Top 10 Favorite Plants for Chicagoland
You can imagine I have quite a collection of Proven Winners plants since I've been working here for 17 years. Out of the 100's of Proven Winners plants in my yard (DeKalb, IL) these are my top favorites.
| As director of marketing and public relations, Dirks combines his 20+ years of horticultural experience and marketing skills to create awareness of the Proven Winners brand, including developing and maintaining a consistent, recognizable image for Proven Winners. Marshall manages Proven Winners’ consumer advertising, trade collateral and marketing materials, the consumer and industry websites in addition to social media platforms and Proven Winners’ national public relations efforts. |
 | Incrediball® hydrangea – besides Limelight, this is quickly become my favorite. With extra strong stems and clear beautiful flowers, it flowers mid-June for me, a full month earlier than Limelight. No maintenance is needed either and the spent flower stalks in the winter are stunning. |
 | Mystic Illusion Dahlia– this plant will graduate to the Proven Winners program next spring so I’m cheating a bit! But this plant continues to be the talk of my yard this summer. Brilliant and clear yellow flowers atop dark, warm foliage makes this a favorite for sure. Just sit back and enjoy this beauty in shade or sun. No deadheading needed either like other double flowering dahlias. |
 | Shadowland™ 'Autumn Frost' Hosta – hostas are a must for any shady area, and certainly hold their own in a fair amount of sun too! This is one of my favorites since it keeps a nice and tidy habit – these plants are 4 years old and fit perfectly into any 1-foot space. |
 | Quick Fire® & Little Quick Fire® hydrangea – the first of all panicle hydrangeas in my yard to flower, a full month ahead of Limelight I absolutely love the transition of the blooms from pure white, to light pink, to dark pink and finishing in the fall with a fiery rich pink. Little Quick Fire is a tidy and smaller version than Quickfire – so perfect when you have just 3-feet available, or in front of a taller green hedge. |
 | Supertunia® Bordeaux – this is a showstopper all season. It’s foliage is one of the darkest of all petunias, and the habit is exceptional. I’ve found it’s one of the least likely petunias to stretch and get leggy too – although it does benefit from regular feedings to maintain habit and flowering. Dark foliage and rich purple flowers are a great combination. As with all Supertunias no deadheading is necessary and it holds up great after a heavy downpour (these pictures were taken an hour after 2 inches of rain). |
 | Invincibelle® Spirit – another winner! The first pink “annabelle” - what’s not to like about that? I would recommend trimming out any early and weak branches that tend to run along the ground to increase overall stem strength throughout the plant. Once in bloom – just cut and enjoy all the flowers indoors! Watch for Invinciibelle Spirit II as color and stem strength will be improved even more!! |
 | Supertunia® Latte – while I was not in love with it’s predecessor’s color White Russian, I have found this plant to be an incredibly easy plant to grow! Great habit, constantly in flower and it’s color is becoming more appealing to me. |
 | Sunsatia® Blood Orange – once again, Proven Winners extends the color range of another genus. This time nemesia, which typically come in whites, blues and pinks. I’ve planted this new variety in a container, but I’ve seen it perform just as admirably in the ground. In shade, it will get a bit more leggy and tend to flop over/open, but in full sun it will stand upright and grin at the sun! It blooms early in the spring and will keep growing in most areas until the last hard frost. Nemesias generally prefer drier soil conditions, but I’ve found in with the wettest June in Illinois history that it’s done quite well! |
 | My Monet® – one of the very first Proven Winners shrubs, this sweet shrub is often forgotten. Extremely tight and well kept, these plants are 10 years old and shine like a star in a shade spot. These are a great replacement for hostas if those are not your favorite. Brimming with pink flowers in early spring, the variagated foliage is a standout all from late spring-fall. |
 | Gold Splash® – often overlooked are the foundation plantings that maintain structure and shape for the garden year round. I love planting Gold Splash in full sun or shade. It’s vigorous, so give it some room. It handles trimming like a champ, so don’t be bashful. |
