Digging Into the Pandemic Gardening Boom

During the pandemic, New interests and old hobbies helped distract from lockdown boredom and the news cycle. We tried, we learned, we bragged, we quit, we tried something else.

Many popular quarantine ventures had a distinctly analog flavor. (Remember baking sourdough bread and cross-stitching curse words?) But when it came to using our hands to get a handle on our thoughts and emotions, the people’s choice was plants.

Home gardens sprouted up everywhere during quarantine, and they’re still having their moment in the sun. A quick scroll through social media reveals thousands of houseplant influencers sharing tips on misting, propagating and repotting. Pictures of plants on the coffee table replaced selfies with friends at the coffee shop.

With a world-class arboretum, thriving horticulture program, broad extension outreach and countless learning resources, NC State covers a lot of gardening ground. If you’re ready to start your first garden or take better care of the one you have, look no further.

Our experts in horticulture and hobby gardening are here to help you and your chlorophyll crew flourish well past lockdown.

Indoors and Out, Home Gardens Flourish

What’s with the fronded fascination? Gardening took root during the pandemic for a lot of reasons.

With more time at home, people looked to their yards as extensions of their houses and safer places to gather. Plants are beautiful; lots of them smell and taste fantastic. In times of stress and uncertainty, tending the growth of something can feel productive.

And gardening

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A bird’s-eye view of Ann Arbor’s north side housing boom

ANN ARBOR, MI — Just across the Huron River from downtown Ann Arbor and a short ride up Pontiac Trail, a big transformation of the landscape is underway.

Hundreds upon hundreds of new homes and apartments have been steadily rising on the city’s north side over the last five years, in some cases replacing old farm fields and vacant lands, and the north side housing boom is still going strong.

Over 1,200 new residences are included in projects in various stages of construction or completion on the north side, and several hundred more are in the pipeline.

Along the west side of Pontiac Trail, south of Dhu Varren Road, the new North Sky subdivision by Pulte Homes is still taking shape. Plans were approved five years ago for 139 single-family homes, plus a 56-unit condo or apartment building.

Many new homes now line new streets around a new playground, and more homes in North Sky are now under construction next to ones completed and occupied.

Directly to the south, Trinitas Ventures is making fast progress on a new 682-bed apartment complex called The One, which is designed to cater to University of Michigan students and expected to welcome its first tenants in late August.

Across the street on the east side of Pontiac Trail, another large site has been cleared to make way for a 69-unit townhouse project called Bristol Ridge. The development by Norfolk Homes includes 11 three-story buildings on seven acres.

The site has been prepped

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