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lzrddr

Overplanting palms

16 years ago

I tried not to over plant... when we got this house in November 04 I swore to my wife I would only put a few palms, spread out, in the front yard...

So I started with a few of my favorite species... these are Parajubaea seedlings (P torallyi, P sunkha, and P torallyi var microcarpum)

Then I just planted a few more select species I thought would make it in our climate (turns out the Dypsis plumosa in the foreground did NOT make it). This was Nov 05 now

Here, exactly a year later, the palms are actually starting to look like palms... but a few other things are starting to pop here and there. My wife is getting concerned at this point, but the yard still looks OK to her.

A year later almost (July 07) things are still looking 'under control' but more planting is encroaching from the sides

Here in September 08 she now realizes this front yard is overplanted and is really worried I cannot see this. Still looks good to me.

June 09 and I am starting to see it, too, though I still love all the palms.

Last two photos are of a few months ago... uh oh.

I tried. Oh well

Comments (39)

  • 16 years ago

    So what will you do ?

    It's great that they are all happily coexisting for the time being, though.

  • 16 years ago

    I can't help but wonder what zone you are and where is this? I do not see other homes with any palms and your palms are thriving so it must be warm enough!

    Impressive but getting a bit too crowded to enjoy. May I kindly suggest that you dig some of your less favorites up and offer them to neighbors, before the roots are so deep that you are forced to cut some down. Wifey will eventually want you to control the jungle better.

    I saw a date palm in there that I was concerned was too close to the house when it gets much larger in 5-15 years.

  • 16 years ago

    I would hate to see such beautiful palms die and since you are already heading toward the jungle look I guess a possiblity would be to get rid of the lawn, replace it with mulch and plant some smaller things underneath to give it a real tropical look.
    But still all these plants are going to look worse and worse with each other so maybe its time to dig them up and sell them, or move them to a different spot. The jungle look doesnt work very well for small front yards, but would look great in a backyard as a privacy sreen mixed with other tropical plants and trees and maybe a nice sized pond (or pool if you already have one). I would try anything before cutting such beautiful palms down, but something does have to be done to make the yard look a little more orderly (even though induvidually all the palms are looking beautiful).

    Good luck, I hope you find a great solution!
    -Alex

  • 16 years ago

    I like the jungle look but some people don't. I think some pruning will allow you to see through the jungle pune all palms down to 5 leaves. On palms that sucker remove all accept one main one. remove that evergreen that i believe is an aurocaria. And clean up all the stray CIDP seedlings. (you can sell them on ebay)

  • 16 years ago

    Yeah Im thinkin you may need to have your self a yard sale. Literally.

  • 16 years ago

    Maybe if you only trim off some leaves from the pinnate Palm specimens, it will tidy up the planting enough that it doesn't look overgrown.

    Undoubtedly more room needs to be cleared for the Bismarckia but otherwise I think you might be able to manage the rest with some minor yet creative maneuvering.

    Or you can buy your neighbor's house, move in there, then replace the roof of your current home with a glass dome so you can grow some real tropical plants :-)

    I'm sure the Mrs. won't mind, LOL

    x

  • 16 years ago

    I am also curious as to what zone you are in.

    In any case, you gotta love it. Assuming you still can, I would lose the pots and just plant them in the ground. I might also invert them a bit and make it less linear so as to look more natural. And yes, either mulch or switch to groundcover.

    Otherwise, you have done a great job. I worry about this myself although I have managed to restrain myself. Sort of.

  • 16 years ago

    those 'pots' are not pots but just half-rounds used as miniplanter boxes... all those large aloes are in the ground... just raised up a bit since our soil here has so much clay (poorly draining). Doesn't seem to bother the palms any, but not good for most aloes. I think as palms all become trunks, it won't be so bad... can't bring myself to move any of the Parajubaeas as those are pretty touchy and too expensive to just lose. Bismarckia goes before they do (much cheaper tree, too). The Jubaea in the last photo will probably have to be dug up, but at least those tend to move well.

  • 16 years ago

    Is there still a house there LOL? I think that number after his name is his zip code.

  • 16 years ago

    Swear "now"plant later!
    It happened so gradually your wife didn't notice in time,like slowly raising the temp on that poor little frog!(-:

    Looks great to me-so much growth in so little time,very cool!


  • 16 years ago

    Have we found out yet where he lives? I would think southern California

  • 16 years ago

    91335 is a California zip code to the city of Reseda, Ca not far from Los Angeles. Looks like a great climate for palms because those are growing very fast!

    Good luck!
    -Alex

  • 16 years ago

    Looks like how my yard will probably look in a few years. My wife ALSO has some choice words about it.

    Especially all the citrus trees crowded in the back yard.

  • 16 years ago

    Wish I could grow some of that stuff (Bismarkia!), but that being said, sometimes less is more.

