2008 chicago garden list
most sourced from natural gardens in st. charles, IL

hydrangea quercifolia
cimicifuga racemosa
eupatorium purpureum
rudbeckia triloba (a favorite right now)
rudbeckia subtomentosa
heliopsis helianthoides
dicentra exima
anemone hupehensis
alchemilla mollis
monarda sp.
convallaria majalis var. montana
hosta sp.
coreopsis sp.
echinacea purpurea (and a variety of cultivars)

i specifically chose a majority of native plants, and when i could, prairie native plants. illinois once had more than 22 million acres of native prairie habitat. today, there is only about 2000 acres of this naturally occurring native habitat remaining.