The best way to achieve a beautiful and nearly maintenance-free and yard is to garden with plants native to our region. We're lucky to have a wide variety of native plants to choose from in Indianapolis. When we think of native plants, we often think of the wild natural landscapes. While you can certainly embrace the wild and natural look in your yard, native plants can also fit just as well into a perfectly manicured landscape.
Read MoreLandscaping your yard can be pretty intimidating for a variety of reasons. It seems like lots of the common landscaping jobs we think about are big undertakings that require lots of money, manpower, and skill. But that’s not always the case. There are plenty of little landscaping jobs that anyone can tackle that will have a huge impact on the overall curb appeal and potential value of your home and yard. Here are 5 of our favorite easy-to-DIY landscape upgrades in Indianapolis.
Read MoreIf you’ve been keeping well-stocked bird feeders, your yard is probably popular with the neighborhood squirrel population, too. Tree squirrels are pretty common in Indiana. We have 4 main species: gray, red, fox, and southern flying squirrels. We mostly tend to see fox squirrels and gray squirrels in Indianapolis. In an urban setting, squirrels are mostly viewed as a pest because they like to get into our attics and build nests. But since there’s no way to keep your yard squirrel free, especially if you’re providing food for the birds, you might save yourself a lot of frustration by learning to live with them.
Read MoreChristmas trees that are grown, cut, sold, and recycled locally are about as environmentally responsible as it gets. This is a stark contrast with artificial Christmas trees, which are bound for the landfill once they get worn out. The City of Indianapolis recycles Christmas trees for mulch, which is then used in parks and green spaces around the city. But, it’s not as simple as tossing your tree out with the trash.
Read MoreIf you grew a herb garden this year, and harvested and preserved your herbs at the end of our Indianapolis summer, you might be wondering how you can use them. Besides just sprinkling some of your herbs in recipes as your cooking, there are a few other fun ways to include them in meals & cocktails.
Read MoreIt might seem like wintery Christmas decorations and leafy green houseplants are an odd mix, but nothing could be further from the truth! Using houseplants can add interest and contrast to holiday decorating with their varying shades of green and unique leaf shapes. Houseplants can make a striking feature in a festive centerpiece, and pretty ornaments can add a touch of sparkle to a potted plant. You can also mix houseplants with a variety of fresh evergreen boughs for unique and personal festive decor. Here are a few creative ways to style your Indianapolis houseplants and evergreen holiday decor.
Read MoreHanging an evergreen Christmas wreath on your front door is a beautiful addition to holiday decor. You've probably noticed them popping up on doors around your Indianapolis neighborhood in the last few days. Holiday evergreen wreaths, real or artificial, can be fairly pricey to buy. However, making your own wreath is surprisingly easy and very affordable. Plus, nothing beats and a unique, original wreath made with fresh greens.
Read MoreWhile the holidays come with some of the best meals of the year, you might want to keep your favorite festive plants off the table! Some of the most beautiful holiday greenery can cause a Christmas celebration to take a turn for the worst. And, interestingly, some plants that have a Grinchy reputation are actually quite harmless. Before you bring home some new plants for the holidays, let’s set the record straight about these popular holiday houseplants.
Read MoreOne of the quintessential holiday houseplants is the iconic Christmas cactus. Everyone's grandma had one when they were growing up, and many of us have at least one in our homes now too. While our grandma's plants always seemed to bloom profusely at just the right time for Christmas in Indianapolis, some of us struggle to get our Christmas cactuses to bloom indoors at all.
Read MoreDecorating your front porch to match the seasons is a fun way to add some extra personality to your home, and make your guests feel welcome before they even get inside. You might be wondering how everyone in Indianapolis creates such magazine-worthy seasonal porch decor. Well, almost all of them have a few key features that together create more visual appeal. Here are five guidelines that you can use to pull together a balanced and beautiful fall vignette on your front porch.
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