A path between vegetable beds can do more than provide access. When planted with low-growing perennials, it becomes a living mulch that shades soil, slows…
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
Aronia melanocarpa, the glossy black chokeberry, has earned a loyal following in cooler North American gardens for its clusters of late-summer fruit that cling…
Coreopsis verticillata is valued for its fine foliage, long flowering season and cheerful daisy-like blooms. It can bring useful movement to a perennial…
Pollinator visitation is a useful way to compare flowering perennials, but a simple count rarely tells the whole story. The number of insects recorded on a…
A mature oak can give a garden a sense of permanence, with a broad canopy, deeply textured bark and welcome relief from summer heat. The ground beneath it is a…
Shasta daisies (Leucanthemum × superbum) are a staple of the sunny border, prized for their crisp white rays and golden centres. Yet many gardeners only get…
Australian gardens enjoy long growing seasons, yet many beds peak in spring and fade by early summer. By layering spring-flowering bulbs beneath and between…
For Australian gardeners seeking plants that earn their keep across many seasons, perennial selections that produce edible blooms offer remarkable value. A…
Perovskia atriplicifolia, widely sold as Russian sage, has become a fixture in dryland and Mediterranean-style borders across temperate gardens. Its silvered…
Bigroot cranesbill and Cambridge cranesbill sit side by side in many shade garden reference books, yet gardeners often pick between them based on a single…
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.
