By Sally Stovall

We have many trees and shrubs that are hard to find. Most nurseries and garden centers do not carry these plants. Order online by end of day on Sunday, Sep 24th at wild-ones-west-cook.myshopify.com

Pick-up is September 30th at Euclid Methodist Church's parking lot, 405 S Euclid Ave, Oak Park, 9am-1pm.

Note: if you are unable to pick up your plant order on Sep 30 due to Yom Kippur celebration (or other conflict) please contact sally@greencommunityconnections.org or 773-315-1109

We put together our top picks for your gardening interests:

Top 3 Picks to Attract Birds:

Sumac
Pagoda Dogwood
Red-stemmed Dogwood

Top 3 Picks to Attract Butterflies:

New Jersey Tea
Buttonbush
Spicebush

Top 3 Picks for Other Pollinators:

Black Cherry
Red Chokeberry
Prairie Willow

Top 3 Picks for Human Edibles

Elderberry
American Filbert
Paw Paw

Top 3 Coolest Plants (they're all cool to us, but these are hard to find, unknown, have something exceptionally interesting about them, and should be planted more):

Bladdernut
Wafer Ash
Blue Beech

Many of these plants also offer incredible fall color.

We will have some native flowering plants available for sale on pick-up day: Butterfly Weed, Rose Milkweed, Cardinal Flower, Prairie Coreopsis, Prairie Smoke, Purple Coneflower, Foxglove Beardtongue, Wild Ginger, Dropseed, Common Oak (Pen) Sedge, Columbine, Wild Petunia and Geranium, Showy Goldenrod, and Sky Blue Aster. We are unable to pre-order or hold them. Please arrive early for best selection.

Sponsored by West Cook Wild Ones and Green Community Connections.