Forest preserve planning native plant sale

Gardeners can get ready to go native by placing orders now through Wednesday, April 20, for the Native Plant Sale held by Forest Preserve of DuPage County.

The sale will be from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, May 6, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 7, at Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 W. 31st St., Oak Brook.

Order forms and a catalog with photos, descriptions and prices are posted on dupageforest.org/nativeplantsale.

Gardeners can place orders through April 20 and then pick up and pay for their plants at the sale, or they can wait and shop at the sale itself, where they'll also be able to get expert advice.

Customers can pay with cash, check, Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express, and all proceeds will support educational programming at the forest district.

All of the plants at this year's sale originate from seed collected within 150 miles of DuPage County and are not treated with insecticides containing neonicotinoids, which are harmful to bees and other insect pollinators.

Gardeners who landscape their yards with native plants help wildlife further by expanding the habitat already made available in the forest preserve's natural areas.

More information about gardening with native plants and pollinators is available at the district's following gardening-related programs:

• "Lectures at Mayslake: Gardening for Pollinators" from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 3, at Mayslake Peabody Estate. Learn how to attract pollinators, which give life to 80 percent of all flowering plants, and how to keep them coming back to their garden. Ages 12 and older; younger than 18 with an adult. $10 per person. Register online or at (630) 206-9566.

• "Spring Wildflower Hike" from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 18, at Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve in Darien. Enjoy the season's short-lived blooms along the trails and in the woodlands and prairies on this ranger-led hike. Ages 6 and older; younger than 16 with an adult. Free. Register online or at (630) 933-7248.