These are new award-winning flowers and vegetables for 2025

Did you hear about the spider’s New Year’s resolution? To spend less time on the web.

Personally, I’ll probably spend just as much time on the web, because there’s a wealth of gardening information to be discovered, such as the hot new All-America Selections award-winning flowers and vegetables for 2025.

Call me easy to please, but the announcement of new award winners brings joy to my heart and excitement to the upcoming growing season.

The marketing phrase “new and improved” lost its luster years ago for most of us. How do we know if new varieties are actually any better or different than the varieties we’ve planted in the past?

The All-America Selections organization is here to help, selecting the best of the best for its coveted awards, taking the guesswork out of new varieties for gardeners. Since 1932, All-America Selections judges across North America have tested new varieties, comparing them to the current best-in-class flowers and vegetables.

If a variety is sufficiently different or better than existing types, it’s awarded top honors. The All-America Selections familiar red, white and blue logo with the abbreviation AAS is found in seed catalogs and on plant tags, denoting award-winning varieties.

Here are the 2025 AAS award-winning flowers and vegetables, with key characteristics provided by judges.

Dahlia Black Forest Ruby: With abundant ruby-red flowers on striking deep purple-black foliage, this seed-grown dahlia grows to about 24 inches for containers or flowerbeds. Judges rated it the best seed-grown dahlia of all tested.

Dianthus Capitan Magnifica: Crossing two species gave this dianthus better heat tolerance than traditional types. Deep pink blooms with lighter edges flower prolifically all summer long if spent flowers are removed. The 16-inch plants are suitable for containers or beds.

Marigold Mango Tango: Red and yellow bicolor flowers are borne on vigorous 10-inch plants perfect for containers or flowerbeds. Judges rated the compact, mounded plants as having great flower power with blooms all summer.

Nasturtium Baby Gold: The Baby series is known for being a petite-flowered, mounding variety with healthy dark green foliage ideal for containers or small-space flower gardens. Judges praised the compact plants that produced intense gold-colored flowers, with blooms remaining upright throughout the season. As a bonus, nasturtium leaves and flowers are both edible.

Nasturtium Baby Red: Another addition to the popular Baby series, the red flowers provide contrast against the dark green foliage. Plants in the series grow to about 12 inches, making them perfect for both containers and in-ground beds.

Nasturtium Baby Yellow: The soft yellow flowers round out this series, which received acclaim from judges for being packed with flowers and a fantastic performer.

Petunia Dekko Maxx Pink: Described as having delicate, yet vibrant pink flowers covering the plant with a tremendous number of flowers that are resilient and maintenance-free all season. For hanging baskets, containers or flowerbeds, judges rated it as high or higher than the extremely popular Supertunia Vista Bubblegum.

Petunia Shake Raspberry: Flowers have the coloration of a blended raspberry milkshake swirled with lemon-lime green sorbet on a superior performing petunia with a compact, mounded habit.

Snapdragon Doubleshot Yellow Red Heart: Unique yellow flowers with red centers grow on plants 18 inches high. For pots or beds, the flowers have an amazing candy-like scent.

Zinnia Zydeco Fire: Fiery orange blooms are borne on plants about 20 inches high, with great disease resistance. Judges liked the low-spreading, vigorous habit.

Kohlrabi Konstance: This new purple kohlrabi has an improved smooth skin and vibrant purple color, producing flavorful crunchy bulbs that are crack-resistant and long-lasting. The leaves are also edible.

Pepper Pick-N-Pop Yellow: These cute, snack-sized mini peppers were described as extra sweet with just the right amount of juiciness and crunch to pop in your mouth, fresh from the garden.

Squash Green Lightning: A patty-pan type of summer squash, the scalloped fruits are green with dark green stripes, with an improved flavor compared to similar summer squash.

Squash Thriller: This dumpling-type squash has a decorative green, cream and orange skin, with great flavor and texture. The one-to-two-pound fruits are borne on semi-bush plants.

Tomato Tonatico: A cherry-type tomato, the fruits ripen in 60 days from transplanting. Each indeterminate plant bears 150-200 fruits described as sweet and robust with great resistance to cracking. Can be grown in a five-gallon container.

Note about availability: The newest AAS winners aren’t usually found on in-store seed racks, so mail-order is usually necessary. For pre-started plants, check availability early with your locally owned garden center.