Native plants boom at Chicago’s Kilbourn Park sale

Demand for native plants is surging in Chicago, as record crowds turn toward low-maintenance species that support local wildlife.

A spring breeze through Kilbourn Park’s greenhouse is signaling more than a change of season: native plants, once dismissed as weeds, are now helping drive record crowds at one of Chicago’s best-known plant sales.

At the Kilbourn Park greenhouse on the city’s North Side. Renee Costanzo cranked open a creaking roof panel and watched spring air roll over more than 12. 000 seedlings.. Costanzo. the Chicago Park District’s only full-time staffer at that site. has spent months growing a mix of vegetables. greens. and flowers—more than 15. 000 plants in total—so they’re ready for the park’s annual sale.

The Kilbourn Park plant sale, which typically draws upwards of 1,100 shoppers, took place earlier this month.. This year. attendance surged past expectations: over 2. 300 people showed up. lining up around the park to buy plants priced at $4 each.. “We’ve been coddling and loving these babies for months. ” Costanzo said. pointing to annual favorites like zinnias. marigolds. and geraniums that bloom through summer before finishing out their season.

For decades. Chicago gardeners have used this sale as a starting point for backyard growing—picking up tomatoes and cucumbers. along with familiar annuals.. But this year’s lineup also reflected a notable shift in what many buyers now want.. The park responded to a growing demand for native plant species. with nearly 1 in 5 plants offered this season described as adapted to local climate and wildlife and generally requiring less upkeep.

That emphasis is relatively new for the sale, but it has been building quickly.. Costanzo said the park’s interest in native plants accelerated in recent years. explaining that within just the last five years people have asked for more natives. prompting the greenhouse to increase production.. As part of that preparation, Costanzo experimented with 30 different native species ahead of this year’s sale.

The change isn’t limited to Chicago.. Native plants have been moving into mainstream gardening across the country. and it has happened fast enough that even veteran horticulturalists say they struggled to imagine such momentum when they were younger in the industry.. Neil Diboll. president of Prairie Nursery in Wisconsin—an established native-plant nursery shipping plants across the U.S.—said he has watched native plant sales rise dramatically over his 44-year career.

Diboll framed the trend as more than a momentary taste.. “It’s not a fad,” he said, describing a long, steady climb.. According to his account. Prairie Nursery saw a 7% increase in native plant sales last year. and this year is shipping about 500. 000 plants plus additional seeds—an enormous contrast to 1982. when the business grossed just over $13. 000.. In his view, the industry has grown from a hard sell into a thriving, expanded market.

Researchers and gardeners point to practical reasons that likely help explain this shift. including environmental pressure that has raised awareness about insects and climate impacts.. The report noted that concerns about declines in insect populations and climate change-driven extreme heat. drought. and flooding are among the drivers.. Monarch butterfly caterpillars depend on native milkweed. and changes in land use have reduced local milkweed availability. which has contributed to Monarch population declines.

In this context. native plants are being promoted not only for gardens’ appearance but also for what they can do in the wider ecosystem.. Tiffany Jones of the National Wildlife Federation. who leads habitat education across the Great Lakes region. emphasized that native species have been adapting to change for thousands of years.. She described them as resilient and generally requiring less water and maintenance. while also supporting habitat for a range of species and pollinators—and helping with flood prevention through deep root systems.

Demand is also showing up in the Midwest nursery world.. In Minnesota. Becky Klukas-Brewer. co-owner and head of marketing and sales at Prairie Moon Nursery. said the region’s greenhouse is shipping more plants and seeds than ever before.. She attributed a large portion of her nursery’s growth to the expanding number of local plant sales nationwide. which she said has been drawing attention to ecologically minded gardening.. Klukas-Brewer reported a 350% increase in sales over the last seven years and noted that orders at the nursery have tripled.

Part of that broader ecosystem of education comes from community-based organizations.. For nearly 50 years. Wild Ones. a national nonprofit. has worked to teach the public about reintroducing native plants back into their habitat.. It began as a gardening club in Milwaukee and has since grown into a nationwide network with more than 14. 000 gardening enthusiasts running plant sales. seed giveaways. and exchanges.. The organization has also tracked a rise in native plant sales: more than 110. 000 native plants were sold through its 107 plant sales last year. and another 40. 000 native plants were distributed through its programs.

Back at Kilbourn Park, the growth in native offerings is also a logistics story—one that depends on volunteer time as much as greenhouse space. To get the seedlings ready, a team of local volunteers came out weekly over several months to sort, pot, and move plants for the sale.

Lourdes Valenzuela. a retired schoolteacher who has volunteered at the north side plant sale for 12 years. described the work as “completely worth it.” She said she is part of the Friends of Kilbourn Park Greenhouse. a volunteer group that fundraises to expand resources at the nursery.. With support from funds raised at previous plant sales. the group has helped buy items such as benches. a shed. and a patio—expanding the footprint of an educational center.

The fundraising goal this year was $25. 000. intended to cover about half of the projected cost of a new outdoor learning center.. Valenzuela said the plant sale exceeded expectations and that the Chicago Park District confirmed the sale generated approximately $48,000.. She said volunteers sold every possible plant, as well as compost and many baked goods.

The underlying message, Valenzuela said, is not that gardeners must “fight” environmental change, but work with it. “We’re not fighting against the climate here,” she said, emphasizing that the plants they’re growing are native to the area and that they are both practical and beautiful.

For buyers looking at rows of annual flowers and a rising share of native species. the appeal may be as straightforward as it is compelling: a garden that lasts through the season. supports local life. and reflects a demand that appears to be accelerating across the country—starting. for many. with one plant sale at a time.

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