What rare to Phoenix palms are you growing?

MKIVRYAN · Joined: 07 Dec 2010 Posts: 154 Location: Phoenix/Scottsdale

I currently have Cuban Royal, Bismark, Fishtails, Foxtails, and a few other smaller palms that I forget the names of.

Bryan Anderson · Joined: 07 Jun 2012 Posts: 3 Location: Phoenix, Arizona

So far, my only rare ish type of palm in PHX is a Bizzy, and a triangle palm. Both of which are doing very well. I have a few butias, lots of those pygmy palms, and some med fan palms. I HAD, a couple of royals, but I killed them. Think I watered them way too much in the winter, then they just rotted. Soaked them way too much. Oh well, i'll try again.

I also have a beccariophoenix alfreddi, its small, planted in january, hasnt grown at all. Might be digging that up and just potting it until its much larger. Not sure.

Hook us up with some pics of your royals?? I really like those palms. I've seen a couple big ones around the valley.

ArizonaPalms · Joined: 07 Jun 2012 Posts: 15 Location: Chandler, AZ

An unusual palm for Phoenix that has quickly become my favorite is the Mule palm. The Mule is the common name given to a hybrid cross between a queen palm and Pindo (butia) palm. The palm has the quick and upright growth of a queen but a canopy which looks more like a pindo than a queen. Cold temps are no problem once established. They are very tropical in appearance, take full sun, 20F cold and so far, show no manganese and trace element deficiency issues like with the queens.

One of my five Mule palms became rotten in the crown during last years monsoon season. The center spear pulled out. I treated it and waited. In May 2012 (8 months later) a new spear appeared, then another and so on. It's back on the road to recovery. Same happened with a queen and it too is pushing new spears.

MKIVRYAN · Joined: 07 Dec 2010 Posts: 154 Location: Phoenix/Scottsdale

WOW! I have been looking for Mule palms for years and cant find them! Any chance you know where to get them? I will try to take some pictures of my stuff this weekend but its all pretty small. Hopefully AZtropic will chime in with some pictures. He has some big royals not to mention tons of other super nice palms.

ArizonaPalms · Joined: 07 Jun 2012 Posts: 15 Location: Chandler, AZ

I purchased the Mule palms in California. Jungle Music in Encinitas has them in 5gal size for $100, nice quality too.

A strange characteristic of the Mules is that they seem to be quite individualistic regarding their growth habit. For example, when purchased all mine were of similar size. A few years later and now two are distinctly squatty and the others tall and lean. The squatty ones have the same diameter trunk as the others but are clearly shorter. I attribute this to the uncertain nature when you cross breed anything. I'm guessing the squatty ones take after their father (Pindo) more and the others are more like their mother the queen palm.

MKIVRYAN · Joined: 07 Dec 2010 Posts: 154 Location: Phoenix/Scottsdale

Ok, I have been there once. I'm hoping to get out there at the end of the summer and do a bit of shopping. Any thoughts that more or less sun or water could be causing the differences by chance?

ArizonaPalms · Joined: 07 Jun 2012 Posts: 15 Location: Chandler, AZ

Here is a pict of two of our Mule palms. The one on left is stubby the one on right more upright. Both trees were of identical size when planted two years ago as 15g trees. Site location, water and fertilization are identical for these two. The block wall behind is 6ft tall for scale. Mule palms are highly recommended for a full-sun Phoenix area landscape.