A productive cutting garden should provide more than a burst of colour in spring. The best perennial flowers offer sturdy stems, repeat flowering, useful…
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
Solidago rugosa and Solidago canadensis belong to the Asteraceae and share the golden spires that define late-summer meadows across temperate regions. Although…
Monarda fistulosa, commonly called wild bergamot, is a North American perennial valued for its aromatic foliage, summer flower clusters and appeal to bees and…
Hostas have earned a loyal following among Australian shade gardeners, particularly in the cooler pockets of Tasmania, the Dandenong Ranges, and the leafy…
Big leaves bring drama and permanence, offering texture long after flowers fade. While roses and perennials often take centre stage for blooms, a quiet shift…
Gardens across southern Australia rarely face the deep freezes that shape plantings further north, yet many home gardeners still crave the layered, four-season…
The collaborative evaluation work carried out by Perennials in Focus brings together growers, designers, and public garden staff to test how lesser-known…
Across Melbourne's western growth corridor and Sydney's outer Cumberland Plain suburbs, fragments of original grassland and grassy woodland persist in odd…
Comparing the flowering period of Eupatorium maculatum ‘Gateway’ versus ‘Purple Bush’ is useful when planning a late-season display. Both are commonly treated…
The Perennials in Focus evaluation program has turned its attention to a classic North American prairie legume, testing how well Baptisia australis copes with…
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.
