7. Eryngium ÂSapphire Blue  long taproots  3 1/2" tall- full sun - well drained soil  original seeds came from JohnnyÂs Selected Seeds-will self sow, but not awfully fast: 8. Nepata moussini  cat mint  full sun  well drained soil  10  12" tall  self sows  shear to the ground after the first flush of bloom to encourage reblooming: 9. Knautia ÂMelton Pastels  2 ' full sun/part shade  allow room to appeciate the shape of the plant  self sows quite prolifically-mother plant came from Bluestone Perennials: Solidago ÂFireworks  full sun  4 tall  will behave for the first 3-4 years then will spread  very late bloomer in fall: Achillea ptarmica ÂAngelÂs Breath  16  10" tall  full sun-well drained soil-blooms look like oversized BabyÂs Breath  does get powdery mildew if not well watered: Leucanthemella serotina  3 tall  full sun  white daisy flowers  Original plant came from Bluestone: Iris sibirica  Siberian Iris - dainty butterfly-like deep royal blue/purple flowers  4 full sun  best in moist soil, but will also perform well in dryish soil: Helianthus maximilliani  perennial native Sunflower  very late bloomer  grows up to 12 tall in rich soil  will benefit from shearing down half the size in spring or early summer:

Sorry for the late reply, but the wi-fi in our motel was down, I don't have one of those Smart@$$ phones, and been busy since leaving Indiana. I had checked out PP but although they weren't far away, didn't really have what I was looking for, plus needed an appointment. Thanks for the suggestion though. That firmiana simplex went in to decline several years ago so we cut it to the ground. It re-sprouted fairly nicely the next spring, but by mid-summer was already in decline, so we dug it up. I was over at Dawes two years ago and they still had a couple in deep containers from seed I had given to them, but I don't think they ever planted one out -but haven't looked at their database to verify that. Was sorry to see the tree die as it was an interesting tree with unusual seed clusters. The current management is too involved with planting mainly natives so trying another is out of the question right now. Marshall

The answer is Yes. It will take awhile unless you already have everything (equipment wise) that you need. I would still expect to NOT make a taxable profit until at least year 3. I made a profit the first year. I only had 1/3 acre in veggies, no flower and the only fruit was strawberries. Did I make minimum wage, NO. I did cover all of my expenses, since I didn't have many. When I started to expand is when I really needed to add equipment and labor help, along with more seeds/dirt/pots and such. My first year expenses were: seeds and plants -- less than $150, market fees -- $200, didn't have/use a scale that year, had all the tables, purchased bags --$15, gasoline to get to market, gas price less than $2 --$200, labor to son --$300. Bought a used tiller $250. I had some other small expenses that might have added up to another $400 max. That year I sold $1700 and was extremely happy. Didn't make much but decided that I could make more if I expanded. At that time, our market barely had 20 vendors, the last year that I was at that market it had 85 vendors and others on a waiting list. I did very good until the number of vendors increased more than the number of customer did. After that happened, it was more stressful fighting to get that customer's dollar to my stand. Now I market at a much much smaller market, that is growing. I'm not making as much as I was, but the stress is usually lower along with the prices. The key to marketing in a farmer market is to be sure you have a good market with a consistent customer/vendor base and having a great product that YOU can sell to people. If you are not a people person, it does make a big difference. Some people can grow great, but can't sell. Some people can sell, but not grow. Being able to do both, that's what it takes at farmers markets.

There are a few Wild Ones chapters in the Chicago area, check out their website at www.for-wild.org. I contacted the president of the Greater Dupage Chapter, knowing that they sometimes have sales. She said they are not this spring, but may in the fall, and they have an email list to join if you want notification of their sales and others in the area (contact Rich Whitney to be on this list: gowild@sbcglobal.net). She also suggested checking out the following groups online for possible plant sales in Chicago suburbs: Schaumburg Garden Club, Midewin, Kane-Dupage Soil and Water Conservation Disctrict, Wheaton Garden Club, Dupage County Forest Preserve. Also, for closer to Chicago itself, contact the North Park Village Chapter of WO. Happy hunting! Maifleur has a good point, too--it can still be cheaper than buying from a nursery (well, at least if you have I-pass!). What you need to do is get together with some fellow native-plant-loving friends to split the cost of gas when you're shopping! And if you don't have any such friends, you need to join a native plant group of some sort! Here is a link that might be useful: Wild Ones: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes