This is a California house located in Clayton, owned by a St. Louis woman with an affinity for all things Cali. While both home and human are firmly rooted in the Midwest, one reaches back in time while the other fondly looks to the West.

When the sky’s the limit, building a custom home can get overwhelming without the proper guidance and expertise. Decisions become daunting, with endless choices of materials and finishes that might look good on paper but become overpowering or underwhelming in application. But through the marvels of technology, many home buyers can now walk through their new spaces before they’ve even been constructed. Such was the scenario for Jacquelyn and Mike Nolan, a young couple aspiring to build a sprawling ranch home nestled in a quiet cul de sac in south St. Louis County.

Rodney Jarboe didn’t start out to create a movie set in his back yard. When he and his wife Regina purchased a nearly two-acre lot in a Town and Country subdivision 25 years ago, they looked at the level terrain and were thinking of a lovely swimming pool and maybe a tennis court.

 When it comes to gardening around a pool or water feature, it’s important to know what plants to look for to make sure everything goes swimmingly. For example, some plants may become damaged from a saltwater pool or have difficulty being in the full sun. By carefully choosing the plants you place in your landscaping, you can ensure a summer of fun and easy-going greenery.

Wednesdays are for music! Whitaker Music Festival concerts will be held outdoors on the lawn of the Cohen Amphitheater this summer at the Missouri Botanical Garden. The festival is funded by the Whitaker Foundation, which supports St. Louis arts and parks to promote common heritage, celebrate diversity and encourage vitality within the community.

More specifically, the bubbling, splashing, gurgling sound of rushing water is the stuff of daily curtain calls. The stage set is green and glowing; filled with daffodils and dogwoods in spring and ferns, sedum and astilbe in summer. Shrubs such as sumac, boxwood, viburnum, hydrangea and creeping juniper provide a constant backdrop and the fall color is spectacular.