If you could only grow Washingtonia...

[velutina]

Hypothetically speaking, if you lived in a climate where you could only grow Washingtonia robusta, would you grow it? Is this palm better than having no palms? Or is really as bad as some make it out to be that it wouldn't be worth growing? Just curious on what people think...

[Brad Mondel]

i wood absolutly grow it! its a favorite of mine!

[Zeeth]

I like the way they look when they're sky scraper tall and with a clean trunk. You don't see it a lot here because they either get hit by lightning or snapped by hurricanes, but there are some lucky ones in Downtown Bradenton that look awesome. Personally though, I like the way Roystonea looks when it's super tall best of tall palms, not super skinny and wonderful arching fronds. The name certainly fits it.

[Walter John]

Absolutely yes, because that would also mean quite a few others like Trachys etc. could be grown. Everything else would be in several green/hot houses scattered on my property.

[John Case]

Would grow them until the living leaves no longer covered the trunk....for me they lose their tropical fell and just become a large palm. Of course, they grow in the sewers out here, There are a lot of juveniles in the irrigation ditches in the agricultural corridor.

[DoomsDave]

To answer your hypo, yes.

Howver, a more accurate sttement might be W. filifera, which is the fat one, that takes the cold much better.

But, YES!

[velutina]

In this hypothetical, it it far too humid for W. filifera. Only W. robusta can grow. Plus, everyone loves W. filifera, right?

[AggiePalms]

Hypothetically speaking, YES! Growing up in an area where there were almost no palms, I realize any palm species is better than no palm...unless it becomes invasive. Even here, with a limited number of hardy palms, I'm tired of growing everything in pots, which is why I have a W. robusta in the yard. I've also got a Roystonea in a pot...and yes a tall one would be nice...but it will never get planted out of its pot, while the Washingtonia is a good 20 feet tall already and flowering.

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Yes and i do ! They grow like rockets in coastal Tas , well maintained and watered and fertilized they are a great addition to a LARGE garden !

[realarch]

Oh yeah, a bullet proof and beautiful palm. I'd have a forest of them if that was the only choice.

Tim

[John in Andalucia]

I just like watching them grow, from day one. If it was only Washies, then I would simply grow them like they were going out of fashion. I would become obsessional about any one, solitary species!

[Kostas]

Of course i would grow them! Washingtonia robusta is a favourite of mine and have 2 in the ground while i have very limited space and can grow many many other species where they are planted I also got another 12 in pots which i will field grow(because they are from Sonora collected seed and surely pure) for when i buy a new house to move them in ready and trunked!

All in all,i love them and are very satisfying to watch grow,growing many many leaves in a year when in ground

[bahia]

To be honest, with my small 50 by 120 foot deep lot, why would I want a mop headed telephone pole in my garden after 20 years? I do enjoy looking at the ones in the neighborhood that I can see from my house, blocks away, but in my own garden, no. Where I really appreciate them is in blocks long street plantings that line boulevards, and there is one neighborhood in nearby Alameda that I make a point of driving out of my way to pass by when doing landscape jobs there, because I think 100's of 80 foot tall/100 year old Washingtonia robusta's are too beautiful to pass up seeing when I have a chance. They aren't quite as weedy in the cooler parts of the San Francisco Bay Area as they are in warmer areas; here the especially weedy species is Phoenix canariensis which come up by the 100's in gardens with an old one around.

I'd enjoy them more if you lived in my neighborhood and planted a bunch in your yard!

[SubTropicRay]

Hell yes. They are no less beautiful just because they are common. Same for a well cared-for Queen.

[peachy]

A definate NO from me. I dont particularly like washies. (like a feather duster with an extension handle) I wasn't at all upset when the 3 big ones at the tennis centre behind my house were cut down early this year. I would probably really get into something else like Angel Trumpets or some flowering trees if palms were not available

Peachy

[simona]

A clear YES from me.

