A dry, shaded corner beneath a tree can be the hardest part of an Australian garden. It receives little direct sun, competes with thirsty roots and often stays…
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
Perennials in Focus is a collaborative program evaluating perennial plants across multiple Chicagoland gardens and seasons. Records of bloom period, flower…
Cold stratification can be the hidden step between a viable seed of the pale purple coneflower and a dependable crop. Determining the chilling period needed by…
Perennials that provide red flowers for hummingbird gardens, like Monarda didyma, are valued for more than colour. Their tubular blooms offer nectar and fit a…
The question of how to establish a perennial border with successional color using cultivars starts with sequencing. Treat the bed as a relay: early plants open…
Campanula persicifolia, commonly called peach-leaved bellflower, is valued for its upright stems and clear bell-shaped flowers in shades of blue, violet and…
Choosing the best perennials for urban rooftop gardens with reflective heat and wind means treating the roof as a miniature climate, not simply moving a sunny…
Lady’s mantle is valued for its scalloped foliage, frothy chartreuse flowers and ability to soften paths, borders and cottage-style planting. In Australian…
A garden can release its strongest perfume without a single flower being open. When aromatic leaves are brushed by a path, pinched during maintenance or…
Evaluating the seedling vigor of Verbena bonariensis in self-sown scenarios is less about declaring a universal winner than understanding how volunteers…
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.
