Will adding palm trees in around the Houston metro make it more beautiful and pretty looking? (Brazoria: vacation, metro area)

[Weatherguy]

Originally Posted by Dopo

We don't need palm trees,
we need any tree... I'm sick and tired of walking around in Houston without a tree in sight

You must actually live somewhere else. Houston has an incredible urban tree canopy. Maybe you live in a new suburb? I suppose there are areas that need more trees.

[eberrios97]

I'm from Pennsylvania, no Palms there . I just recently moved to Florida , and the palms are gorgeous! Makes me feel like im in my Home Country Puerto Rico! Palm Trees In Houston will be great, and will make it look more tropical and nicer.

[jdw7337]

Palm trees? I'd say yes to the areas where palms would be ascetically pleasing but we all know there are some places where the architecture and style of the community does not make palms a favorable addition because the appearance doesn't fit. Personally I'd prefer trees that offer more shade.

[bu2]

There used to be Palm trees all over SW Houston in the 70s. Bellaire was filled with them. The freezes of the 80s killed them off.

[yenny69]

We had a Landscape Company plant a Carnary Palm in 1999 here in Texas. Well.....it died this year. We too have been told the Medjool is more hardy for Texas. Our Carnary Palm was simply goregous. However, we are having to switch to the Medjool which in my view is not as pretty. But we love palm trees, we'll give it one more try.

[palmwind1]

Houston is in the latitude where most cities , in this latitude , have palm trees. Houston is , in reality , a Gulf coastal city much moreso than being a typical Texas city. In fact, it is more of a Florida type city than a Texas city. Every city in Florida is covered with palm trees and they make for a vacationey, semi tropcial environment and, to many people, they add to the beauty of what would be a very boring topography. Since Houston doesn't have any dramatic geographical features, palm trees , to me , would be a logical and great esthetic plan to improve and beautify the metro area. To me Houston palms should be heavily planted wherever there are tight landscaping areas that can accomodate their beauty and size. Every city , from coastal California, Arizona, Louisiana, any coastal Gulf city into all cities in Florida are proud of their palm trees and enjoy their beauty. Only in Houston , where people , developers and local planners seem to be recalcitrant, ignorant and have a dislike of anything tropical that are we lacking in this landscaping beautificaion and excitement. Live oak trees are beautiful and they give needed shade but we need to plant these palms to give Houston this special feeling that is so lacking. People are constantly saying that Houston is ugly so why not improve the image by planting these beautiful palms to improve the image? I have 1 Pindo palm, 3 sagos in the front yard and 2 pygmy date palms and 3 sagos in the back and they add something to the yard that no other plant can.

[LocalPlanner]

Sorry, but I think palm trees, at least the tall spindly ones, are ugly and low-class. I think "tropical third-world city" when I see them. Regular deciduous trees are infinitely better and give more shade, which is critical.

And the west and northwest parts of Houston do not feel "coastal" to me. They feel like the interior south (Piney Woods), or like the mixed oak savanna that stretches up to OK and AR. Keep any palms on the southeast side of town, if anywhere.

[palmwind1]

Tampa metro which encompasses quite a few miles of inland area, 40 or more, which is not ...coastal , metro Orlando, which is as inland as Houston and does not feel coastal at all or Jacksonville, which borders the coastal plain of Georgia and shares another piney woods geographical area away from the coast , all are either very inland or have large swaths of inland areas but , regardless of how inland or not , all other cities that are capable of planting palms because of their mild winters ..... but Houston .....have planted, by the tens of thousands, these so called....detested....... palm trees. They don't think of their palm trees as being third world or ugly however they plant the palms in a thoughful, landscaped manner to enhance the area around which they serve and they use specific palm tree species that are more esthetically appealling, investing money in these palm trees because they know that they create an exciting , tropical environment, something that Houston would never think to do. When I go to Florida or California I don't think I've ever stopped and said ....gee i wish there were more piney woods to look at. Houston's palms , along the highway look somewhat ratty and unkept but these are mexican fan palms which need a trimming every so often but are not maintained so they will have a rougher look but where the palms are chose for their geometrical beauty and are manicured and having a more defined shape, ie Highland Village, Houston Zoo, Broadway Blvd in Galveston, Green Street, these palms add a certain specific beauty to the area. I live in the piney woods and have also lived in Georgia's piney woods. These pine tree areas create an essential tree canopy for nature but are pretty boring and cannot compare to a hardwood forest however the argument here is not to supplant piney woods for palm forests but to use, more often in landscaping, in Houston,,these beautiful examples of palm trees to give Houston some kind of flavor that it critically lacks. We have an great abundance of live oaks and southern oaks which provide needed shade and perennial beauty but we need some pizzaz and personality , which these palms would offer. Anyone listening at City Hall?

[crone]

They probably did the arithmetic and figured it cost too much. The tree trimming company I use won't come out for less than 300$. That's a lot every year to trim a palm tree. They are cutting it down in a couple of weeks.

[wintersbone]

I hate palms in Houston. they look out of place and ugly since no one keeps them trimmed properly. Hawaii yes Houston no