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.

Kicking back to relax...

Some days I find myself like an eager beaver.  Digging, hauling, amending, planting, etc.  But then there are those days.  You wake up to the sunshine coming in your window, you put off all work that you ought to be doing and you just kick back.  Today is that day.  The sun is shining and the temperature is reaching into the 80's.  One cups, two cups, three cups of coffee and more - I plan on relaxing and taking in this glorious day! Happy aloha Friday everyone!

Looking down at the side yard while kicking back the morning joe.

 Mt. Baker to the south east of us... apparently one of the snowiest places on earth! yikes! it sure looks beautiful - especially in the summer sun.

drive by surprises

I was driving along, minding my business a few weeks ago when to my surprise two towering trachies just jumped out at me!! Along one of the busiest roads, someone appeared to have just planted two massive palm trees! While I don't condone most of what else is going on here, these palms are absolutely stunning!  So screech went the brakes, out came the camera phone, and here they are...

You can tell a lot of work actually went on here and so maybe it's still in pre-liminary stages. We shall wait and see.

Wacky Trachy Wednesday

Some things in life must be treasured.  Whenever I see trachycarpus blooms that's how I feel.  With their creepy lobster claw-like arms stretching out to from their trunks, whats not to love?  It's such a weird and wonderful sight to behold.  I have been holding my breath this year hoping for just one palm to be female so I can get trachy babies!  Around here, typically female palms are a few weeks behind males.

Early on in their bloom cycle its hard to tell, but once the flowers are completely opened up a male will drop pollen when lightly shaken.  I'm guessing male.

My largest palm has been flowering for years now and is a male.

But whats this?! could it be?! A palm tree much farther behind the others?  Still too early to tell, but possible.

This one is way behind the others as well! That means possibilities.  Another tell tale sign of a female trachy is a more upright flower stalk. Could this be what I've been waiting for all along!? Again it's still to early to tell but there are more reasons to be hopeful.

 So I know this is cheating, this one is a chamaerops but equally weird and wonderful.

Check out these claws!  At this stage I could even paint fish faces on those bloom stalks and they would look like parrot fish.  In just a few short days they will reveal their secrets... I hope this is the elusive female trachy I have been waiting for!

 These palms never cease to amaze me.  Have a happy wacky trachy wednesday!