Howdy all! I just joined and hope I'm posting this in the right spot...

I live in Orange County, California (zone 10b). I've owned the house for 20+ years now, and the 2 giant palm trees in my front yard are just getting too tall and too much to handle so I've decided to remove them (hopefully the picture comes through!). They require trimming every year (about $300), and during the summer they drip a fine mist of sap on any cars parked in the driveway. I had quotes from $2200 to $3800 to remove them with stump grinding, and the $2200 bid has tons of outstanding Yelp reviews, so the existing palms will be removed next week.

I'm thinking I might replace them with a smaller and lower maintenance palm tree. After doing a few hours of research, it seems like either the Cuban Royal Palm or more likely the King Palm might be a good fit. Sounds like the Queen Palm might require more maintenance that I'd like to avoid.

So anyway, I'd love to tap into the expertise of this group for any advice I might be able to get. I'm looking for recommendations on types of palm trees (and whether planting 2 together might make sense) and how easy it is to plant them yourself. The small lawn is on an automatic sprinkler system so the area gets plenty of water.

Thanks!

The “sap” you have is the dust and debris that collects on the fronds . When moist air cleanses the fronds that dripping mess ends up on you car . It washes off easily (unlike sap from conifers) but can still be annoying. All my large palms do this.

I would recommend the Archontophoenix palms ( King or Alexandrae) . The thing with Cuban Royals ( Roystonia Regia ) is that fronds fall on their own , which is great but when the palm gets bigger can be harmful to cars and humans. Queen Palms ( Syagrus Romanzoffiana) are messy and require trimming unless you enjoy sweeping up after it flowers, and that happens a lot. There are others as well , depending if you want slow or fast growth . My first choice for ease of growth would be Archontophoenix Cunninghamiana ( King Palm) , a pair of them would look very nice in that spot. They just want lots of water . They will burn a bit when first planted and may look a bit tattered at first but will settle in and look great within a year . They can be root sensitive so care must be taken when planting them . Also , they too will flower and eventually drop pea sized fruit , but not near like the Queen palms . The fronds are self cleaning , like other crown shaft palms , but don’t weigh 40+ lbs like a Royal.

Welcome to the forum . That’s my two cents opinion and worth about what you paid for it! 😂Harry

A nice royal would do fine. I would get an oleracea if possible

I agree with harry a cluster of three king palms would look amazing. If you’re close enough to the coast you can get away with Kentias.

1 hour ago, Harry’s Palms said:

The “sap” you have is the dust and debris that collects on the fronds . When moist air cleanses the fronds that dripping mess ends up on you car . It washes off easily (unlike sap from conifers) but can still be annoying. All my large palms do this.

I would recommend the Archontophoenix palms ( King or Alexandrae) . The thing with Cuban Royals ( Roystonia Regia ) is that fronds fall on their own , which is great but when the palm gets bigger can be harmful to cars and humans. Queen Palms ( Syagrus Romanzoffiana) are messy and require trimming unless you enjoy sweeping up after it flowers, and that happens a lot. There are others as well , depending if you want slow or fast growth . My first choice for ease of growth would be Archontophoenix Cunninghamiana ( King Palm) , a pair of them would look very nice in that spot. They just want lots of water . They will burn a bit when first planted and may look a bit tattered at first but will settle in and look great within a year . They can be root sensitive so care must be taken when planting them . Also , they too will flower and eventually drop pea sized fruit , but not near like the Queen palms . The fronds are self cleaning , like other crown shaft palms , but don’t weigh 40+ lbs like a Royal.

Welcome to the forum . That’s my two cents opinion and worth about what you paid for it! 😂Harry

Thank you! I'll even give you three cents for that advice!

The sap I get on cars parked under these palms in the summer doesn't wash off easily - it sticks to the cars and then dirt sticks to it. I know it's gotta be coming from these palms...

Anyway, that's good to know about the Cuban Royals - a huge 40 pound frond falling on a car would not be a good thing...

It sounds like annual trimming of a king Palm is not needed, except perhaps to remove the fruit before it becomes a nuisance?

17 minutes ago, SCVpalmenthusiast said:

I agree with harry a cluster of three king palms would look amazing. If you’re close enough to the coast you can get away with Kentias.

Thanks. How do clusters of king palms grow? My understanding is that these trees can get 50 feet tall - it seems to me (knowing nothing about palms) that 3 of them together and leaning 3 different ways close to the house might make me nervous.

1 hour ago, OCKev said:

Thanks. How do clusters of king palms grow? My understanding is that these trees can get 50 feet tall - it seems to me (knowing nothing about palms) that 3 of them together and leaning 3 different ways close to the house might make me nervous.

Sounds like some of the old 'big box' standbys might be right up your alley. Pigmy date palms are available already planted in triples at any height you desire to start with at very reasonable prices. Mediterranean fan palm is another good choice, available in both blue or green colors. Neither species would grow over 10 ft high in the next 20 years. Here are my examples, both over 20 years in the ground.

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona

Archontophoenix would be decades before they hit 50’ but they do eventually I guess. The trimming of the inflorescence is up to you and are at the base of the crown shaft, so easy to get to with a pole saw for the first several years. Mine took 15 years before they flowered and not every year so not near the nuisance of the Queens. If you really like Royal Palms , the Oleracae that @JohnStraz suggested has a smaller presence and the fronds won’t smash a car to bits . They are a bit sensitive to cold and it would probably harder to locate one . They are beautiful palms though and I love mine. Depending on your particular climate could do very well . Harry

A much smaller base on this 15+ year old Oleracae.

