Best Privacy Screen Palms for So Cal

[SCVpalmenthusiast]

I know the dypsis lutescens are popular in Florida, not sure if they would look so good in my inland valley climate. I have an arenga engleri, but I need something fast growing and tall.

My pool area is in perfect view of my neighbors second story window, and it looks like they have a camera set up in front of their window. For that reason I need something that grows in clumps and tall. 

Bamboo may be an option but I don’t want leaves in my pool. Feeling a bit out of options. I have giant birds of paradise on the other side for privacy screening, but don’t want too many. What would you guys plant?

[idontknowhatnametuse]

Chamaedorea costaricana or Acoelorraphe wrightii could be of help.

[bar]

Queen palm is super fast growing, although not very exciting.  Same goes for Trachycarpus fortunei. boring but quick, but actually does look nice planted in groups.  You might do okay with Dypsis baronii, which is quickish. 

(Bamboo is the gift that keeps on giving.  Once you plant it, you're stuck with it for life!)

[Hjr]

I had the same problem on both sides of my backyard. Planted 15g Dypsis lutescens on one side and chamaedorea plumosa on the other side. They both  grow fast for me inland but the Dypsis is a much denser screen. 

[Silas_Sancona]

As mentioned, Dypsis lutescens  would be the  standard " answer ..for obvious reasons.    You will have to thin / trim them overtime  to get them to the right height and form though.



Another bulletproof option?  Arenga engleri..    also a clumper,    sorta slow   < by impatient people's standards >  ..but worth it..  Suckers produced will eventually will form trunks,   and....

  ..if it gets cold enough there to injure them,  ..you're gonna have many more things in your landscape that would be killed ..or severely set back.  < AKA:  hardy to the lower 20sF,  if not a little lower than that.  > 

When old enough, flowers produced smell wonderful. 

Unlike Areca palms,  fruit / seed production is easier to handle too, imo. 

Taller / trunk -forming Chamaedorea sps. can work too  though i myself would add them only after you have some overhead canopy. 

 

[SCVpalmenthusiast]

21 hours ago, Hjr said:

I had the same problem on both sides of my backyard. Planted 15g Dypsis lutescens on one side and chamaedorea plumosa on the other side. They both  grow fast for me inland but the Dypsis is a much denser screen. 

In so cal? 

[mnorell]

Since you're in a hot, dry interior area of SoCal, your options for fast-growing palm screens are probably quite limited in a full-sun situation (what it looks like you have there). Where I am in the Palm Springs area, we primarily rely on Ficus microcarpa/retusa hedges (and who doesn't out here) for privacy but you may be reticent to use those right next to your wall, plus their general negatives in maintenance to keep them as a hedge and the possible proximity issues with roots next to your pool. I think if I were in your shoes I would use a few quick-growing trees for fast-acting screening, preferably something like Bauhinia x Blakeana (I use this, also Thevetia peruviana). You can leg-up the Bauhinia so the crown starts just above the wall and it will get up there fast in your summer heat. Then plant something like Chrysalidocarpus lutescens or C. cabadae between (and under the developing canopy of) the Bauhinia trees. As the palms grow, you can continue to leg up the Bauhinia specimens to give you a combination of quick screen from your neighbors' prying cameras/eyes, plus a protective canopy for not only frost protection but to avoid sunburn for the Chrysalidocarpus. There are quite a number of other choices but the principle is the same: A pattern of attractive dicot trees with palms planted under/between them. This will give you an attractive overall look and functionally fulfill your needs faster than any species of palm alone would ever give you in your location. After a few years the palms will finally be up to the top of your wall and can add to the density of the screen, and you can continue to leg-up the trees as necessary. If you're dead-set on using all palms, I guess you could use something like queens as the canopy with the denser clustering palms under/between them, but I think you're not going to have anywhere near the screening benefit given by a lush crown of large leaves like you will find on the Bauhinia.

[cagary]

My home is about ten miles from the ocean in south Orange County, CA. The Dypsis lutescens in the front yard do well, but I don't know how well D. lutescens would do further inland.

[Tracy]

On 5/2/2026 at 8:42 AM, SCVpalmenthusiast said:

I know the dypsis lutescens are popular in Florida, not sure if they would look so good in my inland valley climate. I have an arenga engleri, but I need something fast growing and tall.

