A koi pond is the focal point in the urban backyard garden space. Lush trees and a variety of perennials and annuals fill the tranquil outdoor setting and grace the space with color and beauty throughout the summer months.
Gardens, Pools & Spas
A Space For All Seasons
A tropically inspired conservatory in the Central West End sets the stage for a serene, year-round green space.
BY
Lucyann Boston
PHOTOGRAPHY
Rob Grimm


Unique ornamentations, including an impressive fountain and candlelit lanterns, fill the greenhouse conservatory with personality and warmth.


Lenny relaxes in a favorite spot in the garden space against the natural and peaceful backdrop.


The mystique of the brilliantly designed conservatory offers a unique and intimate dining setting enwrapped in exotic plants that include palm and banana trees, and trailing succulents.

In real estate, a favorite saying that travels through the trade and bears repeating is – “location, location, location.” So, a little over a year ago, when real estate agent Jeff Warner toured a home in the heart of the bustling Central West End, he knew he’d found the residence he’d been seeking. But for Warner and George Hettich, the street address was only half the equation. The other 50 percent was the amazing tranquility the home exudes once you step through the front door and go toward the rear of the residence.

Owned for 54 years by photographer, animal lover and naturalist Martin Schweig and his wife Terrie Liberman, the house includes a conservatory/greenhouse, large screened porch and walled back garden centered with a fountain and koi pond. Situated above the greenhouse and garden, the porch, accessed by French doors at the rear of the dining room, provides a panoramic view into both the lush conservatory and the serene garden. It was the home’s indoor/outdoor ambience that sealed the deal for Warner and Hettich. “This is one of the few places in St. Louis where you can walk out your front door and be in the midst of everything,” says Warner, who is associated with Laura McCarthy Real Estate. “But in the greenhouse and backyard, you don’t hear any noise. It’s so well insulated.”

“The house is really an oasis within the Central West End,” echoes Hettich, vice president of U.S. Bank Community Development Corporation. “We have all the amenities of living in the city but we also have a retreat, green space and tranquility.” The wicker-filled screened porch, greenhouse and garden act as the hub of the house in warm-weather months. “We have cable television and speakers on the porch and we eat out there,” Warner explains. “It’s become almost a family room. We spend three seasons a year on the porch and in the garden. When people come over that’s where they want to congregate. No one wants to stay in the house.”

During their tenure in the home, the Schweigs also viewed the garden areas as an oasis and a retreat. For years the conservatory was the residence of parrots, Australian finches and occasional animals and birds that Schweig, who was president of the Animal Protective Association for 37 years, would rescue and temporarily care for. To protect the plants and animals, he equipped the conservatory with an automated ceiling to allow infusions of fresh air, and a separate furnace with an alarm to prevent the temperature from falling too low.

The parrots moved with the Schweigs to their new home, but the finches have remained in the care of Warner and Hettich, who have spent the past year putting their own stamp on the home’s green space while treasuring the Schweigs’ legacy. “Martin had a lot of cactus and succulents. We’ve moved a bit more into the tropicals,” says Hettich, who terraced part of the conservatory, re-graveled the planting areas and put in a fountain. With the help of a sale on Craig’s List, Warner and Hettich added palms, a banana tree, ficus, jasmine, orchids and gardenias to the mix. “We’ve also tried to add seasonal plants,” says Warner. “At Christmas we filled the greenhouse with poinsettias. In the early spring, first the aroma of jasmine and then gardenia filled the greenhouse and permeated the first floor even with the greenhouse doors closed. I’m in the greenhouse almost everyday doing something, but I really don’t keep track of how much time I spend working in there,” says Hettich. “It’s not so much labor as relaxation.”

Outdoors the Schweigs entrusted Warner and Hettich with a number of the koi in the pond at the center of the garden. They also left a treasure trove of mature plants including a star magnolia, lilacs, witch hazel, bottle brush buckeye, oakleaf hydrangea and dogwoods. “There is such an olfactory element to the garden from plants such as the witch hazel and lilac,” says Warner. “We want to continue that.”

To allow more sunlight into the space and “to bring the garden back to the proper stage in its maturity,” the new owners worked with Rick Horn and Just Lawns to remove or trim back larger trees and shrubs. They also plan to add more indigenous Missouri plants and flowers to the garden. “Martin had the vision,” Hettich points out. “It’s our pleasure, joy and honor to continue that vision.”