Blogging A to Z…… T is for…..

T is for Trees

I had a hard time selecting my T post because there were several I wanted to do. I decided on Trees because I thought you might like a look at some of our local  landscaping.  In our neighborhood the lots are 1 to 5 acres so we have plenty of room for big yards and lots of trees.

I like all types of trees but in this post I am featuring the trees that typify  Southern California…. palm trees.  I’ve lived in So Cal since I was 11 years old. I more or less took palm trees for granted since I grew up with them everywhere. I did not realize how much I loved palm trees until I went away to college in Utah. There were no palm trees in that cold climate and I really missed them. I remember how excited I was seeing palm trees my first trip back back to California.  I shouted out the car window…”I’m home!”

Yesterday I drove around our area taking pictures of palm trees to share with you.

The tall skinny palms that tower above all the other trees are Mexican Fan Palms. Their scientific name is Washingtonia robusta. They reach a height of 60 to 100 feet high. I think they look tall and majestic against the sky.

The shorter palms that are still big are King Palms. They can grow to 60 ft. and have leaves that are 8 to 10 ft. long.  I also like the multi trunk palm in our neighbors yard. It is a Pindo Jelly Palm Double. If you look close you can see that it has 5 trunks that spread out from the base of the tree.

Many of our neighbors have palms around their homes. I like the way they have mixed the different kinds of palms. The short ones in this picture are Butia Pindo Jelly Palms the taller ones are the King Palms.

I don’t know if you can see them in these pictures but 2 of our neighbors have mixed palm trees with pine trees. I think it is fun that they have mixed subtropical and mountain trees together.

We have Sago Palms in our patio. They are related to Ginko trees. They are the most widely marketed palm tree because of their easy maintenance and livability. They are also moderately cold hardy and can survive limited exposure to freezing temperatures. (Which we had a few nights this winter)Sago Palms are commonly used as a container trees. They can grow to be 15 ft. tall but it takes decades. They are very slow growing. We planted these two trees over 25 years ago.

This Sago Palm is a new mother. She just gave us all these baby off-shoots. We’ve put them in pots and hope they will grow. We are excited because Sago Palms are quite expensive. We have given several away to happy recipients.

We decided to put a palm out by our pool because it doesn’t  drop leaves in the water and we pretend we are in Hawaii.

Palms are flowering plants. There are 2,600 species currently known. Most of them are restricted to subtropical warm climates. Many common products and foods are derived from palms….coconuts being the most popular. They are widely used in landscaping for their exotic appearance making them one of the most economically important plants. In many historical cultures, palms were symbols for victory, peace and fertility. (askjeeves.com) The bible tells us that palm leaves were spread out before Jesus when he entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday which was a symbol reserved for royalty.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little tour of our neighborhood palm trees. To me a palm tree will always represent home.

Happy T day….. I just might do another T tomorrow because I have no idea what I will do for U…. any ideas for me??????

Have a great day.  Hugs, Lura