Palm Trees In Seattle. Yay or Nay? (Pacific: 2013, yard)

[xboxmas]

I like them!

[tatania199]

We have one in the backyard. We didn't plant it. I call it the 'palm bush' because while green and leafy, it's about two feet tall and looks ridiculous.

Overall, I have to admit, I've given very little thought to whether or not palm trees belong in and around Seattle. I didn't realize the "freeze" extended to plants, too!

[angelenogirl]

One thing I loved while visiting Seattle was the trees. I didn't see any palms, and would be aghast to see them up there. I grew up surrounded by them in Los Angeles and am not a fan.

And the only time a palm tree should have snow on it is in a snow globe. One where Santa is also wearing some sort of Hawaiian shirt. Because that's always funny, of course.

[coolcats]

I've seen palms in Seattle, Whidbey Island, and Vancouver, BC. Vancouver actually has more than Seattle -- probably because those Canadians take pride in the one little corner of their country that can support palms.

Almost all palms in those places are Chinese Windmill Palms or Trachycarpus fortunei. Those are considered the most cold hardy type of palm. Trachycarpus fortunei - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I'm even thinking about planting one on the southwest side of my house in Salt Lake city. I believe it could survive in our climate as we rarely get below zero. Southern Utah actually is full of palms of a few different cold-hardy varieties and it regularly gets below freezing in the winter.

[hamellr]

Can they be burned as firewood? Honest question here.

I actually can't stand them at all as I think they're pretty ugly. But to each his own.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by hamellr

Can they be burned as firewood? Honest question here.

I actually can't stand them at all as I think they're pretty ugly. But to each his own.

I can't stand them either. One thing I love about the flora of the PNW is it's wilder, more rugged appearance with conifers.

[JesseJB]

Originally Posted by pw72

Seattle is a very "accepting" city. Can't we just all get along and "accept" the palms?

haha nope! We accept plant diversity so long as it doesn't look fun or whimsical.

SEATTLE IS SERIOUS, GUYS.

[Ira500]

Most of the palms in Seattle are not anything like the palms in Southern California. They don't grow nearly as tall.
If Southern California style palms grew here, it would be horrible. A lot of things will grow well here that are not native. Sometimes way too well, like English ivy and Himalayan Blackberry. Palms don't spread like that here. I've got a couple of palms in my yard. I like them much more than my wife does. Who knows? Maybe she'll sneak out of the house in the middle of the night when I'm sleeping and dig them up.

[2ForTheSea]

I'm looking forward to getting to a place with real trees. I like palm trees enough, but they provide no shade. We have quite a few of them on our beach and it's fun to watch people constantly moving under the shadow of the trunk in order to get a little shade. Also, gotta be careful about falling coconuts. Seriously. I think it would be weird to just have them randomly growing wherever, but as part of planned landscaping I think they definitely have their place regardless of climate.

[shoegal111]

Nay I say. If Mother Nature wanted palm trees in Seattle they would be there already without humans needing to bring them to the city.