicolor bloom. The 10- to 12-inch flower spike is white with small delicate blue flowers. From a distance, the eyes blend the two colors into a pastel blue, quite a unique color. Easy to grow in a sunny garden, Strata plants can attain a height of 1 1/2 to 2 feet.

Penstemon digitalis Husker Red has been selected as the 1996 Perennial Plant of the Year by the Perennial Plant Association. This plant was selected for its long season, ornamental effect, adaptability to most regions of North America and ease of production. Rich bronze red foliage accents provide a particularly striking contrast to masses of white flowers. Penstemon is a good cut flower and performs well in clay soil.

The following are other new varieties to be found on the market this season:

New begonias included Charisma Pink, tuberous-rooted Ornament, fibrous-rooted Varsity Pink and Bright Scarlet, each selected to provide seasonlong color. They all love heat and humidity.

The floral lace dianthus series is a new line with excellent garden performance. Ideal, Telstar and Princess are the largest. Plants grow 8 to 19 inches with blooms 1 to 1 1/2 inches across.

There are three new geraniums, Glamour White, Venus and Avanti Orange bicolor. The flowers are large, well-rounded and the reverse side of the petals are pigmented to form a contrast.

Impatiens offer four new varieties, Impulse Deep Pink, Showstopper, Sun and Shade and Tempo. All are weather tolerant and are excellent for gardens and hanging baskets.

A new petunia, Merlin Burgundy Picotee, has a deep burgundy center with the flower petal edged in white, a multiflora hybrid offering abundant summer blooms.

Moonbright is a pollenless cut flower-type sunflower. It should be popular.

Two sweet peas are listed, Old Spice Cupani and Sweet Dreams.

All of the above named will be available on the market or by catalogs or as bedding plants at local garden centers. Try something new along with your favorite tried and true.

New Rose Named to Honor Centenarian

Spring Hill Nurseries, Peoria, Ill., recently announced the introduction of the George Burns Centennial Rose in honor of the entertainer's 100th birthday on Jan. 20.

The George Burns Centennial Rose, a fragrant floribunda, produces red flowers striped with creamy white. Every petal on every flower has a distinctly different striped pattern, so each new bud brings a surprising new color display.

Highly disease resistant, the George Burns Rose has a compact habit that fits easily into any rose garden or landscape. This rose has been tested throughout the United States for the past two years and has proved to be an outstanding performer in all climate zones.

This rose will be available to the general gardening public in the spring of 1997.

~Mary Blue is a resident of Cape Girardeau and an avid gardener.