Sorry it was in progress

But why? What are you trying to accomplish with the beds? Typically you just plant densely between the palms at the same level. Multiple raised beds seems forced without a strong reason (mobility issues for example)

I'm with the But Why? camp. It would look truly odd.

If you want more greenery, flowers and privacy from the alley, make bigger beds. Two foot wide beds crammed up against the fence are not adequate for much of any greenery, flowers and privacy with or without palms and raised beds.

Leave the palms alone. Make bigger beds. Six foot minimum depth. Plant more greenery and flowers, some of it tall enough to hide more of the alley.

In addition to bigger beds, could you add some kind of lattice to the top of the fence and grow vines up?

@HALLETT & Co. @Christopher CNC it's predominantly *because* of the lack of readily available depth that the raised beds are something I am considering. The beds are definitely going to be enlarged in general but, after going largely untouched for 15 years, almost the entirety of the existing soil is densely packed and filled with the expansive and shallow root systems of palms... which have also grown around parts of a pipe system whose installers apparently decided to play it fast and loose during construction. Anyway, it would be less of a headache (and more budget friendly) to create 6 inches or so of space to put in some carefully chosen plants on top of them as well as the stump in the corner. Not to mention the extra height would simultaneously mean the things planted there would have slightly better drainage than the area currently does, at least to the point the area isn't a sad mud puddle after a few days of rain.

@latifolia a trellis is definitely in the plans

Covering up the exposed roots and/or burying/covering deeper the established active roots with your stone or brick beds will smother the roots just as too much soil would - your palms will decline and eventually die due to lack of oxygen and water. Expand the size of your beds out from the root zones of the palms, then plant your foundation plants in front. Cheaper, healthier, and prettier.

Palms have a fairly shallow tight root system. I would amend the heck out of that soil now- maybe 2” of mushroom compost followed by 3” of bark chips, keeping it a foot off the palms. By next spring that will have partially decomposed and you would dig through it to plant new things. All for the same cost of buying and filling raised beds.