On Top of the World

Jeanie Hood’s garden – St. Louis Homes & Lifestyles’ Garden of the Year – is truly breathtaking.

Around a curve on a narrow, two-lane road in the rolling countryside of Wildwood, you’ll find its astounding beauty. There, the sights overflow with magnificent form: 100 feet of cascading water, tumbling over rocks and boulders, that spills into a mirrorlike pond ablaze with the reflection of the vibrant red, gold, orange and purple flowers that frame a winding stream. A second look reveals two white swans gliding serenely through the pond’s fiery reflections. In whole, the picturesque combination is enchanting.

“When I plant something in the garden, I want it to look like I’ve created a painting,” Jeanie says. “If you don’t have a desire to create beauty, you shouldn’t be a gardener.”

While most people would know Jeanie as the owner of the popular home furnishings and accessories store Three French Hens, she sees herself in a different light.

“When I have mud under my fingernails and on my face, that’s when I’m the happiest. I’m out in the garden at 6 a.m. most days and all day on Sundays and Wednesdays, my days off.  I always have trays of plants and pots to plant because when I’m planting, an incredible calmness comes over me. Gardening relaxes me, no matter what I’ve been doing,” Jeanie says.

It was Alan Schweiss who first came upon the 6-acre property that the couple now calls home. Familiar with the area from horseback riding through it, he learned that the acreage, which included possibly the only spring fed pond in St. Louis County, was for sale and jumped at the chance to own it.

A garden that would complement the pond and the Country French home they would build at the top of the hill always was a part of the master plan.

“The property was solid woods when we bought it,” Jeanie recalls. “We cut down trees and brought in 150 truckloads of dirt just to put in grass. We kept the stone we broke out for the foundation of the house and used it to create the stream and waterfalls. We literally carved the garden from the hillside. As we were building the house, I’d sit and hang my feet out of the French doors, so I could plan the view of the garden.” Jeanie compliments the fine work of Signature Landscapes & Design, Inc., which created the brick garden walkways, waterfall, gazebo, terracing, firepit, and the boulder and stonework in the magnificent outdoor setting.

Nine years later, Jeanie’s garden is spread over three of the six acres and is composed of a series of spaces that include a pond-side patio, an outdoor living room with a fireplace, and numerous shady nooks. Jeanie has designated six gardens within the garden. “All the garden areas have names, so I can tell Alan where I’m working,” she says.

The most frequent visitors to Jeanie’s garden are granddaughters Rae Marie, 14, and Keegan, 10, and her daughter Deanna.

“When the grandkids come over, we hike in the woods, roast hotdogs and make s’mores. Alan and I have one huge party every year, but our home is open constantly to friends who want to bring their children over to fly fish. We don’t eat out much. We would rather be home and have people over,” notes Jeanie, whose guests each year include inner-city children who have never had an opportunity to go fly fishing. “We want other people to enjoy the garden as much as we do.”

It is probably not a coincidence that the colors of the flowers flowing down the hillside and surrounding the pond in Jeanie Hood’s garden are those found in nature’s awe-inspiring sunrises and sunsets. Jeanie considers her home and garden to be a bit of heaven.

“It was never in my mind that I would have a place like this,” she reflects. “I’ve had a house before, but this is my ‘forever home.’ And this isn’t just my garden. It’s part of my soul. It’s woven into my life, and it provides an incredible satisfaction.” For Jeanie, it’s most certainly heaven on earth.

RESOURCES
Select outdoor accessories: Three French Hens, www.threefrenchhensantiques.com; Plants: Summer Winds at Clarkson & Manchester Rds.; Brick garden walkways, waterfall, gazebo, terracing, boulder and stonework, and firepit: Signature Landscapes & Design, Inc., www.signaturelandscape.net.