Chicago Botanic Garden

Plant Science and Conservation

Ornamental Plant Development

PHOTO: Sedum trial

Plant Evaluation Program: Download Plant Evaluation Notes below

Field observation, years of experience and a passion for plants—all blend together in the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Plant Evaluation Program. For 25 years, this program has been dedicated to the scientific study of perennials, annuals, vines, shrubs and trees.

The Garden’s Plant Evaluation Program is one of the largest and most diverse in the nation. It is also one of the few programs in the United States that formally evaluates perennials.

The goal of the program is to determine, through scientific evaluation, which plants are superior for gardens in the Upper Midwest. Plants are rated on ornamental qualities, cultural adaptability, winter hardiness, and disease and pest resistance. It is the intent of the program to study and recommend plants that are readily available in area nurseries. Study results are published and reported to both the professional industry and the gardening public.

PHOTO: data collectingThe evaluation studies are conducted over a long-term period:

— Four years for perennials
— Six years for shrubs and vines
— Seven to 10 years for trees

Two gardens at the Chicago Botanic Garden serve as the program’s home. The Lavin Plant Evaluation Garden is a 2.5-acre site with uniform growing conditions, which include full sun and exposure to wind in all directions. The Pullman Plant Evaluation Garden, which is the site of the Garden’s original test garden, is a landscaped garden for evaluating perennials, vines, shrubs and small trees suitable for partially shaded conditions.

Information on top-performing genera which have been previously evaluated in the program is available in Plant Evaluation Notes, available for download below or for order through the Plant Evaluation program. For a list of plants currently under evaluation in the program, click here.

Plant Evaluation Notes

The latest issue of Plant Evaluation Notes reports on the popular garden bellflowers (Campanula sp.)
Click here to download the evaluation of these versatile, long-blooming perennials.

Plant Evaluation Notes are available in PDF format for the following plants/topics below.