Garden-Lou Spotlights the Garden of Ed and Mary Dee Schmidt

You learn a lot about patience when you’ve lived in the same house for 52 years. Ed Schmidt and his wife Mary Dee moved into their University City home during the early 70’s when U-City homes were a steal. The now-thriving neighborhood, like much of U-City, has acquired an abundance of passionate gardeners, but Ed didn’t start out as one.

A retired biology teacher and former president of Big River Zinc Corporation with four kids, his backyard was used more for soccer than gardening. “I started out weeding Mom’s garden as a child. She had a lot of roses and Shasta daisies. So, I started this garden with a few roses, but they got beat up a lot.” Ed started expanding the garden area once the kids were in their teens. “I made a lot of mistakes. I learned about ‘right plant-right place’ the hard way.”

A Master Gardener for ten years, Ed loves sharing his passion and garden with others. He’s been featured on numerous garden tours, such as the Master Gardener Garden Tour, Missouri Botanical Garden’s St. Louis Garden Tour, and the U-City in Bloom Tour, where he served on the board for ten years.

The garden is a vibrant mix. Tomatoes and Meyer lemons share space with trees, shrubs, evergreens, perennials, annuals, natives, and ornamentals. Color explodes like confetti throughout the garden, lighting up shady spots and filling every corner.

The spacious deck is where Ed and Mary Dee, an artist, enjoy morning coffee with the paper or evenings with a martini. Family and friends enjoy the garden and deck when the couple entertains. If it rains, the back-room addition offers colorful views of the garden on three sides. Boundaries blur between the Schmidt Garden and their neighbor’s. “We work together and enjoy each other’s views.”

*The Schmidt’s and their neighbors work together to enjoy expansive views.*

The front turf area was a significant factor in the evolution of the traffic-stopping front garden. “I keep telling neighbors and passers-by how they can get rid of their grass, too.” Ed refers to the jam-packed front garden bed that flows from the house down to the sidewalk. It’s one thing he wishes he had done earlier. “I started with bluegrass, then put in zoysia-it was a lot of work and died within five years.”

Ed hopes to get rid of even more grass. Also on the list is figuring out where to fit in a rain garden. Maintenance averages about four to five hours per week. In spring, it’s about two hours per day. Ed’s only problems are rabbits and gardening under trees, where ground-cover perennials like tiarella are great problem-solvers.

As for sentimental favorites, one plant stands out among all the others. “When Mary Dee’s mom passed away in 2008 at the young age of 97, I transplanted in my garden the rose bush that her mom had transplanted in her garden in 1932 from her father’s home in North St. Louis. The rose bush is around 100 years old and survived all the kid’s soccer and baseball games.”

And those four kids who used to play soccer in the backyard? Ed proudly says, “They all have really nice gardens now.”

*Ed designed the backroom addition to be surrounded by garden views.*

FUN FACTS;

-Age of garden: 25+ years

-Size of garden; 10^th of an acre.

-Favorite Tool-My bare hands and my body! A close second is my leather tool belt, which includes a soil knife, folding-saw, and Felco’s.

-Any gardens or gardeners that inspire you? Janel Hagel and Mary Ann Shaw in U-City. Butchart Garden in Victoria, Canada. It’s the first place I saw creativity with tree placement. Also, in Paris, the streets when I was there were a riot of color!

-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!

A dandelion. I love blowing the seed heads and watching them float away. Same with Asclepias seeds.