Popular Native Plant Sale in Wheaton Scheduled for April

WHEATON, IL - Wheaton’s popular annual Native Illinois Plant Sale will return on Saturday, April 30. The sale will be held at the City’s Public Works building, 821 W. Liberty Drive.

From 8:30 a.m. to noon (or until plants are sold out), find flowers, grasses, trees and other plants native to Illinois available for sale, according to a city of Wheaton news release.

This event is made possible through a partnership between the City of Wheaton, Wheaton Environmental Commission and Wheaton Park District to promote environmentally friendly planting in the community.

Why choose native plants? In addition to being beautiful, hardy choices for your yard, native plants attract birds, conserve water, improve habitat for pollinating insects like butterflies, and survive this region's wild weather extremes. Food scrap-amended compost will also be available for purchase at the sale.

See a list of available plants on the Wheaton Park District’s website.

Rain Barrels

Interested in reducing your water bill and conserving water? You can pre-order a rain barrel and other accessories from the Conservation Foundation at http://upcycle-products.com/static.asp?path=5081 and pick them up at the Native Plant Sale.

Native Plant Photo Contest

Sale organizers are seeking photos of native plants growing in your yard that were purchased at a past Wheaton Native Plant Sale.

The photos will be showcased at the April 30 sale to show what the plants look like in a natural setting.

The person who submits the best photo will receive a certificate for free plants to use at the April 30 sale. To submit a photo, e-mail the image to Steve Hinchee of the Wheaton Park District atshinchee@wheatonparks.org.

Be sure to include the type of plant shown, your name, address and phone number. Entries are due by April 8.