PARIS — Each year the Oxford County Soil & Water Conservation District offers a Native Conservation Plant Sale of ferns, groundcovers, perennials, shrubs, trees and vines. New to the sale this year are native grasses and edible plants.

More than 100 varieties of plants are being offered, including the following. Flowering plants: rue anemone, beardtongue, Jacob’s ladder and Culver’s root; Ferns: leatherwood fern, sensitive fern and cinnamon fern; Vines and ground covers: bearberry, bunchberry and checkerberry (wintergreen); Ornamental grasses: tufted hair grass, red switch grass and blue switch grass; Edible plants: lowbush blueberry, highbush blueberry and American cranberry; Shrubs: American hazelnut, northern bayberry, pussy willow and American elder; Trees: maples, birches, pagoda dogwood and basswood.

All of the plants included in this sale are considered “native.” For a brief explanation and video of native plants, go to www.umaine.edu/publications/2500e/. Many of these plants are great for wildlife habitat, stabilizing areas on slopes or near water.

Additionally, the district is accepting orders for Fraser fir, Colorado blue spruce, Norway spruce, white spruce, Canadian hemlock and white pine. All trees are sold as bare root, transplant seedlings and come in bundles of 10. Evergreens are noted for being ornamental, providing timber, planting windbreaks and add beauty and color to a landscape year-round. In addition, some are grown for use as Christmas trees.

The deadline for the sale is April 30. The forms may be picked up at the office at 17 Olson Road, Suite 3 in South Paris, downloaded from www.oxfordswcd.net or requested by emailing [email protected]. For more information call 743-5789, ext. 111. The proceeds of the sale support the programming being offered by the Conservation District in Oxford County.