Right before the beginning of this week-long barrage of storms, I went on a tour to see a Persian fruit tree nursery (Pars Produce in Alamo, CA) and a hilltop garden in Lafayette. Even though the nursery was messy and had exorbitant prices, they do stock some unique fruit cultivars from Iran. I ended up getting a Saveh Pomegranate and a tart Cherry of Esfahan.

Our next garden, however, is a total gem that covers nine acres of a south-facing slope studded with native oaks. The homeowners are young and energetic, and one of them owns an exotic plant nursery. Naturally his garden has become a trial ground of some of his favorite plants. Here are some snapshots of that wonderland.

Garden Gate with flanking Chamaedorea radicalis

Beautiful Pool. All the boulders were hauled from Sierra by the owner himself

Brahea Clara showing off its silvery fronds. It is considered either a hybrid or a variety of Brahea armata

Here is a nice Brahea armata in another part of this garden. The leaves are more stiff and upright

Dasylirion longissimum on left and Tree Aloe (A. Hercules maybe) enjoying their valley view and excellant drainage

A married couple of Valley Oak (Quercus lobata, right) and Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia)

Below are some other exotic plants in this garden from left to right and from top to bottom
Chamaerops humilis var. argentea from Morocco; Jubaeopsis caffra with yellow leaf stem (petiole) from S. Africa;
Unknown succulent; Hardy Cordyline species (C. banksii maybe) from New Zealand;
Aloe perfoliata?; Agave attenuata Huntington Blue?