The Great Green Shift: How Native Plants Transformed from Garden "Weeds" to High-Demand Climate Solutions
July 17, 2026
In a sun-drenched greenhouse on Chicago’s north side, the rhythmic creak of a rusty pulley signals the start of a new era in urban horticulture. Renee Costanzo, the Chicago Park District’s sole full-time employee at the Kilbourn Park greenhouse, leans…
The Great Green Shift: How Native Plants Evolved from ‘Weeds’ to Climate Essentials
June 2, 2026
Across the American Midwest, a quiet revolution is taking root in backyards, parkways, and municipal greenhouses. What were once dismissed by homeowners and landscapers as unsightly "weeds"—the wild, unruly flora of the tallgrass prairie—have…
