Overgrown New England aster clumps can become crowded, woody in the centre and less floriferous around the edges. Dividing them in early spring restores…
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
Perennials in Focus evaluates plants where gardeners actually grow them: across multiple gardens, seasons and soil conditions in the Chicagoland region. That…
Rain gardens are designed to receive stormwater, hold it briefly and let it soak into the surrounding soil. That cycle creates a demanding planting…
Heat tolerance is becoming a decisive trait for perennial planting, especially where paving, dark walls and compacted soil create temperatures well above those…
Asclepias incarnata, commonly called swamp milkweed, is valued for its upright habit, pink to mauve flower clusters and appeal to pollinators. Its fine seed,…
Evaluating the root competition of perennials planted near mature maple trees requires more than noting whether a plant survives its first summer. Established…
A productive winter garden does not finish its work when the last flowers fade. In the Chicagoland region, upright stems and dry seed heads can continue…
Road salt can turn a narrow driveway edge into a difficult planting site. Splash from passing vehicles, ploughed snow, salty runoff and winter spray may leave…
Delphinium elatum is valued for its tall flower spires, saturated blue shades and strong vertical shape in a perennial border. Its first flush can transform a…
A broad drift of Geranium maculatum can turn the difficult ground beneath deciduous trees into a calm, seasonal planting. In spring, the foliage forms a fresh…
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.
