Courtyard Makeover With Wine Bottle Barrel and Vintage Mirror
The front courtyard of the lovely Mediterranean home clearly had potential. A charming gateway led to it from the driveway. Two Spanish-style arches lined it heading to the front door, and a lovely picture window from the dining room framed the space.
The Problem: But the plantings were dark and overgrown. A big dead tree trunk took up space in the corner. A purple plant hid the window.
Before Makeoever: Overgrown plant blocks window
Worst of all, the homeowner said she never used it.
Well, for the Rose Garden Homes Tour in San Jose last weekend, the homeowner was ready to spruce things up.
In came Dhelia Fahrner, who has a San Jose seasonal container gardening business called La Jardiniere, to transform it.
“Because you enter the front door and walk through the courtyard, I thought it could be such a more welcoming and usable space,” she said.
The Solution: To lighten and freshen the shady space, Dhelia decided to stick with white and green, adding blooming azaleas and cyclamen, ferns and moss. The homeowner also wanted a low-maintenance space, so Dhelia added succulents in several containers, including in abalone shells.
She also wanted to highlight the arched window, both from the outside and the inside, so pulled out the overgrown plant, and added a formal knot garden of box hedges below and a pedestal with a female bust on top.
After: New plantingsfreshen fountain; vintage bust frames window
To add interest and a bit of whimsy, she turned an old metal wine bottle barrel on its side and loaded it with pumpkins and moss, which can change with the seasons. (At Christmas, it can be filled with big silver ornaments, or just planted with verigated ground cover.) A mirror made from a vintage Palladian window leans against the courtyard fence wall.
She removed an old bench and replaced it with a tile console table, and topped it with concrete urns with orchids, the abalone shell succulents, and a tray of drinks. “That will alllow them to serve wine and appetizers in the courtyard if they’re having a party,” Dhelia said.
After:This courtyard is ready for cocktails!
- Before: A lonely bench sits empty.
When they do, this courtyard is ready.
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Dhelia’s courtyard garden was absolutely beautiful!!!!! Her garden made the rosegarden tour!!
Wow, I wish i had known when this tour was, would have loved to be a part of it….next time….
I loved this garden! I went home and ripped out my backyard plants amended all the soil and planted the same type of garden, now that is inspiration!! Thanks Dhelia!!!
Dhelia did work her magic on this courtyard! It was a wonderful transformation. If anyone is interested in Dhelia’s work let me know I will hook you up!