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Mid morning, coastal clouds breaking for sunshine, finds homeowner Greg Asbagh (striped polo) greeting visitors in his palmy driveway. Maria Asbagh is nearby, trying to stay out of my photo. Greg and Maria have lived here since 1999, periodically adding carefully planned garden features. The first wave of landscaping was an elegant pool, and most recently, a putting green was added. Both Greg and Maria have taken up golf, in part as way to enjoy spending time with Greg's father. The garden is packed with ornamentals and lots of color. Photos: 1) Front view with Phoenix canariensis, Syagrus romazoffianum, Phoenix rupicola (smaller), colorful Cordyline and Aechmea 2) Bromeliad wall along the putting green, paved path above 3) densely planted desert garden in shades of blue and waxy green 4) Sunlight dancing on a potted bromeliad beside a large aloe and what I'm guessing is Euphorbia cotinifolia (round red leaves) 5) Koi pond with palms and bamboo

No visit to Dean's place would be complete without a little Dypsis mystery. So here we have BS Man discussing (alleged) two-tone spears, leaflets, shade and sun, with Blake (hope I got that right, just met him at the tour for the first time, welcome!). Names were tossed about, such as OCWS and Big Curly, but I didn't hear the conclusion, if there was one. One of a number of smartly dressed Dypsis baronii complex-type palms found here and there in the shady parts... Palm people line up to gorge on pot luck and sign up for the auction. I couldn't eat grapes and take photos at the same time, so this concludes our tour.

The back garden is filled with gems, too. First up, Cyphophoenix elegans, then Ravenea hildebrandtii, and a beautiful New Caledonia palm, possibly Burretiokentia hapala? Kentiopsis oliviformis? Across the pond, Howea belmoreana; various Dypsis and a Ravenea glauca in there, too. View of the crowd enjoying the garden; view to the garden from the deck.

But not so fast; there are still attractions out front to view... Dean has several Ceroxylon species, and this is one of them..... and the trunk of a different one. Ha! Guess which is which! The tentative id of this palm is Ravenea monticola. Shady path past various palms including Rhopalostylis sapida, Howea forsteriana, Archontophoenix, and much more. Okay, back toward the house, another tiki sneering at our lack of palm id skills... But in this open atrium-like setting, the palms and tikis are cool, giving us a friendly welcome, along with the sounds of trickling water. Even the non-palm-fanatic guests were enthralled with this tropical ambience. Phil puttin' on his tiki face; a chair that begs you to be seated, and many did take a seat.

This pair of Dypsis decipiens were sensational. Another much smaller pair are hidden in the shade behind them, also impressive in their own way. Don't park your car here. Rumor is the fronds will break a windshield. Turn around and wham! You are hit by the sight of a Licuala ramsayi, rather large, by SoCal standards. Beyond it we find some attractive black-stemmed bamboo. Whirl around further and enjoy the tall and dense canopy near the house. The leafy walk to the front door is guarded by this tiki with the prominently-featured pineapple, a symbol of hospitality.

The graceful Ravenea glauca; unfurling frond (id?); Easter islander gone astray Ummmm, I feel like I almost know what this is, but I don't; next, something fuzzy and ferny; I think this is some kind of very fine-leaved Ravenea? Please advise... Someone name this humongous fan palm. Gratuitous hibiscus photo. Looking back toward the street.

A short distance across the freeway to the west, we visit the mature garden of a palm collector, the Polynesian theme plainly visible from the street. This is the former home of our Moderator Dean Ouer, who has since decamped to Hawaii. Before leaving some ten years ago, he amassed an impressive collection of palms, many that did not have formal names at the time he was planting them. His son Dorian continues to live here, and both home and garden were looking nicely spiffed up for the tour. We are greeted by this punk tiki, one of an extensive and impressive collection scattered throughout the grounds. Near the street, the plantings remain quite dense, all the better to retain a degree of privacy. While the garden is truly palm-centric, there are a number of ornamentals such as Irisene, gingers, Monstera, Rhaphidophora, Hibiscus, and Crinum. Interesting groundcover! No, that is not grass...

The board meeting took place on a shady raised patio. They were too consumed with business for a dip in the pool. Lounge chairs awaited occupants under a palm-filled sky. As you exit the garden, the signage would almost seem to give directions to the next garden...

Surely the highlight of this garden is the tropical pool area. With seating in several vantage points around the pool, and a different view from each, choose your option, sun, shade, water, or jungle. Lounge in the jacuzzi, and don't forget to look up to admire the mature canopy.