Layers of
Labor & Love Unwind and escape the everyday in the series of breathtaking spaces created by horticulturist and garden designer Chuck Beard.
By Lucyann Boston Photography by Kim Dillon
Chuck Beard is a man who practices what he preaches. A horticulturist and garden designer, he has spent nearly 27 years creating beautiful gardens throughout St. Louis. But perhaps the most beautiful testimonial to his talent has been in his own yard. Featured in numerous national publications and on prestigious garden tours, the Webster Groves home and landscape he shared with his longtime partner the late Charles Parrish, and then Adrian Keys, moves visitors through a series of breathtakingly beautiful spaces and pathways different in style, yet cohesive in flow. A shady walkway from the front yard leads to an arbor gate. Open the gate and you are in a fountain-centered, brick courtyard with a New Orleans ambiance. Go through an arbor on the opposite side of the courtyard and you step into a Japanese garden, complete with a crooked bridge, koi pond and waterfall. From there, stroll through a sidewalk café set with a table and chairs for a bite to eat, move on to a rustic walk through the back of the yard. Eventually, find your way to a tropical paradise, where lush foliage surrounds a saltwater, free-form pool with the azure hue of a natural pond. His theory of garden design, Chuck explains, “is to create spaces where people can go, dream and escape their regular lives. Everyday life is hectic, and the stress can overcome you. If you can find a little corner to sit and watch the birds, soak up a bit of sun or enjoy a cocktail in the shade, you can get away from the stress. I want people to be able to get away from what is bothering them, maybe get their hands dirty if they enjoy gardening, relax and dream.”
Chuck Beard's Webster Groves garden is made up of numerous beautiful spaces that flow together as one. Step through an arbor in the side garden and emerge into a Japanese landscape complete with a crooked bridge, koi pond and waterfall. Moss covered concrete balls provide a stark contrast to the lacy foliage of a Japanese maple and punctuate a shady stroll through the back of the garden.
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