Yucca Rostrata "sapphire skies"

First off, the weather people are bold faced liars - I'm sorry, I had to get that out.  They told me sunshine. I was all excited to wake up to sunshine today! I was going to brew a pot of coffee and admire my new yucca rostrata from the sun deck.  I find myself singing that song from the classic Rudolph ... "there's always tomorrow for dreams to come true."  

Anyways, I do have some happiness to report.  So when Ollie was planted, I read that you should not plant anything near the base - this had me bummed. I chopped some heuchera in half, and planted them a couple feet away on either side of Ollie and just felt wrong.  I had wanted a whole mediterranean re-do to this area.  The idea of buying a couple of yucca rostrata 'sapphire skies' had been percolating in my head for a while.  Seeing danger garden's Sammy and lil' Sanford  and all the monster rostratas at my garden mecca convinced me to take the plunge. When I found two albeit very young yucca rostrata 'sapphire skies' for a really good price I new they must replace the heuchera by Ollie.

Imagine where those iris are some sort of opuntia maybe? Some nice rock? Some black mondo grass around the rostratas to bring out the blues?

 At this size they are like a cross between cordyline australis and blue fescue grass

But hopefully they will look like a big giant blue ball of yucca rostrata very soon!

Hanging Tillandsias

I found these great hanging pots at Southlands Nursery the other day and had to share them.  Not quite as fab as potted's circle pot  but somewhat cirlce pot - esque.  They had them in green, grey, and apparently at one point in time red (envious).  Anyways, they are the perfect vessel to display some tillandsias this summer.  Who needs baskets when you can hang tillandsias?!

All of the tillandsias seem to be loving the humid air. In fact, everything feels quite lush today.  While I have by no means satisfied my solar requirements I suppose it's nice to not water anything today.

If you're anywhere in the vicinity of Southlands they had a few left for under $10.

Schefflera Taiwaniana

Drum roll please ..... I got my SCHEFFLERA TAIWANIANA! Even better it was a gift to me from one of my dearest friends - she clearly knows me all too well.  This is the Dan Hinkley introduction from Monrovia called Schefflera Taiwaniana 'Yuan Shan'.  I have wanted one of these for years.  It is one of those plants that you hear all the little rumours about. A hardy schefflera? Dan Hinkley. Monrovia? When will it be available? - those ones.  I am happy to say it all culminated with me owning one - little Sheffy or the Shefster as I like to say.

I love the orange/red that the older growth exhibits!

 I'm still unsure where this guy is going to make it in the garden.  But if you look back to the left by my tree fern, I'm thinking somewhere around there.  This area gets part sun and is really well protected.

It just looks right at home!

West Vancouver garden mecca!

I went to West Vancouver garden mecca - as I have been calling it. This place was absolutely insane in the membrane!  It was actually apart of the North Vancouver Art in the Garden Tour 2012.  I knew that this house existed because of various palm society pictures over the years but I never in my wildest dreams imagined I would be able to tour it! So when I noticed it was one of the showcase gardens for this years tour, there was no way to stay away!  It actually has quite the history.  The famed palm lined streets of English Bay owe their existence to this mans father Rudi Pinkowski.  Years ago he had to convince the city that Windmill palms could and should be grown and was apart of an initial donation of palms to the English Bay waterfront with the Pacific Northwest Palm and Exotic Plant Society.

And you certainly can tell when you arrive at his home.  These palms tower over your head. It was somewhat humbling for me to see.  My "large" palms are mere babies in comparison... one day.  (look to the lower left hand corner ... is that tree fern fronds?!)

I loved this!  It made me want to do much more along the lines of annuals.  These alocasias were stunning.

Acanthus Mollis - I'm really warming up to this plant in a major way.  It adds an almost classic yet wildly tropical affect to the garden.

But wait... Have you ever seen Dicksonia Antarctica this large?! I actually had to pinch myself.  Is this some wildly entertaining dream or am I actually standing in front of the most beautiful tree ferns I ever did see?!?!

I was absolutely speechless.  Understand why I say mecca yet?

The treasures just continued as you wandered throughout the garden.  I have been plant lusting over one of these chamaedorea microspadix for years but have never seen one in the flesh!

sable minor I'm guessing.  I don't think most people appreciated how rare these are up in Canada.

Check out that view!!!

I was particularly taken by all the yucca rostrata around the back garden.

I definitely need some of these around the yard.

Poncirus Trifoliata "flying dragon"

Theres a large Jubaea Chilensis stump in the lower right corner.  It has obviously taken some damage along the way but seems to be recovering... I wonder what that will be like in a few years!!

Danger! Chamaerops, hebe, euphorbia, yucca, and cactus!!!!!

This bed was like a mini landscape all of its own.

tree ferns, echium, sunshine and ocean... Am I really in Vancouver?!?!

Walking down the beach the adventure just continues.

I fell in love with this yucca gloriosa superba.

This yard feels like somewhere in Southern California or the Mediterranean.

Gunnera Manicata.

Oh no you didn't! CORDYLINE INDIVISA! At this point my plant lust radar was through the roof.  I couldn't believe me eyes!

Close up of echium bloom.  I'm not too knowledgeable about these so I don't have an i.d. at first I thought candicans but it seems too small.

Brahea Armata - again plant lust through the roof! I had to console myself by reminding myself of how it would probably not survive a hard winter for me.

But this might! It was labelled chamaerops humilis cerifera but seems very green for a cerifera.  Kind of how my green chamaerops sometimes looks blueish.

One last show of those tree ferns for good measure.... I could never get enough of this.

Euphorbia griffithii maybe?

And lastly, one last street shot.  I hope you enjoyed garden mecca.