Saturday, August 15, 2020

Chinoiserie Outdoors

Les Ensembliers

I posted about this Palm Beach home back in February and interestingly, my new home reminds me of it a bit. Both are one level, stucco, palm trees in front, oversized coach lanterns, more formal Palm Beach than Tuscan.

My Home

You may recall that we chatted about the two pairs of ginger jars in front of the Palm Beach home and decided it was risky in terms of the ginger jars being stolen or toppling over.

I have an idea I love for adding more blue and white Chinese porcelain to the front of my home. I already have added a pair of vintage blue and white Chinese garden stools that have been outdoors in my garden for over thirty years!


Here they are with my gorgeous reclaimed lobster rope door mat from 30 Fathom that I adore if it is possible to adore a door mat. I do!

My new idea is that outside the covered area I will use my pair of blue and white Chinese porcelain fishbowls with a pair of topiaries - either lemon or lime trees or Eugenia. I rescued the fishbowls from Sandbagger where they were in the lanai with a pair of palms. Using palms here would be silly because I already have massive royal palms in the front yard and they would get lost in the shuffle.

Here are lemon topiaries in fishbowls via Mary McDonald.

Mary McDonald

BTW, Venice is very low crime, my gated community is very safe, and I feel that they would be fine outside here. I might buzz over to Home Depot and see what they have. Any experience growing lemon or lime trees? I think it would be very chic and very Old Florida.

BTW, I had five guys working on my garden yesterday and it looks wonderful. My gardener is extremely knowledgeable about Florida plants and things went absolutely great. Now I can start having fun in the garden since all the "heavy lifting" is done.

31 comments:

  1. Your "yardening" plans sound wonderful! Our house came with both an orange and a lemon tree just beyond the pool cage when we moved here, but they sadly died due to citrus greening, a disease prevalent here and a big problem in the groves. This is a great website for you to check out about all kinds of plants and landscaping here: https://www.south-florida-plant-guide.com/ I would advise you to go to a local nursery to get your plants rather than the big box stores.

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    1. Thanks. I have actually had great luck over the years with Home Depot and Lowe's for plants for price and their one year guarantee. Especially where I lived in NOVA, they were better and much more convenient than the nurseries whose land was so valuable close in they were all closing. But there are many more nurseries here and I have started exploring. It is also a pretty safe activity with Covid.

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  2. Black shutters added & doors painted black? Fabulous!💚

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    1. OR...pink front door AND pink Bougainvillea (planted in Chippendale planters on either side of garage) trained to frame the garage doors?

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    2. Along these lines, I had a notion that Beth just might surprise us with an announcement that she plans to paint her house in Palm Beach Pink! My question though, Beth, is this: what if you DID want to repaint your exterior, would your HOA require that you obtain their permission first, or can your painters just show up and begin the work? My HOA has gotten so fussy that approvals are required if one wants to merely add to/subtract from the existing landscaping. Worse, applications for architectural or landscaping changes must be accompanied by a CHECK. The nerve [as my mother used to say]!

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    3. Alas, I will do a post this week on deed restricted communities. I adore where I live, but there will be no black shutters or pink door or pink house. But there will also not be next door neighbors with a camper or plastic flamingos or my crazy ex at my front door.

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  3. I have always loved the Les Ensembliers house and vowed to replicate that diamond patio/driveway in front of the stairs. I love how the low creepers were used to create that pattern and break up the monotone of the vast paved area.

    Your house lends itself to so many possibilities. As another option I'd love to see 2 fishbowls with tall topiaries by your front door. You have the height and a perfect setting. Similar to C Roehem's Charleston house--scroll down here: https://enchantedhome.com/blog/2020/01/28/style-file-carolyne-roehm/
    Hers are artificial but well done...would she do anything else?

    Lemon, lime or mandarin trees in blue/white porcelain fishbowls is magnificent--at least a pair, maybe more? I recently explored what it would take to grow those trees in planters and found this site to be quite useful: https://www.fast-growing-trees.com/collections/citrus-trees


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    1. I don't want artificial and I like my garden stools there. I was going to use the fishbowls further out where they will get sun and air.

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  4. Also this for inspiration, just in case you don't already have it pinned:
    https://ciaonewportbeach.blogspot.com/2018/04/inspiration-blue-and-white-in-garden.html?m=1

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  5. Oh, and 2 big planters (not necessarily blue & white...maybe chippendale?) on each side of garage doors with tall topiaries--I think you've got just the perfect space there? How lovely would that look?

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  6. I would never in a million years buy my fruit trees from a big box store. Locally, I would go out to Crowley's Nursery. They have edibles and ornamentals. It's all the way down Fruitville Rd. to the end and turn right. Right after the big curve, there is a little dirt road to your left and turn there. On the same road is also 4 Bees Herb Farm if you like to grow herbs. Another terrific place to buy natives is Sweet Bay Nursery in Parrish. I love going there. CFloser to you is Edgewood Nursery. When my husband when in the landscaping business, he used Edgewood a lot. I also like Farm & Garden on Beneva. They have a little bit of everything, including citrus.

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  7. I love all of your proposals, but have a few concerns: I agree with Tammi above about the citrus greening blight which is decimating citrus plants throughout Florida. Another real possibility is that at some point you will have to move your planters and plants into a protected shelter to prepare for a major hurricane--and you definitely will face this prospect at some point. A porcelain fishbowl loaded with soil and a plant will be very heavy to move by yourself, and you'll probably find it difficult to find a handyman or others to help you at that time because they're very in demand and are also busy preparing their own places. Garden centers do sell low-height plant stands on casters, but given the weight that will be resting on them, these would still be very challenging for you to push into the garage or other shelter by yourself. I've learned the hard way, after moving to coastal Florida from the D.C. area a few years ago, to keep my outdoor furnishings and decor quite streamlined and not too precious. Weather is more of a threat than theft. It is Paradise here, until a major storm or blight strikes.