  • 16 years ago

    I like those Aloes more than I like the palms! haha. Are those Thraskii or Alooides? I have Alooides (along with Marlothii, Ferox, x Hercules, Arborescens, Plicatilis, Speciosa, Africana, Pluridens, Littoralis, Gluaca, Broomii, Rietzii and many, many smaller ones). As you can tell, I'm a sucker for Aloes

  • 16 years ago

    That is Aloe alooides... have over 450 species of aloe in the yard so far, but at least they don't take up nearly as much room

  • 16 years ago

    Hey Doc

    Would you consider doing a Trachy thread and posting all those nice Trachy pics you have?

    I would love to see them!

  • 16 years ago

    You also need to place a genuine, wooden Garden Tiki in there. At least a 5 footer.

  • 16 years ago

    Kind of getting hidden though

  • 16 years ago

    lzrddr

    Trachy pics???????????????????????????????

  • 16 years ago

    Cool tiki head!

  • 16 years ago

    Yes, very cool Tiki. Well, I have nothing further to say. Very cool house and garden.

  • 16 years ago

    Wow, that's a lot of cool palms you've got there. I wish I had that climate.

  • 16 years ago

    I apprecaite a attraction to growing palms. This looks overdone and may be an unhealthy obsession.

    It needs order and sense.

    Sorry to be reality, but I do not want to encourage this.

  • 16 years ago

    Your funny Greg but maybe to late(-;

  • 16 years ago

    Here's his house in the year 2020. They will eventually build a second storey and move up there since the first floor will be overtaken by monkeys... ;-)

    Here is a link that might be useful:

  • 16 years ago

    When I first got into palms and cycads, I had several mentors to pattern after, though I cannot really compare myself to these amazing growers... but here's a few shots of their yards and maybe you will understand my urge to plant and plant

    this is the sidewalk of the first place- a virtual corridor of palms and exotics

  • 16 years ago

    I love it!

  • 16 years ago

    I don't see any problem here.

  • 16 years ago

    Those are very nice yards! If I were ever to move to a warmer climate, I would want it to look something like this!

  • 16 years ago

    Good response. Those were some impressive, creative and pleasing to the eye landscapes. That's a crowded goal... lol. I guess that's the trick - to organize it into a lanscape.

    Hey Jim, glad to make you laugh... but... thousands of palms in one yard in suburbia? I want some free time for vacation:)

  • 16 years ago

    One small tip that I sometimes observe(I have small yards stuffed full too)-pruning any plants or branches or fronds that block windows..if windows arent blocked it just doesnt seem like its swallowing the home. And,if you dont have acres-I look at that kind of planting as simply a giant flowerbox. Same principles..and the plants layer themselves. I mean, what the heck Doc,whats the point of pretending you can have open walking space between plants?-lol. Might as well use that for more plants. Access for pruning is all I need.

  • 16 years ago

    Love that unhealthy obsession!

    I am new to appreciation of palms. My yard has flowers and cactus. I think some palms will add a vertical element.

    I have a small Canary IDP waiting to be planted in the backyard.

    I spotted a beauty today: Mediterranean Fan Palm in a 15 gallon pot. I did my homework and found out it would just love my soil and make a nice planting near the side fence in my backyard. I'm on a corner so fence hoppers are a concern and MFP has enough prickles that they'd think twice about jumping over.

    Being on a corner is a little like having two front yards: Some palms peering over the fence on that side would be lovely.

  • 16 years ago

    Greg wrote

    "Hey Jim, glad to make you laugh... but... thousands of palms in one yard in suburbia? I want some free time for vacation:)"

    ----------------------------------------------------------------

    When you have that many palms....who needs a vacation!-lol

    I love it!

    My yard would look just like that if I lived there!

    Come to think of it,already does!

  • 16 years ago

    I have to agree with zeeth... no problems from my point of view lol

    The words "overplanting" and "palms" can't be used in the same sentence on this forum :)

  • 16 years ago

    Wow that cycad garden looks great

  • 10 years ago

    Any updates on this post? I'm curious of the progress.

  • 10 years ago

    I'm afraid my garden looks just the same as your first two pics lzrddr! I started with four queens. I removed two of them to make room for a couple of phoenix rupicola. Then thought I could squeeze a couple of phoenix reclinata. Not soon after I thought, "What the heck, I can fit a beccariophoenix here, and another there!" Just last week I added a bismark and two dypsis decipiens... Somehow I've managed to fit a jacaranda in the corner on the right... and a brachychiton acerifolius...


    I'm not married yet so I guess I have free range. For now. lol

    The pictures are from 2013 on the top, and 2016 on the bottom.

  • 10 years ago

    I'm the last to say over planted to anybody. I think what happens is after they start to close in on you? It does make it easier to decide what stays and what goes or take a hard pruning. But- You know never really know until the plants show you. I've cut down plants that were my holy grails just a few short years earlier...and I've left plants common as dirt...they just look too nice.

    No books can predict any of that.


    btw- This post has great timing because I am right now cleaning out the front yard of plants no longer wanted (extra jade,nothing valuable) and trying to clear space between plants. I might rock mulch again. What I did years ago..sunk in and is mostly gone!