My pool area is in perfect view of my neighbors second story window, and it looks like they have a camera set up in front of their window. For that reason I need something that grows in clumps and tall. 

Bamboo may be an option but I don’t want leaves in my pool. Feeling a bit out of options. I have giant birds of paradise on the other side for privacy screening, but don’t want too many. What would you guys plant?

My gardens are coastal, so much higher humidity and lower summertime highs.  Santa Ana conditions are always much milder here, but even here there are better clumping palms than Chrysalidocarpus lutescens.   Chrysalidocarpus onilahensis,  Chrysalidocarpus rufescens will both clump but have far less brown tipping on the leaflets than lutescens. 

If it is in your budget a large box specimen of something that is slower growing but will add a foot or two above your wall to start might be worth considering.   I am thinking of a Butia, a Brahea or even a clumping Chamaerops humilis.   These are better suited to your climate but will have relatively full foliage for your screening goal.

The Arenga engleri will never get too tall as individual trunks eventually die after flowering the full length of the trunk and reproducing by pupping.  I don't know how they will hold up to excessively dry Santa Ana winds that you experience though.  Otherwise I will heartily endorse them as a screen. 

Part of your decision will depend on the height you want. Do you want 2 to 3 feet above your wall or more like 6 to 10 feet?

[SCVpalmenthusiast]

18 minutes ago, Tracy said:

My gardens are coastal, so much higher humidity and lower summertime highs.  Santa Ana conditions are always much milder here, but even here there are better clumping palms than Chrysalidocarpus lutescens.   Chrysalidocarpus onilahensis,  Chrysalidocarpus rufescens will both clump but have far less brown tipping on the leaflets than lutescens. 

If it is in your budget a large box specimen of something that is slower growing but will add a foot or two above your wall to start might be worth considering.   I am thinking of a Butia, a Brahea or even a clumping Chamaerops humilis.   These are better suited to your climate but will have relatively full foliage for your screening goal.

The Arenga engleri will never get too tall as individual trunks eventually die after flowering the full length of the trunk and reproducing by pupping.  I don't know how they will hold up to excessively dry Santa Ana winds that you experience though.  Otherwise I will heartily endorse them as a screen. 

Part of your decision will depend on the height you want. Do you want 2 to 3 feet above your wall or more like 6 to 10 feet?

Mediterranean fan palms are slow growing and they grow outwards leaving gaps that don’t provide enough screening. Im thinking the best option is probably a non-palm. Im thinking fern podocarpus is probably going to suit my needs and goals. 
. 

[SCVpalmenthusiast]

3 hours ago, mnorell said:

Since you're in a hot, dry interior area of SoCal, your options for fast-growing palm screens are probably quite limited in a full-sun situation (what it looks like you have there). Where I am in the Palm Springs area, we primarily rely on Ficus microcarpa/retusa hedges (and who doesn't out here) for privacy but you may be reticent to use those right next to your wall, plus their general negatives in maintenance to keep them as a hedge and the possible proximity issues with roots next to your pool. I think if I were in your shoes I would use a few quick-growing trees for fast-acting screening, preferably something like Bauhinia x Blakeana (I use this, also Thevetia peruviana). You can leg-up the Bauhinia so the crown starts just above the wall and it will get up there fast in your summer heat. Then plant something like Chrysalidocarpus lutescens or C. cabadae between (and under the developing canopy of) the Bauhinia trees. As the palms grow, you can continue to leg up the Bauhinia specimens to give you a combination of quick screen from your neighbors' prying cameras/eyes, plus a protective canopy for not only frost protection but to avoid sunburn for the Chrysalidocarpus. There are quite a number of other choices but the principle is the same: A pattern of attractive dicot trees with palms planted under/between them. This will give you an attractive overall look and functionally fulfill your needs faster than any species of palm alone would ever give you in your location. After a few years the palms will finally be up to the top of your wall and can add to the density of the screen, and you can continue to leg-up the trees as necessary. If you're dead-set on using all palms, I guess you could use something like queens as the canopy with the denser clustering palms under/between them, but I think you're not going to have anywhere near the screening benefit given by a lush crown of large leaves like you will find on the Bauhinia.

A bit off topic but have you ever tried a coconut? Seems like your climate is the best suited for cocos, unlike coastal areas that don’t get hot enough in the winter, you stay relatively warm in the winter. 

