Interested in growing award winning varieties shown to be reliable in a wide variety of growing conditions? Then try some of this years All American Selections. Here are the winners for the year 2000.

Cosmos 'Cosmic Orange' [1] is a dwarf branching plant reaching a mature height of 12 inches. This variety is a vigorous growing plant with flowers held above the foliage, and with few, if any, pest and disease problems.

Vincas are known for their heat and drought tolerance, but the pastel blooms of 'Stardust Orchid' against the dark green glossy foliage makes for a stunning display in the landscape. These plants will attain a mature size of 14-16 inches with minimal care.

If you are familiar with the tall Mexican sunflower that attracts butterflies, then you will surely want to try Tithonia 'Fiesta del Sol' [2]. This variety reaches only 2-3 feet in height, but like it's larger relative, it is loaded with orange daisy flowers that thrive on sun and heat.

Sunflowers continue to be popular, and this year's winner 'Soraya' exemplefies all of their great qualities - large flowers with good stem length for floral arrangements, a self supporting height of 5 - 6 feet, and seeds to attract birds.

And finally in the flower category, 'Melody Pink' dianthus [3], a plant that produces sprays of single pink flowers with a serrated edge for that old fashioned lacy look. These plants are quite cold and heat tolerant thus providing a long season of bloom.

If growing vegetables is more to your liking, then you may want to try these proven winners: 'Savoy Express', an early small head of crinkled leaf cabbage; 'Mr.Big', a sweet garden pea with big pods on indeterminate vines; pepper 'Blushing Beauty', sweet and thick walled with a color that changes from ivory to pink to red as they mature; and lastly 'Indian Summer' sweet corn, the first sweet corn with colored kernals.

These new AAS winners, as well as those from past years, are plants you can count on to perform well. Look for them in you garden center or seed catalog.