S.F. transplant: tropical garden oasis

Jacobson and Gervais, a longtime importer of Asian antiques, have assembled a distinctive blend of plants and art.

Surrounding walls cast shade, so the stars here are foliage plants, sparked by occasional flowers: ferns, Japanese maples, bromeliads, monsteras, gingers, begonias, giant strelitzia, bamboos of every color and size - forest, understory, rain forest plants.

The pond and massed plants encourage each other physically, sharing moisture and nutrients, filtering the city air.

Grave markers from the southern islands, carved from volcanic stone, are upholstered in volunteer moss; so is a carved-coral spirit boat.

All the moss, the aged timbers, the floor of stone and pebble mosaic make the spot feel serenely ancient, but only the redwood and a couple of tree ferns were there when Gervais moved in, 17 years ago.

A world tour with a fellow student concluded in the Philippines, his companion's homeland.

Six months away from an art degree, a falling-out with his faculty adviser (He said people like me didn't belong in art) sent him back to his garden roots: I started bringing my art background into landscaping.