If gardens could be likened to gemstones, the landscape of Laura and Josh, featured on a recent Frontenac Garden Club tour, would classify as a sparkling emerald. From hydrangeas to hostas to pyramidal arborvitae to groundcover astilbe, it glows with more shades and hues of green that could be dreamed up on an artist’s paint palette. The occasional flashes of pink and lavender from hydrangeas, impatiens and spikes of astilbe act as glowing facets reflected off the green of the plants.
When they bought their home nine years ago, the couple did it with one thing in mind. Location. It was perfect for their growing family; an easy drive to their three children’s schools and Josh’s work in Chesterfield.
They loved the neighborhood. The just-over-an-acre, tree-filled lot offered privacy in all directions, yet they were in the middle of everything that involved the family. They saw in the walkout lower level, a great place for kids to hang out and the three upstairs bedrooms all had a bath attached.
Those were the pluses. On the minus side, the house had been for sale for almost four years. The cedar deck was falling off the back. The back yard was bare but for the trees. In addition, the house sat slightly below street level and the lot sloped from front to back, creating puddling and drainage issues. What’s more, there was literally no way to walk from the front of the house to the back yard.
After looking at homes for almost a year, those were issues the couple felt confident they could work around. They quickly brought in Gardens of Grace and Rita Diekemper to address the landscaping problems. They had worked with Rita at two previous homes and trusted the Gardens of Grace team to make things right. “Lots of learning goes on with any new property,” explains Rita. “Sometimes it’s a good idea for people to settle in a bit and see how they use the space.”
As a family that loves the outdoors, Rita knew adding a series of steps from the front to the back yard that would allow everyone easy access to their entire property was a high priority.
In heavy rains they also watched the flow of water from the street and driveway that at times flooded parts of the yard. To address that issue, they reworked the driveway and created gravel-based dry stream beds throughout the front landscape designed not only to be attractive but channel the flow of water through the garden, away from the house and prevent water from pooling at the base of trees.
While there might be a temptation to do an entire landscape at once and have an instant transformation, Rita cautions that this can be a recipe for disaster. You need to landscape slowly, particularly when you are landscaping around existing trees, digging in the soil and disturbing tree roots. You need to give the roots time to rest and regrow before adding additional plants. A garden doesn’t have to be immediate. You can build a better landscape knowing the plants will survive and thrive.
Containers have been and continue to be a mainstay in the landscape and were an easy way to add garden interest from the beginning. But instead of using the annuals and tropical plants that often wind up in pots, Laura and Rita concentrated on small trees, shrubs and perennials that could eventually be added to the landscape when they outgrew the containers. Hydrangeas, Japanese maples, evergreens, grasses and perennials all showed up initially in pots later to be transferred around the property.
“I love green and lavender and pinks; hostas and hydrangeas,” says Laura, “but in the winter those things disappear, so we went back and added some evergreens. I also like easy maintenance. I don’t want to have to do a lot of deadheading or worry with anything that looks too trimmed out. I want a more natural look that is clean but not too formal.”
Wide stone steps tucked into the recent landscaping on the right side of the house now descend to the back yard and lead to a flagstone path connecting to a circular patio centered with a stone firepit. A similar flagstone path links the patio with the lower level of the home, providing easy access for family activities.
The new deck off the main level of the house, accented with a nearby dramatic, variegated ‘Wolf Eyes’ dogwood, provides an overview of the firepit and patio.
Of the fire pit, Laura says, “We wanted a place for teenagers to hangout, and we love s’mores. It’s a huge dessert for our family.”
“So many people are flower people,” notes Rita. “It’s really fun to work with Laura because she loves the foliage, texture and structure of the garden.”
