what is up with the urge to plant palms?
 

I understand many of you are new to Fla when you move in but there is a reason you see hardwoods in the country and not palms. Leave the oaks on your property.....you be grateful in ten years. The bio diversity of your neighborhood will thank you too.

A humble Villager and native Floridian

Or plant a palm...
 

if that is what you want. We have a live oak that came with the property and we'll leave it because it's native, but I do not look forward to raking the leaves if I live long enough to do so(it also makes grass growing a lot more difficult). There is plenty of plant diversity here in TV and if you want a palm to underscore the tropical ambiance I say go for it.

No leaves for me!
 

We moved here 5 years ago and only have 2 trees that produce leaves that fall off in the FALL. My last house in Georgia was FULL of trees and in FALL the lawn was covered with leaves weekly. I am sick of Leaves! Less (or No) leaves was a "benefit" for us Moving to Florida. My 2 trees that produce leaves are scheduled to be cut down in January!

A Happy and soon to be "Leafless" Floridian!

There is no filthier tree than the florida oak that drops bushels of leaves, tiny sticks, and tiny acorns that rot into brown, tarry goo on the driveway and on the grass, which the rotting oak leaves/acorns kill.

In the pastures, golf course roughs, and along roadsides, they're good to keep. But in a residential yard, they are a cleaning nightmare for 8 months, and a grass-killing menace!

Thank you to everyone who's planted palms!

We've only been in TV for seven years. We are not native Floridians.
However we love our double Sylvester Palm. Love it!!

I completely agree. If I want to see palms, all I need to do is look around. I do not want my own personal palms!

Have no idea why someone would be worried or even care what kind of tree someone plants in their own yard.

I couldn't agree more! It's your yard plant what you like and enjoy it! Everyone else :click:

In 20 years the little 5,000 sq.ft. lot and home will be overwhelmed by the giant beautiful oak. This will also greatly effect the neighbor. Love those trees just not in a small yard.

It does get kind of silly........................

Pruning keeps rodents away!

Palm trees with slumping, dead fronds CAN attract pests such as rats, roaches, bats and snakes. Rodents may nest and breed within THICK layers of dead fronds in untrimmed palm trees and have easy access to your roof and home, especially if the fronds hang near your roofline. Sensible plant location, careful, periodic palm tree trimming and removal of fruit will help prevent unwanted pests on your property.

Critters would much prefer 'brown' vegetation to nest or hide in as it (unlike green healthy fronds) doesn't move much and provides camouflage and shade.

Gotta admit that I loathe palms. Most Northern Californians do. The palms in SoCal have ten feet of root for every foot of tree. They've drained two aquifers in LA. I really don't get the desire to introduce non-native plants, especially palms, into an area but people are going to do what they like unless not permitted legally (and there are too many laws as it is). So, for those who want them, enjoy. For those who don't, just shrug your shoulders, wince as you go by them and keep on truckin.

I lived up north with eight huge oak trees on my little 1/3 acre. That was 20 years of raking leaves. Lots of leaves. We swore we'd never have oak trees again.

So, it's palm trees here in Florida. We bought new, and didn't have any big trees--oak or otherwise. We're very happy with our decision to have only palm trees. We love them.

We love our palms, have several varieties (about 12) that grow to different heights.

Altogether about 30 of them, the mule is our favorite.

I wish Mansfield had not planted our neighbor's palm right next to our house, so close that the fronds scratch our roof if he does not keep that side of it trimmed. He did, but now there are new neighbors.

Not sure where the OP is looking when he's out in the country, since there are NATIVE sabal palmettos growing all over Florida.

I currently have five different species of palms growing here in Birmingham and when we finally move to TV I certainly hope our neighbors don't have a strong dislike for palms. I can guarantee that our property will be quite palmy, in fact I hope to have a nice variety of different palms similar to what Jimbo is growing. Can hardly wait for the day........

Spot on. I have a friend who paid more $$$$ for a lot with a big Florida Oak. He is "sorry " now for all the reasons you point out.

First, I wasn't "worried" about what others plant but rather it was a simple question to which many answered. Do what you wish to your own property. Secondly, many responded with the leaf issue being a problem which was beautifully answered by another poster. Yes I have seen Palmettos growing in Florida. I have one I fight back regularly (under my live oak) in Jacksonville. The type of palms folks plant here are not native to this area but if it gives you pleasure go for it.

Yep, I agree. That's part of what brought me to Florida. Always wanted to live among the palm trees !! :)

Regarding the two phrases highlighted in red above:

1. Obviously you haven't lived with one of these florida oaks shading your driveway, yard and/or house. Contrary to your phrase implying these florida oaks drop leaves only in the fall, their leaves AND GAZILLIONS OF TINY ACORNS that rot quickly do not "fall in the fall". They fall for 7-8 months, from about July thru March!!

Unless you sweep and wash the driveway and sidewalk up to the front door every day, all the black/brown filth and rot from the leaves, tiny sticks and acorns get walked into the house or garage on shoe soles, and not everybody (especially seniors with physical problems) wants to go thru removing their shoes every time they walk into the house or garage. It is a constant mess to clean up to not have it tracked in and dirty or stain the rugs and floors.

