Hmmmm. Not sure which species of palm you are looking for? Sometimes the Mexican Fan Palm (Washingtonia robusta) is called the Royal Palm. They're the ones with the skinny trunks that can grow to heights of 60+ feet. Here's a link to a publication on common landscape palms in Arizona. Hope it helps.

Here is a link that might be useful: Arizona Landscape Palms

You're talking about Roystonea Regia. I have 3 that I bought from Whitfill down on 40th and Southern (they moved that one recently)to a spot nearby. They got frosted at the nursery (this was over 2.5 years ago) so I got a deal on them. They are flourishing now. Heat and sun is not problem but cold is so make sure you are in a warm spot.

I would go for Bismarckia Nobilis (Silver - BEAUTIFUL and rugged down to about 26 degrees) if you can't find Royals. Treeland nursery in Chandler has a huge specimen you can check out. You can always rent a truck and get Royals from SoCal where you can buy them everywhere!

http://www.plantapalm.com/centralfl/images/Bismarckia%20nobilis.jpg

...that is 1 outstanding palm, Sonotaps..many thanks for sharing!

I went to 3 nurseries today in search of Royal Palms.

Moon Vally - Never Heard of them.
Treeland - Doesn't carry them, said they can't handle the heat.
Whitfill on stapley and guadalupe- never heard of them.

any help on where i can find them?

I'm curious, I've been looking for a feather-leafed palm for my patio area that I could keep in a pot. I've had a majesty palm in there for three years and it's performance has been less than ideal. I know for a fact that heat is not a problem with Royal Palms-there are many out in Palm Springs.....There used to be a place down on Baseline that carried a lot of tropical stuff-I think it was near 32nd or so. With all the citrus groves and flower gardens gone the place doesn't look at all familiar to me-kinda sad.....You might also try Pacific Palm up in north Phoenix, way north-north of the 101 near Cave Creek I think.

Thanks AZ,
I'll check them out tomorrow.

I found a place that sells some palms online. Not sure how confident i am in that option.

Pacific palms is right by my house and is wholesale only. They used to be retail and wholesale. They carry many Bismarckia's (as does Treeland) and used to carry pretty large Royals but I haven't seen any there in a while. Whitfill has Bismarckia's for $150 (relatively small) at their Glendale/12th street store. Bismarkia's are still novel and 'new' and still carry 'whale premium pricing'.

That is typical of some nurseries to say they 'never heard of them', don't know, or can't handle the heat, etc as if nothing else in the WORLD will grow here if THEY don't have it. If I listened to them, I would have to tear out half of my yard!

Find a landscaper friend with a license to buy wholesale or go to SoCal to pick up plants I guess (like I have). Or, just have to keep looking and you might get lucky. I wish I could offer more advice.

By the way, now is the time to establish palms when soil temps are high and humidity is high (for us, at least) to get those roots growing to help them through winter when growth basically stops.

Well if Pacific palms grows them then maybe asking them who THEY sell to. Based upon Royals not being the most common palm in AZ there can't be many nurserys growing them-if they are growing the nursery stock it's probably staying in AZ. Another thought is to bring a small 5 gallon back from California. Plants raised in the Riverside/Inland Empire area would do better here than ones raised on the coast-it can get pretty hot in the Inland valley areas.

Good call, AZamigo. If someone wants them, they have to go to California to get them.

Try JD Anderson Nursery and see what they have (website) for you to haul back. There is no challenge entering AZ with plants like there used to be (I've done it a lot - I'm all planted out now).

Pacific Palms USED to carry Royals but I haven't seen anymore for some time (I drop by occasionally just to look). I remember they 'burned' some of their stock in a cold spell we had and I wondered if they even tried to protect them (I thought it was a shame, really). They supply to the wholesale trade but most of their stuff I believe is shipped in from somewhere else. They are not a GROWER like La Verne Nursery (Cal.) or Monrovia Growers (Ca.)whose plants you see at the home depot and other places.

Most Royals are shipped in from Florida and nurseries here don't have 'growing grounds' of them for the nursery trade like Florida does. I know for a fact that the ones I bought from Whitfill were grown in Florida and most you buy in Califonia were shipped from Florida stock. It is a simple fact that in south Florida they have the all-year warmth (Royals NEED heat) and humidity to allow things to grow faster and therefore turn inventory quicker for sale, which is what the nursery trade is all about. South Florida just has optimal conditions to grow the stock for supply to California and some to Arizona (if we get lucky).

Lol, the agricultural checkpoint in Arizona is a joke. Now I wouldn't bring anything from California that would turn into a nautious weed over here but I have brought back several tropical plants. In fact last summer I purchased 2 fruiting mission olives from the Capistrano mission and brought those back. At $50 for a 1 gallon tree they were a little overpriced, but they are cuttings from the original trees the padres planted and the money goes to preserve the mission.

I called pacific palms and they didnt have any right now. he wasnt sure when he would get more.

