Today we go back up to Vancouver, BC, and my quick visit earlier in the month. After we finished up at Claude’s garden, he took us over to visit Dan’s place. Pulling up out front I wasn’t sure what to expect as a tall hedge kept most of the garden hidden.
Even the entrance was veiled to protect it from prying eyes.
Damn, that’s a tall trachycarpus!
Oh! Love the deco-style home! (those tall cylindrical pots would have plants in them if my visit had been earlier in the year)
Turning now with my back to the house and looking out towards the hedge we saw earlier. I believe I heard that Dan made those custom stepping stones.
Taking the path that veers to the right…
And back to walk the other leg…
What fun pruning.
I was told in the summertime these pots hold agaves.
We’re in the back garden now where things are buttoned up for winter.
On the other side of the back wall there’s a veggie garden…
Dan made these raised beds out of pavers turned on their side and enclosed within a custom frame. Easy to take apart and move when the time comes. Genius!
A final look at the vegetable area…
… and we walk in towards the house, seeing the first of three (!!!) greenhouses…
Turning to the left, the main greenhouse is built off the garage, with a nice bump-out addition. I didn’t get a shot of the third greenhouse, but if you look to the far right-side of this photo you can see its lights.
And inside there’s a blooming lewisia!
Inside the big greenhouse, a blooming Huernia zebrina…
… and lemons!
I bet it’s a beautiful sight in here at night, as there’s a collection of colored glass lamps hanging from the ceiling. As a nod to practicality the hanging pots have metal saucers fastened to the bottom to contain drips.
The residents of the bump-out.
There’s a large agave hiding back there!
Gorgeous staghhorn (Platycerium grande?)…
With an interesting side-growth.
Maybe a Blechnum gibbum, which I guess is now going by the name Oceaniopteris gibba?
Another Pitcairnia alata (if I’m remembering correctly this one is a baby from Claude’s plant).
Oh my! Another spectacular platycerium of some sort I think?
The agaves are up on the top shelf where they can’t hurt anyone (smart since they also don’t need watering over the winter, but it must have been hell to get them up there).
Baby mangaves, Dan does sell plants at specialty sales.
Like many gardeners he just can’t help but make more plants.
Now we’ve gone into the house to see the final greenhouse (that first one I shared a photo of, off the back of the house), this one is full of cactus.
Check out the tall square pots, they’ve got inserts so you’re not carrying around a heavy pot made heavier with soil.
Back out in the front garden now, where there were ginger blooms (perhaps Hedychium densiflorum?) that I missed the first time through. Thanks for letting some crazy American with a camera tour your marvelous garden (and house) Dan!
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