Vancouver's Tom Hobbs moves to an urban condo with a cool outdoor vibe

TOM HOBBS is a larger-than-life figure, and not just because he stands well over 6 feet tall. He's a human whirlwind, exuding both authority and good humor as he holds forth on subjects from color to design to hybridizing daylilies. Hobbs pulls off his reputation as Vancouver, B.C.'s "bad boy" of horticulture as well as its most famous gardening personality with a decided aesthetic and a remarkable depth of plant knowledge.

After a high-powered venture into floristry, Hobbs bought and renovated Southlands Nursery, the latest in cool plants and exterior décor. A Napa Valley garden Hobbs designed for the owners of the Dean & Deluca food empire was featured in "Garden Design" magazine last summer. He's authored two influential garden books that feature stunning photos of his Vancouver garden. Hobbs and his partner, Brent Beattie, have now sold that much-acclaimed house and garden. Their recent plunge into condo living sent shock waves through the plant world. What's going on when a respected garden icon moves on from the garden that helped make him famous?

As you might expect, Hobbs and Beattie have downsized with great style. It doesn't hurt that their condo complex in Vancouver's Shaughnessy neighborhood runs right up against the VanDusen Botanical Garden's 55 acres of green. "It's like living on a Gulf Island," says Hobbs. "We look out at the giant magnolias in the Himalayan section of the garden."

The new condo is a clean-lined, stripped-down 1,800 square feet of modern simplicity. Its vibe couldn't be a greater contrast from the couple's former peach-colored stucco, Hollywood Hills-style extravaganza of a place. "Here I appreciate each plant," says Hobbs of his two decks' worth of potted plantings. "Every plant can star. It's like telling each one, 'You're worthy.' "

Oversized glass sliders are the only windows in the living and dining rooms, opening wide to make the deck the focal point of the place. The main 20-by-20-foot deck offers a dramatically lit view from the main living areas. "We have our gin-and-tonics and eat dinner out here most nights," says Hobbs. "It's so simple and so private."

Beattie and Hobbs have found that they use their in-city deck far more than the view terrace at their old house. "There you had to go down steps to reach the terrace, and it was always a production . . . Here, you just step outside," says Beattie. "After a crazy day in retail, it's great to come home and relax out here," Hobbs adds.

"We haven't tried to distract from the simple horizontal lines of the planters and walls," says Hobbs of the 1970s architecture of the place. "We decided to work with what we have." He's followed what he calls his "color-as-dictator missive," using mostly silver-leafed plants on the main deck for a quiet, moonlit effect. The narrower deck off the master bedroom is planted in warmer, golden-toned flowers and foliage. The lack of color contrasts emphasizes the dramatic shapes and textures of pots and plants, making the most of every vignette.

Not all the planting Hobbs and Beattie are up to is quite as small-scale as their condo decks. They've also bought 20 acres in nearby Langley, B.C., where they plan to build a country home. "We're experimenting there with trees and a big landscape," says Beattie. "We're leaving whole areas natural and wild to do what they do. . . It's a pleasure to come home to this very small landscape."

For now, Hobbs and Beattie spend most of their time at their sleek city condo. "It's been an exercise in restraint," says Hobbs. "We don't want to be so busy and complex anymore. It's liberating because there isn't so much to fuss over."

Valerie Easton is a Seattle freelance writer and author of "The New Low-Maintenance Garden." Check out her blog at www.valeaston.com. Mike Siegel is a Seattle Times staff photographer.