I could order them on line from http://www.junglemusic.net/cycadadvice/cycads-landscape.htm

anyone every order from them?

well, i gave up, sort of. I called every nursery in town(yes all of them). None had them and only 1 was willing to see if he could get them and that was the guy at bakers.

I broke down and ordered 4 from a nursery in cali. They.ll be about 2 feet tall and I paid about 30 for each with shipping. We'll see how this works out.

It is said that you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink.

I would have gone for the Bismarckia Nobilis and just spent the $150 on a decent sized one I have seen at Treeland or Whitfill here here in town. You wouldn't be disappointed.

You will get teenie Royals from Jungle Music. I've been to their nursery twice (Encinitas, Cal.) and they sell teenie-weenie plants in big buckets for big prices!

Doh!

Oh well. Good luck anyway!

"it is said that you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink"

ThatÂs a rude comment considering I was looking for a specific plant. While I appreciate the recommendation, it's not a plant I'm interested in. I donÂt appreciate is the snide remark.

The Bismarck and royal look nothing like each other.
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I'm quite aware of the difference. I meant no offense but you've missed the point.

I have no emotional attachment to Bismarckias whatsoever. I just know they are easier to be found here and less work from a cultural standpoint. I recommended, and AZAmigo sort of did, that you should consider a weekend trip to California to get specimen size Royals and just rent a pick-up truck (I've transported in my Cherokee) and cover with a tarp if you REALLY wanted them (and apparently you do - as I did). In this way, you can readily plant them in the ground and have instant gratification. I even went so far to suggest an area and nurseries to look at there. Just trying to help from someone who's 'been there'.

If they are small (like the ones you're going to get), they should be raised in buckets (and can be for quite some time) until they establish a hardy size to plant out. As they get bigger, they become somewhat more cold hardy than young, tender plants.

I know, because I have had to go to California to do it many times and I know what you are up against. Hence, my original recommendation. Even with the cost and time for good-size palms from Cal. (relatively cheap due to competition and availability there) you would be better served to take a road trip and have a little vacation too. For example, six foot foxtails from home depot in Cal. are $21. Smokin' deal! You won't find that here. I know, because I bought them there!

I apologize if I offended, but I believe my recommendation was dead-on correct because I am someone who has DIRECTLY dealt with your predicament many times (finding cool plants here) and figured out that I don't have many choices if I just want what I want.

Again, good luck.

I'll post a picture of my 'palm corner' if you want some ideas and I'm not saying I have all the answers or anything. I just know where you're coming from.

Below is a link to my Royals etc.

I would like to show before and after pictures but I'm too lazy to do that tonight. Things are looking good, but the Royals are just now starting to grow out of the damaged fronds from when I got them (not my fault). It's not easy to go exotic, but I try (see frost protection pics).

I didn't post the guavas, mango, avocados, etc. I will upload those later. They are on the other side of the backyard. The xeriscape is in the front yard and on the other side from where the palms are (can't see in pictures). I will update that to webshots too.

Anyway, good luck to all and hope this helps.

http://community.webshots.com/user/sonotaps

Glad to see someone else in Phoenix trying Royals sonotaps. While Bismarckias should be a must for any palm aficionado in zone 9 and 10 AZ, I'd also search high and low for a Royal. Heck I've had young Coconut palms shipped in from Hawaii, sure I over paid for something that will remain in a pot as long as I remain in Tucson, but I wanted some and the price was worth it to me.

Have you seen these in front of the Elephant Bar in Chandler. They came through the hard freeze of 2003 with no protection that I saw, pretty impressive considering they're facing directly north.

April of 2004
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Notice the clear trunk this Roystonea is starting to show.

March of 2005
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The Moon Valley in Chandler sold Royals as recently as last summer. I remember seeing them there. Here's a picture of some they were selling in 2003.

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Lee

Lee,

I'm sure those are great shots! I'll have to check those out on my home computer! I'm dying to take a peek at those!

I'm overly cautious, and perhaps I didn't need to protect 'the corner', but when young they are at their most tender and I have what I call 'healthy paranoia' perhaps. They're doing great and really green but you can't tell from the pictures but oh well. Mine have maybe 3" of trunk starting but I can't wait until they pop out more! Maybe 3 more months left in the growing season for us here.

It is luck of the draw if nurseries happen to get Royals here and if they do they want an arm-and-a-leg. I bargained for mine due to the frost damage on them. When in a bucket, it doesn't surprise me that more frost damage happened at the nursery. The root system isn't there to 'tap into' extra resources for the tree.

My Royals are getting too big to cover effectively now having easily more than doubled in size since I got them. I'll use anti-transpirants in the winter and hopefully I can solve the cold issues (if we have any)with chemical frost measures, including a fertilizer shot of potassium and phosphorus to improve the plants' cold hardiness going into the cooler months.

Regarding a coconut (the palm tree holy grail), they can't take our sun without some western protection. Heating cables in the ground around it in winter would be a must due to cold, wet soil that croaks them everytime! Good drainage is key too (raised bed)! It would sulk in our cool winters and probably not look great with our super-dry air but someone here could probably keep one alive but not thriving. Planting under a big mesquite or something might be good with southern exposure (sun with frost protection). Just my thoughts.

