My Sister’s Garden is an intimate outdoor space supporting Evelyn’s House, a 16-bed end-of-life care facility serving both adult and pediatric patients in a home-like setting.  Dedicated to honor the memory of Kajsa, the beloved sister of founding donor Aja Stokes, the garden was designed to help ease the grief of patients, staff and visitors.  Its fully accessible design invites all to engage with the garden’s radial walks, water feature, shade structure, and native plants.  A variety of built-in seating options offer spaces for sun or shade and variable levels of privacy.  Visitors can find shelter and comfort beneath the garden’s pergola while being soothed by the sound of water bubbling from the nearby fountain.

Aja Stokes, the garden’s primary donor, was actively involved in the vegetation selections for the garden, reflecting her sister’s love for flowers, especially pink and purple blooms.  The planting design features a diverse mix of perennials which chart the changing seasons: from early-blooming spring bulbs to a host of wildflowers and grasses which burst with summer blossoms and fall color before giving way to winter dormancy, when their seed heads offer nourishment to visiting birds, which find shelter in the various canopy and understory trees. 

Missouri limestone boulders double as seating and impromptu play elements for young visitors to the garden, helping to address the need for active release, as expressed to the design team by the clinical staff.  A memorial pebble program was developed by art therapists to recognize the patients of Evelyn’s House, engaging staff to paint small stones and place them throughout the garden each week.