The ugliest palm

[GottmitAlex]

On 7/3/2016 at 9:53 PM, Darold Petty said:

The perennial favorite in California will always be a neglected Washingtonia robusta !

Eyes closed, hands down: Washingtonia's

[greysrigging]

Cyrtostachys renda don't look real good if they're not watered during the dry season.....

[sipalms]

 

2 hours ago, GottmitAlex said:

Eyes closed, hands down: Washingtonia's

Arrrggh. Makes me sad to think the palm I probably like the most out of any palm, gets such a bad rap on Palmtalk! So I'm gonna wade in and stick up for the good old Washie.

Honestly, how can one not like the views below.

Yes, some are over trimmed. But this is the epitomy of exotic SoCal/Desert/Southwest vibes. Planted right, in groups of varying height, in the right landscape, with the right complimenting plants, well trimmed and cared for, these are just beautiful!!!

On the other hand, any palm in the world is going to look downright ugly if it's not cared for, and in the wrong environment. You only have to drive around Auckland to start to have dislike for Rhopalostylis/Nikaus after seeing so many that are unkempt and stunted, in full sun and battering coastal wind. Even the Auckland variety can look a bit tatty in habitat, if over-exposed.

Edited September 24, 2020 by sipalms

[GottmitAlex]

Sorry @sipalms

I bet you can grow pinnate palms in your region which would look great!

[sipalms]

2 minutes ago, GottmitAlex said:

Sorry @sipalms

I bet you can grow pinnate palms in your region which would look great!

Apology accepted.

I couldn't sit back and let the Washingtonia get slaughtered.

If you were in my climate... what would you grow?

[NOT A TA]

7 hours ago, ugly palm king said:

So.. hypothetically speaking of course, if you were the owner of these palm trees (not the original owner!), then you hypothetically found this forum via a google reverse image search of your own trees, then you realized your palm trees were a source of shame on the internet (hypothetically of course), what would you do in this clearly hypothetical situation? Asking for a hypothetical "friend"

I can't believe everyone let this ^^^ slide by...............

Now if I were the (hypothetical) owner, I'd probably join the forum with a cool name like @ugly palm king then bring this thread back from the dead and post a current pic asking if the palmy people think they are uglier now or back in 2016 when the pic was first posted. hahaha. Then perhaps show a pic of the area (ground level) they are planted in and request suggestions for more aesthetically pleasing plant material recommendations. Then I'd take them down myself if I could drop them without climbing (I'm old now) or have them removed. I'd bet someone here would offer free plants to replace them with in an attempt to draw the hypothetical friend into becoming one of the "collective".  Lightening would have killed them here so I'm not close enough to give large plants to the owner but I'd bet someone here who lives nearby might.

Most plants on any given property are either an asset or a liability. In the case of large plants like palm trees once they get big enough to not be an asset they should be removed before they become a detriment or liability. The bigger they get the more expensive they are to remove and lower property value accordingly.

Welcome to the forum!

[greysrigging]

I'm hoping my big Corypha utan doesn't reach the terminal stage before I do.....
( Be the kids problem when I'm gone....haha )
The good old 'Sugar Palm' ( Arenga pinnata ) sure gets ugly in the terminal flowering stage.... I have a huge dead one right against my house....my solution is to just let nature take it's course and it will eventually collapse without too much drama.....( yeah right.... )

[GottmitAlex]

4 hours ago, sipalms said:

Apology accepted.

I couldn't sit back and let the Washingtonia get slaughtered.

If you were in my climate... what would you grow?

Not palmate palms unless, they were something like a Copernicia. 

Mules, Paras, alfies, etc. That, I would go for.

 

But I know the crux of the situation: they are very slow growers....

Try 'em out regardless.

Alex

 

[hbernstein]

On ‎2‎/‎7‎/‎2019 at 6:27 PM, LasPalmerasDeMaryland said:

I think this species may take the cake xD

http://www.palmpedia.net/wiki/Hyphaene_reptans

Now, now. Those Hyphaene look water-starved; maybe even over-grazed by goats. Is reptans truly a valid species, or just a description of some damaged trees?

[hbernstein]

13 hours ago, greysrigging said:

Cyrtostachys renda don't look real good if they're not watered during the dry season.....

Okay, that's just sucker-punching!

[ugly palm king]

15 hours ago, NOT A TA said:

I can't believe everyone let this ^^^ slide by...............

Now if I were the (hypothetical) owner, I'd probably join the forum with a cool name like @ugly palm king then bring this thread back from the dead and post a current pic asking if the palmy people think they are uglier now or back in 2016 when the pic was first posted. hahaha. Then perhaps show a pic of the area (ground level) they are planted in and request suggestions for more aesthetically pleasing plant material recommendations. Then I'd take them down myself if I could drop them without climbing (I'm old now) or have them removed. I'd bet someone here would offer free plants to replace them with in an attempt to draw the hypothetical friend into becoming one of the "collective".  Lightening would have killed them here so I'm not close enough to give large plants to the owner but I'd bet someone here who lives nearby might.

Most plants on any given property are either an asset or a liability. In the case of large plants like palm trees once they get big enough to not be an asset they should be removed before they become a detriment or liability. The bigger they get the more expensive they are to remove and lower property value accordingly.

Welcome to the forum!

