Backyard Prairies

05/28/2026

Purchase some plants from the garden club and contact us for more free plants and seeds!

05/20/2026

While we mostly give out free seed, we are helping sell some butterfly milkweed for Schaumburg Garden club. It's the beautiful orange flower and a host plant for the monarch.
Pickup up in Hoffman Estates. Contact us if interested.

05/19/2026

Sold like 1300 plants!!

05/01/2026

Please consider saving seeds soon. We rarely share spring ephemeral seeds as they are rarely donated!

04/25/2026

https://prairieup.com/dandelions-are-not-the-first-or-best-flower-for-pollinators

A growing voice in garden circles dotes on dandelions for pollinators, particularly as they are claimed as the first flowers to bloom in spring. This refers

04/20/2026

!

We absolutely love taking a crack at these interactive, 360-degree photos and this one at Messenger Woods Nature Preserve is no different. Sometimes nature grows on you in unexpected ways.

(Photo by Anthony Schalk)

02/07/2026

Contact us in the next week or so and we'll mail you up to 3 seeds of your choice off this list (Northern Illinois only):
Golden Alexanders
Heart-leaf Golden Alexanders
Columbine, Red Eastern
Late Figwort
Cardinal Flower
Bottle Gentian
Blue Lobelia
Showy Goldenrod
Hoary Vervain
Elm-leaved Goldenrod (likes shade!)
White Snakeroot
Bradbury's Monarda
Northern Blazing Star
Hairy Beardtongue
Orange Coneflower
Silky Aster
Dense Blazing Star
Prairie Blazing Star
Nodding Onion
Stiff Goldenrod
Rattlesnake master
Obedient Plant
Ironweed (Missouri)
Royal Catchfly
Ironweed (Common)
Rose Mallow (Swamp)
Wild Quinine
Cup Plant
Pasture Thistle

While supplies last!
(Including stamps 😂)

02/06/2026

Last night we had a winter-sowing demonstration and today a seed giveaway in Glenview. We gave seed to more than 70 people!

Joanna of Soil & Sprouts below giving demonstration in Des Plaines.