New is important—as gardeners, it is what excites us and makes us drool over nursery catalogs and gardening magazines every winter. Unfortunately, being new does not necessarily mean good. Richard Hawke has spent his career trialing plants—many new plants are tested every year at the Chicago Botanic Garden for their overall performance. Do they have good habits? Do they get diseases easily? Do they come back reliably after a harsh winter? Richard will share information on perennials that have proven to be beautiful, reliable, and hardy in the Chicago Botanic Garden’s evaluation trials.