Making Fake Palm Trees - Revisited!

I saw an earlier thread about making fake palm tress but I wonder if anyone else has attempted it in the last couple of years.

Living in a climate that's not palm-friendly, I'm thinking of making two or three fake ones. I was thinking of making a base like this, out of 1x4s or 2x4s, and a 2' long, 4" diameter PVC pipe:

The base would be 24" across. Into (or over) that base, I'd insert the "trunk" (which would be of varying lengths, but probably between 6 and 8 feet), of flexible - and hopefully collapsible - PVC tubing:

And then wrap some burlap around this "trunk" - using thick elastic bands (which would be hidden by the folds of the burlap) to hold it in place. I'd like to make them at least somewhat portable and storable (hence the collapsible PVC trunks).

Does this sound feasible? Any suggestions?

Not sure what to do about fronds yet.

Someone said that you could run a knife around a pvc pipe, cutting just lightly into it, heat up that part slightly and it will expand, creating a bamboo effect. Then paint, bend. etc.
Someone ran water up their fake tree to the top of their waterfall and it made the look complete.
I've started collecting 6"-8" diameter steel pipe, gonna cut in sections and make myself a colorado palm tree. We have a few up here. If ya want pictures I'll see what I can do. They are about 20' tall, steel palms and all.

Arvada, Colorado......elevation 5340 ft.
A long drop to sea level

[ Edited by: Mr. Dale 2006-01-26 11:29 ]

I saw a couple of fake palms made with the trunks made from thick bamoo and they looked pretty good

I picked up some supplies at Home Depot tonight (2x4s, drainpipe, PVC pipe, couplings, brackets and screws) and I hope to make a start on the bases this weekend.

Keep the ideas coming, I really appreciate them!

I made a quick and dirty one once. It worked for what I needed. The base was 3 bamboo poles poked into a coffee can, then filled with that foam insulation stuff in a can. The tops are actually plastic/paper (weatherproof) fake Ferns. I wrapped spagnum moss or spanish moss or something around the top of the poles to 'blend' the ferns with the bamboo. Burlap would have been better, or a combo of the two.

[ Edited by: tikigap 2006-01-27 19:24 ]

If you don't mind waiting a couple o' days...I'd highly recommend using actual palm tree bark for the trunk.
Bensons sells it for nice 'n' cheep (www.bensonsimport.com), and trust me...a little goes a long way. For just one tree, 1 or 2 lbs. should be plenty.

Here's a couple of pics of how I used palm tree bark in the Moai Lounge:
The "tree" in the foreground is actually a basement support pole that I simply stapled palm tree bark to, for a convincing trunk.

You can also trim the hairy part off the bark strips to make "shingles"!

Good luck w/your tree! Personally, I'd recommend using a 4" x 4" for the trunk, 'cuz it'd be nice and easy to staple the bark to it!

peace,
Scottiki

tikigap, those palm trees look good.

Scottiki, is that in your house? If so, that is so way cool Dude!

Thanks for all the tips, folks! Those pictures look great. I'm not sure about getting that bark here in Canada; shipping might be pretty expensive. If I'm successful with this current batch maybe I'll work on some that are a bit fancier, like those beauties you've put together.

For what it's worth, I cut the 2x4s this afternoon (it was 13 C here today - that's about 55 F, virtually unheard of in these parts), and used them to construct the bases tonight. Tomorrow I hope to attach the ABS drainpipe sections, and that'll be all the "hard" parts done.

Still not sure what to do about the foliage. Real fake foliage (there's an oxymoron for you!) is expensive, and I'd need a lot of it. My current thought is to dye some burlap green and attach it by wrapping it around a wire frame made from an old coat hanger. We'll see how it goes.

Hey Bete! Thanks for the props! ScottTiki's place is lookin pretty cool! I'm jealous.