[PalmatierMeg]

Definite yes. I would have been thrilled to have several in my yard when I lived in No. VA (where they can't survive winters). You don't realize how exotic the "common and ordinary" can be till you live where you can't have it.

[Peter Pacific]

Hypothetically speaking, if you lived in a climate where you could only grow Washingtonia robusta, would you grow it? Is this palm better than having no palms? Or is really as bad as some make it out to be that it wouldn't be worth growing? Just curious on what people think...

Absolutely yes! I have 5, actually Washingtonia filifera, the leaves are beautiful, they grow relatively fast and they give such dimension to the garden. They have been in the ground for about 4 years and must be 12 feet tall; they are basically large crowns, just starting to form a trunk. I try to plan my garden with a balance of height, and a balance of pinnate and palmate leaves. They are just beautiful if you have the space.

[Peter Pacific]

Definite yes. I would have been thrilled to have several in my yard when I lived in No. VA (where they can't survive winters). You don't realize how exotic the "common and ordinary" can be till you live where you can't have it.

A very keen observation, Meg. I live in an area where there is not much variety and I appreciate all the ¨common¨ species everytime I´m in Florida.

[sonoranfans]

Hypothetically speaking, if you lived in a climate where you could only grow Washingtonia robusta, would you grow it? Is this palm better than having no palms? Or is really as bad as some make it out to be that it wouldn't be worth growing? Just curious on what people think...

Any climate that "can only grow washingtonia robusta" will grow the fillabusta hybrid, I would grow that one. Fillabusts wont become the tall bean pole that robusta becomes and has a notably bigger crown. My biggest beef with robusta is that it rapidly grows too tall for a residential landscape and provides little or no shade. I just dont want a 50'+ pole with tiny crown in my yard. By the way, the washingtonia filifera grows fine in Las Vegas, and is more cold tolerant than robusta. The type of climate that is bad for the filifera is a wet one.

[Kris]

To answer your hypo, yes.

Howver, a more accurate sttement might be W. filifera, which is the fat one, that takes the cold much better.

But, YES!

In this hypothetical, it it far too humid for W. filifera. Only W. robusta can grow. Plus, everyone loves W. filifera, right?

Dear Friends

Yes,washy is okay to me but iam a collector of heavy trunking palms,So i have a soft corner for the big brother(Washy Filifera's)

Here is a visual of washy filifera growing in our wet tropical region in south india.and this is the second one,the previous one just rotted during our wet winters !

Lots of love,

Kris

[Ken Johnson]

Is the reason for asking the question to see if ANYONE likes Washies for sure we know the answer is yes.

To design a garden with "all" washies would not be a challenge as it would be easy and have a good outcome.

How about the pix we see of them in the wild? large areas of amost nothing else!

[velutina]

Any climate that "can only grow washingtonia robusta" will grow the fillabusta hybrid, I would grow that one. Fillabusts wont become the tall bean pole that robusta becomes and has a notably bigger crown. My biggest beef with robusta is that it rapidly grows too tall for a residential landscape and provides little or no shade. I just dont want a 50'+ pole with tiny crown in my yard. By the way, the washingtonia filifera grows fine in Las Vegas, and is more cold tolerant than robusta. The type of climate that is bad for the filifera is a wet one.

yes, I have 7 species of palms growing in my yard, including W. filifera

So if the "50' + pole with a tiny crown" was the only palm you could grow... you wouldn't?

[trioderob]

lets put it this way

just paid $550 to remove them

[sonoranfans]

Any climate that "can only grow washingtonia robusta" will grow the fillabusta hybrid, I would grow that one. Fillabusts wont become the tall bean pole that robusta becomes and has a notably bigger crown. My biggest beef with robusta is that it rapidly grows too tall for a residential landscape and provides little or no shade. I just dont want a 50'+ pole with tiny crown in my yard. By the way, the washingtonia filifera grows fine in Las Vegas, and is more cold tolerant than robusta. The type of climate that is bad for the filifera is a wet one.

yes, I have 7 species of palms growing in my yard, including W. filifera

So if the "50' + pole with a tiny crown" was the only palm you could grow... you wouldn't?

