Perennial plant breeding at Chicago Botanic Garden^©

INTRODUCTION
The Chicagoland Grows^®, Inc. plant introduction program was founded in 1986 by the Chicago Botanic Garden, The Morton Arboretum, and the nursery consortium Ornamental Growers’ Association of Northern Illinois (OGA). From its inception, the program has been dedicated to the development and introduction of superior landscape plants to the Midwestern USA and comparable climates in the USA, Canada, and Europe. Initially the program focused on the introduction of woody landscape plants, including numerous trees and shrubs from The Morton Arboretum’s breeding research and historic landscape collections and selections from several regional nurseries. More recently, the program has also introduced several herbaceous perennials developed by regional nurseries and a garden center. In support of Chicagoland Grows, the Chicago Botanic Garden initiated a perennial plant breeding program in 1995, with its first introduction in 2004. Plant propagation for the Chicago Botanic Garden’s breeding program was previously reported (Ault and Thomas, 2013). This report will focus on the breeding efforts of the program.