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.

“A web-based irrigation controller is great to have in the garden. We like the Irrigation Caddy. It has an app for irrigation instead of going to the control box all the time. You can use any web browser or the app to fully control your irrigation system no matter where you are.” Bob Graeler, Chesterfield Valley Nursery.

To spend time with Melanie Fathman, longtime Garden member and volunteer, is a delightful experience to say the least. Her vast knowledge and long history is admirable and has inspired many throughout the years to become a part of the Garden family – that is, its members. Melanie began volunteering at the Garden hosting children’s birthday parties in 1969. She served on the Friends Board and was a founding member of the Boxwood Society.

Born and raised in San Rafael, a small city in the southern part of the Mendoza region of Argentina, Adriana Astorga always hoped that she would travel the world, meeting people from cultures far removed from her own. Adriana prepared for this life by studying international business and marketing, graduating from the local university with a degree in foreign trade. During her senior year, she worked as an assistant to a customs broker in the area.

Moving from a 3,500-square-foot home in St. Louis Hills to an 888-square-foot Rock Hill bungalow was a lifestyle shock for Corina Taylor. The mother of a 17-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter, Taylor settled into the cozy, jewel-box home a year and a half or so ago and quickly realized the tiny space would need big changes to become more functional – and more inviting.

 Sometimes all you need to make a big statement is the right color palette, plenty of sunlight and thoughtful staging. For this particular European-style property – a two-story home set alongside rural terrain and a clear, blue lake – country French hues gave way to the lighter, airier look two Belleville homeowners were after. The husband-and-wife duo had built their house in 1988 and had it professionally decorated then. “I loved it for years,” one homeowner explains, “but there was so much going on, and I’d grown tired of the previous look.”