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Local nature organizations accepting orders for native plant sale

Homewood Izaak Walton Preserve (HIWP) and Thorn Creek Audubon Society (TCAS) are co-sponsoring a native plant sale. Deadline to pre-order is March 1.

Thirty-seven different plants will be offered, including trees, shrubs, flowers and ornamental grasses. Plants are chosen to represent different colors, textures, sun exposures and bloom times. All are native to Illinois. 

Judy Johnson, a member of both organizations and plant sale organizer, said native plants support the environment in several ways. Local wildlife, including pollinators, depend on native plants for food and shelter. Native plants thrive without pesticides or fertilizers and once established do not require watering. The very deep root systems help prevent erosion and flooding.

Some highlights of this year’s sale are:

  • Three Illinois endangered/threatened species are available: small yellow wild indigo (baptisia tinctoria), royal catchfly (silene regia), and black cohash (actaea aka cimicifuga racemose). 
  • New to the sale this year, are the showy Michigan lily (lilium michiganense) and the ephemeral spring favorite jack-in-the pulpit (arisaema triphyllum).
  • Two of the plants are milkweed varieties that support monarch butterflies: rose milkweed (asclepias incarnata) and the orange flowering butterflyweed (asclepias tuberosa). 
  • For tough, low maintenance plants, there will be Ohio spiderwort (tradescantia ohiensis) or wild geranium (geranium macula yum).
  • Wild hydrangea (hydrangea arborescens) is a flowering shrub that loves shady, moist areas, which is a plus because most shrubs do not like shade.
  • The chinquapin oak (quercus muehlenbergii) is especially suited to the urban environment. Oak trees support more wildlife than any other tree.

The order form can be found on the HIWP and TCAS websites. Order forms are also available in the HIWP office on Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to noon. 

Plant delivery and open sale is Saturday, May 20, from 9 a.m. to noon at HIWP, 1100 Ridge Road in Homewood. 

All profits will be split between HIWP and TCAS. Questions/order form requests can be directed to Judy Johnson

For more information, email [email protected] or text/call 312-307-1808.

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