Threadleaf coreopsis, or Coreopsis verticillata, is valued for its fine-textured foliage, drought tolerance, and cheerful daisy-like flowers. In the…
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
In a Chicagoland woodland garden, the weeks between winter and summer can feel surprisingly brief. Spring ephemerals emerge quickly, bloom beneath open tree…
A narrow planting strip beside a Chicago sidewalk can be one of the harshest places to grow a perennial. Plants must cope with winter deicing salt, compacted…
Gardeners planning a long season of color often look for perennials that overlap without competing for the same visual space. Garden phlox (Phlox paniculata)…
Gardening beneath mature oak trees requires a different strategy from filling a sunny border. The canopy reduces available light, the extensive root system…
Dwarf irises bring some of the earliest and most dependable color to a Midwestern garden. Their compact size suits rock gardens, edging, containers, and sunny…
Seseli gummiferum, commonly called moon carrot, brings an unusual combination of silver foliage, branching stems, and airy white flower umbels to the perennial…
A sloping front yard can lose valuable topsoil during spring snowmelt, summer thunderstorms, and freeze-thaw cycles. Water follows the grade, gathers speed,…
Bee balm, or Monarda didyma, brings vivid red, pink, lavender, and purple flowers to the summer garden while supplying nectar for bees, butterflies, and…
Evaluating the cold hardiness of Echinacea paradoxa in Chicago winters requires more than checking whether a plant survives a single cold snap. The yellow…
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.
