Master Watershed Steward Annual Watershed-Friendly Native Tree and Shrub Sale

Sale now open - purchase your trees now!

Benefits of Native Species

Native plants offer a variety of benefits to our communities, including environmental, social, and even economic benefits. Native trees, shrubs, and other plants improve air and water quality, reduce stormwater runoff and pollution, and enrich and enhance property and enjoyment. Planting native trees and shrubs expands crucial habitat for pollinators, such as butterflies and bees, and countless resident and migratory bird species by providing nesting habitat and year-round direct and indirect food sources. By increasing the native plant diversity on your property, you may discover additional indirect benefits such as beneficial insects that control pests, increased wildlife diversity, including new-to-your-yard bird species that rely on caterpillars to feed their young, and plant features with multi-season interest. Once established, native plants require less watering and, when used correctly, fertilizer, saving both time and money. Having native trees and shrubs planted by waterways as riparian buffers provides many benefits. These plantings stabilize bank soil, thus preventing erosion, and shade streams, keeping water temperatures cooler with higher oxygen levels that benefit fish and other stream organisms. Streamside trees provide an important food source for stream life when leaves drop in the fall. They further protect our waterways by filtering a portion of pollutants, such as chemical residue and road salt from paved surfaces.

Penn State Extension's Master Watershed Steward program helps residents across the Commonwealth access native trees and shrubs while raising money for projects that educate communities and promote healthy watersheds. The Annual Watershed-Friendly Native Tree and Shrub Sale is an online pre-order sale that allows customers to purchase trees and shrubs from mid- to late July through late August, with pickup in the fall. Each year, the program curates a different selection of native trees and shrubs to highlight based on watershed improvement goals, community interest, landscape needs, and the availability of healthy stock from Octoraro Nursery, a Pennsylvania-based wholesale native plant nursery. Species sold in 1-, 2-, or 3-gallon pots. New this year (2026), we're offering two container seedling species.

Proceeds from the Annual Watershed-Friendly Native Tree and Shrub Sale support the Master Watershed Steward activities in that region. We purchase our trees and shrubs from a local wholesale nursery to provide residents access to quality native species.

Please note that all species offered are native to at least some part of Pennsylvania, but not necessarily native to all parts of Pennsylvania. We encourage you to select species that are native to your planting zone. For assistance in determining whether a species is native to your area, please contact the Master Watershed Steward hotline at AskAMWS@psu.edu.

Choosing Confidently: Species Overview and Q&A Webinar

Selecting the right tree or shrub for the right spot on your property can be challenging. To make that a little easier, we offer a webinar in July before the sale opens to provide you with an advanced look into the species offered in that year's sale. 

In the 2026 webinar, Penn State Extension educators and Octoraro Native Plant Nursery owner and grower Kevin Zuidervliet highlighted the native trees and shrubs featured in this year's sale. The webinar covered notable species, the particular benefits to the native ecosystem, and considerations for siting and selecting species for your property. The presenters also explained what to expect when ordering and picking up plants, helping participants make informed decisions and choose confidently for a healthier landscape and watershed.

This year's webinar has passed. For questions about ordering from the fundraiser, please email nkm5342@psu.edu.

Pre-Order Sale

Our 2026 fundraiser includes 24 native tree and shrub species, including coral honeysuckle, smooth hydrangea, bald cypress, and hazelnut! Each year, we select different native trees and shrub species to highlight based on watershed improvement goals, community interest, healthy stock, availability, and landscape needs. A Pennsylvania wholesale native nursery that strives for ecologically sound practices offers the species in 1-, 2-, or 3-gallon pots. New this year, we're offering two species as container seedlings. Order from the sale to receive a $5 off coupon to access our Proper Native Tree Planting Webinar for free.

Order now!

2026 Species List

Each of the species offered is native to Pennsylvania, but may not be native to all parts of Pennsylvania. To select native species for your location, we recommend knowing your ecoregion and plant hardiness zone where your trees and shrubs will be planted. Knowing your ecoregion will help you understand which plants are best suited to the growing conditions of your local environment, based on multiple variables such as habitat and climate. The plant hardiness zones provide a reference for which plants are most suited for your location, based on average winter temperatures in that region. Our online catalog will provide the hardiness zone for each of our tree sale species. To find the hardiness zone where you live, visit the USDA plant hardiness map. Visit Ecoregion Finder to find your ecoregion. For species details, such as hardiness zones, soil moisture tolerance, and sun requirements, you can view our full species list. For additional information about a species, we recommend Cornell's Woody Plant search website.

Please note : To get the discounted price for single-species bundles of three plants, you must purchase them as bundles. Purchasing these plants using the individual plant ordering option will not give you a discount, even if you enter 3 plants.

Container Seedlings (sold in bundles of 5): $50
60 bundles of each species available at the start of the sale. 

• Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea)
• Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua)

1-gal pots: $25 individually or $66 for single-species bundles of 3

• Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens)**
• Dwarf Chinquapin Oak (Quercus prinoides)**
• Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum)

** For these two species, there are only 40 individual plants available, and only 3 bundles.

2-gal pots - $35 individually or $90 for single-species bundles of 3

• Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum)*
• Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)*
• Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)*
• Carolina Allspice (Calycanthus floridus)
• False Indigo Bush (Amorpha fruticosa)
• New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus)
• Northern Catalpa (Catalpa speciosa)*
• Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana)
• Smooth Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens)
• Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus)
• Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum)
• Steeplebush (Spiraea tomentosa)
• Swamp Azalea (Rhododendron viscosum)
• Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis)
• Yellow Buckeye (Aesculus flava)*

3-gal pots: $45 individually or $120 for single-species bundles of 3 

• Allegheny Serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis)
• Hazelnut (Corylus americana)
• Pawpaw (Asimina triloba)
• Sweetbay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana)*

*We have 50 or fewer total individual plants and only 8 bundles available of these species.

2026 Pickup Locations 

Post-sale Proper Native Tree Planting Webinar

The success of newly planted trees in the landscape depends not only on proper planting techniques but also on site selection and follow-up care. We want to maximize the success of all the trees purchased through our fundraiser, so after the sale and before you pick up your trees, we host a webinar titled Proper Native Tree Planting for Long-Term Success. During this webinar, participants learn how to choose the proper planting location for their trees and shrubs, including microsite conditions and the size of their planting area, to help ensure successful planting. This webinar focuses on containerized trees and the species included in the 2026 Annual Native Tree and Shrub Sale.

When: Wednesday, September 2, Noon - 1:30 PM

Cost: This webinar is $5 for general participants and free for tree sale customers. Tree sale customers receive a registration link and discount code in their tree sale confirmation email.

Register now!

What Will You Learn?

• How to match the 2026 tree and shrub sale species to the right planting site
• Proper tree-planting techniques for containerized trees and shrubs, including planting depth and root management
• How to care for your trees after planting, including watering, pruning, and damage inspection

Who's It For?

• Native tree and shrub sale customers
• Environmental stewards and volunteers
• Landowners
• Watershed associations and environmental groups
• Anyone interested in learning about proper tree planting techniques

FAQs

General Questions

Where do I go to order my trees and shrubs online?

You can place your order online or by phone (#877-345-0691).

How can I ensure I hear when the next native tree and shrub webinars and sales launch?

Sign up for our monthly Watershed Winds newsletter. We'll announce each of our tree sale webinars and the sale there, and you'll also get access to all kinds of other great resources. Sign up now.

How do I know if a species is Native to my region of Pennsylvania?

To select native species for your location, we recommend knowing your ecoregion and plant hardiness zone where your trees and shrubs will be planted. Knowing your ecoregion will help you understand which plants are best suited to the growing conditions of your local environment, based on multiple variables such as habitat and climate. The plant hardiness zones provide a reference for which plants are most suited for your location, based on average winter temperatures in that region. Our online catalog will provide you with the hardiness zone of each of our tree sale species. To find the hardiness zone where you live, visit the USDA plant hardiness map. Visit Ecoregion Finder to find your ecoregion. While all of our species are native to PA, not all are native to all regions of PA.

Can you please tell me if I can get a male/female/both of such-n-such species?

We cannot determine whether plants are male or female at this young age, but our species catalog notes whether each species is dioecious (requiring different male and female plants to reproduce) or monoecious (having male and female flowers on the same plant).

What is the source or providence of such-n-such species?

All trees are grown from seed by Octoraro Native Plant Nursery. Octoraro attempts to collect and/or purchase seed sources within the Mid-Atlantic region for all species (primarily PA, NJ, MD, DE). However, if the seed is unavailable, they sometimes have to go outside this region, such as the eastern Great Lakes, for certain species.

How do I place a phone order?

You can call the Extension Registration Support line at 1-877-345-0691. Customer service is available on weekdays between 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM Eastern Time.

I'm purchasing trees as part of a tax-exempt organization. How would I place my order to ensure I am not charged tax?

You will need to call the Extension Registration Support Line at 1-877-345-0691 to place your order. Customer service is available on weekdays between 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM Eastern Time.

Webinar Questions

How do I watch the webinar?

You'll need to register for the webinar to receive the Zoom link to watch it live or receive the webinar recording.

Will the webinar be recorded?

Yes! Everyone who registers for the webinar will receive a copy of the webinar recording.

How much is the webinar?

The Species Overview and Q&A webinar is free, but you must register to receive the Zoom link or webinar recording.

The Proper Native Tree Planting for Long-Term Success webinar costs $5, but all Tree Sale customers will receive a code to access it for free.

For general questions about the Native Tree and Shrub Sale, please contact Natalie Marioni at nkm5342@psu.edu or 717-706-6040.