Chinoiserie in the Garden

Southern Living Collection Door Mats

 

I spent much of yesterday in my garden. Lowe's delivered 2 pallets of bagged black mulch that my gardeners will put down on Saturday. I did some pruning and I also cleaned all my blue and white Chinese garden stools and fishbowls.

Gardening & Bidding

Dollhouse Wooden Delft Firescreen

 

I had a very successful day yesterday. I hand pruned my 15!!! Eugenia topiaries and they look wonderful. My gardeners do not like taking the time to hand prune so I did it myself. My English shears do such a better job than that awful power one they use. They look just like English boxwoods (that do not grow here) and they are in single balls, double balls and poodle shapes. And I ordered 125 bags of black mulch from Lowe's to be delivered.

New HomeGoods Finds

CCC

I love topiaries and have many in my garden at CCC. In Virginia, my topiaries were English Boxwood which sadly does not grow here in South Florida. Fortunately, there are many great substitutes like Eugenia that loves it here. 

Blue and White Chinoiserie Outdoors

Todd Richesin Interiors

 

I love this garden vignette with blue and white stripes and a pair of blue and white Chinese porcelain garden stools. I have had Chinese garden stools outside for decades and they do not deteriorate in the least. They were in my garden in Alexandria, Virginia in rain and snow and freezing temps and here in South Florida in scorching sun and tropical storms. I did move them into the garage for cat 5 Hurricane Ian though! 

Chinoiserie in the Garden

Danielle Rollins - Luxe Magazine

The photo above is the Palm Beach home of Danielle Rollins and fiancé Tom D'Agostino featuring their darling goldendoodle Henry. It features lots of blue and white Chinese porcelain.

Crazy Week

Lipstick Palm

 

This week has been a busy one indeed. My daughter had the inspection on their new home in Annapolis and their existing home just went on the market today. I have been assisting long distance. And the rejuvenation of my Florida garden begins today, so I have been knee deep in garden design. The existing garden has too many overgrown and dated shrubs. I am imagining a more dramatic, modern, hurricane friendly, and exotic space with lots of blue and white Chinese garden stools and potted blue and white Chinese fishbowls (that can be moved into the garage when required).

This palm above is on my wish list. I'm hoping I can find one locally. Just perfect for my Chinoiserie Chic home I think.

Weekend Fun

Danielle Rollins

 Bike riding is huge in my gated community. It seems very safe as well with very limited traffic at slow speeds. I have decided to get a bicycle and started researching. Of course I have fallen in love with a vintage wicker bike like this, but boy are they $$$. A nice one is about $2,000.  

And my Bartesian arrived yesterday and I inaugurated it with a Jalapeño Lime Shrub to which I added fresh jalapeño slices. It is lime juice and jalapeño and apple cider vinegar and it was fantastic. I ordered a second Bartesian for the lanai for entertaining. 

Bartesian Jalapeño Lime Shrub

I spent the day yesterday in the garden - my Brugmansias have all started blooming and they are gorgeous!

Brugmansia

Chinoiserie in the Garden

Pinterest

I am not sure what to make of this, but it is certainly creative.

Clocks & Spring

"A little extra bubbly makes losing an hour a bit brighter" - Liily Pulitzer

Although we set the clocks forward tonight and lose an hour, it also means that spring is on the way and spring in DC is nothing shot of breathtaking. This is what is blooming in my own garden right now  - camellias in pink, red, and stripes, Japanese quince, and a huge variety of hellebores.

Chinoiserie In the Garden

Better Homes and Gardens via The Pink Pagoda

I am about to spruce up my terrace and have been looking for inspiration and I just found it via The Pink Pagoda. Eureka! I absolutely adore this.

I'm A Giant Challenge - The Rooftop Pool and Garden

We are now half of the way through the rooms in my house. We have toured -

The Hollywood Regency Dressing Room
The Black and Gold Lacquered Kitchen
The Singerie Entryway
The Pink Chinoiserie Bedroom

I thought we would venture outside now to my rooftop garden. This is my little getaway with a heated swimming pool, cabana, and garden. It is a perfect spot to read the morning paper with a cup of tea, to entertain, or to take a dip after a long day. Let me show you around -

A Chinese Chippendale bridge
A pair of blue and white Chinese pagodas
A pair of red foo dogs
A pair of silver leafed and gold leafed peacocks
A vintage bar cart with silver tea service
Trees
A pair of blue and white Chinese garden stools
A cabana with Suzanne Tucker Peacock Toile fabric in Cerulean
A towel monogrammed with CC - Chinoiserie Chic of course!
A lucite bench
Chinese statuary
A swimming pool

Hope you enjoyed the tour. I am off to finish my cup of tea and then take a quick dip in the pool.

Elephants in the Garden

This darling Elephant Pillow is made to be used outdoors

Perhaps you prefer the Elephant Pillow in turquoise and green

These Elephant Salad Plates are perfect for outdoor dining

Blue and White Ikat Outdoors

I just got these Ikat Outdoor Pillows at Target yesterday for my patio and love them. So chic and such a hot trend and only $24.99 for two.

The Garden Stool

Continuing our look at bringing Chinoiserie into the garden, isn't this a wonderful new take on the Chinese garden stool? Available at Wisteria, the Terracotta Garden Stool was one of my top picks on my Houzz Ideabook.

Chinese Chippendale Outdoors

Chinoiserie is wonderful in the garden. Perhaps my favorite look of all is teak Chinese Chippendale furniture. Classic and elegant, it is a timeless look that will last a lifetime. Most makers of fine teak furniture will have a version of the Chinese Chippendale style.

The Chinese Garden Stool in the Garden

Continuing with our look at bringing Chinoiserie outdoors, here is one of my favorite tips. Bring the garden stool out into the garden. I have been using blue and white Chinese garden stools in the garden for years. My entire neighborhood has copied my example. On a recent garden tour, they were everywhere! I have six in my garden. Two are used on the terrace as side tables to hold a drink or a book, two flank one of my doors, and two flank my garden gate. Don't worry abut them deteriorating outside-mine have been left outdoors unprotected for twenty years in the DC area and they look perfect. Below are some great examples from Tonic Home, but blue and white Chinese garden stools are widely available at all price points. HomeGoods and Overstock.com are great sources for budget versions. You will be delighted by the elegance and structure they bring to the garden.