Once dismissed as weeds, native plants are now flying off the shelves
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- Renee Costanzo is growing over 15,000 seedlings at the Kilbourn Park greenhouse for the annual plant sale.
- Chicago Park District hosted the Kilbourn Park plant sale, which attracted more than 2,300 shoppers—double the typical 1,100—and featured nearly one‑fifth of the plants as native species.
- Neil Diboll reported a 7% increase in native plant sales last year and that his nursery is shipping about 500,000 native plants and seeds this year.
- Prairie Nursery grew from $13,000 gross revenue in 1982 to shipping half a million native plants and seeds today, reflecting long‑term growth.
- Kilbourn Park’s plant sale now includes roughly 20% native plant species, a shift from its historic focus on vegetables and annual flowers.
Why it matters: Gardeners gain low‑maintenance, climate‑adapted native plants, while nurseries like Prairie Nursery see a 7% sales rise and ship 500,000 plants, boosting pollinator habitats and reducing water use.
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