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.