BOULDER RETAINING WALL, AFTER
Stone Staircase makes a dramatic entrance to the lake and woodland at this Mahtomedi home.
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BEFORE
Long boulder walls created a barrier to the back yard.
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BUILDING STONE STEPS
Careful attention to leveling steps and integration of boulders makes a permanent installation.
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MEDITATION GARDEN, AFTER
Entrance to the Meditation Garden with the lead Solstice Stone casting its shadow at dawn on the fall equinox. On the summer solstice the shadow is cast on the stone to the left, and at winter solstice, the one on the right.
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RECIRCULATING WATER FEATURE
Bubbling rocks add the dimension of sound, attracting wildlife, children and the young at heart.
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ROCK BENCHES
Unique split boulder seating encourages lingering to listen to the birds and the wind in the poplar trees. It has become a natural extension of Springbrook's mission to appreciate nature.
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BEFORE, BUCKTHORN REMOVAL
Meditation Garden site at Springbrook Nature Center was overgrown with buckthorn, sumac, and poison ivy.
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GARDEN SANCTUARY, AFTER
Oriental garden retreat: an artist's hideaway, completed after only 3 days.
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INVITING SIDE YARD, AFTER
A new intriguing side entrance to the back yard garden.
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FIRST DAY, BEFORE
View of a barren back yard from the upper deck of a home in the Lake Harriet area in South Minneapolis before work began.
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LANDSCAPE SCULPTURE TOOL
Beginning construction: our fearless Bobcat works fast to move soil and large rocks in tight places, and we refine the installation with hand work.
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RESIDENTIAL DESIGN, AFTER
An Edina home with new landscaping sweeping around the trees and sidewalk, extending the visual impact of the house.
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BEFORE
Overgrown shrubbery dates home in Edina.
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NATIVE MINNESOTA FOREST AFTER LANDSCAPING
A Woodland in Blaine is integrated with the back yard by grass paths that lead into carefully constructed woodchip trails that protect native ferns and wildflowers. Flowering trees, shrubs and groundcovers give rich variety with minimum maintenance.
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BEFORE
The woodland was closed off from the back yard by a fence, creating a barrier from Nature, and artificially shortening the property.
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FORMAL RESIDENTIAL LANDSCAPE, AFTER
The strong architecture of this Andover, MN home was balanced with yew and boxwood hedges accented with colorful shrubs to give color and form 12 months of the year.
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BEFORE
An unappealing street view of an Andover home.
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COMMERCIAL SITE NATURALIZED, AFTER
St. Paul's Monastery view from the new Monastery Building towards the old Monastery. A colonade of Linden trees lines the land bridge between the two new drainage ponds. A pair of large White Pines punctuates the bottom of the stairs. Hundreds of new native trees, shrubs, perennials and grasses line the pond. Weeping Willows and a Catalpa tree will conceal the far bank. This large Rain Garden will collect runoff, provide shade and food for wildlife as it reflects the reverence for all life that the Benedictine Sisters are known for. |
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BEFORE
The view from the new Monastery from the front door, before planting. Typical sterile stormwater ponds.
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NATURE CENTER, AFTER
Springbrook Nature Center after Gardens of Rice Creek did a complete makeover with native boulders. |
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PUBLIC BUILDING, AFTER
Fridley Library after relandscaping. Gardens of Rice Creek removed trees that hid the building and added others that brought out the features of the unusual building.
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DESIGN PROPOSAL
For sizeable projects, a watercolor perspective drawing helps our clients visualize the completed landscape
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DESIGN ACCOMPLISHED
Fridley Library Courtyard is visible from indoors like a large terrarium. Completed projects improve on the sketches.
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MINNESOTA LIMESTONE ROCK
Limestone boulders in a sea of crushed stone create a scenic island in a grass waterway that carries rainfall away from the house, correcting a serious drainage problem. |
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WILDLIFE FRIENDLY LANDSCAPE
Does your current landscape provide a good meal for deer and rabbits? You no longer have to fight with nature to have a beautiful yard. Gardens of Rice Creek can help you with animal-friendly plant solutions to fit your individual needs. Nature and you will be able to live in harmony with our simple, low-maintenance designs.
Offering birds native berries, water and nesting sites is a wonderful way to create heartwarming connections with nature. There is nothing sweeter than hearing the first birdsong of the day in your own back yard. |
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LANDSCAPE REJUVENATION, BEFORE
An abandoned swimming pool and decaying privacy fence dominated the view of the spacious back yard. After removal of the pool liner, concrete and fence, Gardens of Rice Creek filled the hole with clean sand and topsoil, regraded the site and returning it to a natural form.
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LONG-LASTING LANDSCAPE, AFTER
Twenty years later, our original landscape, marrying the rock- clad house to its surroundings with angular basalt boulders, and surrounding it with wildflowers and hosta, gains beauty in maturity. |
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GREEN ROOF
Green roofs like this one at Rice Creek Gardens create a sense of fun, but are practical as well, insulating the building and capturing runoff. Spring and summer brings a carpet of flowers, and even in frost and snow fascinating textures are revealed.
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BACK YARD POND AND WATERFALL
A Plant Collector's garden had gotten out of hand. Hundreds of precious wildflowers were overrun by weeds, and she almost felt like abandoning her beloved garden. Fortunately she called on us. We rescued every one of her garden treasures, redesigned the garden and replanted them in an orderly way. Now she comes home from her stressful job, sits on the deck with a glass of her own home-grown herbal tea and enjoys perfect contentment. |
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MINNESOTA LIMESTONE BOULDERS, AFTER
Massive cliffs frame a spectacular view that visually extends the garden into the distant valley. Steps, ramps, stream and a waterfall expose new delights at every turn. |
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GARDEN RECONSTRUCTION, BEFORE
Replacing crumbling flagstone with huge, Minnesota Dolomite boulders required the largest of equipment, but ensured a true-to-nature final result. |
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MINNEAPOLIS PEACE GARDEN, AFTER
The Peace (Rock) Garden at Lake Harriet is our largest public landscape creation. Designed, built and planted over a series of years by Gardens of Rice Creek, it is a favorite retreat for countless Minneapolis residents. |
PEACE GARDEN, BEFORE
Neglected for decades, the site of an old rock garden built in the 1920's was reimagined and reformed into outcroppings, hills and valleys that now comprise what many say is the premier rock garden in the state. The Peace Garden at Lake Harriet in Minneapolis is our most visited landscape project.
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WILDLIFE FRIENDLY LANDSCAPE
