The Chicagoland Grows® Plant Introduction Program is dedicated to developing, selecting, growing, and bringing to market a diverse range of plants that are well adapted to Midwestern landscapes and beyond. It is a unique partnership, established in 1986, between the The Morton Arboretum, the Chicago Botanic Garden, and the Ornamental Growers Association of Northern Illinois (OGA). Trees and shrubs developed at The Morton Arboretum and herbaceous perennials and grasses developed at the Chicago Botanic Garden provide a pipeline of new landscape plants for the horticulture industry and home gardeners alike.
The regional OGA nurseries and a network of additional nurseries, both national and international, are licensed to propagate, grow, and sell new cultivars that are considered worthy of introduction to retailers, landscape contractors, and other consumers. Chicagoland Grows cultivars are marketed and licensed through Plants Nouveau. Royalties from sales of the program’s introductions support the nonprofit missions of The Morton Arboretum and the Chicago Botanic Garden.