Rock Island County Soil and Water Conservation District
All trees and shrubs are 3 gallon conservation grade containers (ranging from 2 - 8 ft tall). Ferns and Arborvitae are 1 gallon containers. All orders must be made in advance.
NATIVE PECAN (CARYA ILLINOINENSIS) - $23.00 EACH
The pecan is one of the most important native nut trees in North America. It is a large, straight-trunked tree native to river bottoms and rich fertile soils. The nut, a beloved pie ingredient and also favored by wildlife, ripens in the fall. Excellent speciality crop.
Size Range:
SWAMP WHITE OAK (QUERCUS BIOCOLOR ) - $23.00 EACH
Swamp white oak is a striking tree with attractive peeling bark, especially on young trees. The lustrous, lobed leaves have a two-tone appearance, dark green on top with a silvery-white underside. Fall color is an orange-gold to yellow in mid-autumn. An excellent shade tree for any landscape.
BUR OAK (QUERCUS MACROCARPA) - $23.00 EACH
The stately bur oak, native to the Midwest, is a great choice as a shade tree and for specimen plantings in parks, spacious yards, and other large areas. Its massive trunk has gray to brown furrowed bark and its branches bear lustrous dark green leaves that turn yellow-brown in fall. Large acorns with fringed caps attract birds and small mammals. Tolerates a variety of moisture and soil conditions.
TULIP TREE (LIRIODENDRON TULIPIFERA) - $25.00 EACH
The tuliptree is one of the largest native trees in North America. It is a member of the magnolia family and has distinct tulip-shaped characteristic in its leaves, flowers, and fruit. The showy, goblet-shaped, orange-yellow-green flowers appear in late spring after the leaves; the cone-like seed clusters sit upright on the branches. The golden-yellow fall color of the tuliptree makes this an excellent choice for large landscapes.
SCARLET OAK (QUERCUS COCCINEA) - $25.00 EACH
The scarlet oak is native to the eastern and central parts of the United States and prefers dry, sandy, or slightly acidic soil conditions. Its large leaves can get up to seven inches long and up to five inches wide and form an open, rounded crown for good shade. Considered fast growing and drought-tolerant with scarlet fall color. The acorns are small and mature in about 18 months, and their color is usually pale brown.
HACKBERRY (CELTIS OCCIDENTALIS) - $23.00 EACH
Fast-growing, durable tree for variety of sites. Tolerates air pollution. Gray bark develops warty texture. Small fruits provide wildlife food. This common native tree has been found throughout Illinois; it occurs in every county. Longevity of individual trees can extend to 150-200 years. The common hackberry flowers in April and May after its leaves are partially grown. Its heavy, soft, pale- yellow wood is used for making fence posts and furniture. The deciduous leaves become greenish yellow to yellow during the fall.
BLACKGUM (NYSSA SYLVATICA) - $25.00 EACH
Black gum is a medium to large native landscape tree with foliage that is glossy green in summer and bright red to deep purple in fall. Primarily dioecious (separate male and female trees), but each tree often has some perfect flowers. Small, greenish-white flowers appear in spring on long stalks. Although flowers are not showy, they are an excellent nectar source for bees. Fruits mature to a dark blue and are attractive to birds and wildlife. Spectacular scarlet fall color.Black gum grows best in moist, acidic soils, but also makes a good street tree in residential areas, as it tolerates drought and soil compaction.
SYCAMORE (PLATANUS OCCIDENTALIS) - $23.00 EACH
The sycamore is a grand, stately shade tree for a larger site. It has broad green leaves but is most recognizable by its peeling bark, with patches of white and gray. Native to Illinois, Sycamores have very high wildlife value, attracting a wide range of birds that use the tree for many purposes. It grows fairly rapidly and can live at least 250 years. This tree develops a massive trunk and broad canopy that casts a dense shade. Adapted to wet sites, sycamores are tolerant of adverse soil conditions but may be messy in the landscape. In fall, foliage typically turns an undistinguished yellow-brown. Small flowers appear in small rounded clusters in April. Its wood has been commercially used for a variety of products including furniture, cabinets, barrels, crates, and butcher blocks, and Native Americans hollowed out trunk sections for dugout canoes.
PERSIMMON (DIOSPYROS VIRGINIANA) - $25.00
Slow-growing, usually shrubby tree known for sweet, orange fall fruits. Valuable food source for wildlife. American Persimmon is very adaptable, tolerating full sun to light shade, moist to dry conditions, and soil containing clay-loam, loam, silt, sand, and rocky material. Fruit can be produced as early as 10-15 years.
