I love opening the mailbox in January!

Sure, there are the usual bills, circulars and credit-card offerings. But there are also... catalogs. Plant catalogs, to be specific, and often more than one.

By winter’s official end in mid-March, the typical gardening household will easily have received a dozen or more of these enticing, alluring and (my family insists) addicting compilations of pure plant lust, each touting the newest plant introductions from the U.S. and abroad.

This year is no exception (thank goodness!). Over the coming weeks I’ll be listing some of the coolest new annuals and perennials, tastiest new vegetables and loveliest new trees, shrubs and vines.

Today we’re focusing on the 2008 All-America Selections winners. This national network of impartial, rigorous seed trials has been making recommendations every year since 1933. Only new, previously unsold varieties of flowers and vegetables are recognized for their proven track record of excellence.

The number of winners varies from year to year, but this year just three made the grade:

2008 All-America Selections Winners

n Osteospermum F1 Asti White (AAS Bedding Plant Award Winner): This tender annual, also known as cape daisy, has its origins in South Africa. This is the first white Osteospermum propagated from seed, sporting jaunty petals surrounding a blue center.

The foliage is thick and fleshy and can withstand a fair amount of drought without wilting. Flowers are 21/2 inches wide and stand atop 20-inch stems that wave gracefully in the wind without the need for support. The blooms stay open even when the weather turns cloudy, unlike its other South African daisy cousins.

Asti White plants flowers uniformly about 17 weeks from seed, or gardeners can purchase starter plants in early to mid-spring. This cultivar tolerates light frost, which means that it can be planted out weeks earlier than other tender annuals.

Choose a location that’s bright and sunny, and space plants between one and two feet apart. You can also grown Asti White as a container plant, but do choose a roomy container — especially when mixing with other species.

Asti White has been bred and produced by Goldsmith Seeds, Inc.

Here’s a quick rundown of this new daisy’s specifications:

Genus species: Osteospermum ecklonis

Common names: African Daisy, Blue-eyed Daisy, Cape Daisy

Unique qualities: First white osteospermum propagated from seed. Freedom of bloom and uniform size plants

Flower size: 2 to 2.5 inches

Color(s): White with blue center

Plant height: 17-20 inches

Plant width: 17-20 inches

Garden spacing: 12-24 inches apart

Length of time from sowing seed to flower: 17 weeks from seed

Closest comparisons on market: Sky and Ice or Passion Mix.

n Viola F1 Skippy XL Plum-Gold (AAS Cool Season Bedding Plant Award Winner): This old-fashioned charmer won over the judges based on sheer floral power: Here in Western Oregon, expect lavish blooms from earliest spring into the heat of summer.

This petite pansy cousin sports watercolor shades of plum, violet and purple surrounded a sunny gold center bisected with slender black lines affectionately known as whiskers. The blossoms are small, but the sheer number of flowers more than compensates for their 11/2-inch individual size.

Reboot in the fall with an autumn planting that partners with flowering kale, pansies and mums.

Expect plants to reach six to eight inches in height, with a similar spread. Great in beds, window boxes or pots in a cool, bright location. ‘Skippy XL Plum-Gold’ was bred by Kieft Seeds Holland. Here are the specifications:

Genus species: Viola cornuta

Common name: Viola

Unique qualities: Color combinations, vigorous and floriferous, flower size

Flower size: 1.5 inches

Form: Single

Color(s): Plum shades with golden center

Plant height: 6 inches

Plant width: 8 inches

Garden spacing: 8 inches

Length of time from sowing seed to flower: 10 weeks

Closest comparison(s) on market: Skippy Lavender/Yellow Face or Panola Lavender

n Eggplant F1 Hansel (2008 AAS Vegetable Award Winner: This miniature eggplant is smaller-in-size, with finger-length clusters of shiny purple fruit — lots of fruit! This plant, while less than three feet tall at maturity, is a major producer. Many clusters of fruit appear on Hansel, with each cluster totaling three to six individual eggplants — perfect for marinating and grilling.

The fruits mature early, about 55 days from transplanting into warm soil. Unlike traditional eggplants, any clusters left on the plant continue to grow in size but remain tender and flavorful — no bitterness. Go ahead a take a vacation! The fruit will be waiting for you, as long as it’s not a three-week cruise.

Hansel also adapts happily to container life, fitting easily on smaller patios or decks. Hansel will be available as seed and young bedding plants. This AAS winner was bred by Seminis Vegetable Seed.

Genus species: Solanum melongena

Common names: Eggplant, Aubergine

Fruit size: From 3 to 10 inches in length

Fruit shape: Elongated shape.

Color: Glossy dark purple fruit

Plant height: 36 inches

Plant width: 30 inches

Plant habit: Compact upright

Garden spacing: 2 feet apart

Unique qualities: Miniature plant. Clusters of tender sweet fruit with few seeds, early.

* Length of time from transplanting to harvest: 55 days

* Closest comparison(s) on market: ‘Little Fingers,’ ‘Orient Express’

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