Nope I wouldnt do it. They grow so fast here that within 10 years they would be 35-40' useless as shade trees, disprop[ortionate in the residential landscape, and a maintenance nightmare. I dont mind smaller washies at all, but its such a fleeting scenario in the heat here. Frankly there is no such an environ that only washie robustas would grow, if I lived in an area where it got too wet I'd go sabal first, and they take cold better. I understand that you will only be in vegas a few years, washies will give you the fastest return, you wont be around for the long term results. There are lots of choices there. By the way what about fillabustas, you didint ansswer that one?

[sonoranfans]

lets put it this way

just paid $550 to remove them

If they were 40+ footers it would be $500 apiece!

[velutina]

I have not seen W. filibusta in any Las Vegas nursery.

[velutina]

I understand that you will only be in vegas a few years, washies will give you the fastest return, you wont be around for the long term results.

So in three years, how large do you suppose W. robustas would be if started from 5 gallon pots? For the sake of whoever owns the house in 10-20 years, should I not plant them? I assume most people wouldn't know any better and having a bunch of attractive 3-year-old robustas would help sell the house? Hmm.. is that wrong in any way..

[Kostas]

I would personally be more than thrilled to own a 50' tall Washingtonia robusta and much much more to own a 100' tall one

I love them as they swing heavily in high winds or just stand tall above everything else in the town or the landscape!

[John in Andalucia]

Time for some "Washie Love" (Oh, I guess they'll never know..)

[Kim]

If I could only grow Washingtonia, I would do some research to find what else I could grow, because certainly there must be other palms, maybe Phoenix dactylifera? Butia? that could also grow in the same conditions. So, while I might have to grow a few Washingtonia, I'd also collect unusual cacti, succulents, or pachypodium, whatever exotics I could find from similar climates around the world to make my garden more interesting. And while all this is going on, I would be actively researching and plotting my escape to a more hospitable climate. Yes you can!

[sonoranfans]

I have not seen W. filibusta in any Las Vegas nursery.

I suspect the nurseries are not offering a variety because they dont have to. Befcause contrauction was so fast and because you have to order something with the new housing, they didnt have to offer many choices, its like phoenix. The maximize profit by offering fewer choices. I have quite a few palms that do very well here, but are not offered by nursieries here.

[sonoranfans]

I understand that you will only be in vegas a few years, washies will give you the fastest return, you wont be around for the long term results.

So in three years, how large do you suppose W. robustas would be if started from 5 gallon pots? For the sake of whoever owns the house in 10-20 years, should I not plant them? I assume most people wouldn't know any better and having a bunch of attractive 3-year-old robustas would help sell the house? Hmm.. is that wrong in any way..

Actually its a good plan for selling the house in a few years as the landscaping will look mature. In 10-12 years, it will be a maintenance nightmare with a bumch of tall palms that need trimming and very little underneath. Most buyers will be from outside the area and will not know any better at the 3 yr point, as in the phoenix area. Im not arguing that its not a good plan to sell the house in a few years, its is. But I wouldnt want to own the house in 15 years, no thanks. At that time they will be so tall, you will have to hire landscapers to trim them every year and if the homeowner wants to remove them, it will be $$$. When I consider the benefits of landscape, the robusta is a short term benefit, long term defecit palm. In the long term they do not help at all with shade, windbreak, or privacy(for small block walled lots) which are critical issues in the desert. I have learned NOT to rely on my local nursery for all my choices, but my plan wasnt a 3 year plan.

[sonoranfans]

I would personally be more than thrilled to own a 50' tall Washingtonia robusta and much much more to own a 100' tall one

I love them as they swing heavily in high winds or just stand tall above everything else in the town or the landscape!

