Pathway borders experience a special kind of wear. Shoes clip the planting bed while people pass, guests step aside to let others through, and winter…
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
Sedums are often grouped together as drought-tolerant succulents, but their performance can differ greatly by species, climate, and growing conditions. Sedum…
Shade gardens in the Chicagoland region can be productive, colorful, and ecologically valuable, especially when their soil remains consistently moist. Yet…
Verbena bonariensis brings an airy, vertical presence to perennial borders. Its tall, branching stems rise above lower plants, carrying clusters of small…
The transition from spring to summer can leave a garden looking briefly unfinished. Early bulbs and flowering trees fade, while many warm-season perennials are…
Heuchera, commonly called coral bells, can bring foliage color to a Chicagoland garden long after many perennials have gone dormant. Their rounded leaves form…
Gentiana andrewsii, commonly called bottle gentian, is a late-season perennial valued for its tightly closed blue flowers. Bumblebees force their way between…
A perennial garden does not have to go quiet after the last leaves fall. In December, dried stems, pods, and flower clusters can become the strongest visual…
Garden phlox (Phlox paniculata) remains a summer staple in Midwestern borders, but its reputation depends heavily on cultivar selection and site conditions.…
Liatris spicata, commonly called blazing star or gayfeather, deserves closer attention from gardeners who want dependable flowers for indoor arrangements. Its…
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.
