Too many palms?

13 years ago

We have a palm garden in our front yard, planted by the previous owner, and now that we're looking into it, we're concerned about whether it's overplanted. The area is about 8 ft by 10 ft. This is what's planted:

king palm
giant bird of paradise
sago palm
philodendron
pygmy date
California fan palm
alliums
ferns

I think these plants are probably around 5 years old, give or take. The king palm is closest to the house, about 7 feet. The giant bird of paradise is about 4 feet from the driveway. And the pygmy date is right next to the driveway.

The fan palm, bird of paradise and the ferns all look good. The sago and the philodendron not so much.

The king and the BOP are both about 12-15 feet tall.

We've already decided to remove the fan palm and the ferns , and now we're wondering what else, if anything, we should remove. Our concerns are whether roots will damage the driveway, or whether they'll choke each other out.

We also want to plant a citrus here since it's the only place on our property that gets enough sun.

Would love to hear opinions!

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Comments (8)

us_marine
13 years ago
what state and zone are you from? To me it look like cali lol

Actually alot of palms and tropicals are planted close together. Sometimes its a good thing as they can protect each other from cold. I dont really think they are too close as I've seen landscapes with palms much closer and they are doing just fine.

Although a little more space inbetween would be best. Especially in the case of the CA fan palm since it will have a very thick trunk. If any should be moved it would be that one. The Kings are very fussy about being replanted. If you remove any of them be extra careful not to disturb their roots.

- US_Marine

This post was edited by us_marine on Thu, Mar 28, 13 at 22:03
ericthehurdler
13 years ago
wow that it way to many plants!

good choice on removing the fan palm (washingtonia) they will get way to big for that spot.

as far as aesthetics go i would remove/transplant the bird of paradise and the sago palm.

You shouldn't worry too much about the roots damaging your driveway. All those plants have fibrous roots that couldnt do much damage.
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stanofh 10a Hayward,Ca S.F. bay area
13 years ago
To each his own..but I would just remove the Philo- it will sprawl all over the other plants,and maybe the sago. The Fan palm will soon be your tallest plant,the King palms next and with the feathery fronds a nice contrast. The GBOP is easily pruned of excess suckers,and height can be any with removal of trunks. Without the Sago and Philo...the glossy green citrus in front (dwarf?) is the contrast of small foliage to the tropical look of the other palms and plants.
Central_Cali369
13 years ago
Good call on removing the Fan palm. I would transplant the sago and the philodendron to a different location and keep the King, Bird of Paradise and pygmy date where they are.
david_
13 years ago
I would remove a few of the ones that are easy to replant and plant them somewhere else. Sago's and the king palm are not to hard to transplant.
don_licuala
13 years ago
Leave the King palms (Archontophoenix) and the Pigmy Dates (Phoenix) and yank out the rest.
What's up with the cycad; is it cold damage or Asian Scale?
_JAKE_
13 years ago
What a beautiful little arrangement! We gardeners up north would just love to be able to plant such a beautiful mix! My input would be to definetely not touch the king palm because not only is that my favourite type of palm but they are also very sensative to transplant shock! Good luck!
tropicbreezent
13 years ago
I also have groups of plantings of palms by the previous owner which are now "out of balance". The cute little plants that were first put in are massive trunked giants right up against one another. There's no digging them out now, you'd kill the lot. So best to make any moves ASAP to avoid difficulties later. The decision on what moves and what stays will be difficult. A matter of value judgements and what your overall plans are.