Master Watershed Steward Native Tree and Shrub Sale

The 2025 sale has now closed. Check back next summer for a new lineup of species for pre-order.

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 provide property enrichment 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 Native Tree and Shrub Sale is an online pre-order sale allowing customers to purchase in August and pick up their orders 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, healthy stock, availability, and landscape needs. A Pennsylvania wholesale native nursery that strives for ecologically sound practices provides the species sold in either 1-gallon, 2-gallon, or 3-gallon pots.

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.

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, the Master Watershed Stewards offer a webinar in July before the sale opens, providing details about each species offered in the current sale, an opportunity for residents to ask questions about the species, and an introduction to the sale logistics.

This webinar takes place in early to mid-July each year. This year's Species Overview and Q&A webinar has passed.

Pre-Order Sale

Our 2025 sale launched with 23 native tree and shrub species, including the highly requested pawpaw and persimmon! 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 provides the species sold in either 1-gallon, 2-gallon, or 3-gallon pots. This year's sale is now closed. Each year, trees are available for pre-order during the month of August for distribution in September-October, depending on the location. Order from the sale to receive a $5 off coupon to access our Proper Tree Planting Webinar for free.

2025 Species List

This list is to show the species included in the 2025 sale and may not represent the species included in next year's 2026 sale.

Please note: 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 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.

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.

1-gal pots: $20

Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum)

2-gal pots - $33

American Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana)
Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
Common Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius)
Coralberry (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus)*
Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)
False Indigo Bush (Amorpha fruticosa)
Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida)
New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus)* 
Northern Bayberry (Morella pensylvanica)
Pawpaw (Asimina triloba)
Pussy Willow (Salix discolor)
Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea)
Redbud (Cercis canadensis)
Silky Dogwood (Cornus amomum)
Smooth Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens)
Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus)
Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)
Steeplebush (Spirea tomentosa)
Swamp rose (Rosa palustris)
Sweet pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia)
Sweetfern (Comptonia peregrina)** 

3-gal pots: $45

White Fringe Tree (Chionanthus virginicus)*

*We have a lower quantity of these species.
**We have very limited quantities available of Sweetfern (Comptonia peregrina), so order early!

Proceeds from the Annual 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.

2025 Pickup Locations

There will be pickup sites in 29 counties across the state, indicated on the map below in purple.

Sources: Esri, TomTom, Garmin, FAO, NOAA, USGS, (c) OpenStreetMap contributors, and the GIS User Community, Esri, USGS.

Below are the anticipated 29 customer pickup locations for 2025. Please note these sites and pickup dates are subject to change before the launch of our August sale. 

Sale Feedback

Use this form to provide general feedback about our annual tree sale.

Post-sale Proper Native Tree Planting Webinar

In 2024, we launched a new webinar as part of our Native Tree Sale Fundraiser called Proper Native Tree Planting for Long-Term Success. The success of newly planted trees in the landscape is not just dependent on proper planting techniques, but site selection and follow-up care are also crucial for the success of your planting. 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 the success of their planting. This webinar focuses on containerized trees and the species included in the 2025 Annual Native Tree and Shrub Sale.

When: Tuesday, September 9, Noon - 1:30 PM

Cost: This webinar will be $5 for general participants and free to tree sale customers.

Registration link

Registration deadline: September 9, 2025 (Noon)

What Will You Learn?

• How to match the 2025 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

Registration link to come.

FAQs

General Questions

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

You can place your order online.

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 male from female plants at this young age, but our website does note whether each species is dioecious (requiring different male and female plants to reproduce) or monoecious (having male flowers and female flowers on the same plant).

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

Octoraro Native Plant Nursery attempts to collect and/or purchase seed sources within the Mid-Atlantic region for all species (primarily PA, NJ, MD, DE). However, if seed is unavailable, we 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 is $5, but all Tree Sale customers will receive a code to access the webinar for free.

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