While I await my trip to New Zealand, I have to focus on something other than the icy snow with which we are stuck…and which is going nowhere fast! And what better panacea than sharing more memories of Palm Beach. Aaaaah, I think I’ll luxuriate in re-capturing the architecture, landscapes and gardens of this meticulously manicured island, specifically as seen on the Vias running east and west off South County Road, between the ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway. Enjoy this brief pictorial of some of the treasures hiding down these elegant streets.
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 therefore, 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.
These photos have many things in common–most important–healthy plants. Without the plant health, the design and architecture pale.
Now, that was a “perfect diversion!” What IS IT about walking on 5 inches of warm sand…versus 5 inches of ice…I can tell you about the latter…*sigh* franki
As always, I love your commentary through a delicious buffet of pictures, and the icing on the cake was the Botera sculpture!
Really enjoy your photos – always the perfect perspective and focal point – and so generous.
Now let me see that pink Parterre bench!
LOVELY LADY,
*** I FEEL A SONG (TITLE) … COMING ON!
THAT SONG ? ‘YOU MAKE ME FEEL – SO YOUNG’
(I WAS BUT 20 YEARS OLD).
MY FIRST IMPRESSION OF PB’s MAGIC WAS IN 1967. VIA FATE, AND A FRIEND – I FOUND MYSELF WITH AN ADDRESS OF: – 1100 S. OCEAN BLVD. (‘MAR-A-LAGO) WITH THE TITLE AND POSITION OF: 4TH FOOTMAN AKA. JR. BUTLER.
ENOUGH!
THE BEAUTY OF PB, IN THOSE DAYS, WAS PERHAPS, SLIGHTLY MORE ‘STIFF’ –
BUT ‘MOTHER NATURE’ KNOWS NO CLASS DISTINCTION (THANK GOD!).
EACH OF YOUR PHOTOS PROVES WITHOUT QUESTION, WITH THE GUIDANCE
OF TALENTED GARDNERS (NO PUN INTENDED) EVEN A SHRUB CAN BE A STAR.
I ASK MYSELF … HOW CAN IT BE SIXTY YEARS AGO? BUT IT IS.
A LA BOB HOPE … ‘THANKS FOR THE MEMORY’
FONDLY,
TOM
If only I could have all that beautiful greenery landscape year round….sadly not in my climate. I had the chance to live in St Petersburg before my husband retired but I didn’t want to leave family behind…..