Sorry, one more thing.

Check on e-bay for palms (if you haven't already) that can be shipped from mostly Florida growers (some in SoCal). They have some good deals sometimes. They sell coconuts on e-bay too and if I ever get the nerve I might set up one in the ground and see what I can do!

I have friends (and my brother) in the 'Royal Palms' subdivision, between 7th & 15th Avenues and Northern & Butler. Does anyone (oh let's say pagancat) know if all those mature palms in the median of 11th Avenue, north of Northern, are royals? If so, is it likely that those palms would be sprouting up in the nearby yards? If so, well... do you see where I'm going with this?

sonotaps, I'd be overly cautious as well if those Royals are mine. I know they'll do great in Phoenix. Please keep us posted as to their growth. I spoke with a gentleman a few years back that had some Royals in the central part of town for over 25 years. He never had a problem with them, certainly a long over due palm for the Valley. I'll look forward to your pictures of your guavas, mango, avocados. I'm originally from Central Florida, I spend most of my life in Orlando. I use Orlando as my comparison to Phoenix for what should be winter hardy there. While Orlando has a higher mean temp in winter Orlando is more likely to dip under 30F. Using Ficus as an one example, in Phoenix large Ficus can be found almost every mile and there's tons of Ficus everywhere. In Orlando larger Ficus are rare, and overall there aren't that many Ficus. In not saying there aren't Ficus in Orlando, there are, just not anywhere near the around you'd find in Phoenix.

winter_plumage_AZ thanks for the heads up on the Royal Palms subdivision. I'll make a point of checking that out on my next trip up to PHX to see what kind of palms those are. Even if they're not Royals you've peaked my interest.

Lee

Hmmmm... I'll have to take a look next time I'm by there... although I must add that Palms are usually *not* my faves, so I know very little about them. I like these and the Bismarks better than most, however - perhaps it's the novelty? Dunno. But I'll look!

sonotaps,
Thanks for the clarification. I appreciate that you tried to help.

Unfortunately, I can't make a trip to Cali cost effective to justify the the trip. I did find a plam farm out of florida that sells slightly bigger Royals than jungle music at a fraction of the cost. 5-6' tall for $21 amd about $12 to ship. The cheapest solution at the moment.

Lee,
After your post, I went to Moon Valley in Chandler. They didn't have any but said the Lindsey and Mckellips store did, so I went. First, Let me say customer service is not a strong point of moon valley. Told the guy what I was looking for and his response was "Why would you want a Royal?" Anyway, they have them in 36" boxes for $799 but they are about the size of the Royal in the pictures you posted in front of the elephant bar. I thought they looked amazing, but the sales rep pointed out a couple browned tips. He proceeded to tell me why the Royals are horrible. He said They can't handle heat or cold. He said the inventory I was looking at had been there over 1 year, meaning they had made it through 2 summers and 1 winter (they were out in the open with no shade or protection). Again, I thought they looked great.
Anyway, I'll try my internet plants for now.

On a side note, MV had some great looking Bottle Palms and I know those are pretty sensitive. Anyone had any luck with them?

Lee:

That is good info about Orlando vs. Phoenix! I've always wondered and thought that was probably the case but I wasn't overly sure. The Ficus example really drives it home. Thanks! Good stuff!

The humidity they have in Orlando really helps things grow big-time. This is great weather we are having and sort of Orlando-esque if I am able to make up my own word to describe it! This is great!

By the way, I drove into Royal Palms neighborhood. What's in a name? Not much. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Oh well. I brought a shovel just in case I saw some random seedlings drop from a mature Royal palm!

If the nursery thinks Royals are tough (and many employees at nurseries don't know squat 'outside the box'), try a bottle palm. Too ultra tropical for us. I talked to this one guy in Mesa that has some, but I haven't seen them, and seeing is believing, is it not?

One might be able to keep a palm alive in conditions that aren't ideal, but if it looks crappy it is hard to justify it to yourself as to why you put forth the effort.

cjs111, what is the name of that nursery in Florida that mailorders? I would like to check them out if I get the desire to have a couple palms in buckets (no room in the ground anymore). Are you from AZ?

By the way, the sales guy at MV wanted to make sure you left with SOMETHING instead of nothing because it is a lot easier for someone to swallow a $40 price tag on a Queen palm than an $800 price tag on a Royal! $800!!!! Man, I'm feeling pretty good about the 3 I have now!

sonotaps,

here is the link
http://www.hardypalmtrees.com/Container%20Palms.htm

I'll post pics once they arrive.

Heat/sun are not an issue for your royals I am assuming?

Pacific Palms said they might get Royal Palms in this fall. Perhaps because people from this forum keep calling....

Channel 12 should be one of the WARMEST spots. They are right downtown too-right near where Central goes over I-10, near the library.....