Comments on: Vancouver’s Monkey Puzzle Tree Obsession

By: Sam

Sam — Mon, 11 Aug 2025 04:38:22 +0000

There is a massive one in Ronnings Garden North Vancouver Island on the way to San Josef Bay.

By: Marc

Marc — Sat, 19 Apr 2025 21:29:34 +0000

In reply to Susan Davis. I have several monkey puzzles on my farm just outside Squamish BC. They have survived -20 several times since I planted them. I have quite a tree collection of rare trees but my monkey puzzles are the ones my guests talk about.

By: Susan Davis

Susan Davis — Sat, 23 Nov 2024 19:25:34 +0000

I have a female tree. It is about 65 years old. Only once it was like 55 years old did It produce fertile nuts. How many I get each year differs, but every nut zi plant produces a tree. I find monkey puzzle trees in my yard and dig them up. I give them to a garden group to sell in March raising funds for a cancer center. They sell them for $5 each. My tree has produced male parts as well as female which is rare. The past 5 years about 10-15 male parts appeared. This year, about 50 or more male parts. I am happy to give trees to any of you who want if you are in the Seathle area – or happy to give you a nut to grow your own.

By: Anne Giardini

Anne Giardini — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 17:55:26 +0000

In reply to Maye Davis. Hello Maye. The tree is still growing strong. Stop by and see it one day. Anne Giardini

By: Craig Evans

Craig Evans — Sat, 02 Mar 2024 01:19:33 +0000

You West coasters think you’re the only ones in Canada that can grow monkey puzzle trees LOL, there’s many of them in Nova Scotia in different parts of the province so don’t act like you’re the only place that can grow them

By: benstoke

benstoke — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 02:11:44 +0000

The rubber tree seedlings is tall, growing to 100 feet, and impressively wide, as its aerial roots reach the ground. Its leaves are smooth, dark and shiny; its bark is light-colored.

By: Maye Davis

Maye Davis — Sun, 26 Sep 2021 21:17:19 +0000

My Grandparents, Preston and Mabel Sharpe, had a very very large Monkey Puzzle tree in their front yard in Vancouver : 1990 West 19th Street. As a young child I was told that it was the largest in Vancouver.

By: Mariynn

Mariynn — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 19:04:29 +0000

So very interesting as all your articles are Eve.

By: Maurice Guibord

Maurice Guibord — Sun, 07 Mar 2021 01:14:57 +0000

Not so sure that we’d have the “world’s tallest” monkey puzzle tree. After all, most of the old ones got here as saplings in the hold of ships coming in from Chile…. where there are forests of them, including, I’m sure, the tallest one of the world…. somewhere in there. These unresearched claims give me chills everytime I see one.

By: Pat Jesson

Pat Jesson — Sun, 03 May 2020 21:20:56 +0000

My mother grew up in Vancouver in the 40s in a house on NW Marine Dr. with a large one in front. She had a newspaper article showing the tree in front of her house described as “the oldest and finest monkey puzzle tree in Vancouver”. I saw it as a child in 1967 but it is no longer there.

We lived in Portland where there is a fair obsession with them including a local tree registry that maps all the larger trees. In my mother’s honour we planted 1 that didn’t make it and another that grew prolifically (18″/year to 20 feet so far).
Reportedly, in Portland a ship brought a bunch of small sapplings from Chile for the world’s fair and these were given to all comers. So the oldest in the Pacific NW are supposed to date from this time.

By: Hannah

Hannah — Tue, 22 Oct 2019 08:21:17 +0000

I read the Sensational Victoria book. I realize the situation than. But Monkey puzzle tree is awesome to look.

By: Tree Service

Tree Service — Mon, 21 Oct 2019 08:48:35 +0000

Try and imagine the huge jungle of monkey puzzle trees in southern Chile! That’s where they originate, most of the big trees you see in front of the big old houses may have been seedlings on ships from the big port city of Valparaiso. I like the English name – in French, we only use the Latin word

By: Brenda

Brenda — Tue, 16 Oct 2018 03:44:17 +0000

The famous trees alluded to on Northern Vancouver Island were located in Ronning Garden, near Holberg. There is an article about Ronning Garden and the monkey puzzle trees here: http://undiscoveredcoast.blogspot.com/2013/09/ronning-garden-labour-of-love-to.html .

By: Janet Lawley

Janet Lawley — Wed, 04 Apr 2018 16:13:19 +0000

Where I grew up in East Van, there was a house with a huge monkey tree in front of it. We couldn’t see the house as it was behind a tall hedge but you could see the tree! Years later I discovered that the house had been the first house in Grandview, when I read “Vancouver The Way It Was by Michael Kluckner, one of my favourite books! 😊

By: Maurice Guibord

Maurice Guibord — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 00:22:56 +0000

Try and imagine the huge forests of monkey puzzle trees in southern Chile! That’s where they originate, and most of the large trees you see in front of great old houses would probably have come as seedlings in ships coming in from the great port city of Valparaiso. I love the English name – in French, we just use the Latin term – araucaria.

By: Samantha

Samantha — Mon, 26 Mar 2018 14:36:47 +0000

Monkey tree, monkey tree, can’t pinch me b.a.a.a.c.k

By: Jim brunner

Jim brunner — Mon, 26 Mar 2018 05:04:39 +0000

I lov these trees. I abscribe my lov because of Henri Rousseau. His art has a surreal yet percise line, border style that is ordered. The tree seems perfectly “neat” unlike other northwest greens. My first encounter was at Van Dusen gardens a few short years ago. A natural center of a maze!

By: Heather Bell Alvarado

Heather Bell Alvarado — Mon, 26 Mar 2018 01:35:55 +0000

Always wondered what they were – Chilean Pine – now I know, & thank you.

By: June Arnett

June Arnett — Mon, 26 Mar 2018 00:03:27 +0000

The first monkey puzzle tree I saw was on 12th Avenue across from Vancouver City Hall and I was quite delighted by what to me was a most unusual tree. Ornamental trees weren’t common when I was growing up in Edmonton! I’m still happy to spot them — a hotel where we stayed in Scotland had two enormous ones on their immaculately-kept grounds.

By: Gavin Hainsworth

Gavin Hainsworth — Sun, 25 Mar 2018 23:44:21 +0000

We used to pinch each other whenever we saw them, which in Point Grey was very often.