In this issue:

• Cover Crop Seed Available!
• Native Tree, Shrub, and Forb Sale Open Soon
• Trade in Program Deadline Approaching
• Garden Reimagined
• White River Cleanup
• Invasive Common Reed and Pond Health
• Who are our Pollinators?
• Chainsaw Safety Workshop
• Native Plant Yard Tour Draws 75 Guests
• Indiana Pesticide Clean Sweep
• Rain on Main

Nature's Quilt: Cover Crops in Small Gardens

Cover crops benefit soil health by reducing erosion, improving soil fertility, promoting greater water infiltration and much more. Learn more about cover crops below, and visit our office for free cover crop seeds. 

Garden Reimagined: Join us at Providence Home + Garden on Saturday August 2^nd

Join us Saturday, August 2 from 11 AM – 2 PM at Providence Home + Garden for invasive species removal demonstrations and community celebration!

• Learn how to identify and remove invasive plants with HIP volunteers
• Watch live cut-stump treatment demos in the woods
• Vegetable garden tours
• Visit the SWCD info tent for resources that make taking care of your property sustainable and engaging
• Complete an activity to earn a raffle entry and free native seeds
• Enjoy a special native plant–inspired drink at Café Jardin
• Sneak peek: See the planting plan for a native planting this fall!

🎟️ Raffle prizes include:
• 4 tickets to Conner Prairie
• A complimentary night at Prairie Guest House
• $25 to Freeland's at North End
• $25 to Mochi Joy Donuts

Come learn how you can help bring nature back to your backyard!

White River Clean Up

Sunday September 14th, 2025
8am - 12 pm

The White River is the water resource backbone of Hamilton County, Indiana. It provides fishing, tubing, and boating opportunities, beautiful views from riverside trails, wildlife habitat, and a source for drinking water. Get on a canoe, grab some trash, and help keep our river clean. It's our community, it's our health, and it's our water. Multiple Hamilton County locations are available. Check the link below for more information. 

Who are our pollinators?

​Did you know bees are not the only pollinators in Indiana? Approximately 200,000 invertebrate species, (bees, moths, butterflies, beetles, and flies) serve as pollinators, as well as about 1,000 species of vertebrates (birds, mammals, and reptiles), according to Pollinator Partnership. The services provided by native pollinators contribute to the productivity of crops as well as to the survival and reproduction of many native plants.

​So how can you get started planting for pollinators? Make a list of your favorite pollinators and match them to their favorite food sources. We created a short list below to help you get started!

Chainsaw Safety Workshop August 16th

36,000 people require emergency room treatment each year from chainsaw injuries with the average injury requiring 110 stitches.  Don’t become a statistic!  Join us on Saturday August 16th between 9am-12pm for a Chainsaw Safety Workshop. Purdue Extension forester, Don Carlson, will cover chainsaw use basics including recognizing and reducing hazards.  The workshop will conclude with some live tree felling demonstrations outside at Koteewi Range Sport & Target Center. Registration is required

Native Plant Yard Tour Draws 75 Guests to Explore Beautiful, Eco-Friendly Landscaping

On Tuesday June 24th, we welcomed more than 75 guests to a suburban Westfield yard transformed with native plants. This yard tour offered a chance to see firsthand how Indiana native plants can be thoughtfully incorporated into a traditional neighborhood setting—even within the constraints of a homeowner association (HOA).

Visitors wandered through a vibrant front and back yard filled with blooms, pollinators, and practical ideas for sustainable landscaping. Native plants not only support local birds, bees, and butterflies, but they also create beautiful, lower maintenance yards that fit seamlessly into suburban environments.

2025 Indiana Pesticide Clean Sweep Disposal in August

The Indiana Clean Sweep Pesticide Disposal Program is designed to collect and dispose of suspended, canceled, banned, unusable, opened, unopened or just unwanted pesticides (herbicides, insecticides, rodenticides, fungicides, miticides, etc.). This disposal service is free of charge up to 250 pounds per participant. Over 250 pounds there will be a $3.00 per pound charge. This is a great opportunity for you to legally dispose of unwanted products at little or no cost.

Rain on Main 

20 more one-of-kind painted rain barrels return to Carmel this August for Rain on Main 2025, and you can take your favorite home!  See the barrels online or throughout the Carmel Arts and Design District August 15-23 and vote for your favorite on the Rain on Main Facebook page.  Purchase one of these functional pieces of custom art via the online auction held August 15 through 11am on August 23rd.

This event is brought to you by Hamilton County SWCD and the City of Carmel with generous sponsorship from White’s Ace Hardware, Carmel Farmers Market, Tom Wood Collision Center, and Sherwin-Williams Automotive.