[mnorell]

9 minutes ago, SCVpalmenthusiast said:

A bit off topic but have you ever tried a coconut? Seems like your climate is the best suited for cocos, unlike coastal areas that don’t get hot enough in the winter, you stay relatively warm in the winter. 

Yes, I have five of them in the ground...Three of what I'm fairly sure are Jamaican/Atlantic Talls; and two of what I purchased as Red Spicata, in both cases from mail-order nurseries in Miami. They do "fine" here (some other types, however, have collapsed in winter). "Fine" meaning if you find just the right amount of morning sun and dappled shade, in an east- or south-facing area under good canopy, they put out nice leaves...problems being at least when young, they only produce about three leaves per year under those conditions. Really not enough to have a great plant, I feel that five is the absolute minimum for a healthy specimen...though I suspect leaf-production will improve over time. Also some issues with blanching if the sun hits the leaves during the low-sun season, again, careful siting required!

There are mature palms here in the desert, most of them now cut down by unwary home-buyers who didn't know or care what they had. The remaining one in La Quinta is impressive in size but the crown can look dry and kind of ratty at certain times of year, and old leaf-bases hold on since there's little rain or humidity to tease them off naturally. Nice to have it here, nonetheless! There are beautiful specimens growing a couple hundred miles southeast of here at Golfo de Santa Clara, but since it's on the Gulf it enjoys humidity and slightly milder highs in summer. The crazy case was an absolutely gorgeous one growing outside of the desert, in Corona of all places, it was beautiful, but when sold, the new owner chopped it down.

There are plenty of threads on all of this, if you search, elsewhere on this forum. This topic has been drilled to death here...but ultimately I look at it as a somewhat marginal but fun thing to have around, but I keep it in the "semi-temporary" category. If they start trunking and looking great, so much the better, but I don't necessarily expect it.

[Hjr]

10 hours ago, SCVpalmenthusiast said:

In so cal? 

Yes I’m pretty far inland 

[SCVpalmenthusiast]

4 hours ago, mnorell said:

Yes, I have five of them in the ground...Three of what I'm fairly sure are Jamaican/Atlantic Talls; and two of what I purchased as Red Spicata, in both cases from mail-order nurseries in Miami. They do "fine" here (some other types, however, have collapsed in winter). "Fine" meaning if you find just the right amount of morning sun and dappled shade, in an east- or south-facing area under good canopy, they put out nice leaves...problems being at least when young, they only produce about three leaves per year under those conditions. Really not enough to have a great plant, I feel that five is the absolute minimum for a healthy specimen...though I suspect leaf-production will improve over time. Also some issues with blanching if the sun hits the leaves during the low-sun season, again, careful siting required!

There are mature palms here in the desert, most of them now cut down by unwary home-buyers who didn't know or care what they had. The remaining one in La Quinta is impressive in size but the crown can look dry and kind of ratty at certain times of year, and old leaf-bases hold on since there's little rain or humidity to tease them off naturally. Nice to have it here, nonetheless! There are beautiful specimens growing a couple hundred miles southeast of here at Golfo de Santa Clara, but since it's on the Gulf it enjoys humidity and slightly milder highs in summer. The crazy case was an absolutely gorgeous one growing outside of the desert, in Corona of all places, it was beautiful, but when sold, the new owner chopped it down.

There are plenty of threads on all of this, if you search, elsewhere on this forum. This topic has been drilled to death here...but ultimately I look at it as a somewhat marginal but fun thing to have around, but I keep it in the "semi-temporary" category. If they start trunking and looking great, so much the better, but I don't necessarily expect it.

I don’t think Ive seen the Corona one, the palm desert one was fruiting. I think palm desert is around the Coachella valley. Corona is similar to my climate. We’re almost the same distance from the coast. 

[SCVpalmenthusiast]

1 hour ago, Hjr said:

Yes I’m pretty far inland 

What direction is this wall? Doesn’t look bad, honestly similar to how they look in SD. 

[Hjr]

9 hours ago, SCVpalmenthusiast said:

What direction is this wall? Doesn’t look bad, honestly similar to how they look in SD. 

That wall faces south

[Butch]

Her are mine on an East facing wall about 15 miles inland in SOC/NLA County.... Biggest problem near a pool is the many dropping seeds... If your not too close to the pool that may not be a problem... Mine may have out grown your screening needs, but you could always remove the larger palms and just keep the smaller ones... Mine just keep putting out new seedlings because of dropped seeds... 

