See, I dont get why people are down on that plant. I havent seen a California grown Australian tree fern that rivals any in the tropics of Queensland or a Foxtail palm or even a plain common Bougy.The Newport beach coco doesn't rival one grown in the tropics yes,but nothing grown in California rivals the same in the tropics. And you know what?..I'd be happy at a trio or group of N.B.C.'s growing in my front yard! We CAN grow Oaks,Maples and Junipers as good as any in the world.. btw,It's interesting I think, that the N.B.C. leans into the coastal winds just as a tropical coco does on an island beach.

Your welcome. I would defiently recommend you visit the area and check it out if possible if you are considering moving there. I lived in Portland but I should of moved to Seattle. I liked Seattle much more than Portland. I felt safe in downtown Seattle but downtown Portland is a freak show. There is also much more to do in Seattle, especially since it sounds like your into sports. The climate is unlike any place I have ever been. The winters are cool and rainy. The summers are usually mild but are also dry. Although this last summer was very hot/dry and in fact, it was much greener in New Mexico on my drive back home. Like some of the others said Butias and Trachys do very well in the Northwest but they should be sited in a good spot. I would recommend either planting them on a berm or at least have well draining soil. I'm not sure what kind of soil Seattle has but the majority of soil in the Portland area was clay. Although it is not the best place to grow palms, the payoff is that there is a lot of other stuff that grows very well. Conifers, japanese maples, dwarf conifers, most ornamental grasses, flowering plants, rhododendrons, azaleas, and many other plants grow excellent. Hope that helps out some.

Casey: how long is a "few days"? If you go thru north, then Valley of Fire SP (beautiful), Hwy 15 IS my DH favorite road to drive on, Springdale and Zion NP, Mt. Carmel tunnel and hike on the east side of it, Checkered mesa. If you have enough time: Bryce NP and Kodachrome SP. If not head south-east to Rt.67 to north side of Grand Canyon. Then to Page for a hike thru Antelope Canyon (I like Lower better). Then around to Rt 64 (Rim drive). It is all very scenic but a lo-o-ong drive. If you only have time for GCanyon: drive thru the Rim drive. If you have time to hike, November is a good month to go down to Colorado river and back in one day. If not all the way down, then atleast to Ahh Point from Yavapai point trailhead. Grandview trail is nice (steep) short hike. Yuo can take bus to Hermit point and hike along the rim back to village (9 mi) or take bus along the way back. Sunrise is good at Mather Point. Sunset at Hopi point (must take bus) or down at Ahh point (must hike). Good luck :o)

"O.P. stated in the beginning - as people often do - that they don't want anything poisonous or messy. Which eliminates many items on preceding list, which is full of fruiting plants." Yes, I was aware of that. But that mainstream, fast food, McLandscape mentality of wanting "fast-growing and not messy" plants is also what's helping to drive our current 6th mass extinction of wildlife on this planet - cutting their populations down in HALF over just the last 40 YEARS!!! The situation is EXTREMELY dire now - as we are literally creating a sterile, inert dystopia! And there's no way you can overstate that fact - or ever UNDO it once it's done! "Bird populations across the French countryside have fallen by a third over the last decade and a half, researchers have said. Dozens of species have seen their numbers decline, in some cases by two-thirds, the scientists said in a pair of studies The primary culprit, researchers speculate, is the intensive use of pesticides on vast tracts of monoculture crops, especially wheat and corn. The problem is not that birds are being poisoned, but that the insects on which they depend for food have disappeared. “There are hardly any insects left, that’s the number one problem,” Recent research, he noted, has uncovered similar trends across Europe, estimating that flying insects have declined by 80%, and bird populations has dropped by more than 400m in 30 years. Shrinking woodlands, the absence of the once common practice of letting fields lie fallow and especially rapidly expanding expanses of mono-crops have each played a role." So, given that we have already logged all the old growth native forests and replaced them with suburban lawns...we really need to start stewarding our lawns LIKE old growth native forests now. Because there are basically no old growth forests LEFT. So, we need to think more "old growth" instead of "fast-growing," "productive" instead of "not messy," and to promote more natives and no invasives... I mean, who cares if you're not there in a few years anymore? Leave a sustainable legacy!!! "The population of the U.S., now over 300 million people, has doubled since most of us were kids and continues to grow by 8640 people per day. All of those additional souls, coupled with cheap gas, our love affair with the car, and our quest to own ever larger homes have fueled unprecedented development that continues to sprawl over 2 million additional acres per year (the size of Yellowstone National Park). The Chesapeake Bay watershed has lost 100 acres of forest each day since 1985. We have connected all of our developments with 4 million miles of roads, the paved surface is nearly five times the size of New Jersey. Somewhere along the way we decided to convert most of our living and working spaces into huge expanses of lawn. So far we have planted over 62,500 sq miles, some 40 million acres, in lawn. Each weekend we mow an area 8 times the size of New Jersey to within 1 inch and then congratulate ourselves on a job well done. And it’s not like those little woodlots and “open spaces” we have not paved over or manicured are pristine. Nearly all are second-growth forests that have been thoroughly invaded by alien plants like autumn olive, multiflora rose, Oriental bittersweet, and Japanese honeysuckle. Over 3400 species of alien plants have invaded 100 million acres of the U.S, and that area is expected to double in the next 5 years. To nature lovers these are horrifying statistics. I stress them so that we can clearly understand the challenge before us. We have turned 54% of the lower 48 states into cities and suburbs, and 41% more into various forms of agriculture. That’s right: we humans have taken 95% of nature and made in unnatural. But does this matter? Are there consequences to turning so much land into the park-like settings humans enjoy? Absolutely, both for biodiversity and for us. Our fellow creatures need food and shelter to survive and reproduce and in too many places we have eliminated both. At least 40% of Delaware’s plant species are rare or extinct, and 41% of its forest birds no longer nest in the state. Over 800 plant and animal species are rare, threatened, or endangered in Pennsylvania and 150 have already disappeared entirely. Many of those that haven’t suffered local extinction are now too rare to perform their role in their ecosystem. These can be considered functionally extinct. The song birds that brighten spring mornings have been in decline since the 1960s, having lost 40% of their numbers so far. Birds that breed in meadows are in even more trouble. Once common species such as the northern bobwhite, eastern meadowlark, field sparrow, and grasshopper sparrow have declined 82%, 72%, 68%, and 65%, respectively, in total numbers, and are completely absent from many areas that used to support healthy populations." Anyhow, yes, the Texas Mountain Laurel is poisonous. However, its seeds are only toxic if cracked open - which is really difficult because of how hard their shells are. Hence: "The beans cause hallucinations at low levels. The beans are also very poisonous if the alkaloids within are released. The same seed coating that protect the seed from drought, however, will allow it to be swallowed and pass through our bodies without harm, in most cases." So, it's not as risky as it sounds - but of course could simply be omitted just to be safe. As could the Eve's Necklace, which is also reputed to have poisonous seeds if ingested. But all the other plants I recommended ARE non-toxic, mostly natives (with a few foreign, but at least not invasive) with high ornamental and/or edible/utilitarian value (i.e. "MESSY"). As this PRODUCTIVITY helps us to make the most of our diminishing resources, for both us and all of our wildlife companions. OK, PSA over. Just addressing a larger issue at hand here, that I think needs to at least be considered every time a homeowner reaches this point of deciding how to landscape their yard? Which I thank Kimberly for even asking! As it may seem inconsequential...but when multiplied by BILLIONS of other people too - is actually of immense, PLANETARY consequence!!!