A perennial border can look spectacular in early June and disappointing by mid-July if every plant reaches its peak at once. For Midwest gardens, a better…
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
A peony can look impressive in a nursery container and still behave very differently after several winters in the ground. Establishment speed, stem strength,…
Yucca may seem better suited to desert landscapes than to the cold, humid conditions of northern Illinois. Its rigid, sword-shaped leaves and bold…
Coreopsis is often associated with sunny borders, long summer color, and dependable flowering. In the Chicagoland region, however, a plant’s performance…
A productive cutting garden in the Chicagoland region must do more than produce attractive stems in summer. Plants need to tolerate winter cold, fluctuating…
A successful winter garden begins long before the first frost. Perennials and ornamental grasses can carry a planting through the dormant season with upright…
The ground beneath a mature oak can be one of the most difficult places to establish a garden in Chicagoland. Dense branches reduce rainfall, extensive roots…
Monarda didyma, commonly called scarlet bee balm, brings strong color, aromatic foliage, and considerable wildlife value to perennial plantings. Its tubular…
Planting perennials at the right time gives roots a chance to establish before facing Northeast Illinois’ hot summers, freezing winters, and unpredictable…
A traditional lawn can be useful, but it is not the only way to create an attractive, walkable ground layer in a suburban Chicago yard. Turf often struggles…
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.
