Penstemon digitalis, commonly called foxglove beardtongue, is a clump-forming prairie perennial with white tubular flowers marked purple inside. Perennials in…
Evaluating Perennials for Chicagoland Gardens
Perennials in Focus is a plant evaluation program that examines new and underused plants for Chicagoland, the third largest metropolitan area in the country. A group of horticultural experts trials and evaluates plants at numerous locations across the region. Results help consumers, public gardens, growers, landscape designers, breeders, and other industry professionals make informed plant choices.
Blog
Assessing the pollinator visitation rates of Agastache foeniculum versus Nepeta subspicata calls for more than declaring a universal winner. Visitation rate…
A bog garden combines saturated soil, standing water and acidic conditions in a demanding planting zone. A plant described as moisture-loving may tolerate damp…
Clematis recta and Clematis integrifolia are useful alternatives to the familiar climbing clematis. Both are herbaceous or semi-herbaceous perennials, so they…
Evaluating the flowering consistency of Aster erioides in variable moisture is a practical test of whether a perennial flowers dependably, not merely whether…
Perennials that offer silver foliage like Artemisia ludoviciana bring a cool, luminous note to a sunny border. Their pale leaves sharpen the colours of yellow,…
Using perennials to create a low-maintenance meadow in lawns is less about scattering flowers over turf and more about replacing part of that turf with a…
Trialing the performance of Vernonia altissima in compacted urban soil asks a practical question about tall ironweed, a North American perennial with…
A woodland edge is the bright, shifting border between a canopy and an open garden, rather than the deep shade beneath dense trees. The best perennials for…
Perennials in Focus has made the timing difference between two familiar monkshoods easy to assess. In its Chicagoland record, A. carmichaelii generally shows…
In the Garden
Evaluator gardens are located across the Chicagoland area, representing a range of growing conditions. Visit our retail and wholesale partners to find trialled perennials for your own garden.
Retail & Wholesale: Hinsdale Nurseries (Willowbrook, IL), Mariani Nurseries (Kenosha, WI & Garden Prairie, IL), Northwind Perennials (Burlington, WI), The Growing Place (Aurora, IL).
Wholesale Only: Hinsdale Nurseries (Plano, IL), Intrinsic Perennial Gardens (Hebron, IL).
Our Evaluation Program
The 2017–2020 evaluation cycle included Agastache 'Blue Boa', Allium senescens 'Blue Eddy', Amsonia ciliata var. filifolia 'Georgia Pancake', Astilbe 'Chocolate Shogun', Boltonia astroides 'James Crocket', Brunnera 'Alexander's Great', and Geranium cinereum 'Jolly Jewel Purple'. Completed evaluations include Amsonia 'Blue Ice' (2004–07).
On April 10, 2020, the program published snapshot profiles for Vernonia lettermanii 'Iron Butterfly', Stokesia laevis 'Elf', Stachys officinalis 'Pink Cotton Candy', Lobelia 'Monet Moment', Helleborus 'Winter Thrillers', Geum 'Mai Tai', Geranium soboliferum 'Butterfly Kisses', Gentiana x intermedia 'True Blue', Eurybia divaricata, Asparagus 'Purple Passion', and Agastache 'Bolero'.
Browse the full collection of snapshots organized alphabetically — from A–D, E–H, I–Q, and R–Z — to find detailed performance data on perennials trialled across Chicagoland.
