All-America Selections is a nonprofit organization that evaluates new flower and vegetable varieties for home garden use. Each year's best varieties are designated All-America Selections Winners. Of this year's thirteen winners, the following caught our eye.

'Black Magic Rose' geranium has dark rose-colored flowers beautifully contrasted by bright green leaves with chocolate brown centers. Plants are compact and free-flowering, excellent for edging or for growing in pots.

'Magical Michael' basil doubles as an ornamental and culinary herb. The compact plants have dark green leaves, rich in aromatic oils and ideal for cooking and making pesto. These interesting flowers are white and purple and besides being pretty in the garden, they also make an attractive garnish in salads.

'Diva' cucumber produces sweet, crunchy, seedless cucumbers with exceptional flavor. They're wonderful fresh as snacks or mixed in salads. The vines are vigorous and best grown on a trellis for support. They produce mostly female flowers, which do not require a male plant nearby for pollination and fruit set. Plants are tolerant of scab, powdery and downy mildew.

'Lavender Wave' petunia is a compact, spreading plant, which covers itself with lavender blooms. It rarely grows over 6 inches high but can spread up to 4 feet wide, making it ideal for hanging baskets or for use as a ground cover. 'Tidal Wave Silver' is another All-America Selections winning petunia for 2002, which has a similar habit as 'Lavender Wave'. However, its flowers are unique; they open silvery white, fading to light lavender with a dark purple throat and slight veins. 'Tidal Wave Silver' can be grown in hanging baskets or used as a ground cover like 'Lavender Wave', but it can also grow up to 3 feet high if supported by a trellis. Both Wave petunias are weather tolerant and disease resistant.

'Cherokee Sunset' rudbeckia yields a rich blend of autumn-hued flowers in shades of yellow, bronze, orange and mahogany. Blooms are large, semi-double or double and produced on long stems, excellent for cutting. Plants flower over a long period from summer into fall and may need staking.

'Jaio Scarlet Eye' vinca produces unusual scarlet-rose flowers with a bright white eye. Free-blooming and heat-loving, the plants flower generously throughout the growing season.

All-America Selections winners will be available as seeds and plants in most nurseries and garden centers this spring. The ones described here are sun lovers, best planted in rich, well-drained soil, and watered and fertilized regularly. To protect plants against insects like aphids, armyworms and others, use Bayer Advanced™ PowerForce® Multi-Insect Killer Concentrate. It can be used on flowers, vegetables and lawns. For pests on your roses, flowers, house plants and shrubs select Bayer Advanced™ Dual Action Rose & Flower Insect Killer Ready-To-Use (not for use on edibles such as fruits and vegetables). Read the label and follow the directions.

For more information about All-America Selections Winners, including sources of both seeds and plants, visit www.all-americaselections.org.