Gardeners can now shop online at dupageforest.org/fall-tree-shrub-sale for 48 species of native trees and shrubs as part of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County’s annual fall sale.

Shoppers will need to order online in advance and then pick up their plants at St. James Farm in Warrenville Friday, Sept. 11, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., or Saturday, Sept. 12, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will not be any additional plant sales at the farm on those dates. Orders are filled on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last and are subject to nursery availability. All proceeds support educational programming at the Forest Preserve District.

Planting in fall gives trees and shrubs an extra growing season before the stress of summer. Because the native species at the Forest Preserve District’s sale were grown locally from seeds originating within 100 miles of DuPage, they tolerate Illinois weather better in general than nonnative varieties. They don’t require fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, or, once established, watering. They also provide food and habitat for pollinators and other wild animals. Native oaks in particular, such as the bur, chinquapin, Hill’s, red, swamp white, and white oaks available at the sale, provide irreplaceable food and shelter for hundreds of species of plants and animals.