I have an acre on Lopez, part of the San Juan Islands in Washington State.

Great area! Went up to. Vancouver then down to the island across from Seattle to see Windrift and his earlier garden. Wonderful gardens up your way. Actually the Van Dusen in Vancouver might have been my favorite.

@MarkWD Glad you enjoyed the area. The most popular garden is the Butchart Gardens in Victoria. [butchartgardens.com]

@JackPedigo we went there too and there was much to like but the Can Dusen just had a better natural vibe I like. Also went to that other well know garden in Victoria and had an early dinner in their tea room. I saw a lot of great gardens.

@MarkWD There are a lot in BC. My late partner and I went there on our honeymoon. Unfortunately, it has become over-hyped (I didn't help much with my comment) and prices have soared. Still, it would be nice to visit some of the other gardens.

My 'wattle' faces south but there is a Rosemary shrub next to it and a grove of trees to the east so it's full sun is limited. I placed a lot of rocks around it for warmth but I water most garden plants from the well. The well water is hard and many plants prefer acid water. Right now it is starting to bloom and will get a photo when in full bloom. The Pokers are loved by birds as the tips are fleshy with seeds inside (hence the red color) and don't seem to last long. In my Seattle home I found a all yellow variety that the birds didn't mess with. We have a town here known as Port Townsend. The Red Hot Pokers are everywhere. I discovered a house on our south end that had a poker garden so I will attach a shot. The first picture is my friend's wattle just before bloom. It can get to be huge. Let us know how the planting goes. I am interested in the Cootamundra wattle and am searching for a nursery that carries it. I will also have to see how the deer react to it (they are leaving the ovens wattle alone).

@JackPedigo I'll let you know, too, if I find a Cootamundra wattle around here. There are several specialty nurseries that bring in unique plants, one quite near me that tends to have just a few fun finds early in the season. I've gotten a Lion's Ear there, and a NZ native, pineapple strawberries, several cool ferns.

@tinkercreek Please do.

I wouldn't be surprised if they could grow there. The Monkey Tree, though, absolutely not. It is native to Chile and has a narrow climate range. The further N or S one goes the smaller and fewer the trees.

@OwlInASack Yes it is the Monkey Puzzle Tree. Just abbreviate it to Monkey Tree. In actuality it is a Chilean Pine. One of the few hard wood pines.
It comes from Chile and likes damp, cool winters and warm dry summers. It has a narrow range in the US and our area is perfect.