What do you think about this?

Ha ha. So much for the feather duster worm.
Back to the palm tree. Mine was purchased from a garden center. The trunk has fattened a little. It has grown about 1-2" (2-4 cm) in height in 20 years.
The discussion about palm trees has centered mainly on the definition of what a bonsai IS. We haven't discussed it from the point of view of what a bonsai DOES. Suppose my tree is in a club show and somebody walks up to it and says, "Hey, this reminds me of date palms I saw in California."
The tree is doing a bonsai job. Is it still not a bonsai?
Iris

bonsaisr wrote:Ha ha. So much for the feather duster worm.
Back to the palm tree. Mine was purchased from a garden center. The trunk has fattened a little. It has grown about 1-2" (2-4 cm) in height in 20 years.
The discussion about palm trees has centered mainly on the definition of what a bonsai IS. We haven't discussed it from the point of view of what a bonsai DOES. Suppose my tree is in a club show and somebody walks up to it and says, "Hey, this reminds me of date palms I saw in California."
The tree is doing a bonsai job. Is it still not a bonsai?
Iris

Iris,

In fact it is doing the job! and should be consiered bonsai. There are some parts of the world where palms are the predominant trees in the environment. Many parts of the Middle East and Northern Africa's imagry is clearly that of the Palm Tree. The fact that horticulturally it's not a true woody tree with branches is rather a weak reason to casually cast them onto the rubbish heap of bonsai rejects. In the same way that the japanese use persimmon as a fall display tree to reflect upon the bounty of nature, so too would a hanging bunch of dates to those who depend upon them for their bounty. They would also reflect upon the cultural history of the parts of the world where they grow. Not to consider them, and other candidates as well, is a rejection of the diversity of our natural world and that's a sad commentary on a hobby that's supposed to be celebrating the natural wonders of our world.

For those reading this thread where Canary Island date palms grow (In the US that is) I would love to get a few more seeds so I could have a few more to work on for a multi-tree display. I'd gladly pay the postage!

All,

Since Iris had the gumption to post an image of her palm, I guess I should at least post one of mine since it's probably the only one that's in training. Now, I'll grant you it looks nothing like what I envision as finished tree ready for the dance but it's slowly getting there. It can't be sped up and trimmed, shaped, trunk chopped etc... it must be left alone to develop a taller trunk which will only happen over time. This particular tree is around 7-8 years out from a seedling and the fronds are still a bit long but that's only because it helps speed up the trunk hight. I don't have a lot to time left so speed is of the essence. Still however, you can see the next set of fronds that will be produced next year will be smaller yet and should remain in the 8-10" range from here on out.

Phoenix canariensis is naturalized in California and Florida, so seeds should be plentiful.