Garden-Lou Visits the Garden of Craig and Diana Plahn

How would you describe the perfect garden? It would be different for everyone but might include mature trees or plenty of Japanese maples. You may be into conifers and would have an abundance of unique specimens in your garden. Perhaps you crave color and adore daylilies or love the soothing, subtle color blends of a shade garden. Maybe you only want a simple greenhouse bursting with orchids or a relaxing pond with fish and a waterfall. Of course, there would be no weeds. No deer damage. Every plant would be precisely labeled, and not one leaf would be out of place.

Now, what if your perfect garden contained ALL THE ABOVE?

The garden named ‘Catspaw’ by Doctors Diana and Craig Plahn is as close to perfection as any garden can get. It has been featured in St. Louis Homes and Lifestyles, hosted National and Regional Hosta Convention tours, National and Regional Daylily Convention tours, the MOBOT tour in 2021, the Midwest Regional Conifer tour, Pond-O-Rama, the Garden Conservancy Tour, and now Garden-Lou. That’s quite the resume for one garden. The garden name honors Topaz, one of the Plahn’s much-loved Burmese cats.

Catspaw began in 1990, just one month after the Plahn moved into their Kirkwood home. “We wanted to be east of 270 for our dental practice and in a wooded area so we could have a greenhouse to grow our orchids,” says Diana. The couple have grown orchids since 1981 and are senior American Orchid Society Judges.

All this perfection did not come easy. The half-acre garden sits on a steep slope with significant runoff issues from the homes higher up on the hillside. “We’ve built all the terracing ourselves,” says Diana. “My husband has built all the additional walls and garden beds to control water flow. When we purchased the property, the lower acre that runs to Ballas in Sugar Creek was a hundred-year floodplain. Now that property floods every time there is a heavy rain. So, we consider that to be unusable ground.”

Craig spends a lot of time in the garden or greenhouse during early spring, summer, and fall. Diana helps with maintenance but leaves the heavy stuff for Craig, like mulching, redoing the dry creek bed, and cleaning the pond.

Besides plants and Burmese cats, the Plahn’s other passions include attending classic rock and new music concerts. Diana loves to read, and Craig plays golf when he can. Sounds perfect.

QUICK FACTS:

-Size of garden: One-half acre

-Year garden started: 1990

-Is there any other garden or gardener that inspires you? Randy Goodwin, Bruce Buehrig.

-Favorite gardening tool? A long-handled trowel that we bought years ago from a hosta seller.

-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!

Abies koreana ’Silberlocke’

-What is your favorite part of the garden? The pond area.