Friends of Indiana Dunes plant sale attracts hundreds of visitors
The Indiana Dunes Visitors Center recently was humming with more activity than usual on a recent Saturday, as hundreds of visitors to the 23rd annual Friends of Indiana Dunes Native Plant Sale stopped in.
On the menu were trees, shrubs, grasses, ferns and perennials.
“I’m very conscious about what I put in my garden and natives have so many benefits,” said Gayle Pearson of Valparaiso. “I just started to change over my garden last year and I am so pleased with this greenery that has much less maintenance.”
Indeed, that sentiment was widespread talk among the customers that came from near and far to peruse the hundreds of varieties offered.
Alicia Wegerich just moved to Valparaiso from Portage and has begun to plan the garden in her new yard. After checking out options on Facebook, she also thought a trip to the sale would give her some ideas.
It did, and then some. “There are a lot of invasives (plants) in the current garden, so there’s a lot of clearing out to do,” she said of her new patch. “I’m finding many beautiful native plants here, so I’ll have no problem replacing them. And my girls are excited to plant a butterfly garden.”
Friends of Indiana Dunes member Zella Olson, of Porter, has greeted customers at the sale’s welcome table for the past 23 years.
“There’s a lot more interest in native plants than ever before. People are reading more about them and learning how they positively affect the environment,” she said. “We always have a great selection to choose from.”
Indiana Dunes public information officer Bruce Rowe said the yearly Native Plant Sale has continued in popularity for a variety of reasons.
“More people understand the importance of using these types of plants,” he said. “They know that the non-natives can be invasive and cause issues.”
He added that there are so many natives to choose from that a beautiful garden can result for those that choose this path.
During the sale, some information tables were set up in the center’s lobby, one was for the Shirley Heinze Land Trust.
Representative Warren Buckley manned the table and opened the door to the sale’s first visitors.
“Many people were lined up and we became pretty crowded right away,” he said.
“When I first started with native plans about 16 years ago, I found some quite different from the usual — but all quite beautiful in their own way. I have about 75 percent native.”
The Friends of Indiana Dunes organization, which was developed in 1982, has been a contributing sponsor through financial support and volunteer work of interpretive programs, cultural and resource management materials, historical speakers and underfunded equipment.
For more information, go to friendsofindianadunes.org.