Fluer de Rock

Not everyone has a perfectly square flat space in which to build a garden.  Working throughout Seattle, we often run across weird shapes, angry slopes, and poor drainage issues.  For this client, we had a weird space flanked by neighbors, a fairly steep slope, and drainage that we needed to prevent from ending up in our client's home, as well as the neighbors down below.  

We started by creating a tiered path with stairs that would run the length of the home.  To improve drainage we used crushed gravel for the path which will help water seep into the ground, rather than slaloming down the slope into the neighbors backyard.  

This house also qualified for two rebatable cisterns through the SPU Rainwise Program.  Those two cisterns will collect the roof runoff and help prevent additional drainage issues in the yard. Here are a few before pictures as we started on the project. 

The raised Faswall bed we installed is a great option for homeowners.  Attractive, non-toxic, and durable, these beds are made from 60% recycled content and are resistant to mold, rot and decay.  A perfect combination for our rainy northwest weather.  They are also said to last for centuries, but we have yet to test this theory.  ​

The homeowner, having seen our other flagstone patio work, decided she wanted a mosaic along the pathway.  We took this one step further by also designing her a flower mosaic for the stairs. While these pathways are time and labor intensive, the results tend to speak for themselves.