Seed Stories: Treviso & Piedmont Basil and the Art of Breeding Better Basil

Fantastic garden varieties don’t just happen by accident. For reputable seed companies like Seeds By Design and True Leaf Market, they are the result of years, even decades of work. New seed varieties are developed through patient observation, careful selection, thoughtful collaboration, and a deep respect for the people who will eventually grow them.

The stories behind the award-winning Treviso and Piedmont basil varieties are no different. In fact, they are all-star examples of the intricate seed-breeding process coming to fruition in revolutionary new varieties. Furthermore, Seeds by Design joined the True Leaf Market family in 2023, which has allowed you to access a broader selection of outstanding seed varieties for your garden year after year, and that selection just keeps growing.

What Does It Mean To Be an AAS Winner?

The All-America Selections (AAS) is an independent nonprofit group that trials hundreds of new seed varieties across the United States by horticultural professionals. Each entry undergoes rigorous testing alongside multiple similar varieties to see which will excel. The AAS group is one of the most reputable labels in the horticulture industry. They have very high standards, and only a small fraction of entries each year go on to win any kind of award. This is exactly why it is so significant that Seeds by Design has produced two AAS winners two years in a row! Treviso and Piedmont Basil are both proven elite performers across diverse growing conditions. While each is noted for its distinct excellence, they are both known for their valuable all-around high performance.

Big Wins For Treviso Basil

Seeds by Design and True Leaf Market are thrilled to announce that Treviso Basil has been named an All-America Selections Winner for 2026! Not only that, but it also won the National Garden Bureau’s 2026 Professional’s Choice Green Thumb Award in the Edible Category. This award is judged by a panel of industry experts who evaluate varieties based on innovation, garden performance, visual appeal, durability, and reliability. Again, a highly prestigious award for any seed to receive. The fact that Treviso basil has won BOTH of these honors confirms what breeders and trial growers already knew when they introduced it to the market: this variety is truly something special.

Why Treviso Basil?

So, you may be wondering at this point, “Why?” Why has Treviso won these distinctive awards? The bottom line is that Treviso Basil offers what most gardeners hope for when growing basil: delicious taste (slightly anise-forward), tender texture for an extended time, heat tolerance, and a slow-to-bolt (flower) habit. These traits mean you can harvest longer while maintaining a tender texture and resisting the bitter flavor that other varieties tend to develop over time.

The AAS Judges were particularly impressed by Treviso’s consistency in a variety of growing conditions and locations. Whether planted in containers, raised beds, or traditional garden rows, Treviso maintains leaf quality and productivity when many basil plants begin to struggle.

Piedmont Basil Set The Bar High

For even more background as to why Treviso’s win was so significant, in 2025, Piedmont Basil (also bred by Seeds By Design) earned its own AAS Winning designation. Piedmont set the standard high with its dense, bushy plants, classic basil flavor, intoxicating aroma, and exceptional post-harvest performance even under challenging conditions.

This variety proved that basil could be beautiful and dependable. It was a favorite among trial judges and gardeners alike. Piedmont Basil set expectations for what growers could expect from Seeds by Design. Together, the two varieties represent a thoughtful approach to breeding, putting flavor first while backing it with real-world performance time and time again.

The People Behind the Plants: Patty Buskirk and Rick Grazzini

The masterminds behind both of these varieties can be traced back to Patty Buskirk of Seeds By Design and Rick Grazzini of Garden Genetics. These two professionals’ strengths perfectly complement each other, resulting in a collaborative breeding effort that was rewarded with Treviso and Piedmont basil. Rick focuses on core breeding work through greenhouse and container production, enabling fast, focused selection and refinement of traits such as flavor, plant habit, and vigor. Patty brings those selections to scale, testing them in field environments to ensure they perform reliably beyond controlled conditions.

Patty Buskirk: A Lifetime of Seed Excellence

As the founder of Seeds by Design, Patty Buskirk is a respected leader in the seed industry with more an fourty years of experience in seed development and plant breeding. She began her career in 1981 as a squash breeding assistant and later worked with several major seed companies before founding her own company in 1994. Through the years, Patty has earned a distinct reputation for developing varieties that prioritize flavor, garden performance, and universal grower success. Her work culminated recently in her receiving the prestigious All-American Selections Breeders' Cup Award, which celebrates a lifetime of meaningful contributions to horticulture.

Seeds by Design Joins True Leaf Market

In the last decade or so, observant gardeners may have noticed changes across the seed industry as long-standing companies have evolved, transitioned, or changed ownership. There are many reasons these shifts can be triggered, such as retirements, changing circumstances, natural disasters, and other events. What’s most important is how those transitions are handled and what that means for the average gardener.

Seeds by Design joining TLM in 2023 was about consolidation and creating an opportunity to preserve and expand its reach of innovative, award-winning varieties over time. By joining True Leaf Market, Seeds By Design gained the ability to deliver its outstanding seeds more efficiently to a wider community. And that’s really what it’s all about for seed breeders, the people who will grow the seeds.

True Leaf Market, in turn, is proud to support the development of thoughtfully bred, high-quality varieties. Together, we continue to offer reliable, performance-tested seeds that any gardener can trust. This partnership is intent on preserving what Patty and her collaborators have spent decades perfecting while increasing availability and efficiency for the wider gardening community.

What SxD Joining TLM Means For Home Gardeners

For gardeners, this means that you will have better access to high-quality seeds! Treviso and Piedmont basil were bred with home gardeners in mind. With SxD joining the TLM team, these award-winning varieties are positioned to reach even more homes, gardens, and nurseries across the United States. So, whether you’re just looking for a better basil variety to try out, or you’re looking to support real people who care deeply about plants and gardens, Treviso and Piedmont basil are going to be your golden ticket! We invite you to grow Treviso or Piedmont basil this season and experience firsthand what thoughtful breeding and meaningful collaboration can accomplish.