Trialing the cold hardiness of newer Salvia sylvestris cultivars in Zone 5b reveals much more than whether a plant survives winter. The evaluation also shows…
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
Eroding banks beside Chicago’s rivers, creeks and drainage channels need more than attractive flowers. The most reliable plantings combine dense, fibrous roots…
Penstemon digitalis and Penstemon hirsutus are North American beardtongues with different habits, flower colours and garden uses. Their flowering periods can…
Spiraea japonica, commonly called Japanese spiraea, is valued for its neat habit, fresh foliage and clusters of pink or white flowers. Because it blooms on the…
Overgrown New England aster clumps can become crowded, woody in the centre and less floriferous around the edges. Dividing them in early spring restores…
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…
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.
