John Paul and Kelly have been living on Bougainvillea for eleven years.  Long time Florida residents they moved in town to be closer to business. Who would have guessed these city dwellers previously lived on a Horse farm out east of Fruitville Road!  

 

This amazing 99 year old property is ready to celebrate its Centennial this coming year!  It was built in 1925 as one of two homes on Bougainvillea amidst the “countryside”; hence the name “Bougainvillea House”.   This home was built as part of the Tudor revival of the 1920’s throughout the country. Multiple additions and renovations have brought the home into the 21st century; presently an eye to retaining the charm and aesthetics of this gem cannot be missed. The inspiration for the home’s garden theme is an English Country Garden”.  The couple’s inspiration is the Cotswolds- laden with quaint villages. Though the house lacks the Cotswold stone (a yellow limestone) the exterior sports the steeply pitched gable roofs with stately wooden beams set in stucco which defines a Tudor.  Flower gardening has become a full time avocation and addiction!

 

The Orr Tudor is one of the featured homes on tour as part of the South Poinsettia Park Neighborhood’s Centennial Celebration which is scheduled for Sunday, March 2, 2025. We are pleased to invite our Stroll community to participate in this tour from 11 am to 3 pm.  The Historic Home Tour will be followed by a private “birthday party” for South Poinsettia park members from 3:00-4:00 pm.  If you are interested in touring the 6-8 historic homes you will find all the information on our new SPPNA website: www.SPPNA.org (http://sppna.org/).  All attendees must register in advance …enjoy a “day of camaraderie in the past” with a charming Tudor, Tuscan delights, cottages and surprises galore!  

 

Back at the Orr home, massive Malibar and Java Plums, an ancient Camphor Tree and Pecan give shade and drop leaves!  No worries; John Paul owns a “Billy Goat” (not the real thing); a high-powered mulcher/weeder which bags fresh mulch for the islands and curvilinear beds throughout the property.  A second walk- round is with the lawnmower.  And the beat goes on and on and on.  No need to go to the gym with this “do- it yourself” gardener’s tenacity, persistence and daily hours in the garden!

 

Dead-heading, trimming, and adding vinca for summer color help ease the summer flower wilt in Sarasota sub-tropics.  

 

Some of the flowers thriving in this yard, particularly through our cooler months of November through April, include: Snap dragons, petunias, salvia, gaillardia and yellow waxbells. These plants mix well with Florida favorites: Crossandra, flax lily and Cape Marguerite Daisy bushes.  Blue cape Plumbago and hibiscus add color and texture.  Crepe Myrtle with its lilac-shape blooms; pergolas covered with confederate jasmine flower white mixing well with green tropical staples- White birds of paradise, a Spanish Cedar and areca palms.  A massive mango towers over the roofline in the rear of the home. Climbing fig adorns and softens the stucco wall surrounding the sides and rear of the home.

 

Antique statuary, settees, benches and fountains all reiterate the 1920’s theme of the garden.   Kelly and John Paul are particularly enamored with their rear fountain-country singer/writer (Blue Suede Shoes!) Matt Davidson’s fountain transported from California.  It is in the shade and adorned with moss…just waiting to be planted with shade loving foliage.  I donated some white and green variegated bromeliads to brighten the corner and pick up the Star of India and Sanchesia planted close by.  A Selby-Garden bromeliad-laden structure is in the making!

 

What a treat.  We are so lucky to live in Southside Village…such an eclectic mix of homes.  Let’s embrace and enjoy the history and charm in our neighborhood. Thank you to Kelly and John Paul for a “Stroll” around “the Bougainvillea” grounds and for opening their property for a Centennial Celebration!