Choosing a bee balm for a garden visited by deer involves more than finding a plant labelled “deer resistant”. Monarda fistulosa and Monarda didyma are both…
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
Echinacea purpurea, commonly called purple coneflower, is valued for its long summer flowering, upright habit and seed heads that remain useful into autumn.…
Late-season monarchs need two different kinds of planting support. Adult butterflies require nectar-rich flowers to fuel migration, mating and egg-laying,…
Oligoneuron rigidum, often sold in Australia under its older name Solidago rigida, has drawn sustained attention from perennial triallists for its stiff…
False indigo has been quietly winning over gardeners who want a long-lived perennial with structural presence and minimal fuss. Within the genus, Baptisia…
Hoverflies, sometimes called flower flies or syrphids, are among the most effective allies an edible gardener can recruit. Their larvae devour aphids, thrips,…
Few gardening questions generate more debate than whether to keep watering after the growing season has officially ended. For perennials planted only weeks…
A woodland edge is one of the most rewarding places to garden, yet it can be difficult to read. Light shifts as the sun moves, tree canopies change through the…
Perennials that offer unique bark or stem colour like Cornus sericea can bring structure to a garden when flowers have finished and deciduous leaves have…
Silphium perfoliatum, commonly known as cup plant, has earned a reputation as one of the most architecturally striking perennials for open, sunny habitats. 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.
