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Bringing Nature Home
Application

Applications are open from Earth Day, April 22, to August 1, 2026.

Planting Criteria:

  • Plantings should be primarily at least in the second growing season.
  • Native plants are defined as those growing in this region before European settlement. Learn more here.
  • Landscaping must be generally free of (or in the process of removing) invasive plants. Learn more about invasive species here.
  • Entrants must be located in Lake, Porter, LaPorte, St. Joseph, Marshall, or Starke Counties in Indiana.

What happens next?
Our Bringing Nature Home Committee, made up of staff and volunteers, will review your application and sure that your garden meets the program criteria. Then, a staff member will contact you to arrange an in-person tour of your garden/landscape.

Bringing Nature Home Application

    Applicant Information

    Please provide your information, which will be used to contact you about your application status and for other Shirley Heinze Land Trust communications.

    What is your relationship to this project?

    Planting Information

    Planting Category
    IndividualOrganization

    If Organizaton, Please Choose Type
    Commercial (Business, Office, Residential, etc)Institutional (Gov Agency, Church, School, Non-profit, etc)

    Planting Address

    Planting Size

    Installation Date (Must be in at least second growing season)

    Owner (If different from applicant)

    Other Contributers

    Planting Questions

    List native plant species (including flowers, grasses, sedges, ferns, shrubs, and trees) in planting, using common and/or scientific names, if possible, and approximate quantities.

    How does your planting contribute to the local ecosystem? (check all that apply)
    Host plants for insectsPollen for pollinatorsNectar for pollinators, hummingbirds, etcSeeds for birdsFruit for wildlife

    Water for Wildlife/Water Conservation (Optional)
    PondBird BathRain GardenMulchRain BarrelOther (Please attach photo)

    (Required) Submit 3-5 photographs showing your plantings. More images can be sent to info@heinzetrust.org. (Max file size 5MB)




    How did you hear about the Bringing Nature Home Award program?
    FacebookInstagramNewspaperShirley Heinze websiteShirley Heinze e-NewsletterFlyer at local garden supply storeWord of mouth

    Grant of License
    With my electronic signature below, I grant to Shirley Heinze Land Trust, Inc. (SHLT) and their partnering organizations (Partners) an unlimited, royalty-free license to use my photographs for promotional, non-profit purposes. I have provided the names of all persons depicted in my photos, and I represent that I have obtained their permission for the use of their images in this award program and for promoting SHLT and its Partners.

    I have reviewed the completed entry form and do not object to the submission or publication of this material.

    Applicant e-signature

    I verify I am the above stated

    If desired, you may submit additional photos to info@heinzetrust.org.