Garden-Lou visits Chris and Dana Smejkal

When it comes to home ownership, it seems there are two groups: ‘New House People’ and ‘Old House People’. The house centered in the Smejkal garden was built in the 1920s, and being ‘Old House People’, Chris and Dana have found ways to mesh the history of the house into their garden with an artistic touch that charms at first sight.

The Edwardsville home has an eclectic history, including epic Prohibition-era parties, bootleggers, and a hidden coal rail track. The nearby creek had apparently been used for dumping over the years, and since 1998, Chris has discovered artifacts, bricks, and bottles that find a new life in the garden.

One of the area’s largest saucer magnolias (Magnolia x soulangiana) hovers protectively over the front porch and garden. Although smaller, its sister tree protects the home’s west side. Under their shady canopies live hostas and other shade-loving perennials, with unique touches ranging from an antique typewriter to modern sculptures.

Winding through the side yard is a stone pathway that leads past a creatively constructed bench with hand-made ceramic touches and found objects. Chris and Dana co-founded Park Bench Creations, which produces garden-inspired ceramic pieces, and samples of their work dot the garden like hidden treasures.

(20+) Park Bench Creations | Facebook

A sample of the fun garden-inspired art at Park Bench Creations

Glass bottles horizontally mounted on a one-of-a-kind picket fence cast colorful shadows that repeat the colors of the bachelor buttons and other flowers below. Another picket fence surrounds a “Flower Bed” full of annuals. Chris cut out a star shape on each of the 150 pickets, and the star motif repeats in shutters and other objects around the garden.

“All of our family and friends seem to enjoy the garden. We have a lot of people slow their cars by to get a glimpse of it, so that is always nice,” says Chris. The couple was recently on the Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Garden Tour last June. “I have been on the garden tour for Edwardsville/Glen Carbon twice. 2010 and 2022. Also, this house was on a Christmas house tour about 15 years ago.”

The courtyard between the garage and back steps is a favorite area. A pergola with twinkling lights links the colorful space, while a small water feature provides water music. Antique objects and furniture are grouped around the courtyard and inside the cozy screened-in porch.

The focal point of the backyard is the garden shed built from repurposed materials, including the wood floors and doors. The beautifully preserved windows are from a centennial farm owned by Chris’s grandparents in O’Fallon, Il.

All gardens require regular maintenance, but the Smejkal garden doesn’t take much time to maintain.

“At the start of the year, there is definitely some work to do to pull weeds, mulch, and just tidy up the garden, but once that is done, I probably spend a grand total of a few hours a week maximum. That includes watering my pots on a daily basis, depending on how much rain we get or how hot it is. I tell people all the time that if they have a large yard with grass they have to mow, I guarantee I spend less time in my garden than they do. Most of what is in my garden, aside from potted plants, is pretty self-sufficient.”