Palm Trees in Skirts

Urban palm trees have always been a puzzle to me. Who thought tall skinny things with a feather duster on top were decorative? Why plant them? I have to admit, they add a welcome green relief to the unrelenting sand and rock of the desert, but really--palm trees? In the city?

Many years ago I knew a young woman from Pennsylvania who came to live in San Diego for a little while. One day she said, "I've decided I can't be civil to palm trees." And she moved back to Pennsylvania. I didn't get her remark for some time. I think I understand now. They really don't belong in the city, do they? They look so fragile, so tenative, as if they know they shouldn't be there. Deprived of their natural "skirts" of dead fronds (because you really wouldn't want a rat habitat next to your house, would you?), they lose some of their visual appeal (well, I think so, anyway.)

Wild palms are a different story. The Coachella Reserve and wildlife refuge is not far from my home. I stopped by and got this swell photo of real, live, indigineous California Fan Palms. I'd never seen wild palms before. Don't they look nice and sturdy, and...well, confident? Who knew a skirt could be so empowering?