​Last weekend, thousands of people flocked to the annual Novi Spring Home and Garden Show at the Suburban Collection Showplace. This popular home exposition offers everything you could possibly need for your home and garden. Visitors strolled through over 25,000 square feet of gardens featuring patios, outdoor kitchens, fire pits, water features, and plants created by 24 landscapers.

“First seen in Hus & Hem, beautiful black stained beds are a new take on the traditional raised garden bed. Photograph by Peter Carlsson.”
First seen in Hus & Hem, beautiful black stained beds are a new take on the traditional raised garden bed. Photograph by Peter Carlsson.

Eco-friendly gardening includes tactics such as using rain barrels to conserve water; mimicking nature’s own method of planting in layers of trees, shrubs and groundcover to minimize runoff; growing edible gardens; and incorporating products that have a positive impact on the environment.

If you missed the show, fret not. Here are a couple of easy, eco-friendly outdoor garden trends that enable you to go green—and save green too!

​The latest home design trends were revealed by 125,000 builders, designers and media pros at the International Builders Show in Las Vegas, NV in January. There was no need to attend the industry’s largest trade show because the home design and construction experts at Echelon Homes are here to fill you in!

There are many factors to consider when planning the landscape of your new construction home.  Ideally, dream  home builders should consider their landscape and garden designs in tandem with their home plans.  In addition to aesthetic appeal, style, maintenance, function and longevity, it is important to consider the benefits of incorporating native plants, trees, shrubs and flowers into the landscape.Home Maintenance Tips

Here are six reasons why native plants and trees prevail over non-indigenous varieties.

Naturally complementary – Incorporating native plants and trees optimizes curb appeal because they not only look beautiful, but will actually survive. For example, bougainvilleas are beautiful because they offer a vibrant pop of color within most landscapes—but they will not survive the Michigan outdoors. Black-eyed Susans, Hardy Geraniums and Sedum are better options for Southeast Michigan landscapes.

Whether moving across town or across the country, meeting people is the best way to get settled in your new construction home. This can be somewhat challenging if you are one of the first homes in a new community because there simply aren’t many neighbors. Regardless, you can settle in to your new neighborhood by following these three simple steps:new home construction site

Love thy neighbor. Get to know the people who have already moved into the community. While it may feel a little intimidating, chances are that they would like to meet new people too. Keep an eye out for when neighbors don’t appear to be preoccupied and walk over or drive by. Introduce yourself as you would normally would and let them know how excited you are to finally be in your new construction home. Ask questions about your new neighbors, for example, where they moved from; if they have children; how they like the area, etc. Showing an interest in them will make you feel more comfortable gathering the information you need to settle in, such as which local gym is best. If there are common areas such as a fitness center, playground and/or swimming pool, go frequently and you are sure to meet nice neighbors.

High Ceilings
Raised ceilings have been a trend for quite some time due to their immense impact. Ceilings raised 12 or 15 feet open up even relatively smaller spaces, such as a powder room or foyer. Many model homes feature high ceilings coupled with a grand staircases to the second level which also creates the illusion of more space.

To witness the impact of high ceilings, tour two homes with similar square footage—one built in the 60’s or 70’s and a current model home. As you walk through the newly constructed home, you will sense that every room feels a bit bigger even though the overall square footage is the same as the home built a half a century ago.