Fall is upon us so you’re probably not thinking much about your gardens. But something to keep in mind for next year’s layout: Go native. Planting native plants in your yards and gardens will help attract local birds and insects which helps maintain ecosystems.

As a bonus, local plants are a lot easier to work with even in small yards and green areas. After all, they’re plants that were made to thrive in your locations! This does take a bit of research on your part however. Most packets labeled wild flowers and the like are generic and not actually local species. Your local nurseries should be able to get you started right.

The first thing you’ll need to do though? Kill the grass. Grass makes a pretty picture and is great for running around on if you have small children or pets but it’s pretty useless for attracting nature. So if you don’t need it, ditch it. Happy gardening!