Hey robreti, nice work.

That Trachy looks great among the blossoms, and the other palms as they grow, will add a lot of interest.
Wow you're growing a lot of "Vancouver stuff".
Good for you.
Camellia? Gardenia? never succeeded with either, but my Dad did in Vancouver.

And is that a Fiddleleaf Fig?
Is it sunken in a pot? or will you dig it up in the Fall?

The curved bed is nice too.
Barb

Thanks a lot, Barb!

Yes, it is lots of wishful thinking I put into this and overwintering will be a challenge. Palms burlapped, Gardenias mulched high and maybe protected by a screen, and the fig.... it is a Brown Turkey variety from Monrovia, allegedly winter hardy. We have lots of Italians and Portuguese in Oakville, who say that the best approach is to pull the whole fig to teh ground and cover it with soil and mulch..... I think I'll cover half of its body in its standing position and maybe I'll have some chances for some wood survival, too.

The Eucalyptus is said to we root hardy in zone 6, meaning that each year you can expect a small bush of approx. 1.5 m high.

I have great expectations regarding the Little Gem Magnolia; I read so much praise about its hardiness. Well, I keep watering it every day when we do not have rain.

Would the Okanagan valley be quite similar to Oakville, but drier? (my dream is to live there, honestly....)

Thanks again!
Rob

Looking good 8)

Keep us posted 😀

I'm guessing that you'll need to do more than burlap the palms, but there's time to discuss that.

Interesting you mention the Italians and Portuguese who bend the fig to the ground.
years ago, I saw a Victory Garden show that featured exactly that.
I forget the city (probably it was in the US), but the fellow was Italian and grew the most fabulous stuff.
Victory Garden producers went back and did a show on his winter protection.
He had a long skinny ditch about two feet deep dug right beside his 15 foot tall fig tree.
Roots were gently loosened with as much soil intact as possible, then the root ball tipped over as the entire tree was laid into the ditch.
The tree didn't have long branches, maybe only a foot long each.
All was covered with straw (and insulation I think), then mounded with the soil.
He did say that the entire tree had to be at the same winter protection level as the fruiting branches.

The Italian fellow was known far and wide for his produce and fruit, mostly exotic.
I've never forgotten that special.

I'll watch your magnolia with interest.

I'm in Vernon at the northern tip of the Okanagan...Canada's only desert.
We're dry...semi-arid...maybe 10 inches of precip a year (if we're lucky), I saw a study that said 75% of the Okanagan's precip evaporates.
I believe it.

If you protect your Euc up to a couple of feet, maybe you will eventually lose only a foot or two of a 5 foot tree, but I don't know squat about Eucs.
Enjoy!
Barb

Rob,
that looks great! A lot of work went into preparing all that, on top of all the research you did all winter.
I'm looking forward to seeing it all grow this summer.
A few comments, mostly on the comments:
Trachy: I have not found burlap alone to get young Trachy through my worst winters, just the milder ones. Ask for help come autumn from the more experiences growers here.
Gardenia: I've only tried August Moon, not Kleim's Hardy. Died. W bought a standard Gardenia she'll try to keep alive in the house this winter. If yours lives a year, I'll get one for the ground.
Camellia: you've seen my undeserved success. Let's keep talking about them and I'll plant some more.
Crape myrtle: great plants; look good even when not in flower.
Fig: I had a Brown Turkey at my last house, in town. It died to the ground the first winter with no protection but came back vigorously from the roots. By the next winter it was lower stem hardy, and after that all the limbs came through the winter. It got about 12' high by the time I sold the house, to a family from Iran who loved it. Fruited well, too. I am hoping for the same from the two "Celeste" I planted last month.
As for the Victory Garden episode Barb described, I saw that one, too. Fascinating. I wonder if it is up on the PBS website? Or on YouTube?
--Erik

Very nice Rob... Did you polish the leaves on your So. Mag or what? They are so lustrous.

Little Gem magnolias are popular around here. I don't have one yet as my large shrub/small tree bed is a work in progress.
However, the Little Gem is likely the magnolia I'll get as they are thought to be very tough. --Erik

Thanks guys, for your comments. I am sure that I'll come begging for some good advice in a couple of months on the winter protection; I just did not have the heart to leave those plants getting potbound in the nursery, it was pure goodwill (was it?!?)..... The Magnolia is a beauty, no question. It is small though. I water it like crazy on warm dry days, in order to prevent any halt in its quite slow growth.... The flower was a bonus; my wife spent all two days outside smiling at it....
One of the Gardenias is a Frost ....(King?) which is believed to be even hardier than the Kleims Hardy. It has narrow leaves and double flowers. I hope it will survive...
Wow, I loved the fig story, this is my secret wish, to be able to grow it without any major intervention. I know that it will never be a single trunk tree and I hope I still am in the calculated risk zone....
As for Camellias, I was doing some heavy research on the net and could get in contact with someone who took part in the field reasearches with Ackermann, being responsible for the Canadian part of the experiment. When she protected the Camellias, they were fine, but in the third year, following Ackermann's request to let them be without any protection, they died. Their bark peeled off like celophane.... It is a challenge which can give a lot of sleepless nights, but on the other hand, if I succeed.... so why not?
Thanks for any further comments, I do appreciate your inputs big time.
Rob