Back to Top

Hello from Sunday night, yes I know it’s Monday morning

You know what I discovered recently?
I actually only have two hellebores in my garden and they’re not very exciting hellebores at that.

Out at my favourite nursery, Southlands, Thomas had all sorts of these beautiful guys. I love winter bloomers.

h1

Is it me or have I blinked and suddenly there are about a million exciting new cultivars from the boring old Winter and Lenten Rose types? Look at the ruffles and spots and variegation! Have to look around my own hood for houses which will be demolished this spring and go steal save a few.

h2

The Southlands neighbourhood is a very bucolic country gentry life neighbourhood, with horses and stables and rural life right in the heart of a big cosmopolitan city. It ends at one arm of the Fraser River and the Vancouver airport is on an island just beyond.

IMG_3048 copy copy

It might look bucolic and country charming, but the average price of houses starts somewhere around $5,000,000 and goes up from there. One particular house overlooking the path and river is listed at $12,000,000 and has 5 bedrooms 5 bathrooms, about 5000 square ft, and an average city lot. Buying a house in Vancouver means that you can probably afford a house anywhere else in the world…except maybe New York, London or Tokyo.

IMG_3063 copy copy

But it is beautiful here. Blooming trees and pussy willows and horses in back yards.

spring

Sharing with Judith and the mosaic bunch. πŸ˜€

Comments: 22

  • March 2, 2015
    reply

    Lovely scenes from your world..The hellebores are all beautiful. Love the cute doggie and the horse.. Happy March, wishing you a great day and week ahead!

  • March 2, 2015
    reply

    I cannot believe we live in the same country. It’s like night and day from where you live to where we live. It’s freezing cold and everything is covered in snow………you are right about how expensive property is though in Vancouver.

  • Jo

    March 2, 2015
    reply

    Great views – love the houses and horses. We have the same kinds of neighborhoods just across the bay in Washington – lovely to look at anyway.

  • Cathy

    March 2, 2015
    reply

    Lovel post!!! Would love to investigate the blooms in your nursery!!! Thank you for sharing!!!

  • March 2, 2015
    reply

    Veronica. Thanks so much for your post. I was looking for the name of a flower I took a picture of at the Conservatory. When I saw it’s name I thought I will remember that. This morning no such luck until I came to this post and there it is Lenten Rose.

  • March 2, 2015
    reply

    Hi Veronica. My dad used to dock his tugboats along that area of the Fraser River. As kids we used to hang out a lot on his boats and swim in the river. We went for a drive down there a few years ago and we quite shocked at the size of the houses and the gentrification of the river’s shorelines. Awfully posh posh now. πŸ™

  • March 2, 2015
    reply

    Wow, lovely neighbourhood, but not so lovely prices…Guess I’ll stay in the Maritimes where things are more realistic! Love the Hellebores, such beauty!!

  • Rosemarie

    March 2, 2015
    reply

    Hi there Veronica

    Thanks again for sharing your pics – one feels like they are right there.

    Great to save plants from house lots that are going to be demolished. So sad that plants which have grown/bloomed for years end up in the dump. I think you would also make a great guerrilla gardener.

    I am keeping a close eye on the cherry blossoms in the next block – with all this sun they should be exploding soon.

    R

  • March 3, 2015
    reply

    Gorgeous flowers Veronica ..what a beautiful place!

  • Gayle

    March 3, 2015
    reply

    Love it!! Thank you for stopping by Behind the Garden Gate, what fun it is to meet people passionate about flowers. Wow, the prices are incredible! Tonight we watched a home decorating show and were amazed how low the prices are. We are out of the Seattle area and prices here are high, but for us, the view is so worth it.

  • daryledelstein

    March 6, 2015
    reply

    if only they’d ship well i would steal or save a cutting from the park where there are tons of that plant growing everywhere .. i doubt they’d miss a branch/cutting …

Leave a reply