Hi tropical garden enthusiasts
My wife and I got the house in february 2006. The reason why we wanted a house on an island was to "escape" from the "big town city life" in Stavanger. We wanted clean air and water and a peaceful place without many cars. Another demand was that we wanted to buy a place where I could realize my dream to build up a tropical garden and my wife could find the peace to paint here pictures. Here you are welcome to enjoy the pictures from 2006 to 2008 and experience how our garden has developed from a normal Scandianvian garden to a mediterranean garden.

The white wood house to the right is our house. My friend Emil took this picture from the small island "Store Kalven" that is out in the fjord about 100 meters from the island Vassøy where we live. If you look carefully you can see one of my palms to the right of the garage.

The first I did in 2006 was to build up a wall of norvegian nature stone that I found out in the nature on the island.

It was a hard jobb so I had to take a "sieste" quit often.

Norway is not Denmark! I miss the danish ground without all this f...... stones. Up here in Norway it is exstremly hard work to dig a hole for the plants.

Here I had to make room for plants, so again I had to dig a hole.....

More digging :(

The grill tabel in the early spring 2006.

The same grill tabel august 2008 with tropical plants in behind. In the bagground you can see green cordyline, yucca recurvifolia and yucca gloriosa.

In 2007 I started to place stones around the house so I could have plants close to the house. Again as you see, I had to move many kilos of norvegian stones, I truly hate this stones!

I soon learned to use a mask....!

I destroyed some stones in the start but after some time I became quit good at it.

I want som light once shining up at the palms so therefor I had to lay down a line for electricity before I placed the stones.




Summer 2007.



T. wagnerianus palm arrived from the Netherlands martch 2008.

I dream of a big glass house once on the west side of my house so I wanted to place a water line before I startet to lay stones around the house. The water line had to be 80 cm under the surface because of frost. More digging in the stony norvegian ground....


My wife prepare the ground for stones.

The big job with the stones. What took most time was in fact to cut the stones.

Half way june 2008.

The most difficult part, this took looooong time to calculate this.



At last, finished in july 2008. To place the compass rose was the last job in the summer 2008.





T. wagnerianus.

Red cordyline.

T. fortunei

November 2007. I first time think, why not plant a cordyline here?


The cordyline arrive from Munchen in Germany to "the cold north". Again it is my good norvegian nabo who helps me. It is nice with good nabos and I have learned that the norvegians is exstremly helpfull to each other, more than we danes.

In rains a lot in autum and vinter here on the island so close to the fjord so the cordyline is placed on small stones so it do not drown and die.

Summer 2008.

In may 2008 I also start on building a wall so I get a place for my banana plants (musa basjoo and musa sikkamensis).


I think the banana spot became a nice place that everybody see when they come and visit us.


April 2008

The "sun deck" was finished in may 2008 before I started with the stones.


My dog "Kira" also became tired this busy summer like me and my wife.

Yucca flower in september 2008.

Looking at my palms?

Ficus carica grow up a long the garages warm wall to the south. The fruit tasted wonderful in september 2008.

This Yucca recurvifolia nearly died in the vinter 2007/2008 but in the warm summer 2008 it came with 3 new plants. Try to imagine this plant in maybe 10 years with 3 heads and a trunk on maybe 1,5 meter high, I cant wait!!!

One of many blue Agapanthus that I took with me from the Azores when I sailed a sailboat from there to Norway in the summer 2006. Im quit surpriced because it can live up here without protection in the vinter.

On the backside of the house to the north I have this outdoor kitchen because....

I love fishing as I love working in my garden. I relaxe with this two hobbys every weekend after a hard week on the job.
I hope you enjoyed the pictures.
Best regards
Teddy