Start with something pretty like rosinweed

Chicago's Shedd Aquarium has jumped on the native plants bandwagon.

It makes sense because part of the aquarium's watery mission is to convince people to protect the Great Lakes, one of which is in the Shedd's front yard.

Here are tips from Christina Nye, resident horticulturalist for the aquarium's organic garden:

• Use native plants. They require less water, fertilizer and pesticides, and they give native insects and birds food and a place to live.

• Be sure to avoid invasive plants. Ask at your garden center or check with the Morton Arboretum or Chicago Botanic Garden if you are not sure. These can "escape" from your garden and choke out natives.

• Use organic compost. Make your own or buy some because this does less damage to wildlife and the environment than some fertilizers.

• Plant a rain garden. The idea is to keep the rain that falls on your property on your property. This strains pollutants and keeps them out of Lake Michigan and other waterways.

Enter this right after finishing your taxes

We know you are clever. And if you keep coming up with great ideas that you think would do well on a shelf in say Bed Bath & Beyond, here is a program to help.

The retailer has joined Edison Nation to seek inventions for problem solving in the home. It's a celebration of the 200th anniversary of the first time a U.S. woman got a patent.

The catch is you have to pay $25 for each idea you submit. The potential payoff is $2,500 plus more money based on sales.

The deadline is April 30. You don't need a prototype, just a great idea. These are the people who put on the show Everyday Edisons, which appears on PBS television.

For information visit edisonnation.com/bedbathandbeyond.

Here's a no-sweat way to plant trees

It's fun to help others while buying something we would use anyway or registering and clicking online.

Celestial Seasonings, the tea folks, will donate one tree to a group called Trees for the Future for every box of tea sold through the end of March. The company also donates a tree if you register online. Trees for the Future plants these trees in developing countries in Africa, Asia and the Americas.

We all know how good trees are for the environment and that they help with such problems as soil erosion and air pollution.

Visit celestialseasonings.com/trees/.