Study photos of "desert oasis" and see if palms being taller than buildings is really undesirable. Trees towering above structures give a sense of protection, shelter and shade. Trees above make a structure seem integrated to earth rather than pasted on top it it. What seems undesirable here is that there are no plants that rise above the house in the back or side yards. It makes the front yard palms seem isolated and their relationship to the house lop-sided. A major palm cluster across the back would do a great deal to balance the equation. Another factor that comes into play is that the brick perimeter wall represents the de facto container of the palm island. The left-most palm in it seems too close to the wall and gives an awkward "pot-bound" feel (to say nothing about its obstructing the view of the house entrance.) If it were removed, the palm next to it leans the wrong way... INTO the cluster rather than outward as it would grow in a naturally occurring group of plants. That could make a case for those two palms being removed. Those that remain seem like they would form a comfortably appearing island of palms. Working with what you have--if it could be made into something--seems better than throwing it all away and starting over. Keep in mind that your single photo offers little information relative to the whole picture. It's not possible to see how the palms relate to each other and to the other major property features from the side view. The photo is also not good enough to make comments about the other plantings at the front of the house which contribute to the "street appeal" aspect of the property. Be sure to post some better photos if you want more in-depth advice. The most unappealing aspect of the property is the penal institutional feel of the drive area. The only thing it lacks to complete the picture is some chain link fence with razor-wire at the top. Were it there, it's easy to imagine that a white van marked "Sherrif's Dept." might look right at home entering the secure garage area. To my thinking, the wall bounding the drive is undesirable. And the wall at the front line seems to encroach too tightly as it approaches the drive. If it didn't exist and we were designing it from scratch, it would be better to widen the opening and "soften" its transition into the drive... even if only a little. If there is no desire to deal with the wall itself, then using plants strategically to soften its surface and add color might be something to look into. At any rate, solving the problems here would require more information than is available in the single photo. "Landscape wise, I lean somewhat toward the English cottage feel..." That seems "at odds" with the surroundings and climate.

It is fairly deep for an urban SF Bay Area garden, the front yard is actually larger by far than the back yard, and the front is probably 45 feet deep by 45 feet wide. The amazing thing about this garden is that these palms are mostly just 6 to 10 years old, and were planted out at small sizes. It was illuminating to see how many species he was growing here, many generally thought only hardy in southern California. The layout in the front garden was more open with the inclusion of negative space such as lawn; the back garden was much more packed in with denser plantings. In all it is a really distinctive planting style garden for the SFBay Area, much more common to the south. It struck me as a good approximation of Hawaiian style here in northern California. My own garden has some of the same elements,(but only 1/10th the palms), and more of a high elevation tropical cloud forest focus because I'm much cooler and more summer daily fog. A swimming pool would seem kind of ridiculous in my neighborhood,as we don't get much summer heat to really enjoy them. Jim had converted his swimming pool to a join pond with planted marginals, totally changing the look.

There are examples of long term Chamaerops humilis in the PNW in Seattle, Victoria Salt Spring Island, Portland, etc. Yes, they can get damaged in a bad winter, and do greatly benefit from a hot, dryer in winter site, to give them the best chance of surviving the periodic bad winter. I'd suggest that they can be just as hardy as Trachycarpus fortunei in surviving occasional freezes down to about 20F, but will greatly benefit from being sheltered from excessive wet in combination with cold temperatures, and stringing old fashioned Xmas lights amongst the foliage and a protective tarp overhead will minimize damage. As they are slow growing to make any height, they can more easily be protected when you know a bad freeze is coming. They also make great container plants, and can be left indefinitely in a half oak wine barrel sized container that could be wheeled into an unheated garage during a bad freeze event. They easily handle cold down to 25F without need of special measures, and it is alleged that the silver form C. humilis v. cerifera may be marginally hardier. If the idea of siting one of these to best suit it given PNW wet winters sounds like too much work, stick to growing it as a movable container plant. It is documented both in the USA and Europe that this palm can survive temps down to 5F, but yes, they are more reliable where it doesn't usually get this cold, and winters seldom get this cold and temps rise back up during the day. Chamaerops humilis, along with Butea capitata and Trachycarpus fortunei have proven to be among the more durable palms for the PNW, but will definitely perform better if one doesn't expect them to fend for themselves in a severe freeze. I would add Jubaea chilensis, Brahea armata and Brahea 'Clara' to this list of palms if one is also willing to protect them occasionally. Personally, I would tend to think they are worth the bother if one likes the look of these palms, and is willing to accommodate their needs in a bad winter. It is also important to realize that micro-siting for perfect winter drainage, and knowing that freezing rain can also damage foliage are important considerations to remember with growing palms in the PNW. Also, it would be important to remember that container grown palms left in pots outdoors may get frozen roots at temperatures which the same palm will easily tolerate if it were in the ground, and plan accordingly.

Here's a list he sent me of what he has- Brahea armata, 1G, $16.00 Brahea clara, 1 G, $16.00 Brahea 'Super silver', 2 G, $20.00. Butia catarinensis, 1 G, $15.00. Butia odorata(formerly B. capitata), 7 G, $45.00. Butyagrus x nabonnandii (Mule palm), 1 G, $25.00. Chamaerops humilis var. cerifera, 3 1/2" x 5", $5.00; 7 G, $50.00. Phoenix loureirii humilis, 3 1/2" x 5", $5.00. Phoenix sylvestris (robusta), 3.5" x 5" pot, $8.00. Phoenix theophrastii, 1 G, $15.00. Sabal bermudana, 1 G, $10.00, large straps. Sabal 'Birmingham', 1 G, $18.00; 7 G, $60.00 Sabal causiarum, 1 G, $15.00. Sabal domingensis, 1 G, $15.00. Sabal louisiana, 2 G, $22.00, 3 G, $32.00, tall. Sabal maritima, 2 G, $22.00 Sabal miamiensis, 1 G, $19.00. Sabal minor (Warren, AR.), 5 G, $45.00. Sabal minor (Hatteras), 2 G, 18.00; 3 G, $30.00. Sabal palmetto, 2 G, $16.00; 7 G, $60; tall. Sabal 'riverside', 1 G, $10.00. Sabal rosei, 1 G, $15.00; 2 G, $22.00. Sabal x-texensis, 3 G, $25.00, producing split lvs.; 5 G, $45.00; 7 G, $50.00 Trachycarpus manipur, 1 G, $16.00. Trachycarpus princeps (Golden Lotus), 1 gallon, $45.00, mature leaves with powder. Trachycarpus fortunei 'Nainital', 1 G, $15.00. Trachycarpus wagnerianus x fortunei, 3 G, $30.00. Washingtonia filifera x robusta, 1 G, $10.00 Hope Steve doesn't mind 0: