The Island

This project is Phase 2 of a larger backyard garden installation. This part of the installation focused on developing an existing french drain. The goals were 1. Rainwater diversion and 2. Aesthetics.

This backyard has large slabs of bedrock throughout, which is causing drainage issues on the property. In Phase 1, we installed 2 large rain gardens which collect water naturally from this backyard. In Phase 2, we further developed the expanded french drain which helps divert more rainwater. By filling the french drain with decorative stone, we are helping to slow down the water before it empties into a large rain garden. By planting around the french drain, water loving plants can soak up water to futher reduce the amount of runoff reaching the rain garden.

The decorative river rock and cobblers turns the praticality of the french drain into a neat feature.

A few days after installation, we received a large rainfall. The homeowner was happy to update that the rain gardens had much less sediment deposit into the rain garden. This proves that our work was already reducing the amount of erosion and nutrient pollution!