A lush carpet of green extends in all directions at calf-height, covering what used to be a boring lawn space with a vibrant community of blooms supporting a bounty of buzzing bees, butterflies and other beautiful bugs. This is a bee lawn, a space where people and pollinators play together. The first time I installed…

There is little else as satisfying in the garden as watching wildlife use the space: cardinals dashing in and out of oaks, skipper butterflies and sweat bees methodically circling coneflower blooms. What is a garden without the critical ecological function that makes the world work and brings us closer to nature? When we cultivate native…

Most gardeners have strong opinions about creeping Charlie, the weed more formally known as Glechoma hederacea. Some love it, claiming creeping Charlie provides food for bees and a savory, minty smell. Others wage war against this weed as though their lives depended on its eradication. Glechoma hederacea is an herbaceous groundcover perennial native to the…