Kalimeris incisa, sometimes sold as the cut-leaf Japanese aster or blue star, has been quietly winning over gardeners who need a polite, workhorse perennial…
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 steep garden bank can be one of the most awkward parts of a landscape. Mowing is unsafe, hand-weeding is slow, and heavy rain can wash away exposed soil…
Lobelia cardinalis is valued for its vivid scarlet flower spikes, upright habit and late-season presence in damp perennial borders. Its colour can appear…
Across temperate southern Australia, pale coneflower has quietly earned a following among gardeners drawn to its slender drooping petals, drought leanings and…
Asclepias syriaca, commonly known as common milkweed, has earned attention well beyond its native North American range. In Australia, gardeners from Brisbane…
When designing a perennial border, colour usually grabs attention first, but it is the underlying architecture of a flower that gives a planting its lasting…
In southern Australia, the weeks leading into winter present a narrow but vital window for pollinating insects. As days shorten and temperatures cool from May…
Bare-root perennials are often shipped and stored in a dormant state, relying on stored energy reserves to survive until planting. One of the greatest risks…
Underplanting a Japanese maple calls for a careful balance between beauty and restraint. Acer palmatum has a naturally shallow, spreading root system that…
Stokes' aster is becoming a go-to perennial for gardeners wanting reliable summer colour, but leaf spot disease can spoil its display. Two candidates…
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.
