Trellised-walls of the building support roses, clematis and a climbing hydrangea, which flower in sequence to deliver formidable displays in spring.
A grove of spruce trees, planted in a semicircle on the west side of the property, means the complex gets bright, unimpeded morning light, but is screened from the scorching heat of the afternoon sun.
To the right of the pond, a small wooden pavilion, offering a sheltered view of the koi in the water, leads to a Japanese-style shade garden.
Janko and Langteigne say they spent more than two years planting a dozen kinds of cyclamen as well as sanguinaria, maidenhair ferns, unusual arisaema and shade-loving ornamental grasses, such as Hakonechloa ‘Nicholas’, which turns red-and-orange in the fall.
The ground here is pumped full of autumn crocus, which put on yet another striking flower show in early fall.
Janko and Langteigne’s own patio garden is consistent with the planting in rest of the complex. It also has a clearly exotic, tropical feel.
From the main garden, the entrance is via a narrow path that winds up a gentle slope from the pond and pavilion and through an arch of clematis and pink abutilon.
Flanking the gate are two sizable pots filled with pelargoniums and scented heliotrope.
Inside, a small water feature has a fog-maker that puffs bursts of white mist into the air. The small space is filled with plants with exotic foliage and sultry flower colours: fuchsias, coleus, pineapple lilies and passion vine.
A greenhouse is home to Janko’s private collection of carnivorous plants — sundews and pitcher plants, sarracenia and nepenthes, bladderworts and Venus flytraps. Elsewhere, he has a diverse collection of air plants (Tillandsia).
It all adds up to a colourful, tropical, South American jungle-like environment but at the centre of it all there is a calm, quiet sitting area, shaded by an arching canvas canopy.
What drew them to the tropical palate, the exotic end of the plant spectrum for a garden? Was it, perhaps, because they both came from colder, botanically challenging regions of Canada — Janko from Red Deer, Alberta, and Langteigne from New Brunswick?
“I have always been fascinated by the old and vintage gardening of the past, especially the British tradition, such as the hothouses at Kew,� says Janko.
“But we both like plants that have an exotic look. They stop you in your tracks and make you stare and gasp with wonder. They are thrilling to be around.
“We like hot colours — fuchsia, purple, pink and red. Hummingbirds love those colours, too, and we love hummingbirds, so all it works.�
My journey from the start, along the avenue of trees and shrubs to the koi pond and on into the shade garden and up the hill to Janko and Langteigne’s private pleasant patio brought to mind Frederick Delius’s beautiful orchestral interlude, ‘The Walk to the Paradise Garden’.
All condo complexes should have such a pretty garden of delights.
swhysall@vancouversun.com
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