New England aster is a dependable late-season performer in the Chicago region, yet its value in a mixed border depends on height, spread and how long the…
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
Gardeners searching for the best perennials for edible landscaping with culinary uses like Monarda and Echinacea need more than a flower list. A useful plant…
Penstemon digitalis, commonly called foxglove beardtongue, and Penstemon hirsutus, known as hairy beardtongue, are North American prairie perennials often…
Eastern red columbine, Aquilegia canadensis, is a spring-flowering perennial from eastern North America, not an Australian native. Its red and yellow flowers…
Brilliant red, deeply tubular flowers are the calling card of the ruby-throated hummingbird, and few perennials deliver that signal more unmistakably than…
A well-layered perennial garden combines form, rhythm and seasonal change. Broad leaves anchor the planting, flowering perennials provide colour at different…
A dense blazing star, Liatris spicata, offers a vertical accent for arrangements, but its value as a cut flower depends on more than colour and form. A spike…
Down in the southern half of Australia, where frosty Hobart mornings give way to bone-chilling Canberra evenings, plenty of keen gardeners stash their precious…
Hardy geraniums earn their place in temperate gardens for a simple reason: they keep performing year after year with minimal fuss. Two of the most talked-about…
Chelone obliqua, often called turtlehead for its distinctive hooded blooms, has steadily moved from curiosity plant to mainstream perennial in regions where…
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.
