Plants in Action Series Erica Mita of The Little Shovel  takes pride in creating and installing gardens that accomplish a variety of goals. She has used the 3,600 sq ft lot adjacent to her own home in Bozeman, MT to showcase how native plant-driven design can function and offer enjoyment to homeowners and pollinators alike. The planting site includes a mix of uses including a native-focused garden area that combines true natives and some ornamental cultivars, traditional lawn, and a permeable...

Oregon Grape ( Mahonia repens ) is a widely distributed understory plant that you may have spotted and thought to yourself, what’s that holly doing growing on the ground? Its distinct holly-like leaves with their wide toothed margins and points sprawl across the forest floor.   You can find Oregon Grape from western Canada south through California and east through Minnesota, and every state in between.  This low growing, shade-tolerant plant produces bright yellow flowers from April to July...

Plants in Action Series Elena Johnson has started the Helena Urban Meadows project in Helena, MT through her landscape design and consultation business, Light Song Gardens .  Her pilot gardens were planted in 2025 using Great Bear Native Plants plugs, and her gardens throughout the city will expand in 2026 and beyond. Elena aims to make lawn conversion more approachable and tangible for Helena residents. In her pilot gardens, she converted small sections of land - from front lawn strips to...