Welcome Mat: Check out Wiegand's newly expanded butterfly house

'Flowers are Forever' walk returns Tuesday 

It's time for the Trailwood Garden Club's 23rd annual "Flowers are Forever" Garden Walk. This year's walk, which runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, will include five gardens in the Plymouth-Canton area, including the development of a rain garden. There will also be a market with special garden treasures, art and plants, including butterfly host plants. And master gardeners will be on hand throughout the tour to answer questions. Tickets are $10 in advance (available online or at certain retail locations; go to www.trailwoodgardenclub.com) or $12 the day of the tour. The tour will be held rain or shine. 

Ray Wiegand's newly expanded butterfly house open through mid-September

If you're passionate about butterflies and live on Metro Detroit's east side, put the Ray Wiegand Nursery's newly expanded Butterfly House on your summer to-do list. The 30-by-55-foot structure has doubled in size and houses a variety of Michigan native butterflies. It also offers host plants -- which butterflies use to lay their eggs on -- and nectar plants. It's open every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday through mid-September. "It is free to come in the butterfly house and we will educate you on the native butterflies," said Erma Rhadigan of Ray Wiegand's, who actually visited the area in Mexico where monarch butterflies spend the winter. " We also give free guided tours to groups of 12 or more by appointment from 10-4." Wiegand’s is at 47747 Romeo Plank in Macomb Township. Call (586) 286-3655. 

New Houzz survey: Remodeling activity still strong in U.S.

When it comes to renovating our homes, kitchens are still the most popular space to renovate and homeowners are spending about $14,000 on average to improve the design and functionality, according to Houzz.com's 8th annual Houzz & Home survey. The survey, the results of which were released earlier this month, queried 140,000 respondents across the country. It found kitchen remodel spending jumped 10 percent in 2018 over the year before. Median spending on guest and master bathroom remodels, the second and third most popular rooms to renovate, also grew by 17% and 14 %, respectively. “Last year's 10 percent increase in tariffs on imported building materials is likely one of several forces hitting consumer pockets in areas such as kitchen and bathroom remodels that are heavily dependent on imports of cabinetry, countertops, ceramic tile, plumbing fixtures and vinyl flooring from China. We expect similar effects to take place in 2019 given the recent breakdown in trade negotiations,” said Nino Sitchinava, Houzz principal economist, in a press release. To see more findings, go to https://www.houzz.com/magazine/2019-us-houzz-and-home-study-renovation-trends-stsetivw-vs~121921536.

What's Michigan's top design style? Industrial

If Michigan had a go-to design style, what would it be? According to online furniture retailer Joybird, it's Industrial. Joybird used Google Trends to study the most searched design styles in every state across the country. In Michigan, the industrial style is the most-searched. And we're not alone. According to Joybird, Industrial was the most commonly searched style across the country (Industrial is the most popular in 12 states). What's popular elsewhere in the Midwest? Rustic is tops in Indiana. Industrial also is No. 1 in Ohio and Illinois. And in Pennsylvania, vintage is the most popular style. Joybird also assessed the second and third most popular style and No. 2 in Michigan is vintage, followed by Urban Modern. To see where other states measure up design-wise, go to  https://blog.joybird.com/most-popular-interior-design-style-by-state/.