Karen Spreitler loves the architecture of her midcentury modern home, built in 1963. She refers to it as simple—but that might not be the word others would choose to describe the acre and a half of land surrounding the house, which straddles the border between Olivette and Creve Coeur.
In 2018, when Karen, a retired horticulturist, bought the property with her husband, Mark, she immediately took note of the abundant bush honeysuckle, an invasive species. Since then, she has cleared away the offending shrubs and, in their place, planted more than 45 native species that preserve the property’s privacy. The native plants, along with Karen’s refusal to mow, have created a haven for pollinators and woodland creatures alike.
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The honeysuckle wasn’t the only challenge Karen faced in transforming the landscape. An area by the creek that borders the property had begun to erode, so she planted two large sycamore trees whose roots would spread, anchoring and preserving the soil. In the front of the house, rainwater drained in two areas near the driveway, rushing toward neighbors’ property and causing muddy washouts. In one spot, Karen installed a series of catch drains and planted the area heavily with bioretention plants that love to soak up water, including Joe Pye weed and Carex sedges. Because the area is shaded, she planted dwarf crested iris. In another spot, she deployed a series of weirs–essentially, bowls that catch fast-moving water and slow the flow.
The driveway wasn’t all hassle, though; it was also the recipient of a sweet-smelling gift from neighboring Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School. The school is host to a prairie restoration project, and Karen suspects that seeds from coneflowers there blew up onto her property and sowed themselves along her driveway. “In July or August, when the coneflowers are in full bloom, they will start to fall over,” she says. “When we drive along the driveway, it knocks the flowers and releases this sweet vanilla fragrance.”
Another sensory delight comes courtesy of a geometric-paver patio, designed by Quiet Village Landscaping. Karen has just had a small rain garden and fountain installed on that side of the home, so soon she’ll be able to listen to the sound of trickling water as she sits outside and enjoys a cup of coffee. “This space is an area where I grow herbs, and it’s a place just for me,” she says. “It’s a quiet little patio area.”
Other spots are meant for socializing. On the upper lot, Karen hosts an Easter egg hunt for family. During the pandemic, she brought out long tables and a firepit for a socially distanced Thanksgiving. The pool is the ultimate summer hangout spot, and the property features a hill that drops toward the creek and a firepit. The Spreitlers have stopped mowing the hill and have planted Indian grass, blue lobelia, black-eyed Susans, purple coneflower, and milkweed for the butterflies, creating their own private meadow. “We noticed over the past few years that by not mowing that area in the summertime, we have all these fireflies,” Karen says. “We’ll be up on our deck in the evening, watching them.
“I just love what actually comes to the property because we don’t cut down a dead tree. The woodpeckers come in, they’ll make their home, and then the owls come. Being a lazy gardener is definitely the way to go.”
