Shade gardens often rely on flower colour to create interest, yet foliage usually carries the display for far longer. This is particularly true beneath trees,…
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
The first warm days of the season can bring bees out before many garden plants have fully awakened. In a Chicagoland garden, this often means short visits to…
New developments often leave gardens with difficult ground conditions. Heavy machinery compresses soil, buried rubble interrupts drainage, and imported fill…
Trialing the moisture retention of different mulches around newly planted perennials can reveal why some beds establish quickly while others need frequent…
Hostas are valued for their bold foliage, but their display begins relatively late and often fades after flowering. The open soil around them can look bare in…
Rust can turn an otherwise reliable perennial into a disappointing purchase, particularly when dense foliage stays damp overnight. For gardeners comparing…
Astilbe chinensis is valued for feathery flower plumes, attractive divided foliage and a preference for evenly moist soil. In the Chicagoland region, selected…
Aquilegia vulgaris, commonly called columbine or granny’s bonnet, has a natural talent for appearing in the spaces between deliberately planted perennials. Its…
Autumn performance is often judged by flower colour, yet a planting can remain visually strong after summer blooms fade through foliage, seed heads, stems and…
Companion planting perennial alliums with roses can create a more layered, attractive bed while making rose foliage and flowers less obvious to some chewing…
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.
