Resources

This page includes select handouts and guides, publications, organizations (local and national), nurseries (local and online), web sites, and databases that are dedicated to native plants and landscaping.

Handouts and Guides

Central Illinois Native Plants for Hummingbirds and Butterflies (pdf) - Includes each plant's common name, scientific name, sun level requirements, soil needs, and the plant's height, bloom color, & blooming months.

Perilous Plight of the Pollinator Worldwide (pdf) - Pollinator populations are plummeting. Use this brochure, a list of IL native flowers and shrubs, to create a positive native plant environment to provide a sustainable habitat for local pollinators. Produced by the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the USDA.

What Not to Buy at the Nursery (pdf) - Included in this handout is a list of invasive and aggressive plants commonly found in nurseries, how & where they invade, and suggestions of native alternatives.

Critter Control: Protecting Your Plants from Damage (pdf) - this document includes common wildlife that can damage or kill your native plants. It provides a variety of suggestions on how to minimize damage or limit access to your plants.

Getting Started With Natives in Your Yard by Sherri Snyder (February 7, 2011)
Summary (pdf); Table of Plants in Sherrie's & Bill's Yard (pdf)

Easy to Grow Native Plants for your Shade Garden (pdf) - This handout includes a select list of native shade plants which are easy to grow and care for. It includes suggestions for all shade areas and for difficult shade areas.

Wildlife in your Native Garden (pdf) - this short brochure provides quick facts, suggestions, and resources for supporting wildlife in your garden with native plants.

Publications (Books, Magazines, Pamphlets, etc.)

Burrell, C C, Janet Marinelli, and Bonnie Harper-Lore. Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants. Brooklyn, NY: Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 2006.
Find it at: Normal Public Library | Illinois State Univ. Milner Library

Czarapata, Elizabeth J. Invasive Plants of the Upper Midwest: An Illustrated Guide to Their Identification and Control. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 2005.
Find it at: Illinois State Univ. Milner Library

Ferreniea, Viki. Wildflowers in Your Garden. New York: Random House, 1993.
Find it at: Bloomington Public Library | Normal Public Library

Hill, Patricia. Design Your Natural Midwest Garden. Madison, WI: Trails Books, 2007.
Find it at: Normal Public Library

McClain, William E. Prairie Establishment and Landscaping. Natural Heritage Technical Publication #2. Springfield, IL: Illinois Department of Natural Resources, 1997.
Find it at: Illinois DNR web site

Nowakowski, Keith G. Native Plants in the Home Landscape: For the Upper Midwest. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Extension, 2004.
Order at: Univ. of IL Extension

Swink, Floyd and Gerould Wilhelm. Plants of the Chicago region: an annotated checklist of the vascular flora of the Chicago region, with keys, notes on local distribution, ecology, and taxonomy, a system for the qualitative evaluation of plant communities, a natural divisions map, and a description of natural plant communities. Indianapolis: Indiana Academy of Science, 1994.
Find it at: Illinois State Univ. Milner Library

Tallamy, Douglas W. Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens. Portland, OR: Timber Press, 2007.
Find it at: Bloomington Public Library | Normal Public Library | Illinois State Univ. Milner Library
Order at: Bringing Nature Home web site list of vendors

Wild Ones Bookstore: http://www.wildones.org/store/bookstore/

Wild Ones Publications for Download: http://www.wildones.org/download/

Organizations

Local and Regional

JWP Audubon Society: http://www.jwp-audubon.org/

Ecology Action Center: http://www.ecologyactioncenter.org/

ParkLands Foundation: http://www.parklandsfoundation.org/

Sugar Grove Nature Center: http://sugargrovenaturecenter.org/

Grand Prairie Friends (Urbana, IL): http://grandprairiefriends.org/

Illinois Native Plant Society: http://www.ill-inps.org/

Morton Arboretum (Lisle, IL): http://www.mortonab.org/

The Nature Institute (Godfrey, IL): http://www.thenatureinstitute.org/

National

The Lady Byrd Johnson Wildflower Center: http://www.wildflower.org/

Native Plants National Organizations: http://www.wildones.org/hotlinks.html

The WILD (Wild Ones Institute for Learning and Development) Center: http://www.wildones.org/eco/center/

Nurseries / Purchase Native Plants

Local

Casey’s Garden Shop, 1505 N Main, Bloomington, 309-828-1424
http://www.caseysgardenshop.com/, Map & Directions, List of Natives

Green View Nursery, 1813 Industrial Park Dr, Normal, 309-452-9402
http://www.greenview.com/, Map & Directions, List of Natives

Grieder Sod & Landscaping, 1804 N Towanda Barnes Rd, Bloomington, 309-662-8527
http://www.grieders.com/, Map & Directions, List of Natives

Growing Grounds, 1600 S Main, Bloomington, 309-827-4343
http://www.growinggrounds.com, Map & Directions, List of Natives

Owen Nursery & Florist, 1700 Morrissey Drive, Bloomington, 309-662-3511
http://owennursery.com/, Map & Directions, List of Natives

Penn Landscaping & Sunburst Nursery, 2407 S Main, Bloomington, 309-663-5513
http://www.pennlandscaping.com, Map & Directions, List of Natives

Wendell Niepagen Greenhouses & Garden Center, 2010 Fox Creek Rd, Bloomington, 309-828-4580
http://www.niepagens.com/, Map & Directions, List of Natives

Regional / Online

Bluestem Prairie Nursery (sells seeds and bare root only - he is retiring at the end of 2011)
Ken Schaal -- 13197 E. 13th Rd -- Hillsboro, IL 62049 -- (217) 532-6344
bluestemnursery@yahoo.com

Illinois Native Plant Nurseries: http://www.plantnative.org/nd_idtoks.htm#il

Simply Native Nursery
681 State Hwy 135 -- Alexis, IL  61412 -- 309-586-4078 or 309-371-9598 (Cell)
Limited selection of perennials; call ahead for hours and to see what she has available for sale
http://www.simplynativenursery.com/ (online catalog available)

Possibility Place (Specializes in native trees and shrubs – has some perennials)
7548 W. Monee Manhattan Rd -- Monee, IL 60449  --  708-534-3988
www.possibilityplace.com – informative website

Prairie Moon Nursery
www.prairiemoon.com

Prairie Nursery
www.prairienursery.com

Databases / Search / Web Sites

Illinois Wildflowers: http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/

University of Illinois Extension Wildflowers: http://urbanext.illinois.edu/wildflowers/

American Beauties Native Plant Finder: http://www.abnativeplants.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/plants.search/index.htm

Ecology and Management of Invasive Plants Program (Cornell University): http://www.invasiveplants.net/

Global Invasive Species Database (GISD): http://www.issg.org/database/welcome/

Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder: http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/

NativeBrowser by JFNew Native Plant Nursery: http://www.jfnew.com/Nursery/NativeBrowser.aspx

USDA National Science Conservation Center PLANTS Database: http://plants.usda.gov/

Web Soil Survey: http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov

Official Soil Series Descriptions: http://soils.usda.gov/technical/classification/osd/index.html

Federal Township Plats of Illinois (1804-1891): http://landplats.ilsos.net/ftp_illinois.html

Natural Resources Conservation Service - Illinois: http://www.il.nrsc.gov

Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG) - About: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/technical/fotg

Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG) - Application: http://efotg.nrcs.usda.gov/efotg_locator.aspx

Illinois Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey: http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/research/CAPS/

News and Press Releases

New group promotes vegetation suited to land
By Scott Richardson | Pantagraph.com | Posted: Sunday, February 20, 2011 7:00 am

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