Jeff Blakely,ASLA The palm in the background you are referring to is commonly known as an Areca : Dypsis lutescens. For years it was used primarily as a 'foliage' plant (indoors)and it has become widely used now not only as an accent plant but even as a barrier hedge planting. It has a tendency to turn yellow in full sun and needs additional organic materials and fertilizer to overcome the problem. It is also called a 'bamboo' palm since the trunks mimic bamboos appearance.
Enjoy your own outdoors. We always want to be doing something. Even in the garden, people find it hard to park themselves on a bench to watch a hummingbird lap up nectar (or they do this while pressing Send on their phone) for just 10 minutes. Having a green thumb and cultivating one's garden is perfectly fine, but our spirits would probably benefit from activity-free garden time as well.