The window was modified to allow for easy pass-through from the home’s indoor kitchen to the shelf on the outside!

The Penthouse of this luxury Downtown Vancouver residential tower has four separate gardens.

Upon entry to the condominium, a small balcony has been turned into a virtual oasis with a green wall, basalt burbler fountain and ornamental grasses.

Linear plantings of Mexican Feather Grass and New Zealand Flax wrap around the main living space of the condominium.

The roofdeck garden features an outdoor kitchen, Hinoki Cypress hot tub and grove of Black Bamboo, creating the ultimate outdoor room overlooking Vancouver’s False Creek and English Bay, with views of Vancouver Island on the hoizon.

“Michael is a gem. We originally hired him in 2006 to do the landscaping for a rooftop penthouse. We have been working with him ever since. Having worked on many construction projects over the past 15 years with many different vendors I can honestly say I wish there more people like Michael to work with. He has become a trusted friend, he is lots of FUN, he get the job done, and he follows up. What a pleasure!”

– Allison Stern

A water-hungry ficus hedge hid most of the home’s facade, and a large berm dominated the front garden.  Mature Washingtonia robusta (Mexican fan palms) and olive trees were retained, and the garden was amended with a mature 12’ tall Yucca rostrata, several Opuntia violacea santa-rita (prickly pear cactus) and Ferocactus wislizenii (barrel cactus) accent a Parkinsonia hybrid (‘Desert Museum’ Palo Verde).  Irrigation demands were reduced by more than fifty percent and the home has a fresh new look.

For a video walk-through of this project, please click here.

When I was asked to be involved with the project, my client had already commissioned a very talented faux stone artist to design an outdoor entertainment area featuring a patio, hot tub, wading pool and outdoor kitchen. Splashes of colour and texture were created by scattering planters extensively throughout the area and planting small mini-gardens into the crevices of a man-made stone structure.

A tapestry of groundcovers filled in the ground beneath fruit trees in an orchard where shade had prevented grass from growing.  A full outdoor kitchen and shower are perched on top of the new installation.