A magical entry is made so by being enchanting, a bit coy, and very welcoming.
Driving down a street in a modest neighborhood, I discovered a surprising garden creating a magical entry to a very simple house. The sight of this garden made me smile and my jaw drop. The first sight was an enormous flower wall, of datura and other flowering bushes, spilling over into the neighbor’s lot. Looking past that, one saw that the entire front yard was a garden full of roses, purple angel trumpet (datura), and yellow mandevilla. The house was barely seen behind the tall closely planted flowers. Only a driveway interrupted the profusion of plants. Seeing such love put into this garden gave me joy. What a gift to the neighborhood and our city.
A wall of datura, crepe myrtle, and mandevilla frame the sides of this Winter Park house.
A low green hedge seeks to contain the profusion of blooms.
Next to the house is a small shady garden with a brick walkway, large agaves, a tall oak, and many full green leafy bushes.
Pink datura reaches over into the shade garden to add a little color into this predominantly green park.
Houses that have little landscaping with flat expanses of green lawn don’t inspire me. There is no mystery, no winding path to the front door, no surprise.
The following images are examples of some favorite homes that each have a magical entry.
The facade of Umberto Pasti’s Tangier home. (Photo: Veranda Magazine)
My favorite element of this entry is the long low fountain that I find intriguing in so many ways. (Photo: Vogue.com)
A tea pavillion of this dreamy Moorish house made spectacular by the white agapanthus and oleander leaning into the walkway. (Photo: Jean-Francois Jaussaud)
The restored 14th-century French monastery barn was home to the American decorator Dick Dumas. (Photo: Style Court)
I do not know the origin of this photo but I love this entry with its mass of green punctuated by the white curtain showing just the tiniest peek into the interior leaving the viewer wanting more.
A wild flowery entrance to a garden path and house behind. (Photo: My Inner Landscape Tumbler)
A crunchy gravel path takes one to a set of wide low steps. The open front door gives a glimpse of a center table dressed with flowers. (Photo: 2.bp.blogspot.com)
Jean Cocteau’s tile mosaic leading up to the Villa Santo Sospir, Cap-Ferrrat. (Photo: lamuseblue.com)
Casa V can create a magical entry to your special home.