All-America Selections (AAS) launches a new trial for herbaceous perennials. The perennial trial, organized along with the Perennial Plant Association (PPA), will follow many of the basics of the recently launched AAS Vegetative Ornamental trial.
Entries accepted will be herbaceous perennials propagated from seed, cutting, tissue culture or bare root. A seed entry can be trialed against a vegetative or TC comparison and vice versa. To continue the AAS legacy, entries will be trialed next to comparisons.
The primary difference with the AAS Herbaceous Perennial trial is that it will be a three-winter trial allowing the AAS judges to measure and record winter survivability and subsequent growing season performance. Other AAS trial entries will continue to be trialed over one growing season. Breeders who wish to have their herbaceous perennials tested for first-season performance can continue to use the one-season trial. All other herbaceous perennials would be placed in the three year perennial trial.
For the long-term, entries have to be new, never-before-sold, but, after submission to the AAS Herbaceous Perennial Trial, they may be introduced commercially. After the trial is complete, if the entry scores high enough to become an AAS Winner and after criteria is met and the announcement is made by AAS, the breeder may then market that variety as an AAS Winner.
However, for the first entry year (entries submitted by July 1, 2015), AAS will accept entries that have been on the market for 12 months or less.
Details are available online at http://all-americaselections.org/press/files/2015%20AAS%20Launches%20Perennial%20Trials%20Press%20Release%20wPPA.docx.
