Catherine Hu, ecologist and natural science illustrator, didn’t set out to be an artist. “I’ve always enjoyed arts and crafts and being creative, but before painting plants, I never felt super inspired or motivated to do art consistently,” she reveals. Hu works full time as an ecologist, though for years she’s practiced and refined her art, painting for herself or making work she would gift to friends and family.

Breaking bread over vino took on a literal meaning at Veritas Gateway To Food And Wine. Originally a wine and gift retail store in Chesterfield, Veritas is now a full-service restaurant in Ellisville, serving rotation dinner menus four evenings a week, plus weekend brunches.

Like many homes that fall victim to multiple renovations, they eventually end up losing their original architectural spirit. A series of piecemeal updates by several different owners often leads to disjointed spaces lacking visual cohesiveness and a natural sense of flow. Such was the scenario for homeowner Lauri Teagan’s charming Creve Coeur home that had lost its identity after decades of remodels.

As this Ladue home was being built in the mid-1960s, the current owner was a young boy. His mother drove him by the site every day on their way to school. “I was really interested in home construction then,” the owner recalls. “My mom and dad were having a home built at the same time by Higginbotham Bros., who was building this house, too.” The parallels extended to the architect, the renowned Ralph Fournier, who had designed both homes.

They only have to step out their own back door to find themselves in a paradise. Adjacent to an upper patio, gold, silver, orange and black koi flash their iridescent colors in a water lily-accented pond with a water-jet fountain. Alongside that same patio is the head of a small stream that twists down the hillside creating a series of tiny waterfalls as it cascades over strategically placed rocks; appears to course under an arched bridge, and eventually find its watery way into a stone-surrounded recreation pond suitable for swimming.

Each fall, the Japanese Garden at the Missouri Botanical Garden lights up with vibrant fall colors. The diverse tree canopy creates a picturesque foliage, but another autumnal highlight is the cascading mums in the Pring Dry Garden. 

About the plant: Chrysanthemum is a genus of plants containing about 40 species. They originate in the Far East, mostly in China. They have been grown in cultivation for over 3,500 years.