The Client
When these St. Paul homeowners moved into their over 100-year-old Summit Hill house, it had a traditional backyard with a pretty small patch of grass.
“During the first winter in our new home, we noticed a lot of ice build-up at the stairs at the back of the house and the walkway to the driveway,” said the homeowner.
That’s because the highest point of the yard was in the middle of that grassy section, and water was moving toward the house. Wanting to protect this historic home, these homeowners sought a sustainable way to divert water.
“We talked to three places: one that seemed to think it was a small project, which didn’t seem right to us. Another thought it was a massive architectural project.
Then, we talked to folks at Minnehaha Falls Landscaping, including Russ Henry, the President and Owner. The whole team listened to what we wanted and put together a cohesive plan that built upon existing parts of the yard, accomplishing what we needed to protect the house.”
The Plan
With a small patio, little landscaping, and foreseeable drainage issues, we set to work. The plan was to achieve water management goals through hardscape and rain gardens eco-mindedly while revitalizing the land. Here’s how we did it.
Project 1: Replace and Expand the Backyard Patio
One of the biggest things we did for these St. Paul homeowners was to build out their back patio. The two new patio sections replaced and expanded upon what was already there, so by the end of the project, they had a total of 560 square feet to relax, look at the wildlife, and enjoy their backyard!
Project 2: Install Rain Garden
The first thing we did was remove the existing sidewalks before turning our attention to the new rain garden. This garden was designed and built to absorb water from the sidewalk and garage roof runoff and prevent it from getting into the homeowners’ basement. We did this using specific plants, as well as new drain tile, downspouts, and trenches with a pop-up drain.
Before planting, we sketched out garden bed borders with the client on-site to make sure it was in their vision. Then, we installed Pennsylvania Sedge, Solomon’s Seal, and a Redbud Tree, adding a manure and wood mulch mix to the soil, ensuring it had the nutrients necessary to support the new growth.
With the client’s vision in mind, the rain garden basin was made with a bee lawn seed mix, which is made up of butterfly-attracting, native Minnesota plants:
- Joe Pye Weed
- Meadow Blazingstar
- Swamp Milkweed
- Red Lobelia
- Prairie Sage
- Bee Balm
- Golden Alexander
- New England Aster
- Canadian Anemone
- Canadian Columbine
- Filipendula
- Wild Blue Indigo
- Little Blue Stem
Projects 3 & 4: Add a New Walkway and Extend the Rain Garden
We replaced the existing walkway with a Chilton flagstone pathway across the yard to connect the gardens, adding native fescue grass in and around the path. For a cohesive look, we make sure these pathway pavers matched their new patio. Before we were done, we added polymeric sand to prevent weeds and insects from creeping in.
We extended the rain garden and added more drain tile along the west side to help with water flow and support surrounding wildlife.
Project 5 & 6: Add More Landscaping and the Garage
To complete this project, we got rid of the existing cotoneaster hedge and dead or struggling trees and shrubs as well as turf grass and vinyl and brick edging between the hedges. Then we added in:
- Golden Duke Hemlock – 5 Serviceberry Regent
- Glossy Black Chokeberry – 28 Wild Ginger
- Canadian Anemone
- Canadian Columbine
- Solomon’s Seal
- 5 Rushmore Arborvitae
- 3 Golden Duke Hemlock
- Virginia Bluebells
- Purple Coneflower
- Rudbeckia
- Karl Foerster Grass
- Pennsylvania Sedge
- Celandine Poppy
The Ongoing Impact and Connection to Wildlife
The Ongoing Impact and Connection to Wildlife “Along the way, Russ [Henry] has given us plenty of helpful advice, especially during the winter,” said the homeowners. “He told us the best method to shove our path so the melted snow went into the rain garden.”
Today, the homeowners have a dry basement—a huge win here in Minnesota. Plus, on their new, expansive patio, they’re enjoying all the wildlife their new yard has encouraged, including chipmunks, monarch butterflies, and even the occasional turkey!
Need Your Own Water Plan?
We’d love to look at your existing landscape and find eco-friendly ways to divert water without disrupting the natural habitats around you. Whether you’re looking for expert patio installation or to support local pollinators, talk to the team at Minnehaha Falls Landscaping. We’re excited to work with you!
