They live in a spacious home at the end of a cul de sac in the Normandy Farm neighborhood in Eagle Creek, with their gregarious rescue lab mix Ellie and their kitty Buffy (the Vampire Slayer.) Deon is an insurance specialist for IU Health and Rick is the senior director of IT for OneCause.
Rick and Deon moved into their home in 2001. Because they’re both avid gardeners, they fell in love with the large lot, which offered ample space for raised beds in the back. The front however, was a blank canvas that they (Deon in particular) were anxious to fill. Also, the front yard had a fairly steep slope down to the street which made mowing a challenge. Because they love to work outside, they always talked about redoing the front themselves. However, life generally got in the way, until this year, when they finally decided to call in some help.
The Seiferts are committed to preserving the environment in any way they can. Deon, who has her master gardener certification, wanted an inviting garden in the front that had not just curb appeal, but was also filled with bird and pollinator friendly native plants for year-round interest, and would eventually produce blooms she could cut and take inside. They also wanted to have some kind of landing place in the front for interacting with their neighbors.
Once they decided to bring in the pros, the search began for a locally owned landscaping company that could deliver the natural, eco-friendly design they were dreaming of. One of their top priorities in the search was a company that showed a commitment to diversity, inclusion and was LGBTQ+ friendly.
“We had another company give us a quote. Their design felt a bit standardized and didn’t incorporate many of our ideas. And, after a little digging, we realized that their company’s values didn’t align with ours, so that was a deal-breaker for us,” said Deon. “I got on Reddit and asked the community for a recommendation for a company that had the qualities and shared values we were looking for. And the overwhelming response was Heath Outdoor.”
“When Cory (Gliege) showed up on our doorstep, we had a great feeling about him. He shared his vision, but also listened to ours. He just sat out there for a while, taking it in. And then he said, ‘This is my Friday night with a glass of scotch project. I’ll get something to you next week.’ And we knew we’d found our guy,” she laughed.
“When he brought us the landscape design, we instantly loved it. And it was really meaningful to us that he drew it by hand and color-coded it! He put so much thought and effort into it. We actually have it laminated and hanging on our fridge to this day! Also, it was significantly less expensive than I thought it was going to be.”
In terms of design, the site had two major challenges:
So, the design involved creating a terraced, stone wall that would break up the slope and keep more water in the garden (and less in the storm sewer.) It also called for adding dirt on top of the stump and creating a multilevel garden to avoid trying to remove the stump.
The work began with grading the slope, building the terraced wall and creating the natural border around the 1700-square foot garden space.
“I was amazed at how quickly it happened,” said Deon. The garden area was fully built in three days. Since it was March, we had a freeze to contend with, but the crew came back as soon as it was possible to put the plants in.”
“We were thrilled with both our project manager, Antonio, and the support team. The support team was incredibly responsive–if I had a question, I generally heard back from them in a couple of hours. And Antonio’s instincts were great. He was extremely adaptable as the project came together.”
“I’m so thrilled with the little ecosystem we’ve created with all the plants out front…especially the natives,” Deon said. “As far as I can remember, they planted: asters, echinacea, blackeyed Susans, yarrow, shasta daisies, staghorn sumac, false indigo and strongbox inkberry, in addition to a red twig dogwood, an Eastern redbud and a serviceberry tree. I’m looking forward to fall and winter this year, when I can go out to the front and see what birds and other wildlife the native plants out there are attracting.”
“Just walking down the driveway to get the mail makes me happy now,” Deon said. “I’m greeted not only by the garden, but often by the sweet little neighbor girl who loves to come over and sit on our new stone wall. She pats the spot next to her, tells me to have a seat and tells me about her day. We’ve never had a place to sit and visit before.”
“Because we’re loving spending so much time out front now and our house faces west, we’re thinking about adding a patio out front next year, so we have even more room to sit and visit with our wonderful neighbors!”
If you’re ready to bring YOUR outdoor living dreams to life, call Heath Outdoor today.
Heath Outdoor, a premier, local, family-owned landscaping company established in 2009, proudly serves the vibrant communities of Indianapolis and its surrounding areas. Strategically located in the heart of Indianapolis, we extend our expert landscaping and hardscaping services to both commercial and residential customers in Carmel, Westfield, Fishers, Geist, Noblesville, Zionsville, Avon, Plainfield, Brownsburg, McCordsville, Greenwood and beyond.
Custom gardens and landscapes, paver patios and walkways, water features and recreation ponds, custom outdoor fire pits and fireplaces, outdoor kitchens, pool and spa vaults, tiny houses, storage sheds, pergolas and decks, retaining walls, fencing and playgrounds.
Mowing, mulching, planting and watering service, irrigation and drainage system installation and repairs, seasonal property clean-ups, and snow and ice management. In 2024, Heath Outdoor added eco-focused private gardening and garden coaching to our property maintenance services through a partnership with Spotts Garden Service.
Planning a wedding or other celebratory event and looking to create an extraordinary backdrop? Let the event design team at Heath Outdoor transform your space with rental plants, lighting and custom structures. We’ll work with your event designer to bring the vision for your event to life and create an experience your guests will never forget.
We’re not just in the business of landscaping—we’re in the business of finding solutions and bringing dreams to life. Whether it’s crafting breathtaking commercial outdoor spaces or creating custom outdoor living areas from scratch, we’ve got the passion, expertise, creativity and team to make it happen.
At Heath Outdoor, we’re also committed to giving back to the community, through our Juneteenth service project, annual participation in the Indy Pride parade, Butter Art Fair and Feast of Lanterns sponsorship and neighborhood beautification efforts.
Heath Outdoor is a Hurst Brothers company. Other brands in the Hurst Brothers family of companies include: Indy Insulation and Spray Company and Spotts Garden Service.
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