What to Expect from This Year’s Sale

• Orders run February 15 through March 31.

• These seedlings are bare root seedlings: they do not have soil surrounding the roots when you receive them. This makes for easy planting and seedlings that more readily adapt to your soil.

• Orders MUST BE PICKED UP IN PERSON at our Boardman River Nature Center location during our pickup dates of May 1-4.

  • You will receive instructions on how to choose a pickup window by email

  • If you placed an order and have not gotten an email, please contact us

• District staff will make every effort to make available to the customer any orders not picked up on the designated pick-up dates; please contact us to arrange a time. If not picked up, however, the order may be considered cancelled and the customer will forfeit payment.

• We recommend you bring a box to carry your seedlings in, and/or an old tablecloth or plastic cover to protect your car in case they leak.

• Seedlings & supplies are limited and will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Please order early for the best selection!

• The Grand Traverse Conservation District (GTCD) cannot guarantee seedling survival. Our liability ends when seedlings are picked up.

• The District reserves the right to cancel orders and refund payments due to reasons beyond our control (such as supplier availability).

• Due to the cost of processing refunds, refund amounts less than $5.00 will not be issued and will be considered donations to the District.

• There will be a $25.00 fee on all returned checks.

Why Native Plants?

Wondering why Colorado Blue Spruce, Norway Spruce, and other non-native species are no longer available? Some non-native species become invasive, like Autumn Olive in the past. Native alternatives, such as White Spruce and Balsam Fir, support an amazing diversity of butterflies, moths, and other insects that are food resources that birds and other wildlife require for their survival. Non-native plants support few other living things. So why not try these native trees instead?

The wildlife comes at no extra charge.

What other benefits are there to planting native?

• Native plants support an amazing diversity of butterflies, moths, and other insects. Non-native plants simply cannot perform this critical habitat role.

• By supporting a diversity of insects, native plants also provide food for birds and other insect predators. Most songbirds require insect food for their nestlings to reach adulthood.

• Support your local farmer – incorporating more native plants into your home landscape helps attract pollinators that increase crop yields, as well as insect predators that reduce costs for pest management.

• Native plants help turn your backyard into a learning laboratory; do your part to inspire the next generation of scientists and nature stewards.

• Native plants are our natural heritage. They’re part of what makes our region a unique and inspiring place.

• Native plants are a good choice for the hands-off gardener – all gardens need upkeep, but when properly placed, native plants require little additional effort to thrive once established.

• Native plants are beautiful! The birds and butterflies they attract aren’t so shabby, either.

• By definition, native plants pose no risk of becoming invasive.

• There’s a difference between “native plants” and “wildflowers” – read this article from Michigan State to make sure you know what you’re buying.

• Learn more about invasive species from the Northwest Michigan Invasive Species Network at www.habitatmatters.org