Garden-Lou Spotlights the Garden of Mark Kalk and Mark Lammert

For those who love the architecture and sense of community a historic neighborhood offers, there are many areas in St. Louis to pick from when choosing a place to call ‘home.’ Mark Kalk and Mark Lammert have lived in Lafayette Square and Compton Heights for almost 40 years. “We have lived here for almost 15 years,” says Kalk about their current Lafayette Square home built with sustainability in mind.

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The first GREEN home built in the Square was destined to have an impressive garden. “We started the garden when we first moved in. It’s never finished and evolves constantly.” The current presentation is the third re-design and is the most extensive.” The 8450 square foot garden is down from 13,000 square feet (about 1/3 of an acre) after the couple sold the smaller of their adjoining lots.

The latest re-design was about doing fewer DIY projects and installing big projects like patios professionally. The most notable of these projects is the water feature built by Nature’s Re-Creations. This focal point begins with a waterfall flowing into a 300-square-foot pond and ends at the first step down outside the home’s conservatory. The waterfall music saturates every corner of the garden and can be enjoyed from inside as well when the conservatory doors are open, creating a unique dining experience when entertaining.

Kalk, Master Gardener of the Year in 2014, has been going to Missouri Botanical Garden for 60 years and finds it a local inspiration. “I’m really drawn to gardens built on the room concept where you can’t see everything at once and get to enjoy exploring the garden in each new space or room. So Hidcote Garden in England is a good example.”

The couple has used the Garden Room design concept full force in their garden. Along the south side of the house, two courtyard garden rooms consist of a dining and grilling area in one space and a side entrance courtyard full of character and color in the adjoining space. These two rooms and their entrances sit centered on an axis that leads to the main garden area and pond-the favorite spot in the garden, especially in the mornings or later in the evenings. “I can see much of the garden from there, but not all of it, and curiosity draws me around corners and into the rest of the garden,” says Kalk.

Family and friends enjoy the garden often. Their dog, Penny, also enjoys everything the garden offers and is spoiled properly with her own pond-side chaise lounge and ‘dog beach.’ She also creates a few challenges along with the constant problem of squirrels, a few wet spots, and of course—the annual St. Louis heat and humidity.

The Marks use natives to help combat the later issue, but there are also sentimental touches. “I maintain a stand of Four O’Clocks in memory of Mom and several jade plants in memory of Dad. I also always have a few stands of petunias to remind me of my grandmother.”

Mark Kalk spends 10-20 hours/week in the garden, depending upon the season. Occasional help from others adds another 10 hours/week. “It’s a hobby, and I don’t view it as work.” He says. Mark likes experimenting with plants; a greenhouse might be part of the garden’s future. Currently, tender plants overwinter in the impressive conservatory dining room, which provides plenty of sunlight and air circulation.

The Marks have been featured on the Lafayette Square neighborhood tours several times, the St. Louis Water Garden Society’s Pond-O-Rama tour, and Missouri Botanical Garden’s tour. St. Louis Homes and Lifestyles magazine and the St. Louis Post Dispatch have also featured the garden.

What advice would Mark Kalk give to newbie plant-geeks? “Put on some sunscreen, a silly wide-rimmed hat, and get gardening!”

QUICK FACTS;

-Size of Garden-8450 square feet.

-Age of Garden-15 years.

-Favorite gardening tool? A soil knife from A.M. Leonard. It’s a multi-functional tool, and the bright orange handle is easy to spot when I forget it in the yard.

-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! Agastache because of its delicate form, licorice scent, and purple flowers, which would attract lots of bees to entertain me.

-Do you have any other passions besides gardening? Do I need any? I find working with plants very fulfilling, so besides gardening, I also tend to a conservatory full of plants and houseplants and help others with their gardens. I also make terrariums and plant displays.