Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

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Tuesday - December 06, 2011

From: Miami, FL
Region: Southeast
Topic: Non-Natives, Trees
Title: Problems with non-native Canary Date Palms from Miami FL
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

Hi: The fronts of my canary date palm, which I planted about 6 years ago, has been getting brown from the bottom of the tree and working itself towards the top for the past several months now. The browning starts from the tip of the leaves and move towards the middle of the front. There are only a few live fronts left. I need your help with first identifying the problem and telling me what I can do to save this beautiful tree. Please get back to me soon. Thanks.

ANSWER:

Since Phoenix canariensis, Canary Date Palm is native to (surprise!) the Canary Islands, it falls out of the realm of experience of Mr. Smarty Plants. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is dedicated to the growth, propagation and protection of plants native not only to North America but to the place in which they are being grown. We understand that they do pretty well in South Florida, so we are going to refer you to some websites that may give you the information you need:

Canary Island Date Palm

Florida Palm Trees

Dave's Garden