From every room in San Francisco apartment are views of outdoor palm trees from New Zealand, Australia, Mexico, Hawaii, and elsewhere

サンフランシスコの家では、すべての部屋からヤシの木が見えます。東京に引っ越す前に、サンフランシスコのヤシの庭のサイトを作りました。

My San Francisco apartment is much more shady than the mid-rise Tokyo apartment that faces south with big views. With the expert advice of Flora Grubb‘s Jason Dewees, I planted cold-hardy palm trees that can be seen from every room. Almost everything came in small “5 gallon pots” (about 19 liters). There are palms in the sidewalk garden, in the light wells, and in the compact back yard. Before moving to Tokyo, I created a website showing off the plan and information about each palm species.

King palm reflection on the neighbor’s wall

サンフランシスコの庭に植えたとき、この「ユスラヤシ」というヤシの木は５０センチしかありませんでした。１３年経って、こんなに大きくなりました。初秋はサンフランシスコにまたいました。

It’s hard to believe I planted this cold-hardy King palm in 2000 when it was half a meter tall. Now it’s the tallest tree in my San Francisco back garden. Below its reflection is the 100 year old, redwood “butler’s pantry” we removed from the apartment during the renovation. When I was there this fall, I up-lit the trunk.

Palm trees in San Francisco, rare and common

東京に引っ越しする前に、サンフラシスコで耐寒性のあるヤシを育てていました。サンフランシスコは一年中寒いので、育つヤシと育たないヤシがあります。最近、昔の庭を訪れたとき、木が大きくなっていたので、うれしかったです。

Before I moved to Tokyo four years ago, I grew cold weather palm trees in San Francisco. On a recent visit, it was great to see the trees getting larger. Above is a pritchardia minor from high altitude Hawaii. Below is the far more common queen palm, a native of South America that has been deemed invasive in Florida and Queensland.