Rain gardens are an eye-catching hardscape feature that also serves a functional purpose. We strategically place rain gardens under downspouts and other areas where water accumulates after a storm to catch rainwater and allow it to slowly infiltrate your yard. This helps to hold water in your garden, rather than just running off into sewers.
The diagram to the left demonstrates how we design rain gardens. The photo below is an example of a rain garden. We select moisture-loving plants like the cardinal flower (in bloom) and ferns pictured below.
We integrate aesthetic design with native plant species to create landscapes that serve as both habitat and beautification. We create unique and interesting features like our rain gardens, pit and mound topography, pollinator gardens, and bog gardens. To see examples of our projects see the gallery below. Contact us for a consultation. We will visit your site and come up with a personalized design. There is a $150 fee for a design, but if you choose to go with us for your project, this fee will be taken off the cost of the project.
Pit and Mound
Pit and mound topography forms naturally in a forest. As large trees are blown over their roots pull up the soils with them leaving a large pit. As the roots break down the soil and organic matter settles into a mound. This creates a high, dry area loaded with organic matter and a low, moist, mineral-rich area. These micro-climates facilitate the growth of species with different nutrient and moisture requirements. We mimic this topography to create ideal conditions for different species and to add interest to a woodland landscape design.
Below are examples of windthrown trees in a forest. Notice the large pit at the base of the root mass.
Pollinator gardens provide bursts of colour in a landscape design and attract hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insects. If there are particular species you are interested in attracting, we will work with you to develop a plant list for you yard. We have done a number of pollinator gardens, including a whole yard dedicating to attracting moths!
Creating a bog garden allows you to grow water loving plants in areas that are not naturally wet. To create this type of garden we dig out an area, lay down a pond liner and back fill the topsoil. The pond liner will hold rain water in this area, maintaining moist conditions. This type of garden may need to be watered through the dry months of the summer.
The photo on the left shows a freshly planted bog garden. The photo below shows the same garden a couple of years later when the plants had matured -a very colourful display!