SATURDAY, JUNE 4, 2026
9am – 1pm
at the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute
1411 Ellis Avenue South, Ashland
- Local Native Plant Vendors
- Master Gardener Sarah Boles
- Kids Activities
- Door Prizes
Some of the varieties that may be available:
Tall Milkweed, Swamp Milkweed, Common Milkweed, Butterfly Weed, Purple Stemmed Aster, Flat Top Aster, Fringed Sedge, Graceful Sedge, Lance leaf Coreopsis, Joe Pyeweed, Common Boneset, Sneezeweed, Ox Eye Sunflower, Northern Blue Flag Iris, Rough Blazing Star, Wild Bergamot, Yellow Coneflower, Black Eyed Susan, Little Bluestem Grass, Prairie Goldenrod (prairie aster), Sol Stiff Goldenrod, Blue Vervain
Below are some great pictures from 2026 to remind us of how much fun it is to gather native plant lovers all under one roof!
Invasives Be Gone – BRC to Take Orders for Native Plants
Knotweed is a beautiful, tropical-looking plant that grows like bamboo and impresses gardeners with its, sometimes, 9’ stalks and large, up to 14” leaves. It grows so thick that it kills off unwanted weeds, beautifies ugly sites, privatizes back yards and alley ways, and is easy to propagate. Better than hostas, easier than a hedge, more attractive than a weed patch?” So what is wrong with it,” ask the gardeners. This scenario repeats itself over and over again with plants that were never native to our area. They discover an unoccupied niche/specific habitat with no competitive enemies and silently, over years, take-over until suddenly they are everywhere and the native plants are gone. The problem is, many animals including migratory birds, and pollinating insects depend on specific native plants and the food chain they help maintain. Native plants are a wild card they have not learned to use for survival. Knotweed invades roadsides, fields, urban areas in Wisconsin and Minnesota and BRC protected wetland/riparian habitat. Other plants, better at preventing soil erosion and providing a diverse habitat, do not grow beneath its shade induced environment. Knotweeds have been known to send a shoot under a road to the other side and break through pavement and building foundations.
What can be done? Plant a native. Consider the above Thimbleberry instead; large-leaved, easy to propagate, valuable to bees, fruit eaten by birds, and an important larval host. Look for more information on our pending native plant sales, new and expanded, later this fall.
Knotweed is a beautiful, tropical-looking plant that grows like bamboo and impresses gardeners with its, sometimes, 9’ stalks and large, up to 14” leaves. It grows so thick that it kills off unwanted weeds, beautifies ugly sites, privatizes back yards and alley ways, and is easy to propagate. Better than hostas, easier than a hedge, more attractive than a weed patch?” So what is wrong with it,” ask the gardeners. This scenario repeats itself over and over again with plants that were never native to our area. They discover an unoccupied niche/specific habitat with no competitive enemies and silently, over years, take-over until suddenly they are everywhere and the native plants are gone. The problem is, many animals including migratory birds, and pollinating insects depend on specific native plants and the food chain they help maintain. Native plants are a wild card they have not learned to use for survival. Knotweed invades roadsides, fields, urban areas in Wisconsin and Minnesota and BRC protected wetland/riparian habitat. Other plants, better at preventing soil erosion and providing a diverse habitat, do not grow beneath its shade induced environment. Knotweeds have been known to send a shoot under a road to the other side and break through pavement and building foundations.
What can be done? Plant a native. Consider the above Thimbleberry instead; large-leaved, easy to propagate, valuable to bees, fruit eaten by birds, and an important larval host. Look for more information on our pending native plant sales, new and expanded, later this fall.
Thank You to the Plant Vendors:
- Earth Sense Landscape and Garden Center
- BRC / Wildflower Woods
- Apostle Islands Booksellers
- Leaning Pines Nursery
- Northland College
- The Draw
- M & M Nursery
In Loving Memory of Pam Troxell and Karen Danielsen
Photos taken by Darlene Charboneau
