Mexican Blue Palm (Brahea Armata) - a slow-growing palm with arching, silvery-blue feather-like fronds. Reaches about 30 feet at maturity.

Guadalupe Fan Palm (Brahea edulis) - similar to the Mexican Blue Palm, this one grows faster to 30 feet in height. The fan-shaped fronds are a light green. Edible fruit.  

Pindo Palm (Butia capitata) - Another short palm, growing only to 20 feet. The gray-green feather-shaped fronds curve downward. Edible fruit. The Pindo palm, right, stands side by side with a much faster growing California Fan palm. Both were planted at the same time.

Canary Island Date Palm (Phoenix canariensis) -- a giant among palms, grows to 50 feet high with a massive trunk and 10 foot long fronds. Shown on the right, it is called a date palm for a reason: the fruit is the edible date and it's delicious!. Thorns on the fronds are dangerously sharp and even a slight scratchcan lead to an infection. Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera) -- more slender than the Canary Island palm, but also grows tall: 60 feet. The fruit is edible and super delicious, of course, and the thorns on the fronds are very sharp.

Windmill Palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) - a semi-dwarf palm with windmill-shaped fronds. Slow-growing to 15 feet tall. This tree loves our summer heat!

California Fan Palm (Washingtonia filifera) - a native of California, Arizona, and Mexico, this massive palm grows to 50 feet. Old fronds droop against the trunk giving a "hula skirt" effect, unless removed. The 3 Washingtonias shown here are accompanied by an olive tree and juniper hedge. The "hula skirts" of old fronds have been removed.

Mexican Fan Palm (Washingtonia robusta) - a palm equivalent of a skyscraper, it grows to 80 feet or more. It looks very much like the California Fan Palm but more slender and , eventually, taller. It grows fast. This one, too, loves our summer heat.

If you can locate them, two other palms worth trying are the Chinese Fountain Palm (Livistona Chinensis ) and the Australian Cabbage Palm (Livistona australis). Both have a "weeping" shape with gracefully drooping fronds. Both look somewhat like short California fan palms and reach a height of only about 40 feet. The Chinese Fountain Palm has bright green fronds; its Australian cousin has dark green fronds. 

A personal favorite, the Queen Palm, (Syragrus romanzoffianum), does not do particularly well in parts of the desert that have cold winters. The fortunate people who live in Palm Springs and other warmer winter areas can enjoy its beauty year round. This Brazilian native suffers in the cold and may die when the temperatures fall much below freezing. But oh, how graceful and beautiful it is with its long, flowing fronds. It has been known to thrive in high desert microclimates that are warm in winter.

Some final words about palms: these trees are essentially architectural. As they mature, many become tall brown columns with a giant powder puff of green at the top, usually too high for easy viewing at ground level. Generally, a shorter palm trees will look better in a backyard garden over the long term.