Just don't put in a pepper tree like my neighbor did 5-6 years ago, for privacy...  He put it about 1' away from the corner of 4 adjacent neighbor... That tree is huge now and will someday take out all 4 block walls... It makes a mess on my and 1 other neighbors patio and pools, and shades the other neighbors veggie garden... I keep the limbs trimmed back that overhang my yard, but the other neighbors don't... It's now getting too big for me to trim any farther.. Hopefully Edison will come out and remove it like they did my foxtail...

Butch

[Harry’s Palms]

As was said , the best fairly tall “screen palms “ are the C. Lutescens but may not look their best in Santa Clarita . They would , if you decide to use them, require copious amounts of water. Several would be required , depending the length you require. I would go about 4’ on center max between clumps . Mine , here in Santa Paula look great but don’t get super wide like they do in more humid climates. My climate is not THAT  different than yours. Harry

The early morning highlights the golden colour of these palms. 

[Harry’s Palms]

Listen to @Butch , NO PEPPER TREE ! They will take over. I had one on my hill that kept blocking my view ( all of it ) . I had it trimmed once a year but after a while grew faster . It was the same cost to cut it down as trimming , so…. Yea it’s gone now . I had to drill holes in the stump and fill with rock salt to stop it from growing back. Harry

[Butch]

43 minutes ago, Harry’s Palms said:

Listen to @Butch , NO PEPPER TREE ! They will take over. I had one on my hill that kept blocking my view ( all of it ) . I had it trimmed once a year but after a while grew faster . It was the same cost to cut it down as trimming , so…. Yea it’s gone now . I had to drill holes in the stump and fill with rock salt to stop it from growing back. Harry

Yep... It may be a beautiful tree in a park, away from any hardscape, walls, plumbing, plants or grass, but otherwise I'd stay away from them... Here is that same little tree now..

Butch

[SCVpalmenthusiast]

29 minutes ago, Butch said:

Yep... It may be a beautiful tree in a park, away from any hardscape, walls, plumbing, plants or grass, but otherwise I'd stay away from them... Here is that same little tree now..

Butch

Who would put a peppercorn tree next to a pool 😐 

I have a birch tree that I plan on removing. 
 

The Dypsis Lutescens look good, though I would plant them behind my pool wall. Thats why I am thinking the fern podocarpus might be mu best bet. 

[Harry’s Palms]

1 hour ago, Butch said:

Yep... It may be a beautiful tree in a park, away from any hardscape, walls, plumbing, plants or grass, but otherwise I'd stay away from them... Here is that same little tree now..

Butch

I’m surprised the utility company hasn’t cut that back. Harry

[mnorell]

1 hour ago, Harry’s Palms said:

I’m surprised the utility company hasn’t cut that back. Harry

Another difficulty with those Schinus is a real issue with allelopathy. There was one on our property when we bought the house here and just had it removed a couple of months ago. Couldn't get anything to grow well beneath or near it and so I looked up the issue...sure enough, it's known to be highly allelopathic to many plants. The other one we've had immense problems with in that department is the African sumac..Neighbors have it overhanging a wall similar to the photo above...has killed out everything I planted in that area. (Also that sumac stinks like pesticide when it blooms each year.) It's a real problem with many dry-climate trees that, not only are they aggressive with their root systems harvesting all water and nutrients to the complete exasperation of any nearby establishing plants, but they tend to produce lots of nasty oils full of phenolic compounds that get rid of "the competition"...other obvious offenders being most Eucalyptus and Melaleuca. Sometimes landscaping and gardening can be a real minefield...

[Harry’s Palms]

I know what you’re saying about that . I was told not to plant anything near it but I planted a Sabal in the shade , under the branches and it grew fine for years until we cut the Pepper tree down , then it took off . I think the condition you mention was actually holding the Sabal back a bit . Thanks for mentioning that @mnorell , I had heard it kills lawns too . Harry

[Silas_Sancona]

3 hours ago, Butch said:

4 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

Listen to @Butch , NO PEPPER TREE ! They will take over. I had one on my hill that kept blocking my view ( all of it ) . I had it trimmed once a year but after a while grew faster . It was the same cost to cut it down as trimming , so…. Yea it’s gone now . I had to drill holes in the stump and fill with rock salt to stop it from growing back. Harry

Yep... It may be a beautiful tree in a park, away from any hardscape, walls, plumbing, plants or grass, but otherwise I'd stay away from them... Here is that same little tree now..

