Evaluator garden map — view on Google Maps for full details.

The evaluator garden program at Perennials in Focus brings together horticultural experts who assess how underused perennial varieties perform across the greater Chicagoland region. By planting and observing these selections in real garden conditions, the team gathers practical information about which plants truly thrive in the local climate, soil, and seasonal patterns. This hands-on approach moves beyond catalog descriptions and marketing claims, offering consumers, growers, and landscape professionals a grounded view of how a perennial behaves once it is in the ground. The garden map provides a visual reference for where these evaluations take place, giving visitors a sense of the program's reach throughout the metropolitan area.

Evaluating perennials is about more than simply noting whether a plant survives a single season. The team tracks performance across multiple years, watching how each selection handles winter extremes, summer heat, humidity, and the fluctuating moisture levels that characterize Chicagoland gardens. Growth habit, flower production, disease resistance, and overall vigor all factor into the assessment. Because many underused perennials have not been widely tested in this region, the data gathered fills an important gap for anyone making plant choices. Landscape designers and breeders alike benefit from honest, long-term feedback about how these plants behave in a demanding Midwestern environment.

The information generated through these evaluations reaches a broad audience, from home gardeners to industry professionals. Public consumers can make more confident purchasing decisions, while growers and breeders gain insight into which selections deserve wider production and distribution. The program also serves as an educational resource, helping people understand that a perennial's success depends on matching the right plant to the right place. Site conditions, exposure, and maintenance expectations all influence outcomes. By sharing these observations across numerous locations, the program builds a richer picture of what works and what does not, encouraging thoughtful, informed choices throughout the region's gardening community.

Visitors to the in-the-garden page can explore the map to see where evaluation sites are situated and appreciate the scale of the effort. The program's mission is rooted in collaboration, drawing on the expertise of a dedicated committee and a network of partners who share a passion for improving the perennial plant palette available to Chicagoland gardeners. Whether you are a seasoned horticulturist or a newcomer to gardening, the work happening in these evaluation gardens offers a window into the careful, ongoing process of identifying reliable, beautiful, and resilient plant choices for one of the largest metropolitan regions in the country.