Greater DuPage Chapter Events

Start saving seeds now and join us for the much-anticipated Greater DuPage Wild Ones Annual Seed Exchange and Chapter Meeting, hosted at The Growing Place in Aurora! This event is a favorite among our members and friends, and it is an excellent opportunity to connect, share seeds and valuable information. We encourage everyone to save seeds in preparation for this gathering. 

Schedule
10:00 am - 10:30 am: If you are bringing seeds or items to donate, please arrive prior to the start of the event. This helps avoid confusion caused by seeds getting set out at the same time seeds are being removed. The more seeds you bring, the earlier you should arrive. (Thank You!)
Hand your seeds or donation items to our volunteers at the Welcome Table to get placed in the appropriate category, then please enjoy exploring The Growing Place or visit with other attendees (outside, if it is nice), until we are ready to start the meeting portion of the day.
10:30 am: START

10:30 am - 10:45am: Membership Meeting and Elections
All members are invited to attend our Chapter Membership Meeting, which will precede the Seed Exchange. Officer elections will take place during this time. The meeting will be brief.
10:45am - Noon: Seed "Shopping" 
Explore the variety of seeds available for exchange. Bring envelopes to take away seeds you select. Please respect that others are looking for seed too and do not take more than a fair share. If you wish to take a large quantity, wait until the end and you can take whatever is remaining.

How the Exchange Works
Bring your own native harvested seeds to the Seed Exchange and take seeds brought by other enthusiasts. Don't worry if you don't have seeds to trade; you can make a nominal donation in exchange for bringing seeds. Here is a list of the species that we exchanged in recent years. To see some tips on seed collecting go to our Seed Harvest page.

Labeling and Packaging Seeds
Clean your seeds by removing them from stems, leaves, and fluff. Package seeds in envelopes or paper bags, clearly labeling them with Latin and common names, description, color of the flower, time of bloom, plant height, and best planting location.  Print copies of our Seed Labels Template (Microsoft Word Format) or Seed Labels Template (PDF Format) to easily label your seeds. 

Silent Auction
We encourage attendees to contribute to our Silent Auction by donating garden-related items like books, posters, art, garden tools, bird feeders, and more. Items should be in good condition and preferably related to native gardening. You can bring items to bid on, buy, or even give away for free.

Note:  Please DO NOT bring live plants that you have dug up to the exchange!