Mid-Century Shift: 1940s and Beyond
Landscape architecture trends began to subtly shift after the World War II. Beginning in the 1940s, Palm Beach saw the intentional incorporation of native plants into landscape designs, signaling a growing understanding of the inherent value of ecology. The formality so deeply engrained in the landscape architecture of the 1930s began to loosen. Intentional integration of native plants seems far more prevalent in the 1940s and 1950s. Overall, landscape design in Palm Beach became more generalized to fit the changing architectural styles of this era, which were often more modern and simplified. Plants like bougainvillea went out of fashion as less Mediterranean style homes were built.
The Boynton Landscape Company was founded in 1919 by James D. Sturrock, the firm had been working for over twenty years before architect John Volk began to rely on their services for his commissions. In Palm Beach, the Boynton Landscape Company was evidently at the forefront of landscape design; they would soon come to be known for a diverse range of projects. George Sturrock, President of the Boynton Landscape Company stated that post World War II, creative work was on the decline and that color was more in demand.
“Landscaping has to do with translating a client’s ideas to a garden that reflects his personality.”
- George Sturrock, president of the Boynton Landscape Company, 1967.
