Garden-Lou Spotlights the Garden of Albie and Andréa Mitchell

Let’s say you want to entertain family and friends in your backyard. You want space for your dogs to enjoy the yard too. You also want to be a habitat for pollinators. Privacy and security are a must. You need to address water run-off issues. You want to be sustainable as much as possible. You want it all, but you also want it to be stylish and modern—all the above sounds impossible unless you have a giant yard with plenty of space. But for the Mitchells and their tiny 45′ x 35′ backyard, they got it all by designing smart.

Albie and Andréa moved into the Mt. Pleasant Neighborhood home in 2014. The house had a south-facing backyard that Andréa preferred, but the yard had nothing going on other than a lot of grass, weeds, and one uncreative concrete path leading to the back alley that divided the space down the middle.

The couple found inspiration on the St. louis Sustainable Backyard Tour, held every June. Highlights of the Sustainable Backyard Tour-2024 (garden-lou.com) “I really enjoyed the ‘outdoor living room’ oasis concept,” says Andréa, ” and the ‘enclosed courtyard’ feel.”

Andréa, who works for an investment company in Clayton, is passionate about gardening, wildlife, and birds, so incorporating that passion into the new space was a priority. Thankfully, Albie, an architect who teaches at South County Tech and does custom fabrication work with Collab, could design the new space and coordinate the entire construction process.

In April 2019 the transformation began. Since there was no access for heavy equipment, all the work had to be done by hand. “We filled three U-Haul trailers full of soil, about 10 tons,” says Albie. “It took until November to finish the permeable patio.” (Check out Albie’s YouTube channel for a video of their permeable patio-building process; We blew up our back yard part 1 – Permeable Paver Patio Build (youtube.com))

Planting happened during the spring of 2020 during the pandemic. Large swaths of phlox, Russian sage, and black-eyed Susans flow diagonally across the backyard, making the space appear larger. A custom wooden bridge makes crossing over the rain garden from the expansive patio to the lawn area a symbolic treat. A trip to the alley down a flagstone path now takes you past pollinators, beautiful blooms, and stylish touches like the custom gate Albie fabricated.

The back wall was reconstructed in 2021, and Albie designed the unique double-wall fencing to provide privacy and security.

Looking back at what they would have done differently, Andréa says, “Less phlox! And installing a hard edge to help contain mulch would have been helpful.” Future plans include adding even more natives and grasses. The lilac in the back corner from Andréa’s dad is a sentimental favorite that will stay.

One huge advantage of a small garden is that maintaining it only takes 1-2 hours per week. This frees up more time to enjoy the space, from coffee in the morning to cocktails in the evenings, something the couple appreciated during the pandemic.

The couple loves watching the garden colors change from yellows and oranges to purple and back to yellow as the season progresses. Watching egrets fly overhead or the red-tailed hawk that lives across the street and throwing a big party in the new space are favorite memories that make all the hard work worth it. This past June, they participated in the St. Louis Sustainable Backyard Tour as hosts, offering inspiration and creative ideas in the same way the tour inspired them.

*Sentimental touches in secret places make the garden personal.*

Quick Facts;

-Year Garden started? 2019

-Size of Garden? 45’ x 35’

-Favorite tool? Andréa-My husband!

Albie-For me, it is a trench shovel. Good for getting out stubborn weeds with deep roots!

– 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!

Andréa-Native goldenrod and sunflowers. They are sturdy, and the birds and bees love them.

Albie-Russian sage because of the scent and long-lasting blooms.

Check out Collab, Albie’s company that focuses on architecture and custom fabrication of architectural elements, furniture, and sculpture here; thecollab.us

For more information about the Sustainable Backyard Tour, visit;

The Sustainable Backyard Network – The Sustainable Backyard Network