At Steve and Nate’s house on Montego the front is covered by a carport, an interesting architectural design, but they wanted to try a different approach. When they first moved in, a small non-functioning pond dominated the site. They set about making the bland front yard more appealing. Because they wanted something that held year round interest, they took out the pond and filled the space with native and drought-tolerant evergreens. After some trial and error they came up with a unique design featuring only evergreens of varying colors, shapes, sizes and textures.* You should see it! It is unique, outstanding in the neighborhood, beautiful in all seasons, even in the Winter.
In the front yard Nate is trying to establish some larger trees. He has planted a Burr Oak tree and two American Smoke trees. He would like to see more neighbors plant larger hardwood trees such as oak varieties. The neighborhood still has many of those trees original to the subdivision but several have died and are not being replaced.
On the street by the mailbox is a small garden of black eyed susans, lantana, a few small evergreens, and a very interesting gray headed coneflower which attracts native pollinators.
Nate did most of the front yard design while Steve focused on the backyard. The entrance to the backyard is a welcoming gated patio. It is a sunny space due to the loss of a large old oak tree just behind the patio. Steve has experimented with various pots filled with delightful combinations of flowers, green plants and herbs.
Since the backyard is a steep slope Steve and Nate have terraced it and created a number of outdoor “rooms”. Behind the patio where the oak tree once stood is an area filled with a variety of plants such as blackberries, gladiolas, and vegetables. The lower levels of the backyard house a cornucopia of beautiful foliage: a Catalpa tree, River Cane Bamboo (native to Missouri), 6 Green Giant Arborvitae, and a Sweetgum tree.
*Here is the evergreen list: American Holly, Dwarf Alberta Spruce, Hinoki False Cypress, Dwarf Globe Blue Spruce, Various Arborvitae, Green Giant Arborvitae, Various Juniper, Blue Point Juniper, Mugo Pine, Short Leaf Pine.
