[Bubble Gum]

Originally Posted by Ozzello

Mature, healthy queen palms will 'drop' 2-5 fronds per year, making room for the new fronds they produce. There are palms with a good shade canopy that do not 'drop' fronds as the new fronds are produced (Mules, Sylvesters, Canary, Pindos ) but the higher cost for these palms compared to the queen of equal height is significant.

There are shade trees that are not palms out there, but there is trimming, leaves, invasive root systems, tree bores, lichens, ball moss, gall, and shade to dense to grow grass under.

Sorry, but I must disagree with you on many of your defenses of palm trees versus real trees.

While palms do provide a little shade, in order for them to provide a real shade canopy, they would have to be massed. You never see anyone sitting under a plam tree because of the shade they provide.

Any tree, shade, flowering or otherwise, will always require significantly less maintenance and expense than that of a palm. Most trees do not have to be trimmed often, if at all over the course of many years. Most trees do not have invasive root system; the real key is that they be planted in the proper location where being invasive isn't a problem. Borers, gall, etc. are not found that often and lichens and moss which are epiphytic, hurt nothing.

Queen plams are probably the least expensive palm anyone could buy. The Villages is a borderline geographic area and they really shouldn't be planted here. In addition, they really are trash trees. The U of F does not recommend planting them anywhere. In addition, cockroaches love them and live in them along with other insects and rats. The same is true for many other palms, as well. Landscapers love Queen palms because they are cheap. They talk newcomers into them because to a new resident, they represent the tropical look they never had.

Birds can live without palm trees but would die off without real trees. Trees provide food for humans and other wildlife. Trees will shade your house and help keep electric costs down.

I could continue but won't. I just feel sorry for anyone who has 9 Queen palms. That's what got me started!