I almost forgot my favorite one, the Bismarck Palmetto. This guy grows 4-5 feet a year and I have him in full sun.
{{gwi:422172}}

Wow! You've got a lot of palms, lol. I'm envious!

The first one that came to mind was Bismarck, but then I saw your follow up message with the pic of yours. Yours is really nice! I love Bismarcks too, though I don't have one. Yours is really nice!

What about Mexican blue fan palm? Brahea armata? I see those in full sun quite a bit and they do great. Of course, it's a pauper compared to your bismarck, lol, but they do have good blue color and are fun.

I see "Lady Palms" (Rhapis excelsa) in shade or mostly shaded conditions and they look really happy. Again though, shade seems to be the key.

True palmettos do great here too (Sabal palmetto). They're similar to Mexican or Desert fan palms but they've got toothless leaf petioles ("leaf stems") and the petiole reaches almost to the tips of the leaves and they have that neat waved-not-flat leaf (there's a name for that cupped-palm shape that you probably already know, but I forget what it's called off the top of my head). There used to be quite a few of them near Paradise Valley Mall but they got removed during the big landscape renovation there.

I'm sure others will chime in too. Let us know what you add to your collection! And please don't be shy about more pics. :)

Take care,
Grant

I also love palms and over the last couple of years have been collecting a few different species.

So far my collection includes:

California Fan Palm (of course...)
Canary Island Date Palm
Queen Palm
Chinese Fan Palm

...ok now for the unusuals...

Triange Palms
Coconut Queen Palm from Jungle Jacks in San Diego
Cuban Royal Palms
Shaving Brush Palm
Christmas Palm from FL
Foxtail Palm (one is 7'+ ft tall!)
King Palm

Would love to know if anyone else has experience with these palms or others. Trying to grow some sabals from seed, but no luck so far.

oops, i forgot 3 more...

Pygmy Date Palm
Pindo Palm
Clumping Fishtail Palm

One unusual palm I'm trying to grow outdoors is Bamboo Palm - Chamaedorea microspadix.

I planted one this past spring and it was about 10" tall. It's on the north side of my house so it's getting only morning sun and then shade for the rest of the day.

It did good here during the summer I suppose. The tips of the leaves got burnt. It's got new shoots coming out from the ground now though. I've read that they can take the cold pretty well even without protection.

Wow some unusual ones for this region for sure! I love foxtail palms and it's great to see someone has them growing out here. Now the big question....are these all mail order/brought in from somewhere?

I also grew a few Nubian desert palms from seed but couldn't for the life of me get them to grow more than a few months before they died.

Mexican blue fan palms and Sabal palmettos aren't too hard to find in the Valley. I've seen each for sale several times at local nurseries and big box hardware stores. I'd love to hear about the others as well.

Keep us posted! :)
Take care,
Grant

Grant, where have you seen sabals for sale here? The only ones ive seen are huge ones at moon valley for $$$$$...

I've seen sabals at Home Depots (Scottsdale) and at Baker Nursery too. It wasn't within the last month, but I know for sure I've seen them, so I'd check/call first. They were mostly in 24 inch boxes, so not giant, but off to a good start. I love those smooth leaf stems/petioles. I'd grow a ton of palms except I don't want to deal with having to find/hire someone to trim off the fronds when they get too tall, and some types do get tall fast, LOL.

Take care and keep us posted. Happy (palm) hunting!
Grant

There are literally hundreds of different exotic palms that can be grown here in the Phoenix area. Problem is availability.Most are brought in from California or Florida or grown here from seed.Some of the species I've had in the ground for several years that do well (some with protection) include:
Allagoptera
Archontophoenix
Areca
Arenga
Beccariophoenix
Bismarckia
Brahea
Butia
Carpentaria
Chamaedorea
Chamaerops
Chambeyronia
Coccothrinax
Copernicia
Dypsis
Gaussia
Hemithrinax
Hyophorbe
Johannestijsmannia
Jubaea
Kentiopsis
Parajubaea
Phoenix
Pseudophoenix
Ptychosperma
Ravenea
Rhapis
Roystonea
Sabal
Serenoa
Syagrus
Thrinax
Veitchia
Wodyetia

Yes,I do have examples of all the above species planted in the ground and growing in Mesa,Arizona.It really is possible to grow them all with minimal care if you pick an appropriate site in the yard.

WOW Aztropic! That is beautiful. We recently purchased a home and moved to Phoenix from NY. I have been planting all sorts of palms in my yard. I have conducted a lot of research both on the internet and driving around town looking at yards to see the growth habits of the different palms in relation to location and sun exposure. I see you have it all figured out. Congrats!!

I have all my palms carefully selected. They have only been in ground for 1-5 months.

For now my small list includes:

Mediterranean Fan Palm
Queen Palm
Pindo Palm
Windmill Palm
Pygmy Date Palm

I hope to find a Sabal Palmetto somewhere and any other slow growing small - medium size palm.

How are tall tropical palms like royals ,protected from the cold and frost?

This post was edited by jacaranda4321 on Mon, Nov 4, 13 at 22:17

No one knows how to protect non hardy palms ?

A year ago I gave up trying to save my established, chlorotic queen palms. I tried everything-supplemental manganese, zinc, iron. I decided it wasn't worth the stress, so I had them cut down.

I'm with you, Richsd! I see so many sad, chlorotic queen palms around town, often with a green, vigorous, glorious Mexican or Desert fan palm (Washingtonia robusta and filifera, respectively) growing at its feet. I love them when they're pretty, but they're not low maintenance for most folks. My neighbor three houses down has three glorious ones, but he calls them "his babies" as he's constantly attending to them, LOL. Happy gardening all!

So I found a place here in the Phoenix area today that sells Mule Palms. A cross between a Queen Palm and a Pindo Palm. They had one in ground about 20 ft tall. It was a beauty and a beautiful residential size Palm.

You must be talking about treeland nursery on Arizona ave.Pacific palms carries them too.Excellent choice for a palm that will always look good in our conditions.Right now, they are all imported from Florida but treeline is growing some from seed which might be available in a year or two.

Check out my earlier post to see other species that grow in our 9b zone.I've had many planted since the early 2000's and several are producing seed already.Here's my bismarck.

My neighbor has a few queen palms and she keeps them in the corner of her yard near 2 sides of the block wall fence. This seems to keep it warm enough in the winter as it's never really looked bad. They hang over the wall and shade the block wall in the summer which is really nice.

Another plant not mentioned here if you're looking for a tropical look is banana trees. You can get some that are very cold tolerant, and even if they aren't, it's only the leaves that die in our winters here (afaik).

Yes! Treeland Nursery! I just picked up two small mule palms today. Gonna put them in ground tomorrow.

This past February, I planted a dwarf Cavendish banana. It has been growing rapidly and even has a small pup growing. I also stuck some pineapple in the ground.

Very nice! With the few warm winters we've had lately, I've noticed local nurseries bringing in a lot more tropical material.A home depot near me even brought in some coconut and foxtail palms; both around $40 each.Moon valley has foxtails that are only slightly bigger for $400.They are ALWAYS way overpriced...

Check out Shamus O'Leary's shop. He has Foxtail palms for a reasonable price. He's over at the west side of the valley (35th ave. & Bell rd area) ask him first to see if he still have any in stock or the size you want in stock.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shamus-OLearys-Tropical-Fruit-Trees/469661096392272