Palm enthusiast for 22 years and yes the Queen too

[Foxpalms]

1 hour ago, SeanK said:

Sure, but you're in z9b. If you were in z10, you would plant Royals. Do you want only one species of palm in your garden?

That photos is in zone 13a. But yes if I was zone 10a such as Mediterranean Spain for example I would have other species like royals and foxtails, but at least one queen palm.  Zone 10a in the UK I doubt can grow royals because the temps are too cool for too long, even if the winters are mild without  freezing temps. 

Even in London I only have two queens in the ground and I have loads of species including, archontophoenix species, chamaedoreas, Chambeyronias, phoenixs, Jubaeopsis, chrysalidocarpuss, washingtonia, sabals, butias,, allagoptera, acoeloraphe, arenga,brahea, livistona ect ect. Pretty much any species that can handle cool periods. 

I wouldn't have only queens but a few are nice.

[Billy]

On 7/10/2024 at 11:45 AM, MJSanDiego said:

Nothing can imitate their graceful elegant presence. These fronds sway in the calm breezes like no other species

That's a pretty bold statement there. I suppose it's all subjective. If we want to talk elegance and grace, Howea forsteriana has the most beautiful queen palm KO'ed all day long. Beccariophoenix alfredii fronds in the wind is another conversation.....

[Billy]

19 hours ago, MJSanDiego said:

come to San Diego I will give you a grand city personal tour after which you will be so stunned at the tropical look of this coveted ornamental palm, you will be back home frantically digging holes in your yard for your new breathtaking tropical paradise of Syagrus Romanzoffianas! 

You've got me rolling on the floor now! Will you please come remove my remaining 3 coveted beauties? Mahalos in advance. 

[sonoranfans]

On 7/10/2024 at 12:42 PM, aabell said:

I don't hate queen palms as a species - as you said, every palm has its place and in the right climate it's a nice plant. I've even seen some nice ones here, if someone is fertilizing and watering them. 

But the average SW Florida queen palm is a truly pathetic, ugly specimen and probably just about the last thing I would ever plant. When you've got royals, foxtails, coconuts, veitchia, and so many other pinnate species as options there's no reason that queens should ever be planted here and yet I see them installed in front of new development all the time. 

This is how they look in sandy soil in florida, scrawny with a handful of leaves with multiple mineral deficiencies.  If you have the choice -and you do in 9b- a self shedding royal, C. oliviformis, or foxtail is a far less expensive palm to care for.   A beccariophoenix alfredii with its huge crown will grow more slowly but it will shade 3x as much ground as a queen and its less needy of water and fertilizer.  There are a number of self shedding options in 9b california.

[bubba]

Great topic. Definitely praise goes to the Queen. Here in South Florida, these palms are largely overlooked and many times not properly cared for, which is unfortunate. In less tropical climates, they can be the Ray of sunshine. Even here in South Florida rolling around the hood, I managed to find some well tended and happy specimens (bad Queens were expressly excluded):

[bubba]

It should be noted that these specimens have been recently trimmed and this detracts from their effect:

[bubba]

[bubba]

[bubba]

[MJSanDiego]

On 7/12/2024 at 11:52 AM, SeanK said:

The minimum expected temp for winter is 10°F. Normal snow is once or twice a winter, probably two inches. Bigger problem since I've been here is ice storms. Also, a strong front can cause a drastic temp change. December 2022 we went from mid 50's to about 5°F in 36 hours.

The only trunking palm that is reliable is Trachycarpus, although an established S.palmetto is quite cold-hardy. Chamaerhops and Butia have a one-decade lifespan at best here.

As for San Diego, I'll say variety is the spice of life.

@SeanK Trachycarpus fortunei?  Not very tropical looking but they survived with no damage whatsoever at 5 degrees F in the high desert of San Bernardino County!! That is pretty impressive!

[MJSanDiego]

On 7/13/2024 at 4:50 AM, SeanK said:

Sure, but you're in z9b. If you were in z10, you would plant Royals. Do you want only one species of palm in your garden?

@SeanK Why would you plant Royals in zone 10. I'm in 10b and nobody plants Royals here! 🤣

[MJSanDiego]

On 7/13/2024 at 6:25 AM, Billy said:

That's a pretty bold statement there. I suppose it's all subjective. If we want to talk elegance and grace, Howea forsteriana has the most beautiful queen palm KO'ed all day long. Beccariophoenix alfredii fronds in the wind is another conversation.....

Haha. Kentia palm!?? That is a super "boy" palm that reminds me of Archontophoenix Alexandrae. How can your boy palms imitate the grace and elegance of the Queen! 🤣

[SeanK]

9 hours ago, MJSanDiego said:

@SeanK Trachycarpus fortunei?  Not very tropical looking but they survived with no damage whatsoever at 5 degrees F in the high desert of San Bernardino County!! That is pretty impressive!

