AboutRussel Ray Expertise I can answer questions about water-wise landscaping, xeriscaping, and using native vegetation, cactus, and succulents to create a home paradise that won't increase your water bill.
Experience My wise ol' grandmother got me started with cactus and succulents 42 years ago. The rest, as they say, is history.
Organizations National Association of Certified Home Inspectors, Better Business Bureau of San Diego
Education/Credentials After graduating from Texas A&M University, I started a plant-sitting business in Houston to take care of the house plants when people went on vacation. That went on for five years before I moved back to College Station and started several businesses, one of which was a landscaping business specializing in "dry" landscaping.
Awards and Honors The privilege of working with people.
Question I have planted 3 areca palms outside of a window to create a privacy/light
filter.....can I control the height of them by trimming the tallest ones when
they reach the height I want? Is this realistically possible or am I going to
have a problem with them hitting my roof overhang? (I am very diligent in
my yard and will do what I have to do ...so they won't be neglected, by any
means)
Thank you!
Answer Hey, Kristi.
Generally you don't want to cut off the top of a palm tree. However, I have seen areca palms successful topped with the main stem then dying and several new shoots coming out at the bottom. Palms, of course, are known for their long main trunk, so generally they don't make good privacy screens because of that and because they grow fairly slowly. If you're going to try, plant several of them and and then top them at different times so that you always have some younger ones growing closer to the ground to maintain the privacy screen. Outdoors the areca palm can get to twenty feet high.
