I’D LOVE TO HAVE THE YARD of Cindy and Dick Lawson.
Bee balm jolts color into the front yard.
Sunny spaces bloom bright with flowers.
Shade loving plants thrive under a tree next to a stream/waterfall.
Lush greenery fills shady spots.
A garden grows thick with vegetables.
A stream/waterfall/pond is a backyard focal point.
But, best of all, two water features—one in the front yard, the other in the back—soothe visually and mentally. Water has a way of doing that.
Situated on a busy street corner in southwest Faribault, this property seems miles away from the traffic that passes en route to and from Jefferson Elementary School and to other destinations along arterial Prairie Avenue. The Lawsons, with the help of family, have created this private oasis in the city using fencing, trees, plants and water. It’s a beautiful retreat with minimal lawn.
Annuals and water spill from rock columns in the sunny front yard.
Fortunately for the Lawsons, their son-in-law, Jake Langeslag, owns Aqua Eden, a Faribault-based waterscape company. Thus the backyard stream and pond and the front yard rock water columns.
Not until I met Cindy and Dick during the recent Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour Garden and Landscape Tour benefiting Full Belly, a Faribault soup kitchen, did I know of the relationship to Jake and his wife, Amanda. The younger couple and their children attend my church. It was a delight to meet Amanda’s parents in their lovely backyard.
I especially appreciate the Scripture printed above the garden gate entry: “And God said, Let the earth put forth tender vegetation…” The bible verse seems fitting for this corner of paradise, this Garden of Eden.
FYI: This concludes my series from The Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour Garden and Landscape Tour.
© Copyright 2016 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
So soothing. Especially under that grand tree trunk.
The rock columns are unusual & lovely.
Do you know what sort of stone they are?
I’ve really enjoyed the garden series.
Thank you for sharing this part of the/your world.
Water soothes, in my opinion, probably the reason I so love the rock columns and pond. Jake’s Aqua Eden website says Basalt Rock Column Fountains.
Beautiful Captures – love all the details and personal touches 🙂 Happy Weekend – Enjoy!
Thank you. It’s a beautiful yard, especially with the water features.
I can’t say enough about streams, waterfalls and ponds – they are wonderful. They are also a lot of work 🙂
I want one. But it’s the maintenance and cost that keep me from having one. We have the perfect landscape, too, with a steep wooded hillside in our backyard from whence a waterfall could seemingly naturally flow.
Perfect oasis away from the busyness of life. I love the rock columns and like everyone else the water features pull me in. Thanks for the tour.
Water definitely adds to a yard/garden. The sound of rushing/falling water is so comforting.
That is a fantastic yard!
Remember to look at those pictures come January when everything is white, relish them, and remember that summer is coming again, day by day………….
Oh, Don, did you have to mention the “W” word?
Ya,…. I know, but think of the bright side (I am ever the optimist) you won’t see the W word stuff for a while but here next month is not out of the question! By Halloween for sure. I remember many years when it was 35 below and I had to take the kids trick-or-treating in the car so they could warm up when necessary.
On the bright side autumn (my favorite time of the year) is coming! Fall colors, the smells of harvest, darkness, etc. I will be happy!
OK, then, I am thankful I live in Minnesota. I agree with your assessment of fall. It is my favorite season.
What a lovely spot. That type of landscape can only be wrought by loving and nurturing hands. Thank you, Audrey, for sharing this sweet spot with us.
You are welcome. It was clear to me these gardeners love their oasis.
Pretty! The rock columns are a neat idea.
I’d never seen anything like these rock columns and agree they are a neat idea.
What a beautiful little corner of the world.
Quite appropriate since this property is located on a corner lot.