Whats the best palm tree
 

I recently bought a patio villa. The landscaping currently has a holly bush in the front of my house. Being from New England I want that Florida feel that I get when I see a palm tree. I would like to place a palm tree where the holly bush is and move the holly bush to the back of my house. I am not sure what type of palm tree would compliment my house. I am looking for suugestions from people who have palm trees on patio villa lots. I don't think I want one that gets to tall.

Also do I need to let village district know that I am going to moce a bush and plant a palm tree?

Appreciate all replies.

Bob :undecided:

Village of Buttonwood

Not a Queen Palm.

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Canary Island Date Palm?

I just went through a major landscape project and being from MA, I had no clue about palm trees. What I found is youl'll get different responses from different people....even professionals.

I believe the most common palm tree you see here in TV that is indigenous to FL is the Sabal. Most of the Palms you see here in TV like the Queen, Sylvester, Pineapple, are not indigenous to FL and the biggest risk seems to be cold and sustained temperatures. That being said, there are still many home owners, including me, willing to take the risk and that is why you see so many different Palms in landscaping throughout TV. I have met people that have had Queen and Sylvester Palms in their landscaping and have not had any issues. I also have heard about cases where the Palms did not survive. My advice is to interview several landscape or nurseries to get their perspective. If you decide to move forward with your project, make certain you understand the warranty....they do differ. You'll find landscape recommendations here on ToTV.

Good luck!

Palms
 

Willis Orchards (Willis Orchard Company: Fruit Trees | Flowering Trees | Berry Plants | Shade Trees | Walnut Trees) is in Georgia and has good information on palms and hardiness

I'd suggest you ride around patio villa neighborhoods that are several years old and look at any that have palms planted in their front yards. That will give you a good indication of what works and looks good. You can always knock on a door to ask what kind of palm they have.

Yes, I believe you should go through architectural review for these landscaping plans.

That's a great idea...you'd get more out of it if you could identify the varieties before you go look and/or take pictures of the ones that look good and get an expert to identify and tell you about them.

Sylvester palm and Bismarck fan palm are cool trees.

Whatever type palms that the developer uses on his golf course will hold up. i don't know their price but suspect they coast more than queens. We have queens and they are gorgeous as the fronds cascade so nicely and have held up well:albeit I am told they can rot in center trunk during winter months

Thanks everyone for the suggestions on how I should pick out the right palm tree. Being new to the Villages can anyone suggest a nursery where I might view some trees after I decided on what I want.:posting:

i think this site will help you out - and you won't hafta leave home to check out landscaping!! ;)

Palm tree guide with illustrations of different types of palm trees

Should probably have the utilities marked before planting a tree.

http://www.mansfieldlandscapingllc.com/
 

Mansfield Landscaping

Steve just did our front yard and he did a fabulous job. He is coming back after we get the birdcage done to do the back yard. He has a nursery where you can pick out anything you want. He put 3 different kinds of palms in our front yard. I am a huge fan. :BigApplause::BigApplause::BigApplause:

My favourite type of Palm Tree is the Sylvester Palm, which grows slowly. There are nurseries close by where you can wander around and check out palm trees ... notably Fairfield Farms and Terrascape, both on CR 301. Bonnie at Terrascape is especially helpful.

There have been a couple of other threads on Mansfield Landscaping.

I have a patio villa and have looked at palms a lot.

My choice would be a windmall palm, they don't grow all that high, they're very cold tolerant, low maintenance and very attractive for a patio villa lot.

2nd choice is a European fan palm, also doesn't grow that tall, cold hearty and low maintenance. The fan palm is more *bushy* than the windmill but both are really attractive.

Bismarck, Pindos, Sabal, Canary and Silversters will grow way too big. Queen Palms are not very cold tolerant and seem tempermental (my opinion).
Robellini's are not at all sutiable for this zone (I know tons of people who have ripped 'em out, including me).

I think that near covers 'em all. I visited the Florida Extension Service on 466 and had a nice long visit with Jim on this topic, you may want to do the same.

John N gives good advice. Some palms are just too big for a patio villa.

I think a European Fan Palm would be the perfect size & like JohnN said, it's bushy.

Word of Caution: Don't plant them closer than 8 to 10 feet or eventually the roots will buckle your driveway/walkways. Happened to a neighbor who tripped over the raised concrete, broke a hip and spent 5 months recovering. The offending palm was removed....

Pindo palm
 

In 2002 we bought a used villa with a Pindo palm. We like it. It grows very slowly, is easy to maintain, and is not at all bothered by frosts or freezes. The long arching fronds are graceful but picky so wear gloves when you (infrequently) need to trim off one.

Wow, I would sure like to know what kind of palm that was, as I have NEVER heard of that happening before. Palm tree roots DO NOT thicken with age, since they continually die back & new roots are generated. I'm thinking they must have planted a very small palm within a foot or two of the concrete & the outward growth of the trunk as the pam matured made the concrete buckle. Or perhaps the palm was there first & someone installed the sidewalk or driveway too close.

May have been roots from another tree in the area. In Hawaii, we plant palms in the center of concrete with just a hole a little larger than the trunk diameter. Palm roots are small and soft. I have all types of palms next to walls, sidewalks and my home and never have had any problems.

We used Mansfield and are satisfied.

Ralph, my neighbor, was cutting it down for the lady who got hurt and told me the story. Confirmed by my yard guy as I am going to have one removed as it is doing EXACTLY the same thing on my golfcart garage driveway. Don't know nuthin' bout roots but these folks seem to know what they are talking about....it was a big tree.....11 year old house

Hedoman, do you know what kind of palm yours is? How close is it to your golf cart driveway? Any way you can post a picture? Unless you really want the palm gone regardless, I would consult a few others as to what may be causing the problem with your driveway. I've just never heard of palm roots causing this type of problem, unless it's really the trunk itself pushing against your driveway. Palm roots just don't typically grow & behave the same way oak tree roots do.

We have a couple of windmill palms and I'm not a big fan. When they first come from the nursery, they look fantastic, but then, after a few seasons they start to look a bit ragged - at least ours has. This must be somewhat common since I purchased a landscape design software program which allows you to create 3D designs by placing different plants from their library. When I retrieved the windmill palm from the library, it looked exactly like ours - brown-tipped fronds and all.

I think the Europen Fan Palm is an excellent palm for a low-growing palm. They are very cold hardy and not tempermental at all. For a slightly larger space, Pindo is a good choice - they seem indestructible. Another one that has done well for us is the Lady Palm. It requires some shade, but it has a neat, refined look to it and it is reasonably small. We have two and they both have survived the cold winters quite well. Our Queen Palms have survived the cold winters of several years ago quite well, but I am getting tired of pruning out the dead fronds and seed pods as they grow.

Does anyone do their own landscaping rather than have the nurseries or landscapers put things in? I did a bit of my own up north and, although I know absolutely nothing about Florida landscaping, might try my hand at doing the design and planting. Is there anything I need to know that might sway me to let someone else do it?

Palms
 

A dead palm !!

With the exception of a couple of large palms, we’ve done (and are still in the process of doing) our own landscaping/planting. The main thing is to do research on the appropriate plants for this soil/climate and to remember that water restrictions should dictate the types of plants you choose. Also...keep in mind the in-ground irrigation system, the type of sprinker heads you have or might need to swap out...and dig carefully.