Volunteers and Staff pose at the start of the pickup for the Fall Tree & Native Plant Sale 2026
The 2026 Fall Tree & Native Plant Sale distributed 5396 native plants (potted) and 3230 conifer seedlings to 401 customers throughout our region!
In order to adapt to the growing unpredictability of weather patterns and shifting climatic norms, we have continued our trend toward expanding to offering a greater diversity of species offered during the sales this year. This approach allows us to offer a stock that covers a wide range of growing conditions and climate scenarios, resulting in increased ecosystems resilience and greater ecological services in our communities.
In particular, we've been increasing our variety and quantities of potted trees and shrubs offered in the sale. We continue to sell out faster than expected and to meet demand are increasing our offerings from WildType Nursery to provide more diversity of woody shrubs and trees available for fall planting. Our customers were blown away by size of the 12' Chinquapin Oaks and 10' Basswoods in 7-gallon pots this year.
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5396 Native plants sold
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215 volunteer hours
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12 pizzas eaten
Also sourced from Designs By Nature nurseries, the demand for garden kits and quart pots keeps rising, showing just how much our communities are embracing native plant landscaping during the fall season. We’re thrilled to be growing, but let’s be honest: we’re still a small team trying to keep up with big demand. We’re constantly testing our limits to expand our capacity, all while making sure we don’t lose our sanity (or the personal touch that makes our work special). It’s a balancing act, but one we’re excited to take on as we continue to support sustainable gardening in our communities.
Our volunteers’ dedication and hard work are essential to meeting the growing demand year after year. We are truly grateful for their passion and commitment. Our volunteer community continues to grow stronger, with many returning to support every distribution event, some for several years running. Their ongoing involvement helps keep our events fresh, enjoyable, and affordable for our growers. Interested in joining the fun and enjoying early access benefits?
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Special thanks to the staff at Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner's Office's Master Rain Gardener program for being the founders, evolvers, and steady supporters of the work we continue to distribute plants to the people!
Thank you to everyone who helped make the sale a success!
A2 Zero & Forest 2 MI Faucet discounts on plants!
We had the good fortune of offering multiple discount campaigns and price drops thanks to grants and partnerships!
We continue to partner with the City of Ann Arbor Office of Sustainability and Innovations through their A2Zero program. They approached us to offer $2,200+ in discounts for the fall sales. They marketed the sales and discounts to their participants of the Pollinator Aware Yard Care program and 10k Tree Giveaway program leading to huge increase in early sales engagement. Many early customers got price savings to get more native plants and trees into the Ann Arbor landscape.
Thanks to you all at A2 and all your hard work becoming a national leader on climate action!
Additionally, through the MDNR funded Forest 2 MI Faucet grant, we were able to put $2500 to price drops on all deciduous potted trees & shrubs to make these plants more accessible to our community. The grant promotes the planting of trees and shrubs, especially along riparian zones, highlighting their benefit for healthier water systems that we depend on.
Our new staff, including Jill Lada our Community Engagement Specialist, and Joy Casnovsky our Executive Director, have brought a great deal of skills, stability, and positive energy to our sales and programming.
Tree Transplanter Rentals
We were glad to have team effort to repair our Tree Seedling Transplanter in time for the Fall sale, and rented it out to a previous 2006 Tree Conservationist of the Year awardee, Grant Howard. Grant planted 400 trees with the help of friends and family.
Missed out or just can't wait until next spring?
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Thanks to all our staff, partners, volunteers and customers, for continuing to make this work impactful and fun!
- Doug Reith, Resource Specialist