Q. I am receiving lots of catalogs. All have great pictures and descriptions of how wonderful all their new plants are. How do I know which ones to use?

A. Sometimes you don’t know until you try. In some ways, gardening is a lot like the business world. One takes risks – looks at new ways of doing things – and learns from one’s mistakes. Gardening is one way to make mistakes and not worry about getting fired.

All America Selections are a good choice when you want to try a new flower of vegetable. These varieties have stood the test of different climates and soils.

Here are some All-America choices for 2011:

Gaillardia, or Blanket flower, is a tough, drought tolerant perennial for our area. Gaillardia “Arizona Apricot” is characterized with yellow-edged blooms that deepen to a rich apricot in the center. “Arizona Apricot” will bloom from early summer into autumn. The compact 12-inch tall plants offer bright green foliage and a tidy uniform habit best viewed when planted to the front of the flower bed. This long-flowering perennial is hardy in USDA Zones 2 through 10, is relatively maintenance free, and is drought-tolerant once established.

Kale is a very nutritious vegetable. Some forms of kale have colored leaves and are used as decorative annuals in the spring in Indiana. “Glamour Red” is All-America Selections’ first winning kale (edible or ornamental) in 78 years of trialing. This kale has shiny foliage that heightens the color.

There are many types of Salvia used in Indiana landscapes. It pays to do your research to know which ones to use in your landscape. Salvia “Summer Jewel Red” is at best a tender perennial (used here as an annual) that will flower the first year. It appears to be an improved version of “Lady in Red” – popular tender salvia released many years ago. This plant was highly rated by the AAS judges because of its uniform habit and early and generous flower blossoms.

Pumpkin “Hijinks” reflects an interest in smaller pumpkins used for Halloween decorations. This winning pumpkin variety produces small-sized, 6- to 7-pound fruits of a uniform size and shape. Smooth deep-orange skin with distinctive grooves gives a very classy appearance to fall decorations and is ideal for painting or carving. The strong durable stem makes a great handle. Gardeners can expect high yields, notable resistance to powdery mildew, easy fruit removal from plants and excellent stem attachment. Two tomatoes were winners this year. “Lizzano” is a cherry tomato chosen because it has some resistance to late blight. “Terenzo” is a high-yielding, heat-tolerant cherry tomato whose fruits have a high sugar content and are resistant to cracking.