I like to kid myself that Thrinax radiata isn't tropical looking either. LOL

[SeanK]

8 hours ago, MJSanDiego said:

@SeanK Why would you plant Royals in zone 10. I'm in 10b and nobody plants Royals here! 🤣

Are you trying to grow anything that's risky?

[Silas_Sancona]

10 hours ago, MJSanDiego said:

I'm in 10b and  nobody  plants Royals here!

I'm going to assume this is a joke, ??  .. A LOT of Royals planted all over San Diego  ..and S. Cal overall. I'm sure fellow forum members would enjoy showing you the many examples,  ..being grown just within their own gardens.

 

[Merlyn]

I'm in a 9B/9A borderline area, with regular frosts into the upper 20s each winter.  I have 8 Queens on the West and SW side of the house, and I'll be cutting them down this winter.  I was hoping they would be "instant canopy" for that side of the house, but they have grown from ~10 feet overall up to 20' of trunk and 30' feet telephone poles in only 5 or 6 years.  I am not waiting until they become lightning rods or further damage the house and roof.  Part of this was simply my mistake of planting them within frond range of the roof, so definitely lesson learned there!  With fertilizer 4x per year mine have always looked awesome.

I like the look of Royals, but personally would not plant one anywhere other than a wide open grassy area.  That's just because they like to drop 30' long 75lb fronds that are still green.  I have a tendency to fill in space under the palm, so a Royal would inevitably squish something I'd rather not get squished! 

[sonoranfans]

Queens can be very nice palms, but royals can dance too and they are far better suited to my soil and climate.  Royals can cast amazing shadow shows during a a breezy full moon night.  The easy care part is increasingly attractive as I grow older.  And they are never over trimmed by a yard worker with a saw they are never trimmed except by hurricanes.

[Tracy]

14 hours ago, MJSanDiego said:

Haha. Kentia palm!?? That is a super "boy" palm that reminds me of Archontophoenix Alexandrae. How can your boy palms imitate the grace and elegance of the Queen! 🤣

An interesting perspective that I can agree to disagree with.  I can't disagree that a well grown "Queen" palm has a nice look.  Over saturation in the marketplace is only one reason I opted for different palms when I started my current garden.  I also had the experience of their roots creating problems in planters and not playing nice with other plants I attempted to plant under them.  I attempted to plant a couple of Chambeyronia macrocarpa (one regular form and the other hookeri), as well as a Bismarckia nobilis under solitary Queens that were about 8 years old from 10 gallon size.  The Queen roots stole all the water from the Chambeyronias and the Bismarckia, not allowing them to make any progress and eventually succumbing to a cool damp winter.  It wasn't too long after that, when I decided to extract all my Queens from that garden. I opted for palms that played much nicer with others to replace them (6 in total scattered between the front and back yards).  I never looked back.  The Foxy ladies, and Chambeyronia hookeri that went in my back yard offer a more unique look and yes, elegance rather than just one of dozens of other Queens planted in that little subdivision.  That extraction was about 20 years ago now and I would have done it sooner with 20/20 hindsight..  

Back to your comment about Howea forsteriana and Archontophoenix alexandrae being "masculine", I'm a bit puzzled.  I could perhaps understand that comment about some Phoenix canariansis, but have difficulty assigning masculine or feminine characteristics to other palms except perhaps my Ravenea or Chamaedorea, which in fact or sometimes male or female plants.

I won't encourage others to remove their Queen palms unless they are creating some of the many challenges mentioned already (root competition, heavy leaf drop, a propensity to become invasive, messy seed drop, high maintenance, sold incorrectly as drought tolerant, etc.).  At the same time, it probably is the last palm to come to mind as a recommendation for someone in a true 10B San Diego garden.  I hesitate to call my garden 10B but would recommend many things growing in my garden to someone in a 10A or 10B here, such as Howea forsteriana or belmoreana, numerous Chrysalidocarpus species, Cyphophoenix elegans or nucele, many Chambeyronia species to just start naming a few.  I am happy you enjoy your Queens.

[Billy]

15 hours ago, MJSanDiego said:

Haha. Kentia palm!?? That is a super "boy" palm that reminds me of Archontophoenix Alexandrae. How can your boy palms imitate the grace and elegance of the Queen! 🤣

Hmmm. "Boy" palm? Sir, you've got an interesting argument and bizarre lingo to say the least. I must say, you've got me a bit confused, mate! 

[Billy]

3 minutes ago, Tracy said:

An interesting perspective that I can agree to disagree with.  Back to your comment about Howea forsteriana and Archontophoenix alexandrae being "masculine", I'm a bit puzzled.  I could perhaps understand that comment about some Phoenix canariansis, but have difficulty assigning masculine or feminine characteristics to other palms except perhaps my Ravenea or Chamaedorea, which in fact or sometimes male or female plants. I am happy you enjoy your Queens.