Ok I admit it I am the owner of the internet's ugliest palm trees . Here are a few pictures I have from different angles:

palm bases on the right (green is artificial turf):

all their ugly glory - the previous owner let vines grow almost 30 feet up the taller tree, so in addition to the ugly dead fronds there are dead vines which you can kind of see:

 

I think they look kinda cool sometimes :-)

Edited September 24, 2020 by ugly palm king
update

[sipalms]

2 hours ago, ugly palm king said:

Ok I admit it I am the owner of the internet's ugliest palm trees . Here are a few pictures I have from different angles:

palm bases on the right (green is artificial turf):

all their ugly glory - the previous owner let vines grow almost 30 feet up the taller tree, so in addition to the ugly dead fronds there are dead vines which you can kind of see:

 

I think they look kinda cool sometimes :-)

Shall we crowdfund for you to get them cleaned up?

They're almost nauseating in that current state! 

[NOT A TA]

@ugly palm king You've got a great space to work with. The wood walls, elevation change, staircase etc.   Could create a nice private area up where the fire pit is with some plant materials used to block the view of the 2nd story windows in the background of the pics from your home. I do see some trees in the neighborhood but can't tell what they are in the pics to give me a clue where you are. Without knowing where the property is we can't really make suggestions other than "get rid of those".  Any chance they're far enough apart to leave as tall stumps carved into Tiki with a hammock between them?

[ugly palm king]

21 hours ago, NOT A TA said:

@ugly palm king You've got a great space to work with. The wood walls, elevation change, staircase etc.   Could create a nice private area up where the fire pit is with some plant materials used to block the view of the 2nd story windows in the background of the pics from your home. I do see some trees in the neighborhood but can't tell what they are in the pics to give me a clue where you are. Without knowing where the property is we can't really make suggestions other than "get rid of those".  Any chance they're far enough apart to leave as tall stumps carved into Tiki with a hammock between them?

Thanks @NOT A TA! I am in San Francisco, sunset district. It is generally mild year around with temperatures between 40 and 75 degrees 95% of the time. It is typically foggy in the summer. The soil is very sandy. I like the hammock idea but unfortunately they are only 4 or 5 feet apart so that won't quite work. Do you think it is a lost cause to try to remove the dead fronds and clean them up a bit? I can easily pull off the dead ones starting from the bottom, but the issue is the trees are super tall so would need to get professional help to trim or remove them. 

Edited September 25, 2020 by ugly palm king

[Darold Petty]

UPK, a friend of mine living in San Mateo has Washingtonias taller than your palms.  He recently had them completely groomed and was very happy with the service.  PM me if you would like the contact information.

  Also, you can do a 'drive-by' to see my front yard, on 33rd, between Ulloa and Vicente.  I guarantee that you will recognize which yard is mine !  

  When this social distancing is relaxed you are most welcome to visit, I grow a lot of palms from seed to give away to visitors.   

 

[NOT A TA]

2 hours ago, Darold Petty said:

I grow a lot of palms from seed to give away to visitors. 

@ugly palm king ^^^ Now there's a  offer you can't pass up!!   (Resistance is futile ahahaha) Nice offer @Darold Petty !!!

[EastCanadaTropicals]

On 9/23/2020 at 9:47 PM, sipalms said:

 

Arrrggh. Makes me sad to think the palm I probably like the most out of any palm, gets such a bad rap on Palmtalk! So I'm gonna wade in and stick up for the good old Washie.

Honestly, how can one not like the views below.

Yes, some are over trimmed. But this is the epitomy of exotic SoCal/Desert/Southwest vibes. Planted right, in groups of varying height, in the right landscape, with the right complimenting plants, well trimmed and cared for, these are just beautiful!!!

On the other hand, any palm in the world is going to look downright ugly if it's not cared for, and in the wrong environment. You only have to drive around Auckland to start to have dislike for Rhopalostylis/Nikaus after seeing so many that are unkempt and stunted, in full sun and battering coastal wind. Even the Auckland variety can look a bit tatty in habitat, if over-exposed.

I like filifera the most but I hate when the beard covers the trunk so I'll trim only part of the beard. Not a big concern to me however since I can barely grow them here. 

[Antti]

I accept "ugly" to very badly cared or sick palms only. Palms are beautiful. As living on the North i adore each trachy and washy.

Anyway correct care and place is the key to avoid using this word to palms. 

[climate change virginia]

On 2/7/2019 at 6:27 PM, LasPalmerasDeMaryland said:

I think this species may take the cake xD

http://www.palmpedia.net/wiki/Hyphaene_reptans

it didn't take the cake it took the whole bakery

[EastCanadaTropicals]

On 7/3/2016 at 4:22 AM, dalmatiansoap said:

Overpruned CIDP. Can't beat that one

All overpruned palms are ugly.

[EastCanadaTropicals]

On 2/7/2019 at 7:16 PM, Merlyn said:

There are a lot of good candidates, my picks are probably the bearded Washingtonias and pretty much anything severely overpruned.  There are tons of hacked up Sabals around here.  I don't particularly care for the Caryota No or Urens, but I've got Gigas/Obtusa seedlings growing now.  I like the giant, wide triangle fronds on them.

I like them when they have a small beard.

[sch0025@phsc.vic.edu.au]

On 7/2/2016 at 6:20 PM, realarch said:

Not my favorites either.

Tim

Great observation Tim.,

Personally i totally agree with your comment on how this particular palm tree (scientific name: Arecaceae).  From my extensive stuff of the comment section i think we are united in our views. Great work as always!

Your dear friend, Robert.