Shop a wide selection of native trees and shrubs at the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County’s annual fall native tree and shrub sale.

The online-only sale will feature 44 different species of native trees and shrubs, including three species new to the sale. All were grown locally from seed within 100 miles of DuPage County. 

Orders can be picked up Friday, Sept. 20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Saturday, Sept. 21, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. James Farm in Warrenville. Gardeners must order trees and shrubs in advance; there is no shopping during the pickup times. Orders will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last and are subject to nursery availability.

Fall is the best time of year to plant native trees and shrubs because it gives them an extra growing season before the stress of summer. There’s no need to worry about young native trees surviving winter, either, because they go dormant, which is the plant equivalent of hibernation.

There are many benefits to planting native trees and shrubs. For example, they’re better equipped than nonnative species to handle Illinois weather and don’t require fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, or watering once established.

They also provide greater soil stability and food and habitat for native wildlife, including pollinators. Native oaks are especially beneficial additions to the landscape because they’re a keystone species, meaning many other plants and animals rely on them for food and shelter. The sale will feature seven species of oaks, including bur, chinquapin, northern pin, red, shingle, swamp white, and white.

All proceeds from the sale will go to support educational programming at the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.