If you hate the queens so much why not trim them just above the ground level! They are beautiful palms if they are not the 80' kind I got 5 from a neighbor and kept 4 I love them. Best bet for you is to remove them and plant something else

Queen Palms do best when only their yellow and brown fronds have been removed--severe trimming will result in an unhealthy very spindly plant.

I definitely agree with your description of these royal slobs. However, I have many fond memories of lounging under those long, arching fronds :) I couldn't grow Coconut or Royal palms to save me. Your best bet is to only have the tree man remove the inflorences and any brown or yellow leaves.

If you can get them removed for less than $200 a tree, do it now rather than spend the money several times a year to have them trimmed. Replace them with trees or, if you want palms, use a self-cleaning palm like a Foxtail.

And these palms are more likely to fall during a hurricane than the other palms recommended.

Very few established palms will fall in a storm unless the ground gets really soaked and the root ball comes loose. What normally happens is the new growth - the apical meristem - is damaged by the winds, thus killing the palm. Washingtonias will snap at a point where they were either lifted by a crane or bounced on the bar of a large tree carrier. But most other palms will just lose fronds.

When I first moved here, I loved the way they looked and planted them, but have since removed them and replaced them with self cleaning palms.

Uiiihhh, I was planning to have sabal palms planted - not self-cleaning, I assume. They will not be next to the house. What kind of wildlife do the black berries attract?

so, the tree guy... i wasn't terribly impressed with him (i've had a lot of tree guys, but they move on!). but he quoted me $45 to trim them back and $125 to truck them away... i'll probably end up having him cut down three and keep the two on the corners of the house...

what do you all think -- fair prices? they're pretty good-sized palms. i live in a TALL 2-story house, and several of them are taller than the house.

Self cleaning palms are great till the frons fall and hit your house, car, or your neighbor. Oh my an act of God just took out that nasty neighbor

Sounds like your Queen Palms are nearing their age limit, from the height. We had to remove several at the nursery due to advanced age--they were hurricane-ravaged, LEANING, and beyond the point of saving. I pointed it out to my boss and he agreed it was time. We replaced them with coconut palms, bismarks, spindle and foxtails!

But we were near the ocean in Vero Beach.

The self cleaning ones I have just brown up and then fold down against the trunk. You can reach to pull it off. I haven't had any come down with a crash.

Is you tree guy digging out the roots too for that price? Be sure he is licenced and insured, just in case. A couple of years ago I had some taken out, roots and all, that were smaller for $100 each. So I think that sounds fair for larger trees.

That's a very fair price. I paid $200 a tree here in Boca and that did not include taking out the root ball or grinding it down.

However, let me address that topic - If you take out the root ball, you must fill the sides of the hole with good topsoil before you replant in the same hole. I would also mix some palm fertilizer in with the topsoil since the old palm's micro-roots will have depleted the soil.
If you must pay extra to have the root ball removed or ground down, and don't wish to. Have them cut the palm as close to the ground as possible. The stump will decay on its own in a few years or you can pour chemicals on it to hasten the process. Then simply make new holes for the new palms or trees.

thanks, everyone, for the timely & excellent advice. i'm definitely going to have them cut down at least two, maybe three of the trees, and then just gird myself to pay to have the remaining two trimmed at least once a year.

they are pretty trees... and the fruit make excellent missiles for squirrel abuse...