Professional
Resources
If you want to manage your property in harmony with nature but are feeling a little overwhelmed, don’t fret! The right mindset is the most important thing, and you’ve already got that. Here are some professionals we recommend to help you purchase native plants, and even do the design and installation of native plantings!
The professionals listed below with an asterisk(*) by their name have completed The Conservation Foundation’s Conservation@Home Professional training. The Conservation@Home Professional Ambassador program recognizes professionals who promote and implement sustainable yard and gardening practices with their clients and colleagues, following the Conservation@Home program tenets.
Residential designers & installers
Bartlett Tree Experts 22272 Pepper Rd-Unit D Lake Barrington, Il 60010
Branch Gardens Kori Kasper* DuPage and Kane Counties kori@branchgardens.com (630) 303-1042
DigRightIn Landscaping Cook and DuPage Counties (708) 485-7751
Down Home Garden Design Anna Sanders Lee Elburn, Campton Hills, St. Charles, Geneva, and Sycamore anna@downhomeflowerfarm.com (423) 794-0537
Eco Scapes, Inc. Vallari Talapatra DuPage, Kane, Cook, Lake, and Will Counties Vallari.ecoscapes@gmail.com 630-336-7659
Good Natured Landscapes Parts of DuPage and Kane (see map) denise@goodnaturedlandscapes.com (630) 983-5545
Grandview Green Landscape Design Mary Colby* Western Suburbs Mary@grandviewgreen.com (773) 682-5525
Green Guerrilla Kane, Cook, DuPage, Lake, and Kendall Counties GreenGuerrillallc@gmail.com (224) 605-4393
The Growing Place Aurora, IL, (630) 820-8088 Naperville, IL, (630) 355-4000 grow@thegrowingplace.com
Kate Refine Designs, LLC Kate Refine* Western Suburbs katerefinedesigns@gmail.com (630) 712-4842
Living Local Landscapes Lisa Mertz* DuPage County Lisa@LivingLocalLands.com (630) 790-3397
Lupfer Landscaping Cook and DuPage Counties Info@lupferlandscaping.com
Max’s Greener Places Hortusmax@gmail.com (630) 209-3005
PlanIt Landscape Perspectives, LLC Amanda Arnold* Chicagoland Area amanda@planit.land (630) 200-1485
The Prairie Guy (Formerly Stellar Native Plant Nursery) DuPage, Cook, Kane, and Will Counties Stewardship and Maintenance Focused
Keith Sykora* info@prairieguy.com (630) 407-4710
Ellie Krall* eleanor.krall@gmail.com (903) 669-1923
Radiant Space Design Josh Kettell* DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Will, Cook, Lake, and Will Counties connect@radiantspacedesign.com (773) 888-2427
Red Stem Native Landscapes Northern Cook County (see map) monica@redstemlandscapes.com (773) 454-4800
Ringers Landscaping 104 Northwest Highway Fox River Grove, IL 60021 sales@ringerslandscaping.com
Wasco Nursery & Garden Center Kane County and parts of DeKalb and DuPage Counties Meagan Provencher* design@wasconursery.com 630-584-4424
Wild Ginger Designs Kate Shields* DuPage, Cook, and Will Counties kate@wildgingerdesigns.com (630) 234-7522
Wild World Gardens Jeremy Ohmes Chicago and immediate suburbs (Oak Park, Evanston, Bridgeview, Morton Grove, etc) Jeremy@wildworldgardens.com (773) 350-3949
Woods to Wetlands Chicagoland area w2w@woodstowetlands.com (224) 642-8708
*Indicates individual is a Conservation@Home Professional Ambassador. See description above.
Natural Lawn
Maintenance
Pure Prairie Organics
Naperville, IL
(630) 780-7939
DigRightIn Landscaping
9100 W. Plainfield Rd.
Brookfield, IL 60513
(708) 485-7751
Radiant Space Design
Josh Kettell
DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Will, Cook, Lake, and Will Counties
connect@radiantspacedesign.com
(773) 888-2427
Residential Land
Management
Drip Torch LLC
Remic Ensweiler
(630) 301-0240
rensweiler@gmail.com
Green Guerrilla
Kane, Cook, DuPage, Lake, and Kendall Counties
GreenGuerrillallc@gmail.com
(224) 605-4393
Where to get Native Plants
More and more nurseries in our area are carrying native plants, which is great news for us and for the wild communities that need our help. Here are some local native plant sources we love.
Retail
The Growing Place
2000 Montgomery Rd.
Aurora, IL 60504
(630) 820-8088
25w471 Plank Rd.
