Garden-Lou Spotlights the Garden of Steve Souder & Peggy Eng

We’ve seen the magic that can happen when garden and artist meet. From Monet and his garden, Giverny in France, to our local Marcella Hawley and her painter’s palette of bulbs on the Slope of Possibility, (Garden-Lou Spotlights the Garden of Marcella Hawley). We often only picture painters, be them graphic artists, or fine artists as the artist/gardener dynamic. Enter Steve Souder and his wife, Peggy Eng. Woodworking is a passion of Steve’s, who’s done renovation and other construction projects since junior high school and has had a construction business since 1991- Full Circle Design Works.

Steve turns buildings, including his Fox Park Neighborhood home, into works of art. With Peggy’s help, he also transforms his garden into a work of art.

Plants are only one part of this garden’s equation. With access to demolished building materials slated for the dump, Steve has repurposed them in his garden. The results are a tantalizing mix of materials, textures, and colors that surprise and delight.

One of the most impressive features in the garden is the 2000+ lb. slab table salvaged from a front stoop on Russel Blvd. Equally captivating is the one-of-a-kind greenhouse that Steve built earlier this year. Its asymmetrical design catches your eye, but the thought and function behind the design are even more impressive once you peek inside.

The couple takes advantage of an exposed foundation from an adjacent building they purchased and tore down, creating a unique garden “Shadow Box,” that sets the mood of this Asian-inspired garden room. The view of this garden from the kitchen or family room is perfectly framed by more of Steve’s artistry: custom built-in plant shelves. Hakon grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’), Japanese maples, and variegated brunnera add to the serene sense of calm and wonder. Vegetables are grown among ornamentals and small trees. Everything finds a place. Resourcefulness is creatively layered throughout the garden, be it the shadowbox wall, the paths of repurposed metal plates and stone, or the sawdust mulch under your feet, a by-product from Steve’s company.

Steve does most of the gardening chores, averaging about 8 hours a week in the garden, more in spring or fall, but Peggy tends to some areas, like the pristine succulent garden. The long beans growing along the back fence were grown from seeds Peggy’s grandfather brought over from China in the 1920s.

Harlequin beetles are a recent pest, and although Steve doesn’t mind weeding by hand at all, the beetles get a harsher treatment, “I use a flame weeder,” he says.

“The best times are early morning and evening in the garden,” says Steve. The morning air is full of birdsong in the garden, and the rising sun highlights the architectural salvage among the plants. Future plans are to enhance the garden with more ornamentals and artifacts. The couple doesn’t entertain much but does like to share extra veggies with the neighbors. (and bloggers!) So far this season, they’ve harvested over 100 cucumbers from only four plants in the greenhouse. Last June, they shared the entire garden by being hosts on the Sustainable Backyard Tour.

Quick Facts;

Year Garden began; 1989

Size of Garden; Back-70 x 60’Side yard-25 x 40’

Is there any garden or gardener that inspires you? Eliot Coleman in Maine. The late Bob Cassilly, creator of the City Museum and Missouri Botanical Garden-it’s a world-class garden.

Favorite gardening tool? My hand pruners from Japan. I also like to use garden forks of assorted sizes.

If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only have ONE plant to keep you company, what would it be? (It doesn’t have to be a food-bearing plant since this island has a free buffet!)

Peggy- That’s such a hard question to answer—we really don’t have a favorite, but I would say that Steve has always had a soft spot for old roses, especially the single-petal fragrant ones. I love interesting foliage above flowers, so I really like heucheras and succulents.

Check out Steve’s company here;

Full Circle Design Works, Inc. – Full Circle Design Works, Inc.