[Villages Kahuna]

Why or why such a wide range in prices for various varieties of palm trees? In researching for my own palm purchases, here's some of the anecdotal evidence I've found.

• Sabal Palm--it's the Florida state tree and is very easy to grow. It's cold hardy and attractive. But it often does not survive re-planting and many are sold with the "hurricane cut" fronds which look like a flat-top crew cut for about two years. It's often very cheap.
  
• Washingtonian--like the Sabal, it's cold hardy. But why is it so cheap? It is a fast grower and will reach heights of up to 60 feet. A lot of people don't want to deal with such a fast grower, therefore it's cheap.

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• Robellini Palm--Everyone likes the looks of the Robellini. It often comes in double or triple trunks, as well. Not too fast a grower, but fairly expensive. The downside? It's very tender to the cold. Temperatures much below freezing will kill small Robellinis and make the fronds on lager ones very unattractive for several months after the freeze. People often don't want to deal with covering them up each time there's a freeze or frost warning.
  
• Sylvester Palm--A gorgeous, slow growing, cold hardy palm. It has beautiful, even frond stumps where the old ones have been cut off. There's nothing not to like about a Sylvester--except the price! The fact that is grows so slowly and is so attractive results in a higher price. But if you can afford one, a Sylvester is a great choice.
  
  There are lots of other palms that are used in central Florida, but this is the results of my research on just the few varieties I was considering.