NorCal "Tropic Zone" Garden Pics From Today

[Jim in Los Altos 2,310]

WOW,

Thank you for sharing pics of your lovely garden.

May I ask which species is the variegated ground cover on pic 1056? a Crinum?

I must say that your garden is a source of inspiration for what I try to do in Doranakanda after I read Made Wijaya years ago.

But I'll have to wait for some years before seeing trunks on my palms.

Phillipe, I think you are referring to the variegated stap-leafed plants beneath the big Howea palm. If so, they're Agapanthus 'summer gold'. They're popular plants but hard to often hard to find. Sometimes, for my clients, I substitute Agapanthus 'Tinkerbell' with its green striped white leaves.

There's a neat video of Made Wijaya's design philosophy on YouTube.

[ando.wsu 54]

I sure wish I could get my Arizona yard to look like this. Thanks for the inspiration!

[dalmatiansoap 383]

WOW!

#motivation

Absolute stunning

[Ben in Norcal 2,001]

Jim, I keep looking back at these photos as I continue my constant planning...great NorCal inspiration! I too need to pick your brains on companion plants at some stage.

Ben, pick away! By the way, I'm shipping you a ton of Archontophoenix seedlings tomorrow. Hope they do well for you.

Woohoo! Thanks Jim. Looking forward to nurturing your babies!

[Hilo Jason 3,120]

WOW!!!!!! Very motivational!

[Hammer 650]

Jim, what do you use as ground covers? Thanks.

[Jim in Los Altos 2,310]

Jim, what do you use as ground covers? Thanks.

Adam, If it's the gray colored ground cover you are referring to, it's Dicondra 'silver falls'. The tiny leafed trimmed plants are wire vine. It's unfortunately really invasive and I spend lots of time yanking it out of the aloe and palms and trimming it by the street.

[doranakandawatta 2,817]

Jim,

Do you use Dianella as ground covers too?

They are easy in Doranakanda garden but our climate is not the same.

[samirbouag 113]

woooooooooooow congrats your garden is awesome!! it's so beautiful, you are so lucky to have that kind of climate, your garden is a real tropical paradise! bravo

[realarch 4,410]

What can I say that hasn't already been said except that if I were looking for landscape design work and advice, you'd be the first one I'd call. By looking at photos of your space, how could one think otherwise. Great job!

Tim

[Jim in Los Altos 2,310]

Jim,

Do you use Dianella as ground covers too?

They are easy in Doranakanda garden but our climate is not the same.

Dianella is quite common in nurseries here. I use it occasionally. There are many forms and species.

[Jim in Los Altos 2,310]

woooooooooooow congrats your garden is awesome!! it's so beautiful, you are so lucky to have that kind of climate, your garden is a real tropical paradise! bravo

Thank you Sam! My climate is good but there are definitely times when I'm a little nervous during the winter.

[Jim in Los Altos 2,310]

What can I say that hasn't already been said except that if I were looking for landscape design work and advice, you'd be the first one I'd call. By looking at photos of your space, how could one think otherwise. Great job!

Tim

Thanks Tim. I'm definitely hooked on this palm hobby thing.

[Tropicdoc 286]

Keith, just let me know when you are ready to go!

[kylecawazafla 928]

wow!!! Such amazing plants!!

[Sabal Steve 819]

Very nice place jim.

[Jim in Los Altos 2,310]

wow!!! Such amazing plants!!

Kyle, Thanks. Many of these plants are totally foreign to most people around here.

[Jim in Los Altos 2,310]

Very nice place jim.

Thanks, Steve.

[jeevesjank 1]

Sorry for bumping a relatively old thread. But damn, that is a fantastic garden, hard to believe that's in norcal!

[Moose 1,465]

Sorry for bumping a relatively old thread. But damn, that is a fantastic garden, hard to believe that's in norcal!

Don't apologize for your bump. Incredible tropical looking garden in the northern California area. Most impressive!

[redant 1,043]

I have said it before and am forced to say it again, spectacular!

