A sensory garden becomes more engaging when scent comes from leaves as well as flowers. Brushing past a plant, pinching a leaf between your fingers or warming…
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.
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Lobelia siphilitica, commonly called great blue lobelia, is valued for its vivid blue flowers, upright form and late-summer contribution to perennial borders.…
Dry shade is one of the most demanding conditions for a perennial groundcover. Trees intercept rainfall, mature roots compete for moisture, and dense canopies…
The best perennials for stabilizing slopes with deep root systems along Chicago expressways must cope with compacted soil, salt spray, wind, drought, summer…
Rudbeckia hirta, commonly called black-eyed Susan, is valued for its bright yellow flowers, long display and usefulness in pollinator-friendly plantings. Once…
A lawn beneath trees, beside a fence or on the southern side of a house can be difficult to plant. Grass often thins where light is limited, while bare soil…
A garden can lose much of its colour during the colder months, yet it does not have to lose its form. Perennials with durable stems, seedheads and dried flower…
Helenium cultivars bring late-season colour, sturdy stems and abundant daisy-like flowers to perennial borders. Their yellow, gold, red and mahogany blooms can…
Bee balm is one of the most rewarding perennials for gardeners who want to attract pollinators, yet its reputation for ragged, mildew-stained foliage has…
Salvia nemorosa is valued for its upright flower spikes, compact habit and reliable colour, yet its first flush is only part of the story. A midseason shear…
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.
