Abundant Design

08/28/2026

Turning a Water Problem Into a Landscape Feature

Water has to go somewhere. The goal here was to make where it goes part of the landscape.

On this project, we buried the downspouts and tied them into a dry stream designed to catch and direct runoff through the property. Instead of treating drainage as something to hide, we made it a visible part of the design and built the planting plan around it.

Our crew is bringing it all together with a mix of native and adapted trees, shrubs, grasses and perennials that will fill in over time and give the property more color, texture and habitat.

It’s a good example of the kind of work we love doing at Abundant Design: creative landscape design, native ecology and practical solutions working together.

Have a wet spot, drainage issue or challenging area on your property? Sometimes the problem is the best place to start.

08/21/2026

A meaningful space is beginning to take shape at the Hindu Temple & Cultural Center of Iowa.

Our team recently installed the first phase of landscaping around the new outdoor plaza using native and resilient plantings to soften the space, support pollinators, manage stormwater, and create a welcoming setting for festivals and community gatherings.

The plants are young now, but as they establish and fill in, this plaza will become an increasingly beautiful connection between Hindu cultural traditions and Iowa’s native landscape.

We’re grateful to help bring this special vision to life and look forward to watching it grow.

Creating sustainable, beautiful landscapes with purpose.

08/12/2026

A fun garden enhancement project that turned an existing orchard into a more productive, protected and usable space.

We expanded the orchard with additional fruit trees and built out food guilds around them — combining fruit with berries, herbs, perennial edibles and pollinator-friendly plants that work together to support soil health, beneficial insects and the overall resilience of the garden.

We also enclosed the garden with deer fencing and designed wide access points and clean travel lanes so it’s easy to get in and out, move equipment through the space, and mow around it.

A garden designed to produce food, work with nature, and still be easy to live with.

08/06/2026

There's something satisfying about watching a landscape do exactly what it was designed to do.

This project started with a drainage problem—water collecting around the foundation after heavy rains. Rather than simply moving the water somewhere else, we reshaped the grade, built a dry stream, and created a native rain garden that slows, filters, and infiltrates stormwater before it can become a problem. That was the core intent behind the design concept.

In this video, Noah walks through the project and explains why each feature is there while the system is actively working during a rain event.

Creating sustainable, beautiful landscapes with purpose.

08/06/2026

Good landscaping should be beautiful. Great landscaping should solve problems.

This backyard had water moving toward the foundation and collecting around the home. Instead of hiding the issue, we reshaped the grade, built a dry stream and native rain garden, and let the landscape do what it's designed to do—slow, capture, and infiltrate stormwater. The original concept focused on redirecting runoff, integrating a rain garden, and using native plants to improve infiltration while maintaining a clean, intentional aesthetic.

The best part? After a recent rain, it's doing exactly what it was designed to do.

Beautiful landscapes with purpose.

07/24/2026

Smile! 😊

Sometimes things may not seem to be going as well as they could, but then you look a little closer and the Earth is smiling at you!
🌎😀🌱🌻
Happy Monday!

07/17/2026

One year makes a big difference. 🌿

One of our favorite parts of this work is coming back to see how a landscape grows into itself.

When this project was installed, the plants looked small and spaced apart. Fast forward one growing season, and they're beginning to fill in, soften the space, support pollinators, and create the layered look we designed .

Good landscapes are designed for year one, year five, and beyond.

It's always rewarding to revisit our client projects and see them becoming more beautiful, more resilient, and more alive with each season.

Thanks to our clients for trusting the process. We can't wait to see what this landscape looks like next year.

Swipe to see the transformation →

07/10/2026

This is one of our favorite times of the year.

Native Iowa plants are hitting their stride, with layers of color, texture, and blooms all coming together at once. These landscapes were designed to evolve through the seasons, and July is when many of them really start showing off.

We’re grateful to help clients plan, design, install, and steward spaces like this that are beautiful, resilient, and full of life for people and pollinators alike.

If you’ve been wondering what a native landscape looks like in midsummer, this is it.
— The team at Abundant Design

07/06/2026

🌿 Tomorrow's the day!

If you've ever been curious about food forests, native landscapes, rain gardens, or how ecological design can work in real-world settings, we'd love to have you join us.

Tomorrow morning, we're partnering with Drake University for the inaugural **Drake University Ecology Field Day**, where we'll explore the Sprout Garden and Food Forest as a living case study. We'll share what's working, what we've learned, and have open conversations about creating more resilient, beautiful landscapes.

Whether you're a homeowner, developer, landscape professional, city staff member, student, or simply passionate about conservation, this event is for you.

📅 **Tomorrow – Tuesday, July 7**
🕣 **8:30–11:30 AM**
📍 **Drake University Sprout Garden & Food Forest**
🎟️ **Free to attend** (registration requested)

👉 Reserve your spot here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/drake-university-ecology-field-day-sprout-garden-food-forest-case-study-tickets-1992509508577

Feel free to tag a friend or colleague who'd enjoy spending the morning talking landscapes, ecology, and community. We hope to see you there!