[Geoff 267]

That is indeed one of the most beautiful palm gardens I have seen in California… gotta see it in person someday!

[ghar41 201]

So many things amaze me about your garden Jim. How do you keep it watered so perfectly?

[Jim in Los Altos 2,310]

Thanks all again for your gracious compliments! Glenn, most of my landscape is on automatically timed spray heads with a couple of small areas on timed soaker hose that come on twice a week. I occasionally go out and hand water by hose the thirstier palms and plants since they're planted in beds with some less thirsty palms. For instance, Roystonea, Archontophoenix, Wodyetia, Foxy Lady, Clinostigma, etc. get extra occasional dowsings. My yard's not that big and I enjoy the nurturing aspect of it so it's easy.

[Palms4Steve 208]

Very impressive garden.I love the Chamaedorea elatior too.

[ghar41 201]

I knew this already but it has been confirmed again. I'm not moving next door to Jim anytime soon.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/102179051#.

[Alicehunter2000 704]

Geez.......Florida city's are a bargain!

[Ben in Norcal 2,001]

The 10 most expensive are almost exclusively in the Bay Area!

[Josh-O 2,706]

Jim, like everyone has already stated you have a very nice garden.Job well done When did you plant out the Lemeurophonix hallexii and M. Dar? keep us posted on how they fair through the winter

[Jim in Los Altos 2,310]

Jim, like everyone has already stated you have a very nice garden.Job well done When did you plant out the Lemeurophonix hallexii and M. Dar? keep us posted on how they fair through the winter

This will be their first winter here in the ground. It's a TOTAL experiment but as of today, they are all still actively growing.

[Jim in Los Altos 2,310]

I knew this already but it has been confirmed again. I'm not moving next door to Jim anytime soon.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/102179051#.

Glenn, a delapidated one story fixer upper, built in 1963, a couple of doors down from me just sold for $2.2 mil. There's tons of foreign money pouring into my area and who knows where it will end up. I'm putting together a landscape contract for a man a few miles from me who is a billionaire investor from China. Crazy stuff.

[Josh-O 2,706]

L. chinensis looks so tropical, just liking them more and more. Sometimes I think we get so caught up with all the exotic stuff and overlook the more common palms. Will be studying these pics more.

You're so right. I think L. chinensis are incredibly beautiful and use them liberally in my jobs when I can get them.

I agree with Alicehunter, very over looked palm that looks tropical

[Adam from Oz 12]

Bloody H3LL, James!

You've made a magnificent garden. Have been engrossed for quite some time.

You have so much crammed into a not-so-huge space. It has that frisson of Bali.

Checked out your website! Do you make Antipodean quotes?

Time for some anti-hypertensives. I feel some emoticons coming on...

Cheers,

Adam

[Alicehunter2000 704]

Bump

[Tassie_Troy1971 1,062]

Jim just had another look though your pictures and the garden looks unbelievable !

The only thing i would change if it was my yard would be taking out the big phoenix reclinata in the front yard and replacing with mature Howea forsteriana for softer foliage look .

Amazing what you can grow up there .

cheers Troy

[peachy 291]

Every time I see photos of Jim's glorious garden, then look at my yard, I want to move to a 50th floor condo and just impress people with my watercolour collection

Peachy

[Jim in Los Altos 2,310]

Jim just had another look though your pictures and the garden looks unbelievable !

The only thing i would change if it was my yard would be taking out the big phoenix reclinata in the front yard and replacing with mature Howea forsteriana for softer foliage look .

Amazing what you can grow up there .

cheers Troy

Thanks Troy for the compliment. It's taken fourteen years for that P. reclinata X roebelenii to finally be tall enough to walk under. I planted it as a one gallon plant. I have fourteen Howea forsteriana throughout my yard so, as much as I love them, that's it.

[Jim in Los Altos 2,310]

Thanks Adam and Peachy for the nice compliments. Peachy, I want to see more pictures of your palms and garden. It's been too long!

[Sunnie 3]

Wow, I just love it!

[Josh-O 2,706]

Again, great looking garden Jim!!!!