To clarify, a few large palm trees in total. One to the left and another to the right of the tree and then one or two on the east side (right) fence line

Palms are gorgeous...we see plenty of them here in the other sunny state (California). Have you considered adding a small fountain to add to the tropical feel of your landscape? There are some great ways to incorporate them among your greenery.

The way you are describing arranging the palms -- as solitary specimens spaced along the perimeter -- will end up looking as if your yard was designed by a county agency. It would look better to plant some palms in small groupings. Or limit it to one specimen in addition to any groupings. Pindo Palm would work well in group of 3 .. does not get too tall, has nice form and color and is cold hardy. Instead of a "single" palm, a triple-trunk Christmas palm could be nice.

I'd find a place for the dark coral pink Thai crown of thorns. It is the bloomingest plant I have. The dark pink is bushy ... not all stalk like some of the others.

Yardvark,

I have a triple-trunk Christmas Palm in the front yard (which will be a separate project in the future) so maybe planting another in the backyard would be redundant, I don't know.

I like your idea of groupings. I can see where your coming from with the county agency look. I get concerned since my yard sometimes appears smallish to me. If you think those Pindo Palms or another variety wont be too much size-wise, then I'm open to that. I still wan't a Coconut palm to the left of the Maple tree and a couple banana tress, lol.

Yardvaark, That sounds really good. I've got 3 banana plants in mind for the corner and then 3 Palms for the side. I'm tying to locate a Fiji or Samoan Dwarf Coconut Palm f but it's hard to find.

You are located near the eye of the tropical palm storm! Florida has a very palm-friendly climate, and fine examples of tropical landscaping are all around you. But plopping a couple of palms and bananas in the ground will leave you disappointed, and wondering, "What is missing?"

Before you buy a single palm, I recommend a visit to Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens to get the full tropical experience that Florida can provide. You will be inspired by the vastness of the collection and all the exotic companion plants that help the palms show off to their best advantage. Too vast? Try Pinecrest Gardens for a more intimate tropical experience, closer what can be achieved in a back garden.

Special palms you might be able to grow:

Satakentia liukiuensis from Japan (scroll down the page to view image gallery)

Pelagodoxa henryana from the Marquesas Islands

You will want at least one clumping species, and the ultimate is Cyrtostachys renda from Thailand. This one is a little touchy -- dies if the temperature drops below 40F and needs lots of water. Also known as lipstick or red sealing wax palm. Worth the extra effort!

Few palms are more tropical than the species Licuala. You can probably grow Licuala ramsayi in the shade of your maple.

If you've looked at the photos, you can see that variety of shape -- single trunk, multi-trunk, feather leaf, or fan -- and color can really amp up the garden. Palms are a varied and exciting plant family when you explore beyond the common street palms.

That should be enough to whet your appetite for some unique and staggeringly beautiful palms. Check out the Searle Brothers Nursery as a source of inspiration and unusual purchases. So much more to discover with a visit to this specialist nursery!

Add some ti plants, bromeliads, aroids, and other tropical foliage plants to really get the tropical feel. As the palm trunks go overhead, load them up with orchids.

One day the maple will seem out of place with your tropical look. Nothing against the maple, it just isn't quite the theme, ya know?

Expand your thought process beyond "a few large palm trees in total" and you will surely be happier with the results.

kiminpl,

You make a lot of good points. Though I may have a little bit of a green thumb, my creative side of the brain stinks. I'm really poor at constructing such lavish looking gardens in my mind. That is the single hardest part of the process for me. The planting and maintaining seem simple by comparison, at least to me.

I've actually been to Fairchild Tropical on a couple occasions though it's been about 10 yrs. Unfortunately I can't recall the trips with detail any longer. I lived near Pinecrest but never visited that garden. I can look online at some landscaping projects but most of those are on properties which make mine look like a 3rd world country.

The Satakentia liukiuensis and Pelagodoxa henryana are both beautiful palms. The Licuala ramsayi are very nice. I like the idea of those in the tree shade.

My wife is BIG on fruits. If it were up to her, the yard would be littered with scattered fruit trees which would be a mess IMO. I can do without coconuts if need be though I like them. The banana/plaintain trees I would like to incorporate in some way. We do cook lots of plantains. I also have a potted Papaya tree which will find it's place somewhere but they take up little room I think.

Yes, the Maple tree is out of place but it's not going anywhere. Good shade and far too expensive to remove.

I'll look further into your suggestions. I'm here asking questions so I don't make wrong or stupid choices. I'm a real novice at this and even more-so at design.

Thx

Looking through the net I found a few examples that kind of show what I like, or don't, in one way or another.

This one has a clean, controlled look, not over bearing like a jungle.

Another clean look though maybe a little to lite and repetitive.

Banana palms cluster, I like.

Bananas too but has too many other things in the mix, too dense.

Has tropical look but I think still a little too dense

This appears to be a normal backyard like mine. It's not heavily planted from the looks of it.