Feb 20, 2019

Are You Growing the Latest Award Winners? By Tim Hodson

For nearly 90 years, All-America Selections (AAS) has been independently trialing new varieties to determine their garden performance.

Earlier this month AAS announced seven new regional and national AAS winners during the American Seed Trade Association meeting in Orlando, Florida.

Each of the following new AAS winners was trialed throughout North America by professional, independent, volunteer judges who grew them next to comparisons that are considered best-in-class.

The newest 2019 AAS Winners are:

• Marigold ‘Big Duck Orange’ — (Regional – Heartland)
• Marigold ‘Big Duck Yellow’ — (Regional – NE, Heartland, Mtn/SW, W/NW)
• Marigold ‘Garuda Deep Gold’ — (Regional – Northeast, Heartland)
• Vinca ‘MegaBloom Polka Dot’ — (Regional – Northeast, Heartland)
• Zinnia ‘Holi Scarlet’ — (National) (pictured above)
• Potato ‘Clancy’ — (National)
• Tomato ‘Mountain Rouge’ — (Regional – NE, Southeast, Heartland)

The three marigolds, vinca and zinnia were bred by Ameriseed and  the potato and tomato were bred by Bejo Seeds.

Each AAS Winner is marketed through social media, public relations and trade shows. AAS Winners are proudly grown in almost 200 AAS Display Gardens across North America. Click here to see the list of 2019 AAS Display Gardens.

All-America Selection also provides educational and marketing materials that growers and retailers can use to promote these award-winning varieties. You can find them at www.all-americaselections.org.

If you are looking for proven performers to add to you production benches, be sure to check out this latest batch of AAS winners.

— Tim

Home Depot Adds New Sustainability Initiatives

The Home Depot continues to pursue its sustainability goals with new renewable energy initiatives in 2019. The company has expanded its wind-powered renewable energy program by adding a third offsite wind project. The company will purchase enough wind energy from the Pretty Prairie Wind Project in Kansas to power about 40 stores for a year. In addition to the wind farms, the company also procures energy from solar farms in Delaware, Massachusetts and Minnesota with a combined annual output of 25.0 million kilowatt hours. Forty-five U.S. Home Depot stores now have operational rooftop solar systems, and the company plans to continue to expand its residential rooftop solar offerings.

Meijer to Expand in Ohio

Meijer is expanding in Ohio by opening its first three supercenters in the greater Cleveland area. The Michigan-based retailer recently began hiring more than 900 employees for three supercenters in Avon, Mentor and Stow. “Foundations are set, floors are poured, and the walls are up at each of our new Northeast Ohio stores, so every day we’re a little bit closer to opening our first three locations in Greater Cleveland,” said Tom Wilson, regional vice president. The retailer has had a presence in Ohio for more than 37 years and currently employs about 10,000 team members at 39 supercenters throughout the state.

Retailers Make Great Places to Work List

Wegman’s Food Markets based in New York and Publix Super Markets, headquartered in Florida made the top 15 companies on the 2019 edition of Fortune magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For.” The list is based on survey feedback representing more than 4.3 million employees, with respondents rating their workplace culture on 60-plus elements of the workplace. Wegmans has been among the top 10 companies on the list for 16 of the 22 years and is one of eight companies on the list every year since it first began. To see the full list of the 2019 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For, click here.