Spoken like a true gentleman, Tracy. I doubt anyone could say it in a more gentle and kind way. We hope you, your family, and garden are enjoying this beautiful growing season. 

[Billy]

8 minutes ago, Tracy said:

I won't encourage others to remove their Queen palms unless they are creating some of the many challenges mentioned already (root competition, heavy leaf drop, a propensity to become invasive, messy seed drop, high maintenance, sold incorrectly as drought tolerant, etc.).  At the same time, it probably is the last palm to come to mind as a recommendation for someone in a true 10B San Diego garden.  

Slow clap..........

👏

I feel confident that I can say on the behalf of the majority of the folks on this forum that we agree with this statement. 

[Billy]

In case the jury is still out on which is a better suited option for a palm enthusiast in 10a/10b, I’ll leave a few photos of what we’re now referring to as “boy” palms. Happy growing.

[Billeb]

Yeah….i tried to be somewhat impartial regarding this topic but it’s just so ridiculous talking about Queens with such high regard in SoCal. It’s akin to stating Lutescens are the best and prettiest palm you can buy in Florida. It’s almost laughable. I’m beginning to wonder if this whole thread is a joke. 
 

Huntington Beach put Queen palms in the parkways of our neighborhood 20yrs ago. Because it’s “city property”, they are responsible for trimming. I’ve spoke with the city about this and they said it was a massive mistake that has cost the city millions of dollars. Needless to say, they have been removed from the approved tree list and Kings are being put in thru attrition. Big mistake. 

-dale 

 

[DoomsDave]

Them queens won't leave me alone!

One of my neighbors had a big queen palm, and it dropped seeds and seeds and seeds. The "mother" plant has long since been removed but babies keep popping up in my yard.

I dig them up, pot them and give them away.

I sometimes think the seeds make pre-sprout whoopee, there's so many of them . . . .

[Billy]

7 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

I'm going to assume this is a joke, ?? 

Exactly. This whole thread has me a bit confused and the more it develops, the more convinced I am that this whole thing is nothing but a belated April Fools joke attempting to rile us all up. Well at least it got our attention I suppose...

[DoomsDave]

18 hours ago, MJSanDiego said:

@SeanK Why would you plant Royals in zone 10. I'm in 10b and nobody plants Royals here! 🤣

Oh but we do plant royals, even in the frozen tundra of northern OC.

[Silas_Sancona]

6 minutes ago, Billy said:

Exactly. This whole thread has me a bit confused and the more it develops, the more convinced I am that this whole thing is nothing but a belated April Fools joke attempting to rile us all up. Well at least it got our attention I suppose...

Reading through it as it has unfolded,  i too was thinking ..this has to be a joke / ...put out there by someone bored, motivated to try and stir the pot a bit.

At the same time, ..i can see ..as slim as the chances may be..  the chance that the OP is in the fold of those obsessed w/ Queens..

..Which to me is odd considering all the choices, many better, that someone can choose from out there ...or in numerous other areas. 





 

[MJSanDiego]

This thread is the real deal! The  palm is ubiquitous here in San Diego for a reason. Look at the Queens that bubba posted earlier. Stunning.  I'll have to take more pics.  Queens take some serious maintenance and like many other palms should be planted no closer than 10 ft from a house. And really minimum 15 ft to be safe. I recommend only one on a standard city lot but many go crazy and end up removing some later. With hard work comes reward. If you take care of your Queen you will be rewarded with the most beautiful, elegant and graceful palm on this earth!! But there are other nice species too... but I dare you to show me a palm that can imitate the feathery pinnate Queen!!

[MJSanDiego]

5 hours ago, Billy said:

In case the jury is still out on which is a better suited option for a palm enthusiast in 10a/10b, I’ll leave a few photos of what we’re now referring to as “boy” palms. Happy growing.

@Billy great pics, stunning thank you!

[MJSanDiego]

4 hours ago, Billy said:

Exactly. This whole thread has me a bit confused and the more it develops, the more convinced I am that this whole thing is nothing but a belated April Fools joke attempting to rile us all up. Well at least it got our attention I suppose...

Did you not see my laugh face. That was a joke!! 🤣 

[MJSanDiego]

4 hours ago, DoomsDave said:

Oh but we do plant royals, even in the frozen tundra of northern OC.

🤣👍

[MJSanDiego]

4 hours ago, DoomsDave said:

Them queens won't leave me alone!

One of my neighbors had a big queen palm, and it dropped seeds and seeds and seeds. The "mother" plant has long since been removed but babies keep popping up in my yard.

I dig them up, pot them and give them away.

