Urban gardens often ask more from perennial plants than their nursery labels reveal. Soil beside sidewalks, driveways, foundations, and parking areas may be…
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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Verbena bonariensis brings an airy, vertical presence to perennial borders. Its tall, branching stems rise above lower plants, carrying clusters of small…
Late summer can leave a perennial border looking tired just as the garden reaches its most visible season. Sedum telephium selections, often sold under the…
Monarda didyma, commonly called scarlet bee balm or red bergamot, is a familiar midsummer perennial in Chicagoland gardens. Its vivid flowers attract…
Echinacea has become a staple of Midwestern perennial gardens, valued for its long flowering season, pollinator appeal, and tolerance of heat and drought once…
Eremurus robustus, commonly called foxtail lily or desert candle, is an unforgettable perennial when its tall flower spikes rise above the garden in early…
A perennial meadow can turn an ordinary suburban lawn into a layered planting that supports pollinators, handles seasonal weather, and offers changing color…
Beneath mature trees, gardeners face a difficult combination of dry soil, filtered light, and persistent competition from weeds. A useful groundcover must…
Perennial bloom dates are often treated as fixed characteristics, yet they are shaped by the weather and growing conditions surrounding each plant. In…
A garden can support birds through more than flowers and seedheads. Berry-producing plants provide seasonal food, cover, and vertical structure, especially…
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.
