Making A Large Artificial Palm Tree

I've always wanted to add a large palm tree to my backyard Kapu Tiki garden. Unfortunately, I live in Wisconsin where it's cold most of the year. Right now it's April and it's about 36 degrees outside! No kidding. Anyway, the artificial palm trees I've seen online for sale are very expensive. Plus, the fact that I have to store these items during the winter months makes such a purchase cost prohibitive for me.

Instead, I decided to construct my own palm tree. The trunk of this tree is made from a round 8'x 5" post purchased from a local lumber yard. I mounted the post to a platform and then wrapped it with Tree Wrap purchased from a local garden center. This stuff is used to protect the trunks of trees from pests and damage. When wrapped around a post it looks very similar to a palm tree trunk. The husk at the top is coconut matting also purchased from the same garden store. The palm leaves I obtained from World Market. Using a drill I made holes in the top of the post and inserted the wire ends of the artificial fronds. Make sure the fit is snug so that the fronds don't get pulled out by the wind. This thing is huge. It stands about 10' tall with the fronds. The tree costs about $70 in materials to construct. It needs a few more fronds and I will also be adding coconuts and a monkey. The base will be camouflaged with rocks and mulch. I may construct two more of these trees for my backyard. (Winter just ended in Wisconsin, so note the lack of leaves on the trees--and my destroyed lawn!).

Nice. I have one in my yard here in FL that looks pretty much like that one. Very creative.

That is looking good...nice job on the trunk. Here are some links that might help you..they have palm fronds too. I have a beautiful artificial banana palm in my lounge and I love it. I have noticed that some cell towers in Southern California are decorated as palm trees...NorCal has boring pine trees. :lol:

http://www.earthflora.com/cart.php?target=category&category_id=960
http://www.amazinggreenhouse.com/

Please post more pics when done. :)

I love this! Great idea for a tropical touch in Wisconsin!

My faux palm tree with a few more fronds and some Spring foliage in the background:

BTW my backyard is still a work in progress. Just finishing work on the brick patio and thatch hut (pictured here). I should have everything up to speed in a couple more weeks. I'll post some photos soon.

What a cool idea! Did you have to paint the tree wrap? I've only seen white in Michigan (maybe they want the trees camouflaged in the winter? hehe)

It looks better with more foliage.

Backyard is pretty cool too, and er um ....well hope it warms up soon!

O

Cool. I like the surreal look of snow on a palm tree. Very Midwestern. BTW, where did you get that tree from?

On 2008-05-21 12:08, Tikinaut wrote:
Cool. I like the surreal look of snow on a palm tree. Very Midwestern. BTW, where did you get that tree from?

it was a gift from a friend. he is out of town right now but i will find out where he got it. by the way ,i just noticed 2 more things out of place in that pic,#1, 7ft witco #2, 12ft outrigger canoe from KON-TIKI. talk about surreal.

Walgreens is currently selling this plastic Christmas tree stand for $12. It holds trees up to 8 feet tall, 5" diameter (artificial and real). It's called the "Ultimate Christmas Tree Stand". Anyway, I've been searching for a light weight stand to use for my fake palm trees. This stand seems to do the trick. It securely held a 9 foot long piece of bamboo with a 3" diameter. It also has four holes in the bottom rim that allow small stakes to be placed through it. I'm planning to use these this coming spring to populate my backyard with a few "Wisconsin Palm Trees". Unfortunately, I won't have any photos for awhile as my backyard is full of snow! And it's still November!

Hi Tikinaut,

I've been watching this thread since it started as I live in Pittsburgh, PA, and palms don't exactly grow here and I really want to make some. Anyway, that is the stand I use for my Christmas tree, and it works wonderfully. I have it mounted on a lazy susan bearing from Home Depot, which is in turn mounted on a 4'X4' sheet of plywood, makes putting lights on VERY easy, just spin the tree...

PW

Man, I really miss summer... :(

On 2008-12-03 11:40, Tikinaut wrote:
Man, I really miss summer... :(

I hear ya! I hear ya...

While it may sound pretty far fetched to grow real palm trees , bananas , etc. in Wisconsin it is definitely not impossible .

http://exoten.dyndns.org/cgi-bin/hardy.cgi?function=2&index=EBAAD01401066691

Here is a pic from my backyard in PA ( I know not as cold as Wisconsin but , definitely not tropical ) ...

For the past 4 years I have had palms in my yard. Just hit Wal-Mart, Home Depot or Lowe's in the spring. The 3 palms in the photo are all 4 footers, I couldn't find a seven footer until later in the season. A 4 footer will cost about $15, but a 7 footer will cost about $35. All you need to do is buy a nice big pot and you can add 2 to 3 feet to the palm!

Here's a photo of my newly redesigned artificial palm tree. This time around I decided to make it lighter so I can move it around the yard easier.

For this tree I used a large piece of bamboo which I mounted inside a plastic Christmas tree stand. For the palms I drilled small holes into the bamboo and attached the fronds accordingly. The tree stand is anchored into the ground with four small stakes. The stand will eventually be camouflaged.

One can easily populate their backyard with this homemade and inexpensive palm tree.

More to come...