I sometimes think the seeds make pre-sprout whoopee, there's so many of them . . . .

Bad neighbors. You have to cut the seed pods off early in the cycle before they start falling. This is a case of poor maintenance or lack of proper maintenance on city lots especially giving this gorgeous palm a bad name.  You have to know what you are getting into!! It should be fun maintaining your palms. But if one can't .. one must be ready to shell out some bux!!!

[MJSanDiego]

5 hours ago, Billeb said:

Yeah….i tried to be somewhat impartial regarding this topic but it’s just so ridiculous talking about Queens with such high regard in SoCal. It’s akin to stating Lutescens are the best and prettiest palm you can buy in Florida. It’s almost laughable. I’m beginning to wonder if this whole thread is a joke. 
 

Huntington Beach put Queen palms in the parkways of our neighborhood 20yrs ago. Because it’s “city property”, they are responsible for trimming. I’ve spoke with the city about this and they said it was a massive mistake that has cost the city millions of dollars. Needless to say, they have been removed from the approved tree list and Kings are being put in thru attrition. Big mistake. 

-dale 

 

Kings are not going to be any improvement. "Self-cleaning" means heavy leaf base petiole and fronds crashing down unannounced. You can read other posts about the dangers and vegetation below being destroyed by Kings. At least with the Queens it hangs onto the crispy brown almost forever if you start slacking on maintenance!! I never understood the appeal of Kings. People plant them all over San Diego too and so many are sickly looking and in bad shape. I'd say worst percentage than Queens 

[MJSanDiego]

5 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Reading through it as it has unfolded,  i too was thinking ..this has to be a joke / ...put out there by someone bored, motivated to try and stir the pot a bit.

At the same time, ..i can see ..as slim as the chances may be..  the chance that the OP is in the fold of those obsessed w/ Queens..

..Which to me is odd considering all the choices, many better, that someone can choose from out there ...or in numerous other areas. 





 

Obsessed yes... because of its tropical, elegant, graceful beauty. The way they sway in the breeze is iconic and cannot be imitated. There is something about the feathery pinnate fronds of the Queen that can't be expressed in words. It's just so stunning even if it's saturated. In fact the more you see especially in commercial areas the better. The whole point if this thread is to see that others see the same. And we've seen some stunning examples!! With all of these palm species in the world my eye always goes back to a well maintained Syagrus Romanzoffiana!! Respect!!

[Billy]

1 hour ago, MJSanDiego said:

This thread is the real deal! With hard work comes reward. If you take care of your Queen you will be rewarded with the most beautiful, elegant and graceful palm on this earth!! But there are other nice species too... but I dare you to show me a palm

You lost me here, mate. Case is closed on this one. 

[MJSanDiego]

31 minutes ago, Billy said:

You lost me here, mate. Case is closed on this one. 

This is a little off topic but I will bite. What I meant was the Kentia palm you mentioned reminds me of the king palm. There is a reason Syagrus Romanzoffiana is known as the Queen and not the King! With its elegance. grace and feathery pinnate fronds, you get the most awe-inspiring which is why it's so popular decade after decade.  I will get more pics. Others feel free to post any gorgeous Syagrus Romanzoffianas!!

[Axel Amsterdam]

I believe it’s more or less the same in mediteranean Europe. Some queens look nice, others not so much. 

I have never seen photographic evidence of a nicely grown queen in more northern latitudes like the UK. 

I remember first seeing some well grown queens in Rome, Italy. There are very very few queens in that city, let alone other more special palms such as those easily grown in SD. But still to me these looked so tropical in appearance. 

[SeanK]

12 hours ago, DoomsDave said:

Oh but we do plant royals, even in the frozen tundra of northern OC.

Well, that I understand. We plant 90% things that can take our climate, then 10% things that need to be babied. But it's the 10% that makes the yard stand out. 

[Billy]

10 hours ago, MJSanDiego said:

 What I meant was the Kentia palm you mentioned reminds me of the king palm. There is a reason Syagrus Romanzoffiana is known as the Queen and not the King! 

Kenya? Kentia? Oh you mean Howea forsteriana? Looks nothing like Archontophoenix species. Common name palm gender assignment seems to be the agenda nowadays…..

[MJSanDiego]

11 hours ago, Axel Amsterdam said:

I believe it’s more or less the same in mediteranean Europe. Some queens look nice, others not so much. 

I have never seen photographic evidence of a nicely grown queen in more northern latitudes like the UK. 

I remember first seeing some well grown queens in Rome, Italy. There are very very few queens in that city, let alone other more special palms such as those easily grown in SD. But still to me these looked so tropical in appearance. 

Is that in Rome? Simply gorgeous, thank you for sharing! The Queen IS the Queen for a reason! Awe inspiring! Respect!!