“My favorite vegetable was ‘Seychelles’ green bean. I grew them in both containers and raised beds. Best tasting green bean out there, no strings and super prolific. Both plantings are still producing as of October. Did I mention it does well against pests and disease too? A true AAS Winner!” ~Gary Pilarchik, The Rusted Garden
“Without a doubt, my favorite plants to grow are ornamental edibles. My backyard was transformed a few seasons ago into an artistic garden design with dinosaur kale, blood beets, curly parsley, and purple basil. Absolutely delicious, full of vitamins, and exploding with color.” ~ Shawna Coronado
“Without question, the unexpected stars of my garden in 2017 were zinnias. I had had a packet of red and white zinnias and a few leftover pots in the container vegetable garden in our driveway. My garden is part-shade with a few patches of part-sun. I planted them late, and never expected the zinnias to thrive – but they did! From late summer they have created a butterfly festival in my backyard. I’ll never not plant zinnias again.” ~ Helen Battersby, Toronto Gardens
“AAS Winner Sweet Baby Radish was an autumn superstar in my veggie garden, thriving in the cooler weather of September and October. Like most salad-type radishes the plants were very quick to grow with crunchy and mildly spicy roots, as well as edible foliage. But that color! The roots are a vivid purple and the interior flesh is white streaked in purple. They look fantastic in salads and are so yummy with dip or hummus. Can’t wait to grow these again!” ~ Niki Jabbour, SavvyGardening
“Pecan trees have been a part of my life since childhood, and this time of year my memories of harvesting the nuts with my parents at Thanksgiving are always rich and full. I currently have three mature trees in my own garden (one is over seventy-five years old and still reliably producing nuts), and several adjacent to my property that overhang it. Because I love them so, I know pecan trees as individuals. This one is “Nancy’s Pecan,” named after my elderly neighbor, who owns the tree that overhangs our drive and litters it each winter with nuts. The nutmeat from this tree is the sweetest I’ve ever tasted.” ~ Susan Tomlinson, The Bicycle Garden
“Add ‘Red Sails’ lettuce to your must plant list…One of my new garden favorites is ‘Red Sails,’ a loose leaf lettuce that’s proven to be incredibly flavorful, easy to grow, hardy to both cold and heat (it resists bolting even when temperatures rise in summer), and bountiful — providing daily greens for weeks on end. It’s an AAS Winner!“ ~ Emily Murphy, Pass the Pistill
“I love brightly colored flowers, so hands down my favorite new flower I grew this year is a rose called ‘Easy Does It.’ I purchased it at the garden center in the late spring and it grew so quickly in my garden. It produced many flowers that changed colors as the flower opened: shades of mango/orange, peach/pink, and honey/apricot. The flowers petals varied from scallops to classic rose petals. (It is a floribunda rose.) It is evening blooming now in Connecticut – in November! I’m planning to buy at least two more ‘Easy Does It’ roses to add to my front garden next year. (to complement the one I have now!)” ~ Jen McGuinness, FrauZinnie
“Back in the spring, I got a special delivery for my garden: an At Last rose from Sheridan Nurseries in southern Ontario where I live. I’ve always worried that roses are too fussy, but this one, bred by Proven Winners (it will be in nurseries in 2018), is disease-resistant, fragrant and hardy down to zone 5, so it should survive a cold Canadian winter. I love the peach blooms and planted it in a front garden and where it bloomed throughout the spring and summer months.“ ~Tara Nolan, Savvy Gardening
“In Sunset’s Test Garden, my favorite vegetable that we grew this summer was the Blush tomato – a golden elongated cherry with hints of red, super productive, disease free, and most importantly, absolutely delicious!” ~ Mike Irving, Sunset Magazine
“This is an easy one! I LOVED the Burpee Home Gardens Dragon Roll Shishito Pepper. I am NOT a pepper fan; in fact, peppers are the only food I don’t like but this pepper completely has my heart. The Dragon Roll plants grew easily and produced a ton of shishito peppers (which is a good thing because you can eat a lot of these snacking peppers in one sitting!). My favorite way to prepare them was blistered with sea salt and a yogurt cilantro dipping sauce. I also made a bunch of recipes with them.” ~ Stephanie Rose, Garden Therapy
“I absolutely loved watching my Gladiator alliums bloom this past spring! They have such a wonderful, whimsical look to them. These flowers added vibrant color and height to my early season garden. The bulbs I planted exceeded my expectations and grew to be 3 feet tall. They are extremely hardy and deer resistant. We deal with deer frequently in Massachusetts, so that is always important when choosing flowers and plants. They also helped attract pollinators to my garden while adding a beautiful fragrance to the air. I was thrilled to incorporate some of these cut flowers into a cheerful, spring floral arrangement. If you are looking for a dramatic bloom for your garden, Gladiator alliums are a must!” ~ Angie Rose, Angie The Freckled Rose
What was your favorite in 2017? And what are you planning to grow this season?
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