BALD CYPRESS (TAXODIUM DISTICHUM) - $23.00
Deciduous conifer with narrow, conical form. Fine, feathery foliage that turns rich brown in fall. Unlike most cone-bearing trees, bald-cypress loses its needles each winter and grows a new set in spring. The russet-red fall color of its lacy needles is one of its outstanding characteristics. Hardy and tough, this tree will adapt to a wide range of soil types, whether wet, dry, or swampy.
NATIVE RED MAPLE - $24.00 EACH
Brings color to your landscape year-round. Green stems turn red in winter, new leaves are red-tinged, turning to green. Fall color is deep red or yellow. Flowers are also red. Fast growing and tolerant of many soils. Grows to 40' to 60', 40' spread. Early spring nectar and pollen for bees. Hosts to many moths, including rose moth. Provides seeds for small animals, like squirrels.
THUJA 'GREEN GIANT' ARBORVITAE - $27.00
SOLD OUT
Thuja 'Green Giant' is a large, needled, evergreen, conifer tree that is a hybrid cultivar (not native) typically used in landscaping applications.
This tree does best in a moist, full-sun location with light afternoon shade. It tolerates a wide range of soils and, in optimal conditions, can grow 3-4 feet per year. It resists most diseases, insects, periodic drought, and deer. It is a low-maintenance landscaping choice due to its hardiness and uniform growth habit that requires little to no pruning to maintain an attractive pyramidal shape. Younger plants may be trimmed into hedges or privacy screens. Groupings, planted more closely together, are also used as windbreaks or to reduce noise. Dark green sprays of small, glossy, scale-like needles retain their deep green color through the winter. Great habitat for birds year round. Locally grown 2-3' trees
QUAKING ASPEN - $25.00
Fast growing tree with attractive foliage, bark and autumn coloration. A single-trunked tree with a narrowly rounded crown and leaves of light green or pale yellow that flutter in response to every breeze. The preference is full sun, moist to dry-mesic conditions and a relatively loose soil containing sandy or silty loam, but can adapt to soil containing gravel or clay. Used by many vertebrate animals and insects as a source of food, protective cover and nesting habitat.
N. RED OAK - $24.00
Northern red oak is native to the Midwest and is one of the faster growing oaks for the home landscape. The leaves are handsome throughout the year, emerging pinkish-red, turning lustrous dark green in summer, and changing to russet-red to bright red in autumn. Its tolerance of salt and air pollution makes it a good tree for more exposed areas.
SHUMARD OAK - $24.00
Shumard's oak is native to southern Illinois, but is hardy in the northern part of the state as well. A handsome moderately fast growing and adaptable shade tree with pyramidal crown and good fall foliage color. This tree is quite drought resistant and also withstands short-term flooding. Wildlife interest include game birds, game mammals, migrant birds, and small mammals. Acorns are produced in fall.
BLACK OAK - $24.00
This tree is not easily recognized as an oak due to an atypical, unlobed leaf. It is not used as commonly as other oak species, but would be valuable as a parkway or shade tree in a large landscape. The deciduous Black Oak tree may grow to a height of 80 feet with a trunk diameter of about three and one half feet. The trunk is straight. The bark is black and deeply furrowed, with a yellow or orange inner bark and the leaves are arranged alternately on the stem. The Black Oak may be found statewide in Illinois. This tree mainly grows in upland woods. It flowers in April and May when the leaves begin to unfold. The hard, red-brown wood is used in construction, for fuel and for making fence posts. Like other oaks, Black Oak is beneficial to many kinds of wildlife.
White Flowering Dogwood - $25.00
Flowering dogwood is a small to medium woodland understory tree. Showy white, red, or pink flowering bracts appear before the leaves in early spring. Dark green summer foliage turns a brilliant reddish-purple in fall. It is sensitive to adverse soil and environmental conditions such as road salt and pollution. Best planted in acidic soil. Flowering Dogwood prefers partial shade to full sun, moist to dry-mesic conditions, and soil containing loam, clay-loam, or some rocky material. It is rather slow-growing. Like other dogwoods, Flowering Dogwood is valuable to many kinds of wildlife. Flowering Dogwood is one of the more attractive small trees or shrubs to bloom during the spring. Because of its unique petaloid bracts, there is really nothing else that resembles it in natural areas of the Midwest. It also differs from other dogwoods in the area by its shiny red fruit and the alligator-hide patterning of its trunk bark.
