For most people, one garden would be enough. But not for Kathy Dubuque. In the six years she and her husband John have lived in their Ladue residence, Kathy has created five or maybe six different gardens, depending upon how you count. All surround the couple’s European, country-style home; all have their own personalities.

If you have a back yard water feature, consider adding aquatic plants to not only enhance the look of your pond, but many plants provide beneficial nutrients and oxygen. We asked local landscapers to share their favorite aquatic plants.

Water Lilies

"Tropical or hardy water lilies are a must for your pond or water feature.  Not only do water lilies bloom all summer long, they also provide shade and protection for your fish and help keep the pond water clean." David Sherwood, Sherwood’s Forest.

The Shaw Nature Reserve (SNR) encompasses 2,400 acres of natural Ozark landscape, breathtaking Meramec River frontage, and an extraordinary diversity of native plant and animal habitats. The Missouri Botanical Garden founded the Shaw Nature Reserve, formerly known as Shaw Arboretum, in 1925 when coal smoke in St. Louis threatened the living plant collections at the Garden. The orchid collection was moved to the Reserve in 1926, but pollution in the city abated before it was necessary to move the entire plant collection.

North of the equator, if the weather cooperates in June, July and August, the world’s vineyards grow lush and verdant. Much like the avid St. Louis gardener, it is during this period that the experienced vignerons, winemakers and vineyard managers know that their role is largely to ensure that the vines take fullest advantage of what Mother Nature may throw at them, as their leaves grow larger and greener, and their fruit matures.

The challenge for this Clayton back yard was to create an outdoor living space within a very constrained footprint. The final product is a masterpiece. A pool, Jacuzzi, deck, grill, fire pit and lush landscaping combine gracefully on the plot with, what feels like, plenty of room to spare, thanks to Baker Pool design team.

“We had no plan,” says homeowner Larry Malashock, who purchased a rundown three-seasons home during his transition into retirement. The whole place was a fixer-upper, and the overhaul started in the main home. After expanding and remodeling there, Malashock turned to the ramshackle pool house. “It was basically a toilet and sink when we started,” he says, explaining, “It was built on stilts, and the support was giving way.”