Naperville, IL 60563
(630) 355-4000
Natural Communities Native Plants
Online Only
(331) 248-1016
Possibility Place
7548 W. Monee-Manhattan Rd.
Monee, IL 60449
(708) 534-3988
Order Plants for Home Delivery
Red Bud Creek Farm Garden Center
2930 N. 4351 Road
Sheridan, IL 60551
815-496-9400
rcf4351@sbcglobal.net
Spring Bluff Nursery
41W130 Norris Rd
Sugar Grove, IL 60554
(630)-466-4278
plants@springbluffnursery.com
Wannemakers
1940 Ogden Ave.
Downers Grove, IL
(630) 852-0700
Wasco Nursery and Garden Center
41W781 RT 64
St Charles, IL 60175
(630) 584-4424
Natural Garden Natives supplies native plants to retailers throughout the Midwest.
Wholesale
Stantec Native Plant Nursery
128 Sunset Dr.
Walkerton, IN 46574
(574) 586-4246
Midwest Groundcovers
Route 25 (4.5 miles north of Rt. 64)
St. Charles, IL 60174
(847) 742-1790
Pizzo Native Plant Nursery
10729 Pine Road
Leland, IL 60531
(815) 981-8000
Possibility Place
7548 W. Monee-Manhattan Rd.
Monee, IL 60449
(708) 534-3988
Restoration
Contractors
Bedrock Earthscapes, LLC
1501 E. Harrison Avenue
Wheaton, IL 60187
(630) 461-1159
Bluestem Ecological Services
Marengo, IL
(815) 568-2927
Davey Resource Group
357 W. First Street
Elmhurst, IL 60126
(630) 559-2035
ENCAP, Inc.
2585 Wagner Court
DeKalb, IL 60115
(815) 748-4500
ILM Environments
120 LeBaron Street
Waukegan, IL 60085
(847) 244-6662
Lupfer Landscaping
8737 Ogden Ave.
Lyons, IL 60534
Natural Communities Native Plants
Batavia, IL
(331) 248-1016
Native Restoration Services, Inc.
34475 N. Circle Drive
Round Lake, IL 60073
(847) 347-4685
Pizzo Habitat Restoration
10729 Pine Road
Leland, IL 60531
(815) 495-2300
Tallgrass Restoration, LLC
2221 Hammond Dr.
Schaumburg, IL 60173
(847) 925-9830
V3 Companies
7325 Janes Ave.
Woodridge, IL 60517
(630) 724-9200
Online & Print Resources
Webinars
The Conservation Foundation’s ConservationOnline webinar series features presentations on native plant gardening, water conservation, local wildlife, and much more!
Websites
www.illinoiswildflowers.info
This website gives thorough descriptions of plants (including weeds), cultivation, range and habit, and faunal associations.
www.chicagobotanic.org
On the Chicago Botanic Garden website, one finds plant descriptions and other information including a list on invasive species.
www.naturalgardennatives.com
Midwest Groundcovers sells native plants to retail garden centers. The brand name is Natural Garden Natives. On this website, through the “Where to Buy” link, one can find the garden centers which carry these native plants.
www.possibilityplace.com
The Possibility Place nursery has excellent plant descriptions and cultivation information.
www.urbanext.illinois.edu/wildflowers
IL Wildflowers – U. of I. Extension – a website to help gardeners incorporate wildflowers in their gardens. The wildflower directory features 144 different Illinois native wildflowers.
www.invasive.org/species/list.cfm?id=152
The Field Museum has created a field guide to help identify selected plants that threaten Chicagoland natural areas.
www.niipp.net
The Northeast Illinois Invasive Plant Partnership
Website has additional information about invasive plants.
Books
Flora of the Chicago Region: A Floristic and Ecological Synthesis by Gerould Wilhelm & Laura Rericha (2017).
An important resource for identification of plants in the Chicago region along with associated plants and insects.
Kane County Wild Plants & Natural Areas: Kane County, Illinois – November, 2007 by Dick Young
Because of the diversity of plant life in Kane County, this field guide is applicable to a much of the Midwest. It is nicely illustrated and organized by flower color.
Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants, Updated and Expanded by Douglas W. Tallamy (2009)
An entomologist by training, Doug Tallamy makes a great case for planting natives and reducing the amount of turf grass in our landscapes.
The Midwestern Native Garden; Native Alternatives to Nonnative Flowers and Plants. Paperback by Charlotte Adelman & Bernard L. Schwartz (2011).
Written for amateurs and professionals, this book offers native plants that can be used as appropriate substitutes for commonly used non-native plants.