Ahh-gree 1,000%   For the love of ...anything...  NEVER plant a Bl**pin'  Pepper tree..  " CA. "  ...or it's really awful Brazilian cousin.   Horrible,  horrible  trees  ...like most Eucalyptus,  Mastic, and African Sumac.  Carrotwood is another  " avoid at all costs "  trash tree. 

[Silas_Sancona]

20 minutes ago, mnorell said:

It's a real problem with many dry-climate trees that, not only are they aggressive with their root systems harvesting all water and nutrients to the complete exasperation of any nearby establishing plants, but they tend to produce lots of nasty oils full of phenolic compounds that get rid of "the competition"   ...other obvious offenders being most Eucalyptus and Melaleuca. Sometimes landscaping and gardening can be a real minefield...

Depends...  If you've ever spent time within in a Bosque,  you'd know natives,  like Mesquite,  Palo Verde,  Ironwood definitely don't do what trees like Pittosporum,  Eucs / Melaleuca etc.  from Aus,   many Ficus,  African Sumac, and Schinus sps  can do.  Nor deposit competing vegetation - reducing compounds beneath them.  None of those trees should be planted here anyway.. 

In fact,  Mesquite,  ...those that occur on this side of the EQ at least,  < S. AM. sps tend to be shallow rooted  >  actually provide moisture to stuff growing under / near them during drier periods by pulling it up to the surface from 60 -200ft below the surface.   Green " islands " created under Mesquite bosques were one way early settlers would locate water. 

Roots of the monster 'squite at the old house have never bothered the walls it has been growing next to for  ..-at least-  3 decades..  ..Since the block walls were installed in this neighborhood..    Specimen itself is much older.    Trunk is less than 10 ft away from either...  Only water it gets is when it rains enough to soak the ground under it, ..or whatever it pulls up from the water table below us. 

Only way it takes out the walls is if it falls..  Not by breaking them via roots. 

Only time " landscaping / gardening is a mine field,  even sometimes,   is when someone doesn't do their homework,  and /or  falls head over heels   for con jobs / fluff - filled  " advertising " . 

[Tracy]

On 5/3/2026 at 3:01 PM, SCVpalmenthusiast said:

Mediterranean fan palms are slow growing and they grow outwards leaving gaps that don’t provide enough screening. Im thinking the best option is probably a non-palm. Im thinking fern podocarpus is probably going to suit my needs and goals. 

You could go with what I have on the outside of my wall which was first to obscure the wall and later to create a privacy screen above the wall.   Further down the wall, I have planted some Encephalartos species, both Encephalartos ituriensis and hybrid Encephalartos sclavoi x whitelockii.

There are hybrids of Cycas revoluta x multifronidis which might also handle your conditions and grow both full and tall.  Space them at intervals to achieve the desired coverage.

 

[SCVpalmenthusiast]

1 hour ago, Tracy said:

You could go with what I have on the outside of my wall which was first to obscure the wall and later to create a privacy screen above the wall.   Further down the wall, I have planted some Encephalartos species, both Encephalartos ituriensis and hybrid Encephalartos sclavoi x whitelockii.

There are hybrids of Cycas revoluta x multifronidis which might also handle your conditions and grow both full and tall.  Space them at intervals to achieve the desired coverage.

 

How long to get from this

to this

I thought encepharlartos were slow growing. I would imagine this would take more than a decade.

[Tracy]

37 minutes ago, SCVpalmenthusiast said:

How long to get from this

to this

I thought encepharlartos were slow growing. I would imagine this would take more than a decade.

The original planting of Cycas thouarsii were 7 gallon pots in the first photo you have and the second photo was about 8 years later.  The solution is start with a bigger plant than the 7 gallon size I started with.  If you plant Podocarpus, plan on having to trim them frequently and having leaf drop in your pool.  People in my neighborhood have used different Podocarpus species as hedges and it is a constant battle to keep them in the space they want them.  Anything that you plant that fills the need fast will require continual maintenance unless you start with something big that doesn't grow fast.

