I've had this vision of building a dry creek bed, off my lower patio, for a few years now. There is a natural drainage area, flowing away from the basement. So it made sense to work with that instead of against it.

The project has had several stages, in the last fours years. It all started with a load of outcropping rock, from Northern MN. We still remember the day the driver, thick accent in tow, showed up at the end of our driveway. It was 7AM. The call to let me know he was 'on his way' turned into, "I'm here. Where do you want it dumped?" LOL

Twenty-three tons later, we were building walls in the backyard to hold back the dirt that had escaped over the years, down to our walk-out basement. My handy husband, Troy, made a thumb-attachment for the skid loader so we could pick up these dense boulders and put the puzzle, that would become several walls, together. We didn't always get along during those days of building--and we may never do it again--but it all turned out nicely in the end!

Last year, we added the stamped concrete patio, piggy-backed from finishing the apron for the driveway up above. So glad many of our family members, with lots of muscle, showed up to help us make it all beautiful!

This year, we braved the horrible mosquitoes and started prepping the area by killing weeds and adding dirt. We had a few pieces of rock, leftover, from the wall projects. They fit nicely in the creek bed as heavy-duty steppers for little feet to wander through, when all is done.

This week, we added mulch, plants, and bullet edgers. Last step will be river rock to fill in the bed, and an arbor to walk under, for interest. I'm excited to see it all done, soon! Next year, it will be fun to watch these perennial transplants(most of them) fill in and find their space in this new garden.

Thanks for stopping by!