Go native in your garden with Fall Tree and Shrub Sale; online ordering begins Aug. 1
Find the perfect native tree or shrub for your yard by shopping the DuPage Forest Preserve District's Fall Native Tree and Shrub Sale.
Online ordering begins Monday, Aug. 1.
Gardeners must order trees and shrubs in advance; they will not be able to shop at St. James Farm.
Orders will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last and are subject to nursery availability.
Trees and shrubs can be picked up Friday, Sept. 23 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, Sept. 24, from 9 a.m. to noon at St. James Farm in Warrenville.
The sale will feature 41 different species of native trees and shrubs all grown locally from seed within 100 miles of DuPage County. A list of plants for sale can be found at dupageforest.org/fall-tree-shrub-sale.
Fall is the best time to plant native trees and shrubs. It gives them an extra growing season before the stress of summer, and there's no need to worry about young natives trees surviving winter because they go dormant - the plant equivalent of hibernation.
Native trees and shrubs are good garden additions because they are better equipped to handle Illinois weather conditions and don't require fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides or watering once established.
They provide greater soil stability and food and habitat for native wildlife, including pollinators. Native oaks are especially important because they are a keystone species, meaning many other plants and animals rely on them for food and shelter.
All proceeds from the Fall Tree and Shrub Sale go to support educational programming at the Forest Preserve District.
The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County has been connecting people to nature for more than 100 years.
More than 6.2 million people visit its 60-plus forest preserves, 166 miles of trails, six education centers and scores of programs each year.
For information, call (630) 933-7200 or visit dupageforest.org, where you can also link to the district's e-newsletter, blog, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok pages.