Landscape redo earns Palm Beach couple the Smith award from the Preservation Foundation

May 10 2022

“…On May 3, the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach awarded the Smiths the 2022 Lesly S. Smith Landscape Award for excellence in landscape design….“The award recognizes a landscape that is both in keeping with the character and traditions of Palm Beach, yet also original and forward-thinking. Preserving the scenic quality of our town is central to our mission and this award seeks to acknowledge how landscapes impact our experience of the built environment.” …The Smiths hired Lake Worth Beach-based Yates Burle Studio, owned and operated by Debra Yates and her son, Benjamin Burle, to design the new landscape. The 80-year-old seagrape trees and coconut palms were retained, but much of the grass was removed, including artificial turf on the beachfront, Yates and Burle said….With more than 45 types of full-grown native trees and plants, including rare and threatened coastal native species, the property probably contains the highest concentration of native species on a private oceanfront property in Palm Beach.

“This is a good example to show you can create a native habitat in a sophisticated way,” Burle said.

Yates and Burle personally selected each tree, and all plants and trees in the project were locally sourced. The rarest trees incorporated are the Joewood tree, bay cedar, seven year apple, lignum vitae, cinnamon bark and white indigo berry. Rare palms featured include the buccaneer palm and Florida silver palm. Sea lavender and limber caper are rare plants now flourishing on the property.

….read more here