Guidelines to Plan All-America Selections Display Gardens

Introduction

Nearly 200 botanical gardens, arboretums, colleges, universities, cooperative extensions, garden centers, seed companies, city civic centers, and public parks create All-America Selections® Display Gardens.

At the time of application, a garden must determine whether they will grow AAS® flowers and vegetables, AAS® flowers only, or AAS® vegetables only. To add either flowers or vegetables at a later date will require an application presented to the AAS® Board.

The Display Garden is to be located in a visible, high-traffic space open to the public. A locally publicized "open house" or "field day" is to be conducted during the growing season. The Display Garden is not required to evaluate and report the performance of AAS® Winners.

Average Number of Winners and Space Required

 In an average year, a Display Garden will be sent 25 to 55 AAS® Flower and/or Vegetable Winners. These include seeds of AAS® Winners for the current year, past four years, and the newly announced winners.

 There is no requirement for the amount of space to display any given variety. Other AAS® Display Gardens have determined that 20 square feet minimum is needed to do justice to a new variety of flowers. Therefore, a Display Garden should plan on devoting 500 to 1100 square feet to All-America Selections® Winners.

Using AAS® Winners in the Garden Design

 It is highly recommended and preferred that the All-America Selections® Winners be concentrated in one area, and planted in formal or informal landscape designs.

AAS® Signs and Variety Markers

An AAS® Display Garden weatherproof sign is available upon request, to clearly identify a newly approved garden as an official All-America Selections® Display Garden. We ask that the sign be placed in the bed where the AAS® Winners are on display. Variety markers (one per variety) accompany the seed of all AAS® Winners. Although you may choose not to use AAS® variety markers, we do require each All-America Selections® Winner be clearly identified by a label that includes the variety name and designation as an AAS® Winner and our color logo if possible.

Cost and Compensation

All-America Selections® does not compensate any Display Gardens for plantings. It is assumed most Display Gardens have landscape programs and that the AAS® Winners can be incorporated into the landscape design.

AAS® Publicity Program

All-America Selections® lists all Display Gardens on its website that is regularly promoted to thousands of garden writers, broadcasters, lecturers, and instructors. The AAS® website details the purpose of All-America Selections® and the valuable service contributed by AAS® Display Gardens. We encourage all gardens to submit digital photos of their AAS® Winner Display to the AAS® office. Our website offers a hyperlink to all Display Gardens that have websites. We encourage all Display Gardens to link back to the AAS® website as well.

Attracting Visitors

It is assumed that Display Gardens will make every effort to attract and welcome visitors during the peak season for garden flowers and vegetables. Since we publish the names and addresses of AAS® Display Gardens on the AAS®  website, home gardeners, garden writers, instructors and retail nursery operators will wish to see the plantings. Established Display Gardens have found that publicized "open house" or "field day" events greatly increase the number of garden visitors. Because AAS®  actively promotes your garden as an AAS®  Display Garden, the signage (either the signs we provide or your custom-design) is a vital tool in helping garden visitors locate the AAS®  Winners in your garden.

Policy to Maintain Official Display Garden Status

The AAS® Board of Directors' policy is that entities granted Display Garden status are expected to grow and maintain their gardens in an orderly, visually-appealing fashion. These gardens may be visited by AAS® Officers, Directors, and Judges during the course of their time on display and a report made to the Executive Director. Any Display Garden found to be in unacceptable condition may result in the revocation of Display Garden status.

A Display Garden is required to provide a minimum of one digital image of their AAS® display during or after the growing season. Please submit your digital image.

A Display Garden is to immediately notify AAS® of changes to their contact information.

Application Procedure

 An AAS® Display Garden application will be offered when Criteria have been met. Applications are submitted twice yearly to the Board of Directors at their January and Summer meetings. All-America Selections® Directors review the applications and must approve the garden applications.