My spring trip to Palm Beach was a bit shorter than anticipated, but while there I luxuriated in capturing the architecture, landscapes and gardens of this meticulously manicured island. One source that provided a delightful afternoon stroll was the Vias running east and west off South County Road, between the ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway. Here’s  a brief pictorial of some of the treasures hiding down those Vias.

You may notice that many of the images are at an angle, necessitated by the shallow lots that are fronted on the street by walls or high hedges that inhibit a photographer from shooting straight on. But if truth be told, I actually prefer this angled perspective.

Love this pink, a luscious shade that is a favorite for Mediterranean Revival houses (it is, coincidentally, also the color of the latest Parterre Bench).

Sometimes, courtyards are designed to be open and therfore, possible to be enjoyed by a passerby.

And intriguing doors beg the question, “what’s behind there?”

Garden urns make a showing…in some cases, a grand gesture…

And others serve as a graceful accent to the classical architecture of the house.

Landscape design and horticultural details abound; diagonal lines in this forecourt direct your eye to the collection of containers that play up the simple elegance of the low rise, long stone steps.

No surprise that palms are a tree of choice in Palm Beach but they provided much fascination for this Newporter. Their varied sizes and heights are taken full advantage of in planting plans; though they may actually be the same varities, the nuanced difference in designing with palms makes the most of each house’s facade.

THE close…Like the bride at the end of a French fashion show, a bronze Botera sculpture is positioned between two palm trunks in the forecourt of a friend’s home.

Thank you to all my Palm Beach friends who made my photographic sojourns and garden visits possible.