INDIANAPOLIS -- It may not be marked on your calendar, but Friday is a special day. It's Arbor Day, which has been celebrated in Indiana since 1884.
It's a day most commonly celebrated by planting a tree, and you can get one for free on April 27th. If you have a third grader, they may come home with a new tree for the front yard. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources says, "The Indiana DNR tree seedling nurseries provide a tree seedling for each Indiana third grade student whose school and teachers wish to participate in the Arbor Day program."
You can also pick up a free Carolina Buckthorn tree on Monument Circle Friday. From 11 AM to 1 PM, Indianapolis Power & Light Company says it, "is celebrating Arbor Day by sponsoring the annual Indy Free Tree event to support ongoing sustainability efforts." There will be 1,000 trees up for grabs, with a limit of one per family.
So, now you have a tree, but not a green thumb? The Indiana DNR website has a step-by-step guide for planting a tree. According to the site, you should:
1) Keep seedlings in a bucket of water to keep roots moist while planting.
2) Dig hole deeper and wider than root system, insert seedling and fill loosely with soil.
3) Gently firm around seedling to eliminate air pockets around roots.
