External Links, Resources, and Design Inspiration

Instant Shade is dedicated to providing you with the best service, plant, and hardscape materials that we can. In keeping with that, we have compiled a short list of resources to both assist and inspire you when designing your own landscape.

Information on Topiaries

Which Plants Make the Best Topiaries?
An informative article by topiarytree.net. Thank you Erin and Lia for suggesting it !
 

Landscape and Plant Suppliers

Hammond Farms Landscape Supply Inc.
Hammond Farms is a landscape supply company with three locations around the Lansing area.
 
Cottage Gardens Inc.
Cottage Gardens is a full-service wholesale grower of high quality plant material located on the south side of Lansing, near Diamondale.
 
VanNeste-Wilson Landscape Nursery on Facebook
VanNeste-Wilson Landscape Nursery is another one of our long-standing suppliers of great quality plant material. Their business is located west of Grand Ledge near Lake Odessa.
 

Hardscape Products and Manufacturers

Consumers Concrete Corporation
Consumers Concrete is an affordable choice when choosing a hardscape material for your project. They offer a good variety for both patio and wall block. Be sure to check out the items listed under their Landscapes tab for product specifications and design ideas.
 
Rosetta Hardscapes
The Rosetta Hardscape line of products (wall blocks, steps, and pavers) are a phenomenal cast concrete product that is both easy to install and great to look at.
 
Allan Block
Allan Block is an excellent product for building retaining and ornamental walls. They have a good selection with their different lines of block, and many great project ideas on their site.
 
Unilock
Unilock is another brand of hardscape material that we frequently use in our jobs. Click on their Project Ideas link and imagine some of what they show in your yard! What's great is that their products work well on either a large or a smaller scale.
 
Belgard Hardscapes
Belgard Hardscapes make quality products that are great for both residential or commercial projects. They have an Inspiration page on their site that is truly a feast for the eyes.
 

Some of our Past Customers / Projects

MSUFCU
Michigan State University Federal Credit Union has been expanding by leaps and bounds in the past few years and Instant Shade has had the opportunity to landscape some of their new buildings. Those include the MSUFCU on Marsh Road in Bath township and their new building, opened in 2014, in Mason MI. If you are interested in keeping up-to-date on some of their future projects, you can check out MSUFCU on Facebook.
 
Agro-Culture Liquid Fertilizers World Headquarters
In 2013 "Liquid-Ag" built themselves a new high-tech world headquarters in St.Johns MI. Instant Shade had the pleasure of installing not only the landscape outside, but also inside the building. To get an idea of who they are, the Michigan Farm Bureau interviewed Troy Bancroft, President and CEO, during construction and posted it to YouTube. Then, upon completion, the St.Johns Independent newspaper wrote an article covering their open house, complete with photos and videos.
 
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
In 2008 ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition came and filmed an episode in Holt MI. Deward Christmas, along with many Instant Shade employees, volunteered their time and knowledge to help out. At the beginning we worked with the MSU staff and students who were in charge of designing the landscape. Then, later, we added our muscle to the dozens of other volunteers to achieve an amazing 24 hour install. Check out our project gallery page for a quick behind-the-scenes video of the landscaping aspect of the project.