American Hazelnut - $20.00
American hazelnut is a thicket-forming native shrub, excellent for naturalizing, woodland gardens and shade areas. Showy male flowers (catkins) add early spring interest, dark green leaves turn a beautiful kaleidoscope of colors in the fall. The nuts mature from September to October, attracting seed-eating birds, such as blue jays and woodpeckers.
Witchhazel - $25.00
This woody plant is a shrub or small tree up to 20' tall. It is usually abundantly branched and rather bushy in appearance. Witch-Hazel may have a single trunk up to 1' across, or there may be several ascending branches at its base. The blooming period occurs from mid- to late fall for about 3 weeks. This is the last woody plant to bloom during the fall; this usually occurs shortly after its leaves turn yellow and have fallen to the ground. The preference is light shade to partial sun, mesic conditions, and sandy or loamy soil. More flowers are produced in response to greater amounts of sunlight. Witch-Hazel provides abundant green foliage during the summer and attractive flowers during the autumn when little else is in bloom. The seed capsules resemble miniature cannons that expel their seeds with considerable force, making an audible sound. This unique woody plant can't be confused with anything else in Illinois. Tolerant of road salt and clay soil. This is a great specimen plant or in a naturalized landscape.
Shrubby St Johns Wort - $20.00
Shrubby St. John's wort is a low to medium-sized native shrub reaching 3 to 4 feet high. The bright yellow flowers with a profusion of yellow stamens look like fireworks. The lower stems are woody with shredded gray-brown bark, while the upper stems are green and slightly winged on opposite sides. The exfoliating bark and attractive seed capsules add winter interest to the landscape. The preference is full or partial sun, moist to dry-mesic conditions, and somewhat barren rocky ground. This shrubby wildflower is readily cultivated in gardens.
Maidenhair Fern - $10.00
Maidenhair fern is a unique, airy fern with fan-shaped fronds growing around a horseshoe-shaped stem. Maidenhair ferns spread to form dense patches. Usually found in higher quality woodlands where the original ground flora is largely intact. Preference is light shade, moist to mesic conditions, and pockets of loose fertile loam with an abundance of decaying leaf litter. This fern likes high humidity and it should be located in a shaded area that is protected from the wind. One of the more distinctive and beautiful ferns found in Illinois, it is a great addition to woodland gardens and shady areas.
Lady Fern - $10.00
Lady Fern is a perennial native fern with deciduous leaves about 2-3 ½' long that are arranged in loose tufts. The preference is dappled sunlight to moderate shade, moist to mesic conditions, and a loose loamy soil that is slightly acidic. This fern likes high humidity and some protection from wind. It is the most common variety throughout Illinois occurring in woodlands or mixed woodlands and adapts well to woodland and shady garden areas. Lady fern, with its finely cut leaves, provides interesting texture to shady areas.
Christmas Fern - $10.00
This perennial fern is 1 ½ - 2 ½' tall, consisting of a loose tuft of several leaves that are erect to ascending. The compound leaves are up to 2' long, 5" across, simple-pinnate in their structure, and evergreen. Plants can occur individually or in small loose colonies. Preference is light shade, mesic to slightly dry conditions, and soil that is loamy or rocky with abundant leave litter. Typically found in woodlands, wooded bluffs, slopes of wooded ravines, and shaded cliffs. It gets its common name from the fact that the early settlers used it for Christmas decoration.
Paper Birch (Liners, 3 – 4') $10
Pussy Willow (Liners, 4 – 6') $12
Highbush Blueberry (Rooted Cuttings, 6 – 12") $10
White Oak (Bare Root Seedlings - Bundles of 25) $40
SOLD OUT
Majestic state tree of Illinois. White oak is a native, long-lived stately tree with wide-spreading horizontal branches and wine-red fall color. A long-lived, stately tree for large landscapes, parks, and farmsteads. Does not tolerate wet conditions, best planted in well-drained sites.
Tree Hugger T-Shirt Fundraiser $25
This is a community partnership project coordinated by the Illinois Forestry Development Council, University of Illinois Extension 4-H, Association of Illinois Soil & Water Conservation Districts and Rock Island County Soil & Water Conservation District.
The purpose of this year's project is to educate students, teachers, and their communities on the value of native oak forests and trees to Illinois natural history, oaks as a keystone species in Illinois forests, tree planting techniques, and oak tree identification. Our 2022 allocation of 25 3-gallon RPM trees will be planted at Illiniwek Forest Preserve campground area.