The All-America Selections (AAS) awards have just announced their 2026 winners, and these 8 plants are the ones you need to grow this year. From a miniature squash to a big-blooming dianthus, these plants are not only beautiful but also perform exceptionally well in various conditions.
The All-America Selections (AAS) awards are the Oscars of the gardening world. Each year, a handful of ornamental and edible plants are recognized for their exceptional performance in garden trials across the country. This year’s winners include a variety of plants that are not only beautiful but also easy to grow and maintain. Here’s why you should consider adding them to your garden this year.
An Adorably Mini Squash
Butter Lamp is a miniature butternut squash that is perfect for gardeners with limited space. Its shorter vines mean it takes up less garden space, and its small fruit is ready to harvest more quickly than a typical butternut squash. Each pumpkin-shaped fruit has a delicious sweet-nutty flavor and stores well. Additionally, it is resistant to powdery mildew, heat, and pests, making it a low-maintenance choice for any garden.
Growing needs: Full sun, well-drained soil, and regular water. Grow as a creeping vine or along a trellis.
A Spectacularly Sturdy Sedum
‘Spectacular’ sedum lives up to its name with its vigorous growth and pale pink flower clusters that appear on light green foliage in summer. This type of sedum is a great addition to the front of a border, forming a tidy mound with strong, flop-free stems. It is also drought-tolerant once established, making it a low-maintenance choice for any garden.
Growing needs: Full sun and well-drained soil. Water regularly when plants are young; they’re drought-tolerant once established.
A Big-Blooming Coreopsis
‘SunGlobe’ coreopsis is a cheerful, high-performing plant that produces loads of golden, semi-double flowers throughout the growing season. The compact plant is covered in blooms from spring to fall, making it a great choice for the front of a border or a container. Its bright color and long blooming period make it a standout in any garden.
Growing needs: Full sun, well-drained soil, and regular water.
An Eye-Catching Pole Bean
‘Majestic’ pole bean is striking with its deep purple pods that are easy to spot against the plant’s dark green foliage. The vines climb to about 6 feet tall and grow vigorously even through summer heat. After about 60 days from sowing, you’ll be able to enjoy the sweet beans, making it a great addition to any vegetable garden.
Growing needs: Full sun, well-drained soil, and regular water. Train vines up a trellis of at least 5 feet tall.
A Pesto-Perfect Basil
Of the many types of basil, the classic Italian ‘Treviso’ variety stands out for resisting bitterness, staying tender longer, and being slow to flower even as summer heats up. Its green leaves are also less prone to oxidation than other basil cultivars, making it the perfect basil for fresh pesto all summer long. Its compact size makes it ideal for containers, too.
Growing needs: Full sun, well-drained soil, and regular water. Harvest leaves from the top to encourage bushier growth.
An Electric-Bright Dianthus
With their vibrant pink color and unusual picotee pattern, the flowers of ‘Supra Cherry’ picotee dianthus will command attention in the garden. The plant blooms vigorously from spring through summer, no deadheading required, and holds up well through heat and drought. Plants are compact (about 12 inches tall) and the foliage is tidy, putting the focus on the blooms.
Growing needs: Full to part sun, well-drained soil, and regular water.
A Kale That Looks as Good as it Tastes
Rubybor kale is a two-time gold medalist, winning the AAS award in both the ornamental and vegetable category. Its purple-tinged, uniform leaves and neat shape make it worth showing off in containers as well as raised beds in spring and fall. It’s one of the most delicious kales around, too, with sweet, mild, and tender leaves.
Growing needs: Full sun, well-drained soil, and regular water.
A Cool Zinnia to Beat the Heat
As summer temperatures soar, Profusion Double White zinnias visually cool down the garden, sporting bright white, fluffy double flowers up to 3 inches wide. Easy to grow from seed, the plants reach around 18 inches tall. On top of handling heat beautifully, Profusion Double White zinnias are disease-resistant and require no deadheading, making them a low-maintenance choice for any garden.
Growing needs: Full sun, well-drained soil, and regular water. Seeds can be sown directly or started indoors.
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