What are your plant lusts?

What do you do when it rains without ceasing?  I dream of plant purchases. I was asking myself this question today - Self, what plants are you lusting after this year?  It's all about focus.  You have to get that instinctive plant radar up and running.  I tried to think of a top ten.  If I could buy ten plants this summer that would revolutionize everything what would they be!? Here's my top ten in descending order.

10. Agave bracteosa - I have finally found a good source ... now the problem is and remains the sticker shock.  But I have the perfect home, sitting empty in wait for my beloved agave.... maybe this weekend. (this plant would be much higher on my list if not only for the fact it is well within my reach)

9. Brahea Armata - This one is a completely new addition to the list.  This palm was completely off of my plant lust radar until I saw one in the flesh a couple of weeks ago... one word, stunning!

8. Chamaerops humilis cerifera - do I need to say anything more?!

7. Sabal Minor - Oh how I dream about conquering the ivy jungle in the northwest corner of the yard and creating a whole new garden space.  These could go in as the new "palm shrubs"

6. Fascicularia bicolor - I was given the idea of "planting" these in the crux of my trachycarpus fortunei ... and then I thought about the boots of butia capitata.  Not to mention having some bromeliads around always makes things happy.

5. Agave havardiana.

4. Trunking yucca rostrata - I already have two of these bad boys in the yard but it appears I simply must have one with a trunk.

3. Jubaea Chilensis - This one I have seen repeatedly over the years but sticker shock always wins out.  Actually, with this plant its not sticker shock.  It's more or less the fact that I would get a giant - declined - If I ever tried to purchase it.  I suppose that's a good thing.  It keeps me in check - for now I will admire them from a distance.

2. Nolina La Siberica - Can some nursery finally order this plant in!?! It's actually a conspiracy I think.  I have scoured the Fraser Valley looking for this treasure.  It is nowhere to be found.  That being said, I was told next spring I could get one if I'm patient... this could be a long wait.

1. Cordyline Indivisa - the real deal indivisa not the thousands of mislabelled nursery pots "cordyline indivsa."  Again after seeing this plant in the flesh at the West Vancouver garden mecca I am on the hunt. This one will be a little next to impossible to find.

What about y'all? What plants are on your plant lust radar this year?!  Happy plant hunting...

Junuary 2012

It's official, the beginning of June has marked by the return of Junuary.  This Junuary could possibly be the coldest yet - thus far.  With highs of 54F and 57F the last couple of days I have been asking myself how it is even possible to sustain life this far north of the equator.  What's worse, the once sarcastic reference to Junuary has become common place language.  I find this greatly disturbing on so many levels.  You see, I am a summer person of heart.  But recently I find myself opening the jars to the cinnamon scented comfort candles, adding extra blankets at night, and drinking gallons of hot tea.  But I have a dream.  A dream with days soaring into the 90's, a dream with a jug of sweet tea, hammocks, ice cream, and the smell of BBQ.

I wonder when the funk of Junuary will ever leave.  I've considered a ceremonial sun dance - if only it would work.  I have to admit, it has slowed down the garden fervour.  Thankfully, the garden seems to take it in stride.  The Dicksonia Antarctica (Tasmanian Tree Fern) seems to love this weather.

Little Sheffy seems happy in his new home.  I'm not sure what conditions these plants do their best under but I'm sure all this rain is helping it settle into place quite nicely.  (Can you tell I'm really trying to convince myself to be alright with Junuary ... but I'm so not)

What I'm holding out for is agave growing weather - the real test of summer!

Tragedy in the garden...

I have to report a tragedy.  Sometime between Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon a group of bandit squirrels waged war on my beautiful little aloe aristata.  The side story being, last spring I bought this aloe,  planted it in a protected little hollow and watched it sail through the winter and produce a bloom! My first ever outdoor aloe in bloom! I was ecstatic.  But then tragedy struck...

That bloom stalk was just about ready to put on its show when it was brazenly snapped right off.  I think what makes tragedies like this worse is that I have long considered myself a friend of woodland creatures.  I have defended them as more than rats with bushy tails.  No more. This was personal.  I couldn't quite figure out what provoked such a nonsensical act.  Was it retaliation for disturbing a stash of nuts? I did uproot several starts of nut trees this year.  Or was it entirely random?

On a happier note, I planted an entire aloe patch -Take that squirrels!

Communities in transition - Mt. Pleasant Vancouver

In parts of Vancouver like Mt. Pleasant, front yard makeovers are becoming more and more common.  The communities are in a kind of transitional change.  Older homes are undergoing facelifts so to speak and really changing the face of this community itself.  These small changes can be seen as representations of changes within the community at large.

I really enjoyed this modern facelift.  Hebes and flax anchor the planting...

You can see how it is a bit jarring beside the neighbours.  This odd conundrum is only made worse by contrasting all the different and competing facades.  But then again, perhaps it is a mere representation of the neighbourhood itself - diverse.

 Either way, there is no doubt I love the plants chosen in this re-model.  It has a fresh urban feel.

This one has a more woodland kind of feel to it.  I love all the different foliage combinations and the river rock look.

Another take is the historic look.  I love the old character homes in and around Vancouver!  Perhaps the key to performing this well in this kind of neighbourhood is a kind of hybrid style.

The little cafe at St. George really understands this.  It combines modern, rustic, and historic elements to create an unique oasis right in the centre of this neighbourhood.

Who doesn't want to cuddle up and enjoy a nice cappuccino in this setting?

I certainly did!

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!