Jim and Sue Wheeler’s home southeast of Pleasant Hill can tell the couple appreciates landscaping and colorful plantings, including ornamental grasses, bright impatiens, a welcoming patio, a water bubbler fountain, and a variety of trees. And if they listen carefully, they can hear the sounds of splashing water.

But those things give only a hint of what’s in the spectacular backyard. There are the dynamic double waterfall, the multilevel areas of the new spaces, huge boulder walls—all 90 tons of them—and a cozy fire pit conducive to family conversations.

The couple and their two daughters moved to the peaceful area with large lots about five years ago and began to take stock of landscaping possibilities shortly after. The back of the two-story home had a simple deck and an above-ground pool for several years.

“I see lots of water features in my work, so I just started deciding what would look good in our yard,” Jim says. “I didn’t like the deck that was already on the house, so I knew we would change that. The whole project just kept evolving once we got started.”

“Then,” says Shane Miller of Iowa Outdoor Products, “Jim and Sue decided they wanted to add more light to the basement level of the home, so they excavated to make it a walkout with long windows and a door in one area. We figured out the drop of the land and decided it would work. Needless to say, one thing led to another.” Indeed.

Total new look
Now, instead of a deck, there’s a wide, rounded stairway that comes down from the house onto multilevel patios and the view of a long flowing and dramatic double waterfall. Miller took into consideration the views from the kitchen, the dining area, and the family room.

Jim owns RainPro, an irrigation system, which he installs in commercial and residential settings. He wanted to create a hidden oasis-style atmosphere for his yard but also wanted his neighbors to enjoy the scenery of it. “At first we just wanted upper and lower patios and a small pond. But it took off from there.”

“It has been quite a project,” says Sue, “but it is so great to see it now. One unexpected result is that the four of us in our family love to go sit by the fire pit and talk each night. I have so enjoyed that. Plus the neighbors love it. They can hear the sounds of the waterfalls. Jim told them this project was for them, too.”

Miller explains that paths down both sides of the house, particularly a deep slope on the south side, were important to tie the whole project together. “On the side with the longer slope, we watched where the rain naturally ran. There we created a dry creek bed, which handles the runoff and helps with natural erosion. Also Jim wanted boulder retaining walls. With the deep slopes, he got them, to be sure.” Miller brought in load after load and ton after ton of Michigan granite boulders to create the desired look.

Interesting plantings
Existing locust trees were kept in place, Miller says, and he also added two maples and a distinctive Japanese maple as the centerpiece of the upper patio area. For interest around the yard, he used fountain grass, miscanthus, ‘Autumn Jazz’ viburnum, ‘Chocolate Ruffles’ coral bells, spirea, Knock Out roses, and coreopsis for color and texture.

Stone slab steps lead from one level to another, and tall, squared-off slabs are placed strategically to add extra seating. For quick growth to establish privacy, Jim planted a number of white pines around the exterior of the property. A black iron fence keeps out critter visitors. The fire pit, a circular campfire-style one, is a drawing card and is enhanced by Adirondack chairs and ottomans. Poured-concrete walls give a base for boulders around the waterfalls, Miller explains, and the patio floor is fashioned with Belgard Mega-Arbel pavers for a natural-looking flagstone surface. Miller says the product, which has an interlocking system, is easy to install and requires little cutting. He used a product called Alliance Gator Dust as a polymer bond. It starts bonding when a fine mist of water is sprayed over it. 

The lower waterfall pool is 4½ feet deep so that fish can overwinter. Two pumps recirculate 10,000 gallons of water each per hour. For a less forceful sound, one pump can be turned off. The project took three months off and on, depending on the number of crew members helping.

And then there’s the gnome. The Wheelers inherited a concrete gnome. Jim disliked it, but Sue kept it around to tease him. It got broken, disappeared, and returned. Miller says, “We cleaned it up and put it in the middle of the larger waterfall, and there it remains. Now it seems as though it just should be there, watching over and guarding everything.”

Jim figures he’s not done yet. With 1¼ acres, there’s lots more landscaping to complete.

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Iowa Outdoor Products