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    1. True enough. The topiaries by the front door could be faux like C. Roehem's and thus would weigh much, much less--easy to bring inside if need be.

      Generally, I am not a huge fan of artificial plants but some look amazingly real and I figure if Caroline can do it so can I.

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    2. It would be very easy to move the topiaries and fishbowl planters with a dolly.I keep one in my garage and it makes it easy peasy to move large planters.

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    3. Weight is not an issue. I always keep plants for the fishbowls in plastic pots so they are easy to take out and move. And artificial plants are against Community Standards here which is fine with me. No plastic pointsettias at Christmas - LOL.

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  8. I really like the lobster rope door mat. I looked at them on line the first time you mentioned them. Great colors and I love giving things a second useful life. I'd like the mat even more if it was the same width as the double doors. Maybe two the same lashed together if they don't make them wider?
    Also love the suggestion of painting the front doors a "Florida" color. I think the garden stools look great and you could move them yourself if you needed to.

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    1. That is the larger size of the mat and I think it's perfect. And no Florida color on the door - I am planning an upcoming post on deed restricted communities - the good, the bad, and the ugly. LOL

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  9. As someone who loves to garden and has lived in Florida for 10 years now, I can tell you that Eugenia is by far your best bet for planting in your fishbowls. I have several Eugenia topiaries that I have purchased from the big box stores and (for around $50 each)they do very well in full or part sun. They are basically kill proof as long as you keep them watered and rotated. I would also agree that weather, specifically wind is your biggest threat to planters in Florida. I have had several planters and very large pots toppled by wind gusts, including a gorgeous blue and white fish bowl that I was thankfully able to glue back together. I also have lemon trees and can tell you they thrive in the ground, not a pot. Lemon trees need full sun, I would suggest a Meyer lemon variety, they are fantastic!

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    1. Thank you for this. I love Eugenia topiaries and think a pair would be gorgeous and easy, and I have several empty spots in the garden where a Meyer lemon would be perfect. Done!

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  10. I love black shutters on a white house. I must mention my 1911 house is white with black shutters so I am partial to this look. I am not sure Beth if your HOA would allow this suggestion or if you would like this idea but how about double storm doors at your front door. This is added security plus you could open your front door to allow the light to come in. Last summer we installed we added a Larson security door to our back door. It is clear glass but is very very strong and has 3 locking mechanisms. The salesman banged on the glass to prove how strong the glass was. You have different choices for the door hardware.

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    1. I cannot add shutters and I love the look of the French doors as is. I love the exterior of the house as is. Some people here have added cages to the front door with storms and I literally detest the look. I can't imagine why they permit it.

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  11. My neighbors recently tried to purchase a small lime tree and were informed there has been some sort of blight so there are few available, large ones but not small. We have grown Key lime trees at several homes. They are smaller trees with yellower fruit which IMO make the best pies. I grew up in Homestead & mom made the pies all the time. We've grown sour orange trees which get pretty big and taste like lemons. Spanish cuisines love these & I always made lemon curd with them. Never attempted either of them in pots. Your pots are incredible! Bougainvillea is often grown that way & if you didn't actually plant them but simply placed them inside the fish bowls you could swap them out according to bloom cycles. Pamela

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  12. Love the idea of topiaries and would not move the garden stools which are perfect precisely where they are. You have established such wonderful relationships with the tradesmen that you will be first on their list in the event of a storm. And, the trees can be left in their plastic containers inside the fishbowls and easily moved, if needed. I am very upset to hear that there is a blight on citrus trees in Florida. I think they are beautiful and, of course, native to the region.

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    1. Thanks. I will do more research on the blight. Interesting.

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  13. Thumbs up for topiaries of Eugenia, Meyer Lemon trees either in pots or the ground. Not sure how well the lemons would do indoors. My Eugenia topiary is on the lanai and is thriving. The lemon tree is new to me and in a pot outdoors. I have a friend who shares her abundant supply of lemons in the winter with me, others who have great difficulty getting them bear fruit. I have had great success with the topiary as well as a bougainvillea that is being trained upwards on a trellis over my garage. This has been slow but will be well worth the wait. Caution: bougainvillea contain some wicked thorns. Gardening gloves required for handling these.

    I am just about to have a Sabal palm (official tree of Florida) replaced (this will be the third attempt). I have many that are doing well but this one spot is stubborn. Palms are also subject to disease especially in Florida.

    Also... I have a gorgeous turkey oak in the back that was here on the lot when purchased. I love this huge tree! Unfortunately I believe it was hit by lightning recently. Ugh. Has totally turned brown in just several days. Calling an arborist today.

    I have been plant shopping at Home Depot and Lowes for years. Pricing is right and they all obtain their plants from plant suppliers from around the country. I also have purchased from the local Ace Hardware garden center. If I am looking for something in particular, they will contact the supplier to see if it is available and have it brought in. Great customer service!

    Oh boy. HOA boards are another great topic. Double bladed swords they are.

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    1. Great gardening advice. I love Eugenia and it loves south Florida. I agree about Home Depot and Lowe's - their selection, prices, and warranty are fantastic and they use the same suppliers as everybody but with more buying power. I adore the palms here but know they can have issues. Sad.

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