Diane Weber and David Nemerov were not gardeners when they first lugged boxes into their University City home 40 years ago. They were “youngish and working,” Weber says. The backyard was basic. But on weekends, they’d stroll the paths of the Missouri Botanical Garden. Its colors and scents left seeds in their heads. So did the springtime house tours in U. City, which is where they came across someone’s grand wood patio. They began to wonder what was possible on their own patch of ground.
In the ensuing years, the couple pieced together an eclectic haven of green, hemmed by brick walls and fencing. “We’re really into cozy,” Nemerov says, “and this garden is cozy.”
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That’s not to say that getting there was a breeze. Constructing the wood patio, one steamy July, took grit. “If you want to build a deck like we have,” Nemerov advises, “just build a 4-by-4 [foot] section so you can look at it when you get discouraged.” Planning ahead helps with brick walkways, too, he says. You’d better have a pattern in mind or “it can get interesting.”
The couple figured things out as they went. For example: Their dogs romp in the yard, so it’s best not to place breakable flowers below knee height. And to complement the verdant hostas and ivy, they’ve planted canna and elephant ears.
Weber speaks of her “free-form” garden in a way that you might mistake for commentary on life itself. “Trees grow and die and fall off, so the sun and shade components change,” she says. “You just have to be flexible. I’m always moving stuff. I don’t see how you could do a garden and be done with it.”
Want to learn more about gardening in St. Louis? Listen to these episodes of the House of Lou podcast:
