If James Goldstein could live wherever he pleased, he might choose Bali, Tahiti, or another favorite getaway, the Seychelles -- anyplace where sun-kissed beaches recede into cool, green jungle. But since he lives in a modernist gem of a house overlooking Beverly Hills, he has spent more than a decade remaking a scrubby hillside into the lush rain forests of his travels.

Goldstein, an enigmatic … who is better-known as a jet-setting NBA basketball fan, bought his home in 1972. He was drawn to its geometrical concrete-and-glass construction and panoramic views in much the same way he’s attracted to his flamboyant Jean-Paul Gaultier wardrobe and vintage Rolls-Royce convertible. Later, he was fortunate enough to collaborate with architect John Lautner, a Frank Lloyd Wright disciple, on custom changes to the original plan.

With the remodel well under way in 1989, Goldstein turned his attention outdoors and embarked on what has become his magnificent obsession. Instead of paring back the indigenous chaparral to expose Lautner’s jewel, he ignored the less-is-more, go-native aesthetic and opted for a dense, unmanicured look inspired by the tropics. To mastermind this contrarian’s paradise, Goldstein hired Santa Barbara landscape designer Eric Nagelmann and gave him carte blanche.

"Jim wanted a wild tropical garden, a complete contrast to the severity of the architecture," Nagelmann says. "He wanted something unplanned, slightly confusing and messy." A knowledgeable plantsman specializing in other-worldly environments, Nagelmann welcomed the chance to replace prosaic pennisetum and lemonade berry with exotica.

Never mind that the site is subtropical rather than truly tropical, meaning winter can be cold and the rest of the year is hot and arid as opposed to hot and humid. Nagelmann established a new microclimate by planting scores of palms, including kentia (Howea), Canary Island date (Phoenix canariensis), king (Archontophoenix cunninghamiana), queen (Syagrus romanzoffiana), fishtail (Caryota ochlandra), shaving brush (Rhopalostylis sapida) and Mediterranean fan (Chamaerops humilis). Evocative dragon trees (Dracaena draco), giant bird of paradise
(Strelitzia nicolai) and cordyline went in, too.

The slope below the house is so steep that work crews frequently relied on cranes to hoist the largest trees into place. They also used ropes and pulleys to haul tons of soil up and down the rocky hill. Such tools are crude but effective, as are myriad stone paths and railroad-tie steps that facilitate access, but only to the nimble and surefooted like Goldstein.

With the leafy upper story in place, full sun gave way to pockets of deep shade that, coupled with an irrigation system that also dispenses fertilizer, allowed for an evergreen understory of split-leaf philodendrons (Monstera deliciosa), Australian tree ferns, hibiscus, protea, shell ginger (Alpinia zerumbet) and hundreds of other dazzling specimens. Along the front drive alone, 70 cycads stud the ground.

"In an ecologically correct garden, you’d have California natives. This is more about theater, setting a stage, being playful," Nagelmann says, pointing out the plants from Central and South America, Africa, Asia and Australia amid the existing pines and eucalyptus. "It’s all about fantasy. It’s a combination of all the tropical plants that can grow here."

Green foliage predominates, of course, but color rewards those willing to explore. Tabebuia and Tipuana tipu trees bloom yellow in spring and summer, while purple blossoms grace Hong Kong orchid trees (Bauhinia blakeana) nearly year round. Heliconias, clivias and bromeliads introduce a pageant of orange, yellow and pink. Elsewhere, crown of thorns (Euphorbia splendens) sport bright red flowers. And purple bougainvillea, cup-of-gold (Solandra maxima), orange thunbergia and white jasmine vines crawl up tree trunks like snakes or dangle from branches like curtains.

Goldstein has purchased adjacent lots over the years, doubling the garden’s size to more than 2 acres, so the landscape remains a work in progress. In 1995, Nagelmann put in 25 kinds of bananas, and today it’s easy to mistake the miniature plantation for Costa Rica. Newer still is a sun deck offering one of the property’s best vantage points. Uphill, Nagelmann had mature palms craned in to screen out a neighbor. Around the perimeter, he preserved the vista with zoysia grass and low-growing lantana, firecracker plant (Russelia equisetiformis), cannas and kangaroo paws (Anigozanthos flavidus).

Ongoing construction includes a concrete pavilion with a retractable roof designed by conceptual artist James Turrell. Still to come are a waterfall at a rock outcropping, and a guesthouse and tennis court. Lautner had drawn up plans for these before his death in 1994.

Through it all, Nagelmann continues to seek out the rare and unusual with help from plant brokers and nurseries up and down the California coast. "I love Jim’s trust and his letting me do what I know to do," he says. "The biggest challenge, what interests me most, is finding new plant material, particularly unusual plant material."

So 14 years after it began with two 15-gallon cans of bamboo, this luxuriant garden looks and feels like a giant Rousseau or Gauguin
canvas come alive. Visitors get the Tarzan experience at every turn, glimpsing a feathery Brazilian schizolobium here or snowflake tree
(trevisia – the leaf shape gives it the name). Paths beckon deeper into the wondrous maze of light and shadow, where verdant walls ripple in the breeze.

"It’s like we’re somewhere else, and yet we’re right here in L.A.," Nagelmann says. "It’s a sense of being transfixed. I love that primordial feeling." So does Goldstein, king of his very own jungle.