Frank, Anna, Nick, (Joe-not pictured), Brittani, Brant and Sandy enjoy the bocce court in the backyard garden.
Gardens, Pools & Spas
All in the Family
A city garden designed for bocce ball brings the family together.
BY
Lucyann Boston
PHOTOGRAPHY
Jim Diaz

“Be sure to share your plants with friends.”             – Sandy
A beautiful, cascading water feature is a focal point in the garden and lends a soothing and mesmerizing feeling to the outdoor space.
A combination of antique and whimsical ornamentations add a touch of personality to the outdoor seating space for casual dining. The couple’s favorite “destination” is the garden just outside their sunroom, where they enjoy cool end-of-summer evenings outdoors.

When you’re looking for Sandy and Frank Berra from the beginning of March until the end of October, you’ll find them in the garden. “We don’t take expensive vacations,” says Frank. “My favorite place to be is right here.”

And no wonder. The Berras’ backyard is a marvel of interconnected pathways, ponds, waterfalls, decks and gazebos that provide a continual backdrop for friends, family gatherings and even weddings. Longtime members of the St. Louis Bocce Club on The Hill, the couple created a backyard garden space with family in mind and tucked in a formal, lighted bocce court set off by brick pillars and wrought iron fencing.

When the Berras moved into their South Side home 13 years ago, their yard consisted of a curved patio and grass. Sandy, who had grown up on a farm in New Madrid, Mo. and loved plants, felt that it was a perfect canvas. “Both my grandmothers were gardeners,” she recalls. “One had a strawberry patch and grew vegetables; the other grew flowers, particularly zinnias. When I moved out of my parents’ home and into an apartment, I bought African violets. I started out with four and ended up with 125.”

The Berras’ garden has grown with the same enthusiasm as Sandy’s one-time collection of African violets. Contributions have come from nearby gardening neighbors Nunzio and Rita Curcuru. An incredibly vigorous carpet rose was once a Target castoff priced at $1.25. Her perennial hibiscus ‘Disco Bell’ offers up red and white blossoms the size of dinner plates. A vigorous collection of elephant ears near the house has multiplied and even managed to survive in the ground when Sandy has missed a bulb or two during her fall roundup of the tropicals that dot her garden. Those warm-weather beauties spend the winter in a sunroom built to hold the 80 to 85 plants that the Berras bring indoors when the weather turns cold.

Sandy’s enthusiasm has had its limits. In the beginning stages the garden was almost completely flower beds. “I told Frank I wasn’t going to plant any more flowers until I had a place to sit,” Sandy says, laughing. That conversation led to the addition of the gazebo, where they now spend every evening. And with so many special spots in the garden to rest, relax and enjoy its beauty – it is certainly a special place for the couple.
Growing up around gardeners, Sandy’s gardening knowledge is ever-growing. “Be sure to share your plants with friends,” she advises. This will surely extend your own “family” of fellow gardeners.