English Bay, Vancouver

The downtown west end of Vancouver is one of the palmiest places around!  So it's no surprise that I spend much of my spare time soaking up the sun and the palmy sights.  But its not all palms.  There are just great gardens in general in this part of town.  I call it my secret spot - not so secret - but I find parking at the tennis courts in Stanley Park provides the best starting out point to take the palm tree grand circle tour.  So, when I found myself meeting friends downtown last Saturday evening, I most certainly did a mini palm tour!!

I consider this the enchanted pathway that leeds to my palm mecca.  Just looking at this picture makes me giddy with anticipation.

This home, which I often refer to as "mine," has such a stunning garden.  Imagine what you could do with this space!  One day when I win the lottery - I suppose I should buy a ticket instead of believing the winning ticket will fall from the sky - it will be mine.

here's some yucca love along the way.  These yuccas always look pristine.

And from this angle I like it even more!!! I feel as though I share an affinity with the people of this complex.  Would it not bring you so much joy to be greeted by this every single day on your way home?

And can I just say, this summer weather is EPIC! People are sooo much happier - including myself! Ahhh, just take it in.  And of course, grab an ice cream or two if you need a cool down.  I have an even better idea... ice cream, and then coffee and then another ice cream.  (And preferably get coconut falvour in order to keep with the festivities of summer)

Back to the palm tour: As you make your way towards English Bay you are greeted with palm grove number 1...

These are the parents of two palms in my garden.  If you look down into that euphorbia you will find hundreds of baby palm seedlings!! It always takes great will power not to harvest some.  But seeing as I was meeting people for dinner I was able to control myself.

Check out all those beautiful palm seeds!!!

Another angle reveals just how many palms are in this grove. I LOVE IT!

moving on we find grove #2...  Much smaller in scale but still quite wonderful.

I suppose you might be wondering ... does he really have every single planting numbered off?  And I would have to answer that with an incredibly ecstatic, "there are too many to count!!"

I love acanthus mollis blooms!!! In fact the trachycarpus and acanthus mollis combination could be one of my personal favourites.

And of course they would have one of my beloved cordyline red sensation!

Speaking of cordylines... check out these green ones!  They might not look like it, but these things towered over my head.  I always have to pinch myself when I'm in English Bay. Like, is this for reals? Because it certainly seems to good to be true.  And that being said, these pictures don't even do it justice.

Oh and it just keeps getting better! See that tree on top of that apartment building?  It is a landmark showing the height of the old growth forest that used to go throughout where current day Metro Vancouver sits! Crazy, eh?

I love palm groupings like this.  It's ultra lush!

These palms were planted last winter at the new English Bay Cactus Club.  They seem to have settled into place just fine.

And it's not just regular trachycarpus fortunei, check out these awesome trachycarpus wagnerianus palms! I plan on collecting some pollen from these in the years to come to do some trachycarpus fortunei x wagnerianus hybrids.

Here are some of the chamaerops humilis that came through the winter 2008 fiasco. They certainly took some damage but appear to have made a nice recovery over the last few years.

Tomorrow I'll share more shots with the evening glow and sunset.  I hope you enjoyed palmy English Bay!!!!

at what point do you realize you have a problem?

I was thinking about this as I looked outside admiring my purple cordylines.  At what point do you realize you have a problem?  How many cordylines do I actually have?!  My initial response - to myself that is - was one of a qualifier. "Yeah but you see..." and thats when I knew, I have a cordyline problem.  But really, whats not to love?!

It's like they sing when planted in and amongst the greens and blues of the yard.  Maybe my real problem is for Kiwi plants in general.  Tree ferns, cordylines, flax - oh I love flax - and hebes are all favourites.  I wouldn't go as far as to say that my yard is predominantly Kiwi, but my plant family tree is definitely part Kiwi.

So how many cordylines do I actually have? Twelve... I think.  There used to be at least another half dozen purple cordylines but winter took care of those.  Maybe it's time for green?  Or how about a nice cordyline torbay dazzler?

The replacement....

So I have had this dilemma. How do I replace my late Cordyline Australis Red Sensation. Below is a picture of it in its glory last september.  If you have been following my winter blues, my muchly beloved cordyline fopped over and died!  So I've had this dilemma, what to replace it with?!

Though I do lament the loss of colour contrast, I think I have a new plant obsession. Yucca gloriosa variegata!! I got this beauty for 50% off last weekend and drum roll.... It is the replacement.

I said before, my natural inclination is new zealand flax grass or another cordyline (which I do already have on hand) ... but I really don't want another plant protection project.

 I think it adds a more desert"esque"look to everything.  Not only that but just a few feet away is my other newly planted yucca gloriosa variegata.  For now, all cordylines will remain potted or treated as annuals... as much as it pains me.  What other plants do you all think I should add this year?

One random yet happy plant purchase for me was this patio peach!! It is one of those genetic dwarf varieties. Not only do I love peaches, but I also love the foliage on peach trees and am very excited to pot this up!!!

But for now, I'll leave you with this.  Don't let the sunshine and blue skies in this photo deceive you.  It represents a mere reprieve from the relentless days of cold drizzle.  Here's to hoping for more sunshine... we certainly need it!