This week, I received five gardening catalogs in the mail. I expect a few more will be coming soon. I also look online for new varieties of plants. One way that I know a plant could work well in my garden is that I look for the red, white, and blue logo of All-America Selections (AAS) on seed packets, on bedding plant tags, or in catalogs. Even AAS winners from several years ago are more likely to prove successful than non-winners. The AAS testing program is an independent, nonprofit organization that tests new plants. They have about 80 test gardens from Alaska and Canada to California and Florida. They also have almost 200 display gardens all across the continent that aren’t used for judging, but rather for showing gardeners how well the plants grow locally. The judges evaluate the plants all season long, not just an end-of-season harvest. Only the …