Thank you Stanofh for your opinion. I am a quite relieved by your answer. These palms survived through cyclone yasi a few years ago which was quite severe. We were also told by the man that put up the fence that they were planted well, as they were planted deep and they went down and down. I have added another photo which I took this morning. Thank you so much! Your opinion was greatly apprieciated. You guys are just great! Anyone else have an opinion?

They're gluttons for water so I'd say they're not liking your drought. I lost a couple about that size a few years back when we had an extra dry year. The taller they are the more effort it takes them to get water up to the top, which is not good if there's not enough water around.

Thank you Tropicbreezent for your answer. I know you know especially what climate that I Iive in as yours is pretty much the same but more severe.

These palms would be about 25 to 30 years old as my neighbour planted them when he was a young man. He did know what he was doing, he also planted alot of trees in the neighbourhood.

I very much doubt I could get water down to the roots due to the water restrictions and no rain. They do need a good soaking. But then I would worry if they would topple if it got wet enough and we had another cyclone? The wet season is coming!

You said you lost a couple a few years back. How did you lose them? Did they snap at the top, or did they just go brown and die?

These palms are getting a bit dangerous, as big leaves come crashing down every now and then. But I do not want to lose my oasis effect near the pool. If I chop one do I chop all five? It will cost me a fortune!

Thank you you so much, I value your opinion here!

Anyone else have an opinion? I am worried and really do apprieciate your advice! Thank you so much in advance. All you guys are just awesome!!!

Don't know how old mine were but they were already very tall when I bought the place. There were some taller African Mahoganys nearby that were over 30 metres high. The Royals were inside the canopy, about 22 to 25 metres tall, and were sheltered a bit. I had to get rid of the Mahoganys because of the risk during cyclones and thought the reduced competition would help the Royals. But we went into a bit of a drought and the combination of that and the sudden full sun situation during the build-up made the Royals decline. Fronds shrunk and withered early till finally they all died. It took a couple of years. No snapping trunks, just falling fronds, which with Royals is still a problem. The soil here is poor and that wouldn't help them survive.

I'm on a rural block so I've got more room to drop tall trees with little collateral damage.

Thank you so much Tropicbreezent for your reply. It was nice of you to type a little story about your trees for me.

I am quite relieved that your trees didn't snap. Just falling fronds, which I can handle. I realise eventually that these trees must come out as they are now getting rather dangerous. They will cost us a bit.

I have also had an offline opinion from a friend, that has said there may be bugs in the tree.

Thanks again! I do value your opinion and it was so lovely of you to type this for me.

Anyone else have an opinion. It would be greatly apprieciated as I am taking all your replies on board. I then intend to talk to my partner to try come to some decision about this. He is not a garden person, so I will probably ask him to read this thread. Thanks in advance!

Just to update this thread. I have had the trees cut down as they simply were getting too dangerous. I now have a very blank area to deal with.

So far I have put some solar garden lights up and a couple of metal signs. I have put a few plants back in as they were just sitting in boxes. I have a few more boxes of bromeliads and a few more agaves to go back in. Then I have a whole pile of pot plants to think about. Yes the work is cut out for me!

Thank you all so much for your great advice, it was greatly appreciated!

You could plant Foxtail palms Rose. They are not nearly the huge palms Royals are- same look.

Thanks Stanofh for your suggestion! But after dealing with the big palm fronds of the Cuban Royals, my partner will not let me plant any more palms again. I don't think there is anyway to change his mind.

I will put in what I have got in the boxes, which is bromeliads and some more agaves, see how it looks and then go from there.

I also have a fair amount of pot plants, including buddleja, (3 different colours) pink torch ginger, 2 costus spiral ginger, (1 variegated 1 not), a couple of grasses, turnera, (3 varieties) various vincas, coleus, (6 different varieties) Salvia, (mystic spires), Lemon basil, coreopsis, various succulents and that's just to name a few!

I also have a good friend, who is going to let me have some cuttings of his various cordylines.

I think I will fill it up real well, its just figuring out what to use and where to put it is the hard part!

Thanks so much for your reply, it was really appreciated.

Sounds like you'll have that space well covered. Watch the Turnera, mine sat quietly for a couple of years and then I started finding it all over the place. The seeds seem to travel quite well.

Thanks Tropicbreezent for your reply!

I find two varieties of the Turnera I have are very prolific. The plain yellow, and the white with the black centre. I don't mind though they are easy to pull out and they are good fillers in my garden.

The yellow with the black centre, is not as prolific as I still only have one plant, and it has been here for a couple of years. If I want it in the back garden, it will be the one I will use and I will have to propagate it.

Yesterday I put in the rest of the agaves and added the bromeliads.

The next step is to slowly add some colour, and I do like flowers! The back right corner, I am thinking of putting one of the buddleja I have, White Bouquet or Black Knight. I probably will also add some white or yellow gazanias in front of the agaves in the middle.

With the flowers, I will probably try to stick with purple, blue, white and yellow. No pinks, oranges or reds!

I am raiding my friends garden for cordylines this afternoon, they will probably go at the back.

I also have the yellow turnera, yellow coreopsis, salvia (mystic spires,) white vincas. I have just bought a lavender lights plant that I am thinking of putting in the left hand side corner.

All of this I am still pondering about. So if anyone has any suggestions, I would be very happy to hear your ideas!

Thanks very much to Tropicbreezent and Stanofh for their replies and the great advice that you both have given me!

Kind Regards.