Deb Sachs and Tammy Anderson live in a 90s, two-story home in Greenwood with their adorable, 1 ½ year-old rescue pup, Roscoe. Both retired educators, they love spending time outside and tinkering in the garden. Together for 32 years, they’ve been married since 2014.
Deb and Tammy bought their house in 2001. While the house is adorable from the front, it was the backyard that sold them. It’s filled with mature trees, fenced-in, and super private. However, after living there through one spring, they realized their dream backyard came with an unexpected challenge—major drainage issues due to the slope of the yard.
“Sometimes, after a rain, it was like a swamp back there,” said Deb.
The search began for a landscaping company that could help them with the drainage issues that prevented them from enjoying their yard.
“The first company that came out didn’t even listen to us when we tried to tell him what our issues were,” said Tammy. “The second company just sent us an estimate with no explanations, no drawings, no ideas. Just a dollar amount. And then they didn’t even follow up. We didn’t feel like our project mattered to either of them,” Deb added.
They finally went to the Flower and Patio Show on a mission to find a landscaping company that would listen to their issues, help them find creative solutions and visualize the backyard oasis they knew was possible. There, they were inspired by the Heath Outdoor sanctuary garden installation, and they met Cory Gliege.
“We hit it off with Cory right away,” said Deb. “He was funny, charming and a great listener. And he was excited to come over and problem-solve with us.”
Their landscaping vision: One of their goals was to keep the natural look of the yard. “We already had a water feature, but we couldn’t enjoy it because of our drainage issues. And we weren’t looking for a highly manicured space,” said Tammy. “It feels like a private park back here, and that’s how we wanted it to stay. But we also wanted a variety of plants and we didn’t know what else would grow back here. Our yard is very shady, but we were getting tired of hostas!”
“Cory came out here several times,” Deb added. “He would just sit back there, contemplating the space and sketching. He put so much thought into our project. It was really personal. He created a design that incorporated all of the components we knew we wanted, plus some amazing things we never would have come up with on our own.”
Planting planning came at the end of the project.
“I believe that you have to clear a space, do the groundwork and lay the stones first, so that the space can reveal itself,” said Cory. “So, we didn’t talk about any particular plants or design until the upfront work was done. Once you have a blank canvas, the space can show you what it needs. It was completely different after the crew did the first round of work. Then we looked at it together and visualized what would make them happy.”
The team created low-raised retention walls along the outside edge of the existing planting beds using a combination of the Sandstone Boulders & ‘snapped Oklahoma’ natural stone wall block, which they also stacked to create a 12-14” seat’ wall. They then installed large Sandstone rectangular treads to transition from the yard up into the raised bed and the existing water feature.
Because the space between the raised bed and their existing flagstone patio sloped slightly towards the house & patio, they added more ‘snapped Oklahoma’ along the entire outside edge of the existing patio, which resulted in a 4” retentive edge and step-up from the patio into the yard. They then added more soil, re-graded and reseeded. As a result, there was more soil for absorption and it also leveled out the backyard to minimize the sloping & pooling of water that had previously occurred where the yard met the patio.
What Deb and Tammy have to say: “The workers were phenomenal,” said Deb. “Antonio, our project manager, was on it! They were so careful to lay down protective materials over the grass to avoid damage. They were so polite and respectful. They were sweet to Roscoe. And, they even used a leaf blower to dust off our cars when they left for the day. Even our neighbors commented on how careful and considerate they were. Those little things–that extra effort, really makes a difference.”
“And Cory was amazing!” Tammy added. “He treated us like we were family and truly had our best interests in mind. He listened to us and made it his mission to bring our dream to life.”
“We were amazed at how quickly and efficiently this all came together,” said Deb. “Start to finish, the project took about two days. And it would have been even faster, but we had a little bit of rain!”
“Now, we have neighbors we’ve never met ringing our doorbell and asking if they can take a look at our yard, because they heard it was cool,” Tammy added. “It’s a great way to meet people! Also, Roscoe absolutely loves it back here. This is his domain.”
Because Deb is a biologist, she was particularly interested in native plants. Cory recommended a mix of native and non-native plants that he knew would be able to thrive in their shady yard, including: oakleaf hydrangeas, pagoda dogwood, lungwort and astilbe. He also used a high-shade-tolerant grass seed to ensure their new lawn would be successful.
“Honestly, we feel like we don’t need to go on vacation anymore,” Deb said. “We have everything we need back here. We love to entertain and we really enjoy having a yard full of friends. We sit out here in the mornings and drink our coffee. We sit out here in the afternoon and drink wine. Roscoe loves to explore and play back here. It’s everything we wanted.”
As Deb and Tammy spend more and more time in their new backyard oasis, more ideas percolate. They’re continuing to consult with Cory on ideas for ways to expand the biodiversity of their plantings and they’re also now consulting with Spotts Garden Service about ways to incorporate more native plants, as well as ongoing garden maintenance.
Heath Outdoor, a premier, local, family-owned landscaping company established in 2009, proudly serves the vibrant communities of Indianapolis and its surrounding areas. Strategically located in the heart of Indianapolis, we extend our expert landscaping and hardscaping services to both commercial and residential customers in Carmel, Westfield, Fishers, Geist, Noblesville, Zionsville, Avon, Plainfield, Brownsburg, McCordsville, Greenwood and beyond.
Custom gardens and landscapes, paver patios and walkways, water features and recreation ponds, custom outdoor fire pits and fireplaces, outdoor kitchens, pool and spa vaults, tiny houses, storage sheds, pergolas and decks, retaining walls, fencing and playgrounds.
Mowing, mulching, planting and watering service, irrigation and drainage system installation and repairs, seasonal property clean-ups, and snow and ice management. In 2024, Heath Outdoor added eco-focused private gardening and garden coaching to our property maintenance services through a partnership with Spotts Garden Service.
Planning a wedding or other celebratory event and looking to create an extraordinary backdrop? Let the event design team at Heath Outdoor transform your space with rental plants, lighting and custom structures. We’ll work with your event designer to bring the vision for your event to life and create an experience your guests will never forget.
We’re not just in the business of landscaping—we’re in the business of finding solutions and bringing dreams to life. Whether it’s crafting breathtaking commercial outdoor spaces or creating custom outdoor living areas from scratch, we’ve got the passion, expertise, creativity and team to make it happen.
At Heath Outdoor, we’re also committed to giving back to the community, through our Juneteenth service project, annual participation in the Indy Pride parade, Butter Art Fair and Feast of Lanterns sponsorship and neighborhood beautification efforts.
Heath Outdoor is a Hurst Brothers company. Other brands in the Hurst Brothers family of companies include: Indy Insulation and Spray Company and Spotts Garden Service.
#bestlandscaperindianapolis #bestlandscaperhendrickscounty #westindy #bestlandscaperboonecounty #plantscapesindianapolis #outdoorliving #customoutdoorspaces #lovelocal #supportlocal #loveindy
