A barren back yard is no place for a beautiful bride. With an outdoor wedding in mind, these homeowners enlisted the help of California Custom Decks to design their dream deck in time for their spring nuptials.

On a breezy summer evening, there is no better place to end the night than on your front porch gazing at the stars. Spruce up your porch with a swing, upholstered chairs and potted plants. Bringing a little style to your porch not only boosts curb appeal, but it also extends your living space to the outdoors.

one: Oakbrooke, IL, porch, by Bertrand Landscape Design.
two: Traditional porch, by Rockwood Custom Homes.
three: Brookmont bungalow front porch, by Richard Leggin Architects.
four: MapleLawn Farm.

For our June/July Outdoor issue, we asked local professionals if composite decking is a classic or a craze. Have wood-alternative decks replaced the traditional stained wood? Here's what they had to say.

Classic
“It is my opinion that composite decking is both less expensive and more maintenance free than wood. Therefore, I imagine clients would prefer this option and it would be a classic.” Tom Manche, Tom Manche Interiors.

When Connie and Lynn Suydam considered a move to the City of St. Louis, Connie had one requirement. “I had to have a place to put my fingers in the dirt,” she says firmly.

Sharon Buchanan gardens on two acres that she and her husband Larry are transforming from an out-of-control wilderness into a native Missouri showplace. Her efforts already are getting attention. Last December, Creve Coeur recognized the Buchanan garden as the best in the city.

That type of recognition should be no surprise when you learn a bit more about Sharon, who cannot remember a time when she did not love being outdoors. The love of the natural world led her to pursue a career in forestry at the University of Georgia, where her family lived at that time.

When she began designing her own garden, Betsy was well up to the task. Describing herself as someone who had previously “putzed around” with gardening when her children, now 22 and 24, were small, Betsy got serious 10 years ago. She took the Master Gardener course at the Missouri Botanical Garden, offered through the University of Missouri Extension Service. Following the completion of the course, she began working at Garden Heights Nursery in Richmond Heights, and immediately “hit it off” with a coworker, Caroline Hogg.