The Garden at Glen Eagles

About

The Russell Page-designed garden was commissioned by the Watson Blair family in 1974. Decades later, its once elegant bones were vanishing under layers of vegetation; but as in a fairy tale, the impeccable hardscape remained virtually intact.

In 2012, with the serendipitous discovery of Page’s original landscape design in a box in the basement, the restoration process was ready to begin. Page’s original plan called for a horizontal garden of eight rectangular parterres (they were not originally boxwood-edged) separated by bluestone paths. The space is framed on the north and south sides by yew hedges. Page designed the main axis to terminate in a series of steps leading to a reflecting pool enclosed on three sides by an imposing brick wall.

Page’s original plan also had a bluestone path extending to the swimming pool. The plantings, while changing from year to year with climate and light conditions, are inspired by what we imagine Page might have done. This garden is especially magical during tulip season.

In 2023, Doug Hoerr, co-founder of landscape architecture firm Hoerr Schaudt, began designing and expanding the surrounding landscape with additions that would honor and complement Russell Page’s original design. Hoerr established an idyllic four-season garden informed by its setting and microclimate. The team created four distinct garden rooms that transition from Page’s formality toward a more relaxed and idealized landscape.

Decades earlier, Doug had read Page’s The Education of a Gardener and felt an immediate connection. Understanding Page’s “introductory paragraph,” Hoerr built upon it, treating the landscape as an heirloom to both honor and evolve.

In May of 2024, Russell Page’s full and comprehensive plans for the property in St. Louis were discovered in the archive of the Garden Museum in London. The Museum’s Archive of Garden Design, opened in 2019, provided access to the working records of Russell Page’s collection, including plans and drawings from around the world. This find includes plant lists and a detailed vision for the Garden at Glen Eagles.

Read more about this remarkable discovery in the Fall 2025 Garden Conservancy News article “Uncovering a Lost Garden … and Finding a Masterpiece.”

2026 Open Day Date: Saturday, May 30

Open Day Hours: 10am–4pm