Riverfront Property, Literally: Garden Paradise for Snohomish Couple

The Donovan waterfall. The neighbors say they fall asleep to the sound of the stream.

The rocks lining the stream are basalt that was originally dug up when the Donovans were first building the water feature.

An original project photo from 2015. Before the District, the water feature was bare of plants or ornaments.

The bridge at the end of the stream. Paul built it himself.

Sue’s favorite part of her garden is this driftwood piece from a friend.

One of the ornaments alongside the stream. The Donovans said it’s to bring peace and tranquility to their garden, and they decorate it seasonally.

Paul and Sue Donovan listen as Snohomish Conservation District employee identifies several of their native plants and lists the best ways to care for them.

Sue and Paul Donovan pose beside one of the trees beside their stream.

The water feature in the late summer. Sue loves to plant sunflowers along the stream.

Paul and Sue Donovan contacted the Snohomish Conservation District in 2015 with a project. Right on the face of their newly-owned Snohomish property, they had built a water feature: a small stream. But aside from the soothing sound of bubbling water, it was bare.

Paul Donovan speaks with Conservation District Employee Kathryn Wells.

“We had never done anything like this before,” Paul said. 

The couple got in touch with Ryan Leigh, a landscape architect and District employee at the time. Leigh provided ideas for native plants and devised a plan that would help them start developing their landscape.

“He was like a canvas,” Paul said. “He really made Sue feel like she could do it.”

Now, their front yard is every gardener’s dream. What used to be a rock and garbage-filled ditch is now a scaled-down riverscape of native flowers, trees and shrubs, complete with several wood ornaments and a bridge that Paul built. The neighbors say they fall asleep to the sound of the stream.

“What I liked is, I just followed [Ryan’s] guidelines,” Sue said. “It wasn’t even work.”

The Donovans have a beautiful cascara tree on their property. These native trees, available at our Annual Plant Sale, can tolerate some shade and remain smaller (up to 40 feet) so are often suitable for smaller lots.

Interesting bits:

Cascara bark contains a laxative and has been used for generations for that purpose.

Cascara are excellent wildlife trees, whose leaves seem to attract moths and butterflies for their caterpillars, and these caterpillars feed numerous birds including Black-capped Chickadees and Bushtits. Our native Band-tailed Pigeons love the fruits!

The wildlife couldn’t be happier. Frogs, birds and deer flock to the area, and pollinators follow thanks to the advice from their Master Gardener/beekeeper neighbor. Plus, the Donovan’s four dogs love to watch them work from their view in the backyard!

Paul’s favorite part of this beautiful feature of their landscape is to see his wife “futzing around down here. It’s therapy for her. She gets to lose herself in this place. For me, I’m very proud of the bridge,” he added with a laugh.

The Donovans are looking to start another project in the next year or so, drawing inspiration from this endeavor. 

Sue’s advice for those who are looking to start a large-scale project is to realize “you don’t have to do it all the first season. It’s an evolving project.”

“And realize you can do it,” Paul added. “It’s been a great support network with the Snohomish Conservation District.”

If you have a project on your property that you need help with, please contact outreach@snohomishcd.org. 

If you’re interested in adding native plants to your garden but you’re not sure where to begin, visit Great Plant Picks here. If you’re dreaming of redesigning your landscape, King County has several great sample plans here.