Fresh organic vegetable and herb seedlings along with a variety of native plants will be available during the annual McDonald Farm plant sale and open house in Naperville Saturday, May 11 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m..
A wide variety of seedlings for gardens and native trees and shrubs will be available for purchase from The Conservation Foundation’s Green Earth Harvest. Gardeners will find many varieties of tomatoes, hot and sweet peppers, eggplant, summer squash, cucumbers and herbs, and decorative herb boxes and salad planters which make perfect Mother’s Day gifts.
Gardeners will find finished compost available for purchase to create optimal growing conditions in their gardens.
The open house will offer activities for future gardeners in the Children’s Garden with master gardeners on hand to answer questions. A tour of the Farm’s natural and historic areas will be at 9 a.m., tours of the organic farming operation will take place at 10 a.m. and noon, and a wildflower walk will begin at 11 a.m.. Registration is suggested for these tours; sign up for one or more online at Eventbrite.
A limited selection of native trees, shrubs, some spring ephemerals and selected staff favorites at discounted prices will be available while supplies last. Birds and butterflies rely on many of these native plant species to complete their life cycle, including imperiled pollinators, and humans rely on pollinators to grow food.
Not only are native plants beautiful, low maintenance, and good for wildlife, planting native species can earn a Conservation@Home certification in recognition of these earth-friendly practices.
The plant sale is offered by The Conservation Foundation’s Green Earth Harvest and Conservation@Home programs, and Natural Communities Native Plants.
McDonald Farm is at 10S404 Knoch Knolls Rd., Naperville. For more information, go to theconservationfoundation.org under “Events”.
The Conservation Foundation is focused in DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Will Counties to preserve and restore nature in each neighborhood.
—The Conservation Foundation