— plants —

Let’s get something growing.

Native plants, butterfly food, soil that doesn’t quit.

Dig in.

Guides, starter plans, and the stuff Meemaw figured out the hard way.

Basics Pollinators 101 Bees, beetles, moths, hummingbirds — who shows up to your garden and what they’re actually looking for. Meet the regulars Starter Butterfly Garden Starter A no-fuss plant list for monarchs, swallowtails, and the neighbors who think you’re showing off. Get the list 📍 Find Local Resources Native plant societies, nurseries, and conservation orgs worth knowing — starting with Ohio, where Meemaw gardens. Find your people Region Ohio Native Plants What actually belongs in your yard if you’re in the Midwest — and why your soil already knows them. Read the guide How-to NWF Plant Finder Guide How to use the National Wildlife Federation’s tool to find natives that punch above their weight in your zip code. Walk me through it Native + Edible Native Plants You Can Eat Pawpaws, elderberries, serviceberries, spicebush, wild strawberries — native plants that feed wildlife, support pollinators, and taste good too. Grow and eat Foraging Foraging 101 Dandelions, wood sorrel, black raspberries, ramps — free food is growing in your neighborhood right now. Meemaw’s beginner foraging guide. Start foraging Edible Edible Landscaping Basics Why choose between pretty and productive? Blueberry hedges, herb borders, fruit trees as shade — grow food without sacrificing your yard. Make it edible Soil Soil That Doesn’t Quit Compost, mulch, and the quiet work that makes everything else easier next season. Build it up 🌿 Native Medicinal Plants Echinacea, elderberry, black cohosh, yarrow, passionflower — native plants that do triple duty: wildlife habitat, beauty, and your medicine cabinet. Grow your own remedies 🫐 The Elderberry Deep Dive America's most underrated native shrub. Feeds 50+ bird species, supports pollinators, and makes the best immune-support syrup you've ever had. Grow it, make it Field notes The English Ivy Battle An honest account of pulling invasive ivy off a fence line — what worked, what didn’t, what came back. Hear the story Invasives The Battle Against Invasives English ivy, multiflora rose, Japanese honeysuckle, buckthorn — what they are, why they matter, and how to actually deal with them. Know your enemy

Tools Meemaw trusts.

Free, science-backed, and built by folks who actually do the work.

NWF Native Plant Finder

Type in your zip code. Get a ranked list of native plants that support the most local butterflies and moths.

Audubon’s Plants for Birds

Audubon’s database of native plants that feed and shelter the birds passing through your yard.

audubon.org ↑

The gold standard for pollinator conservation. Plant lists, habitat guides, and the science behind why it all matters.

Meemaw’s Garden Promise

No miracle plants. No magazine-perfect beds. No shame if half of it dies the first year — that’s how you learn the yard.

We plant what belongs here, feed what already lives here, and let the soil do most of the heavy lifting. Slower up front, easier forever after.

Capitalist enough to count what it saves you. Hippie enough to do it because it’s right.