Resilient Retreat

About

This Open Day is presented in partnership with Oudolf Garden Detroit.

When previous owners stripped this urban lot to lawn, we saw an opportunity to create something self-maintaining using native plants while providing visual interest between modern landscaping and historical setting in the heart of the city.

From the back of the house, a New Orleans-style courtyard with fountain gives way to a climate-ready rain garden managing storm water runoff through a transitional gazebo. Inspired by Asia, the rain garden visually transports visitors halfway around the world, especially after rainstorms, where one can almost see koi swimming between the stone steps.

We believe gardens should feed us, not just delight visually. Many trees and bushes are fruit-bearing, and during warmer months, moveable raised beds occupy driveway space providing fresh produce for the household before winter storage. The result: a thriving, low- maintenance ecosystem journeying from formal courtyard elegance to naturalistic creek-side tranquility.

This garden's estimated size is 0.25 acre.

This Garden Host reports the following Terrain Notes about the garden: It may not be possible for people with limited mobility to walk on the stones in the rain garden, but the entirety of the garden is visible from even, steady ground.

2026 Open Day Date: Saturday, June 27

Open Day Hours: 10am–4pm