Putting Down Roots, at Last

Settling into a garden after a career of frequent moves

My name is Linda Corinaldi , and I dwell in West Vancouver ( mint of rain and lots of slugs ) in British Columbia , Canada .

We have lived in this house for 20 years . Before my husband retired , we moved every three class with his job . With each move we bribe a fresh house , and because we knew we would move again , it was pretty much an annual garden at each sign . This prison term I was able to do a more lasting garden . I think that I have finally created the garden of my dream ; to me it is perfect .

I make out plant withlarge leaves , and because I grow up in the Caribbean I require a tropical type of garden . Unfortunately , this house had been professionally landscaped , and the corner flock had been planted with about twenty maple .

The entrance garden , with huge floweringbigleaf hydrangeas(Hydrangeamacrophylla , Zones 6–9 ) .

Big , bluff leave of absence and dramatic foliation land some of the tropical flare that Linda loves .

An enormousrhododendronin full spring blossom .

Containers by the entrance of the house . The emphasis here is on foliage , using contrasting dark and light leaves to make a striking , advanced planting . No flower are required .

vast leaves of gunnera ( Gunneramanicata , Zones 7–10 ) and ensete banana ( Enseteventricosum‘Maurelii ’ , Zones 9–11 ) give this area more of a tropic look . Interestingly , gunnera is in reality very illiberal of red-hot weather but loves cool summer like what you get in Vancouver . Choosing plants like that give the visual effect of the tropic , but on a plant well - suited to Linda ’s mood .

Contrasting light and sorry leaf and blossom . disconsolate colors come from a dark - leaves selection of elderberry ( Sambucusnigra , Zones 5–8 ) and the succulentAeoniumarboreum(Zones 9–11 ) . Those black colors make the whitesmooth hydrangea(Hydrangeaarborescens , Zones 3–9 ) flowers , yellow - impart creeping Jenny ( Lysimachianummularia‘Aurea ’ , Zones 3–9 ) , and variegated Nipponese woodland green goddess ( Hakonecholoamacra‘Aureola ’ , Zones 5–9 ) look all the bright .

Containers filled with a variety of plants make a beautiful video display .

A huge pot of clivia ( Cliviaminiata , Zones 9–10 ) cover in bright orange bloom . If you get frost in your area , just move it inside as a houseplant for the winter .

A beautiful outdoorseating areais hem in by the lush garden full of tropical notes .

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