Greetings a Cuban royal will not be the smallest palm in a number of years that’s for sure. A very easy and beautiful palm to maintain is the Chambeyronia macrocarpa. Another great palm the Howea fosteriana tough and obtainable. Or if you’re in the market for something super exotic and rare there are quite a few options. But that’s another topic. A Chambeyronia would be statement in that spot you have there.

4 hours ago, happypalms said:

Greetings a Cuban royal will not be the smallest palm in a number of years that’s for sure. A very easy and beautiful palm to maintain is the Chambeyronia macrocarpa. Another great palm the Howea fosteriana tough and obtainable. Or if you’re in the market for something super exotic and rare there are quite a few options. But that’s another topic. A Chambeyronia would be statement in that spot you have there.

Thanks for the recommendation! That looks very interesting! It sounds like it's similar to the King palm in that it is self cleaning and doesn't need to be trimmed, but it doesn't grow quite as tall. Is the seeding/fruit similar to a king palm as well? It doesn't make too much of a mess?

And what about planting two of them together in a cluster - is that normally done?

Thanks again!

@OCKev welcome to Palmtalk! A couple of thoughts:

• I'd have them take away the grindings. Don't use them as mulch. Though it might be a small risk, ground up bits of the lower trunk and roots could be a magnet for fungus that could (maybe) infect the replacements.

• I'd also avoid the Queens for the mess. I chopped mine down partially for that, and partially because they become telephone poles in 4 or so years here. I havebavoided Royals for the giant BOOM of a heavy Royal frond. I grew several Kings herd, unfortunately they couldn't handle my frequent yearly freezes.

• The sap could be the result of aphids or scale insects on your current palms. That'll be a risk with any replacement too. A systemic insecticide can fix that part, but many of them are banned in CA. A big/tall palm might be more of a pain than a smaller one, just because the small ones wouldn't hang over the top of a car.

2 hours ago, OCKev said:

Thanks for the recommendation! That looks very interesting! It sounds like it's similar to the King palm in that it is self cleaning and doesn't need to be trimmed, but it doesn't grow quite as tall. Is the seeding/fruit similar to a king palm as well? It doesn't make too much of a mess?

And what about planting two of them together in a cluster - is that normally done?

Thanks again!

They are self cleaning about 3 leaves a year, very neat and clean palm. You wouldn’t have to worry about seeds for about 25 to 30 years, if you purchased some in 200mm containers. They are a seed that’s bigger than the archontophoenix, and quite easy to clean up in comparison to archontophoenix. And two planted together would be fine. Plus the added bonus of the red leaf near your front door as you drive in your driveway, quite a sight in that open space. Reasonably priced and moderately paced growing not a rocket ship but given some cultivation and a bit of water you would have a nice feature palm, and even someone with not a lot of interest in plants would say wow look at that!

Chambeyronia are very nice palms though, depending how far inland you are. They tend to burn easily in full sun until they get large , and even then. Slower growing palm and would grow in that spot but not as vigorously , quite a bit more $$ than Archontophoenix. Harry

15 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

Chambeyronia are very nice palms though, depending how far inland you are. They tend to burn easily in full sun until they get large , and even then. Slower growing palm and would grow in that spot but not as vigorously , quite a bit more $$ than Archontophoenix. Harry

That's what I was wondering. I've grown Flamethrowers in full sun here in swampy FL, the only problem was exposure to frost and getting defoliated. But I've read a bunch of people having sunburn issues with them in full sun, both in Tampa and Miami, and also out in CA. One big connecting problem seemed to be planting near reflecting walls and lots of concrete, just amplifying the heat and torching them. But I've also seen some great photos in CA with literal forests of Chamberyonia, so it sure seems possible!

@OCKev I'd also think about whether you want something that gets tall fast, or takes decades to get there, or stays somewhat short forever. For example, a common Bottle or Spindle might take 10-15 years to grow to roof height...but a King could get over-roof height in 3-5 years, depending on the size when you buy it. Likewise a Jubaea might take 20-30 years to get over roof height. Others like Parajubaea are quicker but the fronds might be too big for that area. A Butia (Pindo) would probably work in that spot too, and be quicker than a Jubaea. If you wanted a smaller palm the Pygmy Date (Phoenix Roebellini) or Chamaerops Humilis (European fan palm) are slow to gain height and pretty tough. If you want a BIG fan type palm that's slow to gain height, Copernicia Baileyana or Fallanesis or Gigas might work.

Yes , especially during Fall when the Santa Ana winds blow . Our humidity drops and the temperature climbs , sometimes into triple digits . Archontophoenix can burn too but not as bad as a moderately sized Chambey . @DoomsDave has a Chambey forest down in La Habra and they look awesome . He has a few varieties that have survived years there . I’m pretty sure they would survive at that spot in the OP’s driveway but there isn’t a lot of cooling from other plants and palms ( none ) . We certainly don’t have the humidity that you guys have most of the time . Harry

Putting palms in bunches helps with sunburn resistance, watering, and wind resistance(to drying). I would plan that spot with a multi of some crownshafted type. I would also be careful with how inland you are. If you are even in Irvine its hot and dry a lot and some of those palms will take a lot of attention to keep them looking good. WHen I see a chamby in a forest of trees, the sun exposure may be some directly overhead by not late day. My macrocarpas burn a little towards the western summer sun. Chambeyronia oliviformis doesnt have a red emerging leaf but they are more sun tough and wind dessication resistant due to a waxy leaf. And they are IMO more attractive than a macrocarpa aside the red leaf. They will grow taller than the macrocarpa for sure but not so fast as an King. Might be interesting to plant (2) oliviformis to the west and one macrocarpa to the east in a triple. The dark green of the oliviformis and the marcocarpa should have a striking appearance and witht he oliviformis protecting the macrocarpa from western sun. Here is oliviformis(center, dark green crownshaft) 13 years in the ground from a seedling.