Dear dbs,

Thanks for posting - I'm close to the city and what with the price of gas I'm looking for any native plant sales closer to home. Do you know if the Wild Ones chapter in Chicago has one going on as well?

I'm bummed - Friends of the Indiana Dunes (I went last year and recently received their plant listing in the mail) is also having one next week but I can't justify to DH the cost of driving a 100 plus miles roundtrip.

Explain to you DH that the cost of postage and handling would probably be more than the cost of the trip.

Many shipping companies are starting to add surcharges on top of the nurseries regular shipping charges.

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

Have you been to the The Natural Garden in St. Charles?

Here is a link that might be useful: The Natural Garden

I sure haveÂlove the place, & spent a bit more there last year than I could afford. That's why I love our plant saleÂ2 1/2 inch pots, much more affordable, still grow plenty fast. I would grow more from seed, except that I still canÂt tell a good plant from a weed when itÂs small, and I canÂt plan ahead enough to properly prepare the spot!

BTW, I forgot about Art & LindaÂs Wildflowers. They do sales at farmers markets, and I just saw this page on their site:

Here is a link that might be useful: Crystal Lake, Glen Ellyn, & Wheaton sales

Dear dbs,

Thanks for the info. - the Wheaton sale in Glen Ellyn might be a possibility and it's not horribly far.

Art & Linda's no longer do the farmer's market sales - he hasn't done them in 3 years. I believe the Wolf Road Prairie sale is the only annual sale he does participate in.

Joepye, I made a road trip out to Natural Gardens last year during their prairie days which they hold around August - got some good buys for 25% off which made up for the gas.

Good to see some "locals" on the boards, here! I am in southern Ogle county, and am a past and soon-to-be-current-again memeber of the RRV chapter of Wild Ones.

I have never been to The Natural Garden but LOVE to travel up to Taylor Creek Restoration Nursery.

But I am still filling out my order form for the WO plant sale!