Den Vic, It's nice looking garden and sure it's remarkable given that it's in BC - and not in California. I have been in BC and actually lived in the interiors for at least a year. I love the climate of the interiors and of the island but I just couldn't stand the rainy weather in the coastal areas. Back then (~30 years ago) tropicana types couldn't survive the area. I can only think of climate changes that allow tropical plants to survive there. If so, that is worrisome. In some areas of Toronto, even the Japanese banana manage to survive. It's either the heat of the city or again climate change. or the El Nina effect. One can only look at the devastation in China and Pakistan to see how bad the climate has become. However, of course it can also be that plants were developed to tolerate colder zones. I know the Japanese bananas trees is one such case. In my old tropical country, we do have palms growing in the highest mountains which are colder areas and so I can see how some plants from a more cooler climate can be developed further for cold tolerance.

"Banana belt" is a termed used to refer to several areas in the NW that tend to have moderated climates due to geography or proximity to water. Brookings, Oregon is one, areas around Sequim, Washington, southeastern BC, the tip of Vancouver Island (Victoria and surrounds) and some of the Gulf Islands are others. Snow in these areas is less common but not unheard of, gardeners can often keep semitropical plants alive for extended periods, but the same factors that keep winter from being too severe generally moderate summer temperatures as well - it is never very hot. Most of the Northwest is a pretty much ideal gardening climate, although rain and/or snow may be more prevelent in some areas than others. I'm sure that wherever you locate in the Northwest, you will find the gardening situation to your liking and an opportunity to grow a lot of different plants than you were used to from your previous locales. Welcome to the Northwest :-)

I assume that the Jacarandas are only a weed problem in the summer rainfall parts of South Africa? They didn't seem to be all that commonly planted in Capetown... Here in northern California/San Francisco Bay Area, we are at the northern limit of their adaptability, and they do not naturalize here for lack of summer rains. I also grew very fond of the flora of the western and southern cape on my only trip so far to South Africa, and would highly recommend it to anyone. We are able to grow many South African natives here, and I am especially fond of the fynbos and succulent flora. Here in San Francisco, I have Aloe succotrina, A. ferox, A. arborescens aurea, A. stiata and A. saponaria in bud or bloom, and the first of the Leucodendrons and Leucospermums are either budding up or changing colors for their winter bloom. Some of the bulbs in bloom at present include Nerine bowdenii, Moraea polystachya, Bulbine frutescens and Clivia nobilis and Veltheimia bracteata are in full bloom. Dombeya burguessiae is also putting on a good show, as is the virtually everblooming Polygala dalmasiana. The two forms of Cussonia, C. paniculata and C.spicata have both put on incredible growth spurts this year, and are approaching 10 feet tall after 5 years in the ground, but still no blooms or branching yet. Of course Strelitzia reginae is ubiquitous here in coastal California, and S. nicholai can get tree sized here, but does occasionally get frozen back to the ground in our zone 9 conditions. We can grow many more South African plants here, and the climatic conditions are sufficiently diverse to be able to grow a range of plants, Aloe polyphylla grows rather easily here, without any special efforts. I have recently become interested in some plants that I hadn't realized were represented in South Africa, such as Thamnocalamus tesselatus, which I am using for the first time in a newly planted garden as a clumping screen bamboo. I wish I had bought some Cyathea dreggei and Blechnum tabulare last year when I had the chance, as I admired both when I saw them growing at Kirstenbosch. Of course many succulents from South Africa do very well here as well, and the Cotyledons such as C. macrantha and C. orbiculata are already blooming, and combine so well with mass groundcover plantings of Senecio mandraliscae and Plectranthus neochilus, both still blooming in early winter here, as is the lovely lavender P. zuluensis, and the last of the P. ecklonii, which doesn't seem to be as dependable for bloom in our coastal conditions as the first two species. I like to combine these with other succulents from Mexico and the Canary Islands, such as Echeverias, Sedums and Aeoniums, to get an international mix of succulents! I would love to get back to see South Africa in the summer and fall, and explore the eastern Cape and the Drakensberg Mtns, and will be saving up for the next trip...

Now if you use British Colonial style you can mix it all together in one room. Remember the British colonies ranged from Hong Kong, India, Australia, parts of Africa, the Carribean, Canada, the US, among others. I found this info: The Victorian era of the mid to late 19th century saw the British extend their empire around the world, from Singapore to East Africa, from India to the British West Indies. With them, they brought their language, their ideas on government, their custom of afternoon tea, and their furniture and designs. The Victorian Era was a rather formal time and the British, although they enjoyed traveling to the distant outposts of the Empire, didn't want to forego the comforts of home. They brought the solid and sturdy furniture designs of England and adapted them to the tropics. Along the way, they adapted Asian and African motifs into those traditional designs. This mange became British Colonial style and it is easily recognized by its sturdy, yet sometimes fanciful pieces, of teak and mahogany as well as its use of rattan, leather, and animal prints. Hardwoods, such as teak and mahogany, were particularly suited to the humid climates of the Empire. Unlike softer woods, like pine, that tended to warp in the tropical humidity, these woods stood up to the most extreme conditions and were readily available in most of the colonies. Often furniture was carved by native craftsmen using British designs, and you'll frequently find little flourishes of Asian, Caribbean, or African art, intermixed with the original carving. If one looks carefully at that mahogany four-postered bed, you'll notice, perhaps, a carved pineapple atop the posts. The Colors and Prints of British Colonial Style Both exotic and practical, British Colonial design emphasized muted colors, such as browns, beiges, and straw, in sharp contrast to the flowery prints popular at that time in the motherland. The colonial palette reflects the tropical lushness of nature, which, whether in the West Indies, Africa, or Asia, was never far away. One of the hallmarks of British Colonial design is the contrast of hard sturdy wood with the bright sunshine and cheerful colors of the tropics. Animal prints, Indian sari fabrics, and detailed and realistic botanical prints added interest and emphasized the colonists' fascination with their adopted lands.