A small garden can offer a longer, richer display than a larger border when plants are selected for succession rather than for a single peak moment. The aim is…
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
A garden that stays colorful from June through September does not require constant deadheading. The strongest candidates combine a long succession of flowers…
Helenium autumnale brings late-summer and early-fall color to perennial borders, but its value extends beyond the landscape. Strong stems, warm flower tones,…
Amsonia tabernaemontana, commonly called eastern bluestar, is valued for its clusters of pale blue spring flowers, fine-textured foliage, and strong golden…
Goldenrod is one of the most valuable late-season nectar plants for monarch butterflies in the Midwest. When many summer perennials are finishing, Solidago…
Rain gardens in the Chicagoland area must handle a demanding cycle: intense summer storms, temporary standing water, saturated soil, winter freeze-thaw…
Compact monarda varieties bring the color, fragrance, and pollinator value of bee balm to spaces where full-size perennials are impractical. In containers,…
Bare soil beneath shrubs quickly becomes an invitation to weeds. Rain exposes new seed, birds bring in unwanted plants, and disturbed beds give perennial weeds…
Meadow restoration begins long before seedlings are planted in the ground. The quality, viability, and germination behavior of native perennial seed determine…
Sidewalk planting beds face a distinctive combination of winter stresses. Snow is shoveled or piled into the soil, spray from passing traffic reaches foliage,…
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.