2. "Many residents have moved here from the north and west" and came specifically to enjoy greenery all year long, instead of everything looking DEAD and naked from Sept. thru April. Palms are a daily reminder that we're not living in the cold, grey, frozen, dead-looking north as we did for decades since birth. The graceful, whispering palms outside are a joy to look at and they're what I "write home about" most.

Not too mention that stuff all over the car for those that have a car in the driveway, all over the roof & in the eaves !!! Even if you put screening on the eaves, it still all has to be cleaned off. Too much like work.

Thank you Uptown Girl for pointing out the truth about palm trees and rodents. I always thought what on earth would attract a rat to my palm trees - no good hiding places or fruit to eat so why would they even think twice about it.

Do palms count as trees under the covenant rule against removing any with trunks 4" or more?

Palms or not, I'd like to see a change in the deed restrictions to allow more xeriscaping and even complete grass removal. I'll grant that lawns look "nicer" than rock gardens, but given the financial and environmental costs of watering, it might be worth considering. Also seems like a heck of a lot of retirees would be just as happy never to bother with yardwork again, me included.

When we moved to Miami in 1953 from the Pittsburgh area the first thing my father did was to plant a coconut palm along with orange, grapefruit and banana trees. We also had a fig tree and Mango tree. The Villages is much less tropical than that area and you won't see coconut or royal palms. I really enjoy seeing the oak trees and also some of the red maple which actually change color in this time of year. I don't want them in my yard though dropping all those leaves. I can understand new transplants from up north wanting palms.

A question to the master gardeners among you: Is it a "sin" to plant a non native plant in an area if it is in its proper climate designation? For instance, my geraniums thrive year-round down here. Are they native? If not, should they not be planted? Same thing with palms. Why shouldn't they be planted if they are the kind that will withstand this climate?

It seems to me if all we planted were native plants, the landscape could be pretty dull. We don't have any palms, but I like seeing them about.

If I plant tree it's going to have something I can eat from it. So I would plant citrus of some sort. I lived on 2 acres for 20 years . I had three types of pears, tree types of cherries, tree types of apples, apricots, pecans, and grapes. Plus about 40 blackjack oaks. I was always cleaning up from under the oaks and eating fruit all summer long.

I tried very hard to get xeriscaping approved, in fact had FL Univ involved to get it approved.................no way they fought very hard against it although Fl law says it over rides HOA's.

Short of a Court action it wasn't happening, we did reach a compromise of sorts.

My neighbor in Belvedere paid a 10,000 lot premium because of a large live oak. Hurricane winds came through in October 2004 part of the tree fell on the house. Cost 6,000 to remove the tree. Spent a total of 16,000........OUCH!!!

Apparently so, say 7 Hail Marys and 8 Lord's Prayers and you will be forgiven.

:pray:

We have two oaks in our yard one in front and one in back. They are the nastiest trees around. Always raking and cleaning up the crap that they leave on the walkways,driveways and patio. We bought our house because there was shade and the trees looked nice but after living here for three years we are about ready to look for another house. My backyard had beautiful grass and now it is bare,my front yard is getting that way too. The oaks in Michigan were a better tree. I wish we could take the trees down and plant another type of tree but not a palm.

I paid $10,000 for my lot in the same area and I didn't have a live oak. Why would that raise the price of the lot ? Just wondering where you heard that was the reason for the lot price.

Duh, don't know what I was thinking. :( I meant gutters !!

If it's a sin, there's going to be a huge number of Villages residents in the penalty box with me! :evil6:

I think it's hilarious how someone could they know what feeling I get when I look out my windows (regardless of what the outdoor temp may be) & see beautiful green palms in my yard, even way up here in Birmingham, AL.
I mean c'mon, seriously?

Interesting question. The closest I can come up with as an answer:

Definition

Although "tree" is a term of common parlance, there is no universally recognised precise definition of what a tree is, either botanically or in common language.[1] In its broadest sense, a tree is any plant with the general form of an elongated stem, or trunk, which supports the photosynthetic leaves or branches at some distance above the ground.[2] Trees are also typically defined by height,[3] with smaller plants from 0.5 to 10 m (1.6 to 32.8 ft) being called shrubs,[4] so the minimum height of a tree is only loosely defined.[3] Large herbaceous plants such as papaya and bananas are trees in this broad sense.[1][5]
A commonly applied narrower definition is that a tree has a woody trunk formed by secondary growth, meaning that the trunk thickens each year by growing outwards, in addition to the primary upwards growth from the growing tip.[3][6] Under such a definition, herbaceous plants such as palms, bananas and papayas are not considered trees regardless of their height, growth form or stem girth. Certain monocots may be considered trees under a slightly looser definition;[7] while the Joshua tree, bamboos and palms do not have secondary growth and never produce true wood with growth rings,[8][9] they may produce "pseudo-wood" by lignifying cells formed by primary growth.[10]
Aside from structural definitions, trees are commonly defined by use, for instance as those plants which yield lumber.[11]

Thanks, downeaster. We had a large palm taken out because our neighbor was complaining that the fronds brushed their roof, but it never occurred to us that the thing was a "tree" and didn't ask anyone's permission.

Also ... one day afterwards I saw our neighbor stride angrily out of the house wearing her bathrobe and come around the corner to catch the palm in action as it was making the noise that kept her and her husband up all night. She was quite startled to see that it was gone. I was quite mirthful at her expression.

Personally, I think it's squirrels on their roof.