Except that unless you have a large lot, you will never be able to see the crowns from inside the house, just the thin trunks. Growing ONLY robustas, which was the question, would be a NO for me.

[trioderob]

I would personally be more than thrilled to own a 50' tall Washingtonia robusta and much much more to own a 100' tall one

I love them as they swing heavily in high winds or just stand tall above everything else in the town or the landscape!

you would not feel that way if you lived in my town

they are just big weeds to me

[John in Andalucia]

If I could only grow Washingtonia, I would do some research to find what else I could grow, because certainly there must be other palms, ...

Kim - I think here in Spain they already did that - certainly from city landscaping point of view. From a recent thread about the palm population in Barcelona..

Quote:

"There are 15 different species amongst the almost 6,400 palm trees that line the streets of Barcelona. Five of these species represent 97% of the total palm trees that exist in the city. The most common species is the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) with over 2,800 trees, closely followed by 1,496 Washington palms (Washingtonia robusta), 453 Californian fan palms (Washingtonia filifera) and 1,300 Mediterranean fan palms (Chamaerops humilis), most of which are planted in gardens. The most uncommon species is the Canarian palm (Phoenix canariensis) with just 317 trees."

Washingtonias in the "Parque de las Americas" here in my town.

[Kostas]

Great photos John,thanks!

Very interesting palm statistics too!

I might be taking some photos of the huge Washingtonia robusta i see on the road to Pyrgos and posting too Almost all tall Washingtonia in Pyrgos are bare due to the heavy rains they get and the huge peticoat they get untill of certain height,all falls apart suddenly after some height due to its weight From then on,they hold unnoticably few dead leaves that shed readily on their own(when raining or windy). Very very few trim the dead leaves here and even these few only as long as they reach them...Personally i see no reason to do so and of course will not be doing it...So,that way,they are not a high maintanance palm at all and doesnt cost its owner a dime(or better say a Euro)

Tom,i know that,i have sat under huge Washingtonia and loved it,you can still see the swing they do in high wind from under,but even just being able to view them before i reach home,from far away is very pleasing to me,its more of a distance landmark And also to know that that thing you have in your garden extend 15 or 30m above is just What in plants and palms is impressive dimensions!!!

Of course,i would plant some Dicotyledonous trees too along with the (plenty)Washingtonia robusta i would plant...

trioderob,

Believe me,the more i see them,the more i love them and they are relatively common here(in Athens) and arround Pyrgos too

[sur4z]

My answer to the hypo is NO...it's not because I don't like the palm, it's because it grows too fast and too big. I bought on a few years ago with 3 feet of wood but it outgrew it's spot so I moved it to another where it grew taller than my 2-story house...then along came a hurricane and it snapped in half...fortunately away from the house...if it fell the other way my roof would have been all washied up.

[bayside mike]

lets put it this way

just paid $550 to remove them

:lol:

[sonoranfans]

If I could only grow Washingtonia, I would do some research to find what else I could grow, because certainly there must be other palms, ...

Kim - I think here in Spain they already did that - certainly from city landscaping point of view. From a recent thread about the palm population in Barcelona..

Quote:

"There are 15 different species amongst the almost 6,400 palm trees that line the streets of Barcelona. Five of these species represent 97% of the total palm trees that exist in the city. The most common species is the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) with over 2,800 trees, closely followed by 1,496 Washington palms (Washingtonia robusta), 453 Californian fan palms (Washingtonia filifera) and 1,300 Mediterranean fan palms (Chamaerops humilis), most of which are planted in gardens. The most uncommon species is the Canarian palm (Phoenix canariensis) with just 317 trees."

Washingtonias in the "Parque de las Americas" here in my town.

Sorry John, those are NOT washingtonia robustas in the pic, the trunks are way too thick. They may be filibustas.

Here are what they call "skydusters", washingtonia robusta, note the thin trunks.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/46427/

Edited July 23, 2009 by sonoranfans