Our clients came to us in the fall of 2018 to help them install 2 raingardens and corresponding catch basin and trench drain on the nearby impervious driveway. Their house sits on Lake Emily in Shoreview, MN, a small 13- acre lake that feeds larger surrounding nearby lakes. Originally designed by the Ramsey County Conservation District, we visited the site to assess the conditions to determine if the install would be a good fit for our company.
Our site assessment revealed that the functional aspects of the design-–the water filtration elements to handle the large amount of run-off water from the driveway and house–-were sound but the overall design lacked aesthetic cohesion. The clients cared a lot about the architecture and details of the Prairie Style house and wanted the plantings to enhance the space instead of feeling ‘plopped down.’ In addition the surrounding yard was a little overgrown and had some aggressive and non-native perennials.
We proposed to further the design by revamping and extending an existing overgrown dry creek to assist with moving water from the driveway, adding a gravel meandering path with stone bridge to create a journey through the new plantings, a birch grove with seating boulders, and a new front walk and entry with small front patio to enjoy the yard. We also revegetated the “in-between” spaces with native shrubs and perennials to truly make it feel like a small lakeside woodland park.
