No palm trees in Anthem (Phoenix, Parks: fit in, 2015, HOA)

[lazz80]

Is there a reason why there are no palm trees in Anthem?

[AZJoeD]

Anthem like a lot of north valley communities has an approved plant list. Anthem was designed to maintain the natural environment and has restrictions against non-native, invasive exotic plants and plants that require supplemental water. While I do not have the current approved plant list in my possession (maybe someone that live in Anthem can chime in) I doubt that palm trees fall into the category of natural species.

[lazz80]

Thanks! My guess was something along those lines, but I wasn't sure. I'm finishing up my week here in Anthem and it caught my attention when some of the other surrounding areas we visited had palm trees and there were none here.

[johnp292]

Parkside approved plant list

http://www.onlineatanthem.com/sites/...rev%202015.pdf

I don't know if the other HOAs (Country Club, etc) have a different list, but if they do you should be able to find it on the same site.

[new2colo]

My HOA restricts tree heights to 20 feet. Most palm trees will eventually exceed the allowable height.

[stevek64]

Originally Posted by AZJoeD

Anthem like a lot of north valley communities has an approved plant list. Anthem was designed to maintain the natural environment and has restrictions against non-native, invasive exotic plants and plants that require supplemental water. While I do not have the current approved plant list in my possession (maybe someone that live in Anthem can chime in) I doubt that palm trees fall into the category of natural species.

Washingtonia Filifera, the California Fan Palm, is actually native in parts of AZ.

Arizona Landscape Palms

"One palm species, California Fan Palm (Washingtonia filifera) is native to the oases and canyons of Arizona and California."

Very similiar in appearance to the Mexican fan palm, Washingtonia robusta, and grows very tall but Washingtonia Filifera has a much thicker trunk. It can also survive on low amounts of water.

Not sure what their logic was if they excluded all palms.

[sloguy1496]

Anthem generally strives for an earthy, desert vibe that is respectful of the surrounding environment. Palm trees of any kind are generally disrespectful to the natural desert environment.

While California Fan Palms are native to extreme western Arizona, they are not native to the Phoenix area, which may explain why they are left off any "approved native plants" list.

[ZonieJim]

Palms in the yard are a pain. I had a 35' Mexican palm removed 2 years ago and I am still pulling up new starts from it's dropped seeds.

[stevek64]

Originally Posted by sloguy1496

Anthem generally strives for an earthy, desert vibe that is respectful of the surrounding environment. Palm trees of any kind are generally disrespectful to the natural desert environment.

While California Fan Palms are native to extreme western Arizona, they are not native to the Phoenix area, which may explain why they are left off any "approved native plants" list.

Well, I suppose in the end it's just a personal preference what's "disrespectful" and an HOA board composed of a few people can make some wide sweeping decisions for thousands which I'm guessing happened here. Many palms are low water in use so in that regard they are easy on the environment. Aesthetics is a very personal thing of course and in my view I think many types of palms fit in nicely in a low desert environment but to each their own.

What I find interesting is Anthem has lots of grass/a golf course in the community:

Anthem Golf & Country Club | Anthem AZ

And I believe they have man made lakes in the Anthem community.

I'm not picking on these things per se but I suppose we could have a serious talk about being "disrespectful to the natural desert environment" with such things in a community so I'm not sure what the decisions were based on in the end to ban palm trees(if this is the case) yet allow grass, lakes, and golf courses.

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by stevek64

Well, I suppose in the end it's just a personal preference what's "disrespectful" and an HOA board composed of a few people can make some wide sweeping decisions for thousands which I'm guessing happened here. Many palms are low water in use so in that regard they are easy on the environment. Aesthetics is a very personal thing of course and in my view I think many types of palms fit in nicely in a low desert environment but to each their own.

What I find interesting is Anthem has lots of grass/a golf course in the community:

Anthem Golf & Country Club | Anthem AZ

And I believe they have man made lakes in the Anthem community.

I'm not picking on these things per se but I suppose we could have a serious talk about being "disrespectful to the natural desert environment" with such things in a community so I'm not sure what the decisions were based on in the end to ban palm trees(if this is the case) yet allow grass, lakes, and golf courses.

Ding ding ding!

We have a plant that while natural to the Sonoran Desert, although not at this specific location, would desecrate the natural desert, yet importing water and non-native grasses for the purpose of golfing comports with the natural surroundings we enjoy?

Since a lot of the plants in Anthem are imported, that is they aren't Palo Verdes directly from the location of Anthem, what is the distinction between importing one natural plant over another? Shouldn't that distinction be greater between imported non-native plants and imported however native plants?