Bayfield Regional Conservancy’s 16th Annual Northern Native Plant Sale returns on Saturday, June 2 to a new location, but with the same goal: encouraging gardeners to mix native plants into their gardens for a healthier ecosystem. 
 
Becky Brown of Wildflower Woods Nursery in Washburn has been helping to coordinate this sale since its beginnings.  “Over the years the interest in native plants has grown tremendously, and the sale has become a popular annual event for gardeners and native plant enthusiasts from all around our region.”
 
In years past, the sale has been held on the Northland College campus, but this year the event moves to the City of Bayfield’s Lakeside Pavilion on the waterfront, as part of “Bayfield in Bloom,” the city’s month-long celebration of spring.
 
“We’re happy to bring the Northern Native Plant Sale to Bayfield this year and help kick off the city’s annual Garden Tour on the very same day,” says BRC Director of Advancement, Mary O’Brien.  “Moving the sale is a fresh approach to a much-beloved tradition.  But what better way to ring in spring than touring a variety of private gardens, meeting the homeowners who tend them, and then taking home some native plants of your own?  We hope visitors will leave feeling inspired and ready to wield their green thumbs!”
 
The event will feature native plant vendors selling dozens of varieties of plants, along with experts on hand to answer questions and activities for kids.  The sale is a one-day event, with no online pre-sales.
 
“This has always been more than a plant sale,” says Brown.  “It's a great opportunity not only to purchase a wide variety of native plants, but also to get information and guidance on how to use native wildflowers, grasses, trees, and shrubs in their home landscapes.”  This year, three knowledgeable professionals will host an "Ask the Expert" table; Sarah Boles of Northern Native Plantscapes; Phil Freeman, a retired USFS forester, and Nile Merton of Bay Area Restoration Services who specializes in invasive plant control and removal. 
 
“The goal of the sale is to encourage the use of plant species that are native to the northern region,” Brown says. “That means plants grown from seeds collected in the north and which are best suited for growing conditions here. We try to encourage ‘buy local, plant local.’”

Available plants

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    • Tall Milkweed
    Asclepias exaltata

    Flowers: White
    June-July
    Conditions: Shade, Moist Soil
    Height: 3-5'
    Swamp Milkweed
    Asclepias incarnata

    Flowers: Red/Pink
    June-August
    Conditions: Sun, Wet Soil
    Height: 3-5'
    Common Milkweed
    Asclepias syriaca

    Flowers: Lavender
    June-August
    Conditions: Full/Part Sun, Dry/Moist Soil
    Height: 2-4'
    Butterfly Weed
    Asclepias tuberosa

    Flowers: Orange
    June-September
    Conditions: Full/Part Sun, Dry/Moist Soil
    Height: 1-2'
    Purple-Stemmed Aster
    Aster puniceus

    Flowers: Purple
    August-October
    Conditions: Sun, Moist/Wet Soil
    Height: 2-4'
    Lance-leaf coreopsis
    (Coreopsis lanceolata) 

    Flowers: Yellow
    Summer to Fall
    Conditions: Full Sun, Half Sun / Half Shade
    Height: 18-36 inches tall
    Joe Pyeweed
    Eupatorium maculatum

    Flowers: Pink
    July-September
    Conditions: Full/Part Sun,
    ​Moist/Wet Soil
    Height: 4-6'
    Boneset
    Eupatorium perfoliatum

    Flowers: White
    July-September
    Conditions: Full/Part Sun,
    ​Moist/Wet Soil
    Height: 3-4'
    Sneezeweed
    Helenium autumnale

    Flowers: Yellow
    August-October
    Conditions: Full/Part Sun,
    ​Moist/Wet Soil
    Height: 2-5'
    Ox Eyed Sunflower
    Heliopsis helianthoides

    Flowers: Yellow
    June-October
    Conditions: Full/Part Sun, Dry/Moist/Wet Soil
    Height: 2-4'
    Rough Blazing Star
    Liatris aspera

    Flowers: Purple
    July-Sept
    Conditions: Full/Part Sun,
    ​Dry/Moist Soil
    Height 1-3'
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    Wild Bergamot
    Monarda fistulosa

    Flowers: Lavender
    July-September
    Conditions: Full/Part Sun,
    ​Dry-Wet Soil
    Height: 2-4'
    Yellow Coneflower
    Ratibida pinnata

    Flowers: Yellow
    June-August
    Conditions: Sun/Part Sun,
    ​Dry/Moist Soil
    Height: 2-4'
    Black-eyed Susan
    Rudbeckia hirta

    Flowers: Yellow
    June-August
    Conditions:Full/Part Sun,
    ​Dry-Wet Soil
    Height: 1-3'
    Little Bluestem Grass
    Schizachyrium scoparium

    Grass
    Conditions: Full/Part Sun,
    ​Dry/Moist Soil
    Height: 2-3'
    Prairie Goldenrod
    Solidago ptarmicoides

    Flowers: White
    July-September
    Conditions: Full Sun, Dry Soil
    Height: 3-24"
    Stiff Goldenrod
    Solidago rigida

    Flowers: Yellow
    Sugust-September
    Conditions: Full/Part Sun, Moist Soil
    Height: 2-3'
    Blue Vervain
    Verbena hastata

    Flowers: Blue
    June-September
    Conditions: Full/Part Sun,
    ​Moist/Wet Soil
    Height: 3-4'