Place orders for annual Conservation Plant Sale
The Kane-DuPage Soil and Water Conservation District is taking orders for its annual Conservation Plant Sale.
Each spring, bare root evergreen tree seedlings, deciduous tree seedlings and shrubs, and prairie plant plugs are available to purchase for the purposes of conservation.
The sale includes various evergreen and deciduous bare-root trees and shrubs; prairie or pond plant packages; and single-pot shade and prairie plants. Prices vary depending on species. It also features conservation books.
Ordering deadline for trees and shrubs is Monday, March 18. Deadline for prairie plants is Monday, April 22.
The pickup for trees and shrubs will from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, April 26, at the Kane-DuPage Soil and Water Conservation District office, 2315 Dean St., Suite 100, St. Charles.
Prairie and shade plants will be distributed Friday, May 31, at the Kane-DuPage Soil and Water Conservation District Office.
To receive a catalog, call the Soil & Water Conservation District at (630) 584-7960, ext. 3, or download it from the website at www.kanedupageswcd.org.
Native trees, container grown whips with some branching, sold individually in one-gallon containers for $10, include hackberry, swamp white oak, black walnut, American hornbeam, red bud, Kentucky Coffee Tree, Allegheny serviceberry, Nannyberry and hazelnut.
Bundles of trees (18- to 24-inch bare root; five seedlings for $12) include Chinquapin oak, sugar maple, shagbark hickory and river birch (clump).
Evergreen trees (offered bare root, purchased in bundles of 10, can be planted singly or in grouping) for $11 each or $22-$25 for 10 include white pine, concolor fir, Douglas fir, Colorado blue spruce, Norway spruce, and Black Hills spruce.
Ephemeral, sedge, forb and grass plants, sold individually in pots for $3-$5, include whorled milkweed, Virginia bluebells, white trout lily, cut-leaf toothwort, Midland shooting star, wild columbine, purple coneflower, prairie smoke and more.
They also offer pollinator plant and pond plant packages for $80 and conservation books, like "Kane County Natural Areas and Wild Plants" (3rd edition) by Dick Young, "Trees of Illinois Field Guide" or "Birds of Illinois Field Guide" by Stan Tekiela, "Critters of Illinois" by Ann E. McCarthy, "Fish of Illinois Field Guide" by Dave Bosanko, and "Landscaping for Wildlife," "Woodworking for Wildlife," or "Wild About Birds" by Carrol L. Henderson.