Inspirations from an Indiana Garden Center

Plant shopping has never been more enticing than when you are at a center like Avon Gardens outside Indianapolis, where more than 3,000 varieties of ornamental trees, shrubs and flowers fill the 5-acre property.

Owner Karen Robbins calls herself a “plant-a-holic.” Her garden center (15 miles west of Indianapolis) might be the region’s most beautiful laboratory—she uses the space to test every plant she sells and tasks her staff with sharing the lessons learned with browsing customers.

Pictured: An ornamental spruce and a weeping cherry accent a bridge spanning a pond. Blue oat grass and coral bells border the water feature.