Palm Fronds

[tjwalters]

The scrum teams in my office are in competition (for a refrigerator, stocked with free beverages for 3 months) to decorate our work areas. My team has selected a 'tiki' theme ( ) and I want to make a couple huge palm trees that go floor-to-ceiling. I also want to do it on the cheap. Making the trunks is no problem, but I'm looking for ideas on how to make somewhat realistic palm fronds - either fan or feather. I also want them to be big and bold. No wimpy stuff. I know there are plenty of creative folks here, so...thoughts, anyone?

(Since this is palm-related, I dropped it in this forum. )

[JASON M]

Wal-Mart crafts isle... they have pinnate fronds there

[Jim in Los Altos]

You could use real palm fronds (dried) and spray them with the correct green paint. I've done this using a moss green color (gray-green) on kentia, washy, and Chinese fan leaves and they are pretty well preserved after painting them. A very light clear gloss spray after the green paint dries gives them a more lifelike appearance.

[John Case]

Jim,

You can go the next step and box frame them. They appeal to people who like folk art....and they are pretty attractive as well, with the 3 dimensional aspect of the leaf in the frame behind glass (or poly, or whatever). You can give the background some extra visual interest by having either a photo of the palm as the background or a painting of the leaf with the artists interpretation.

Just a few thoughts. This idea came to me from a gentleman here that does the same thing with smaller flowers, but preserves them using spray on sealer...they looked very nice.

[tjwalters]

You could use real palm fronds (dried) and spray them with the correct green paint. I've done this using a moss green color (gray-green) on kentia, washy, and Chinese fan leaves and they are pretty well preserved after painting them. A very light clear gloss spray after the green paint dries gives them a more lifelike appearance.

That I would do, if only I could walk outside and collect some. Unfortunately, there aren't a whole lot of them around here.

[tjwalters]

Wal-Mart crafts isle... they have pinnate fronds there

As a matter of principle, I don't patronize WalMart - but that's another story. I did stop by Michael's and I picked up a couple rolls of green (front and back) craft paper and some green fiber-wrapped wire. I'll try my hand at fashioning some of my own fronds and if they turn out (), I'll post some photos.

[Jim in Los Altos]

You could use real palm fronds (dried) and spray them with the correct green paint. I've done this using a moss green color (gray-green) on kentia, washy, and Chinese fan leaves and they are pretty well preserved after painting them. A very light clear gloss spray after the green paint dries gives them a more lifelike appearance.

That I would do, if only I could walk outside and collect some. Unfortunately, there aren't a whole lot of them around here.

Stupid me...I realized you're in Maryland after I replied. Oh well, if you're ever in the Bay Area, come on over and I'll give you some to take home!

[tjwalters]

Well, I finally finished making two palm trees. They don't look half-bad, so I thought I post the results here, along with some rough steps on the process. Click thumbnail image to view full-size image...

Start with green craft paper for the leaves...

Cut out leaf shapes...

Cut into leaflets...

Leaves after cutting...

[tjwalters]

Attach mid-rib support wire (14g) using green duct tape...

Cover wire with long strip of duct tape...

Burlap sections to wrap carpet roll (used for trunk)...

Placement of first burlap section (start from trunk top)...

[tjwalters]

Unfinished and finished trunks...

Completed trunks...</div>

Trunk top made from rolled corrugated cardboard strips...

Attach leaves to top by inserting wires into corrugations...

[tjwalters]

Finished palm tree!

...and there you have it...Kirk Douglas standing next to my palm tree. Not sure how realistic it is, but I suppose it does resemble a palm tree (somewhat, anyway).

[paulgila]

you are pretty handy with construction paper & scissors--are you an elementary school teacher?

seriously thats really cool!my only suggestion is to put an "un-opened spear" sticking straight up.

so whose face is that in the last pic? looks like a cross between james woods & a young kirk douglas.

[peachy]

Aha....now we know all Jim's secrets to growing palms in NorCal.

Peachy

[Jim in Los Altos]

Aha....now we know all Jim's secrets to growing palms in NorCal.

Peachy

Ha Ha Ha :D

[tjwalters]

you are pretty handy with construction paper & scissors--are you an elementary school teacher?

seriously thats really cool!my only suggestion is to put an "un-opened spear" sticking straight up.

so whose face is that in the last pic? looks like a cross between james woods & a young kirk douglas.

Yikes! "No" on the teacher. That would require hazardous duty pay!

For the location (work, actually) I needed the palms to be tall enough to walk under, so a spear would have been sticking through the ceiling. Turns out they were just the right size.

And, that's Kirk Douglas (there's a story there...and besides, I didn't want to scare anyone here. )

[Jim in Los Altos]

Aha....now we know all Jim's secrets to growing palms in NorCal.

Peachy

Peachy's just agitated because she found out I'm growing hydrangeas in my garden too.

[peachy]

Of course I am bitter and twisted about having tiny ratty looking hydrangeas. Big nice ones would look so nice between my Pelagodoxa henryanas.

Peachy