Use Labor Day weekend to plan your fall colors

Welcome to The Herald-News’ Will County Inside/Outside Guide. Each week, Features Editor Denise M. Baran-Unland (@Denise_Unland61) highlights a few ideas for you to enjoy your weekend (and beyond) in Will County.

If you’re ready to put summer behind you and transition into autumn, start planning for some fall colors in your life and help out the Forest Preserve District of Will County at the same time.

The Nature Foundation of Will County’s virtual “Oaktober! Native Tree & Shrub Sale” will start online at 9 a.m. Saturday and run through 11:59 p.m. Oct. 2. However, don’t wait too long to order as all items may sell out quickly, according to a news release from the forest preserve.

You’ll be able to choose from 13 tree species, seven of which are oaks, and 15 shrub species that are native to the Will County region. For a current list of the offerings, visit willcountynature.org. The list is subject to change as details are finalized with the plant supplier, the release said. Proceeds from the 2021 plant sales benefit the Forest Preserve District of Will County.

Plants can be picked up from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 16, at the Forest Preserve’s Sugar Creek Administration Center, 17540 W. Laraway Road, Joliet.

Cindy Harn, the foundation’s executive director. said in the release that “mid-October is one of the best times for planting trees and shrubs.”

“According to the Arbor Day Foundation, planting in the fall gives trees an extra growing season before the stress of summer,” Harn said in the release. “The combination of cooler temperatures and fall rain allows trees to establish their roots, making it easier on them to adjust to extreme heat or drought in the summer.”

You might also be interested in the free Zoom webinar the foundation is offering: “Healthy Yards – Replacing the Invasive Woody Plants in Your Landscape with Native Species” at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 16. For information on the webinar, visit willcountynature.org.

Looking ahead, the Lockport American Legion Auxiliary John Olson Unit 18 will hold a fall mum sale at 10 a.m. Sept. 12 at the post on 151st and Archer Ave. in Lockport. Plants will be available until they sell out. A variety of colors will be available. Mums are $10 each. Proceeds help local veterans.

Thoughts? Drop me a line at dunland@shawmedia.com.