The Encephalartos I used are large growing species, so can get tall pretty darn fast.  With that genus it is a matter of selecting the right species and even then don't expect to start with a tiny planting.  I have three plantings of Chrysalidocarpus lutescens in my gardens and even with a "fast growing" clumping palm, it takes a few years before they were over the wall height to do any screening.  The first one I planted in Carlsbad now gives zero screening because all the trunks are significantly above the wall after 15 years..  One was planted as a freebie 1 gallon I got at a Palm Society meeting, and the biggest was a 15 gallon pot (not the one in Carlsbad).

Only you can assess your ultimate goal, be it plants that make it difficult to see into your yard but if someone really wants to see between plants or leaves, they will still see inside or do you want blackout obscuring your backyard.  If you really want blackout, go with the Podocarpus but be prepared to trim it continually to keep it from getting out of control.

[SCVpalmenthusiast]

1 hour ago, Tracy said:

The original planting of Cycas thouarsii were 7 gallon pots in the first photo you have and the second photo was about 8 years later.  The solution is start with a bigger plant than the 7 gallon size I started with.  If you plant Podocarpus, plan on having to trim them frequently and having leaf drop in your pool.  People in my neighborhood have used different Podocarpus species as hedges and it is a constant battle to keep them in the space they want them.  Anything that you plant that fills the need fast will require continual maintenance unless you start with something big that doesn't grow fast.

The Encephalartos I used are large growing species, so can get tall pretty darn fast.  With that genus it is a matter of selecting the right species and even then don't expect to start with a tiny planting.  I have three plantings of Chrysalidocarpus lutescens in my gardens and even with a "fast growing" clumping palm, it takes a few years before they were over the wall height to do any screening.  The first one I planted in Carlsbad now gives zero screening because all the trunks are significantly above the wall after 15 years..  One was planted as a freebie 1 gallon I got at a Palm Society meeting, and the biggest was a 15 gallon pot (not the one in Carlsbad).

Only you can assess your ultimate goal, be it plants that make it difficult to see into your yard but if someone really wants to see between plants or leaves, they will still see inside or do you want blackout obscuring your backyard.  If you really want blackout, go with the Podocarpus but be prepared to trim it continually to keep it from getting out of control.

To be honest, id prefer less visibility, especially considering there’s a camera in the window. Im sure its pointed toward their house, but still I prefer minimal visibility for that reason. 

The house is on a slope, so ideally I would need at least 12-15 feet of vertical coverage.

I did a privacy screening with white birds of paradise and the arenga engleri, but I need more height to block the 2nd story.

Below are some combinations im considering.

queen+ Med fan palms

Queen+giant bop

Finally the podocarpus fern solid wall. 

[SCVpalmenthusiast]

I think I found my solution, the travellers palm (ravenela madagascariensis) I may buy two 15 gallon and one 25 gallon and place them staggered so the smaller specimens have width and the taller one gives height. I think it should provide relatively good screening even when they grow taller. 

[Merlyn]

Traveler's might not give enough leaf density for a complete block?  I agree with your concern about bamboo dropping leaves.  Ones like Gracilis are tight clumping and easy to control, but they do drop leaves nonstop. 

Arenga Engleri occasionally grow to 10+ feet before each trunk flowers and dies.  One at Leu Gardens is more like 15-20ft.  Several of mine flowered at about 6 feet...and nearly all the trunks flowered at the same time, leaving me with a 3 foot tall cluster.  It is a fairly good fence-level block, but not reliable taller and very slow to grow.

Caryota Mitis will do 15ft before blooming and having the trunks die.  That might leave gaps too.

[SCVpalmenthusiast]

2 hours ago, Merlyn said:

Traveler's might not give enough leaf density for a complete block?  I agree with your concern about bamboo dropping leaves.  Ones like Gracilis are tight clumping and easy to control, but they do drop leaves nonstop. 

Arenga Engleri occasionally grow to 10+ feet before each trunk flowers and dies.  One at Leu Gardens is more like 15-20ft.  Several of mine flowered at about 6 feet...and nearly all the trunks flowered at the same time, leaving me with a 3 foot tall cluster.  It is a fairly good fence-level block, but not reliable taller and very slow to grow.

Caryota Mitis will do 15ft before blooming and having the trunks die.  That might leave gaps too.

Im thinking of using arecas and the traveler palm combo. Its a bit risky given they’re firmly zone 10 and my zone was 9b until 2023. But I think it will look the best.