Phoenix Canariensis
(fe-niks can-a-re-en-sis)
Origin: Canary Islands
Highly prized for its elegant beauty

• Canariensis are so beautiful and alluring that you can use them just about anywhere on site!
• Thick heavy caliper trunk with large nut at the top. Dark green foliage, huge canopy.
• Available in matching sizes from 6' to 25' of clear trunk. Groundworks has in stock, ready for immediate pick up, the largest selection of P. Canariensis in the Southeastern United States.

Applications

Phoenix Canariensis has been utilized as a theme generating focal point in landscapes worldwide for decades. Its majesty and substantial presence make the Canary Island Date Palm a powerful choice where you a looking to bring natural maturity to a site. Utilized in rows or as a freestanding centerpiece, there really aren't many locations on site where you cannot use Canariensis successfully. Probably the best adjective that one could use to describe Canariensis is Stunning. If you get through the establishment period sane, and provided you maintain it with reasonable diligence, your Canary will probably outlive you and will be a truly stunning addition to the family.

Mature Canary Island Date Palms are rarely found in nurseries. These unique specimens are collected from existing landscapes throughout the warmer regions of the United States. Because they are collected palms, obtaining exactly matching Canaries is not a realistic goal. We can come fairly close but for applications where an exact match is a necessity, you may want to consider changing the spec to either the Medjool or the Zahidi Date Palm. Medjools and Zahidis are nursery produced and so can be matched far more closely.
 

We Love Our Palms

Mature Canariensis are often decades & decades old when transplanted for resale. Because of the time frame necessary to reach these larger sizes, this inventory just isn’t available in traditional nursery settings. The palms are field located from existing landscapes and then resold for use in new landscape designs. Many companies that sell these majestic palms harvest them from the ground they grew in for all those years and then deliver them directly to a new site. This method is far less expensive for the supplier to undertake than the harvesting & nurturing regimens that our inventories undergo. This kind of “direct delivery” supplier does not have any losses, no costs associated to holding and caring for the inventory and no costs associated to the many risks of transplant; all of those cost variables are passed to the client. We love the palms far too much to operate in this fashion.

Mature P. Canariensis are subject to a range of transplant issues that are best mitigated by a regimen of intuitive, intensive care during the 6 months after the initial transplant from its original location. During the decades of its growth to maturity, this species develops a heavy, fibrous root system but very little in the way of finer capillary roots. When the palm is initially transplanted, the majority of these mature roots are severed becoming non functional and there is very little in the way of functional capillary roots to service the palm’s needs. During the period after the initial transplant, the palm must grow a capillary root system to replace the primaries that were damaged during the initial move. A great deal of any moisture and carbohydrates stored/trapped in the trunk on the day the primary root system is cut for transplant will be utilized in the process of initialing the capillary system and a degree of general depletion occurs in the process. You only get one shot at this essential initiation. If for any reason the emerging capillary system is damaged or destroyed, it won’t initiate a second time; the energy necessary has been utilized and a state of depletion disables the palm’s capacity for a second effort.

It is from this emerging capillary system that the palm will replenish itself after the consumption of stored resources utilized in its creation and it is by the capacity of the capillary system that the palm is able to sustain itself and regenerate a new primary root system. There are many factors that are associated to the palm’s initiation and ability to grow this vital capillary system but and when (if?) it does begin to emerge, it is absolutely essential that it be carefully nurtured to its own state of maturity so as that the primary can grow out. Because of these peculiarities, a regimen of expert, intensive care under controlled circumstances before relocation to a less controlled environment on site avoids a range of value destroying issues that may otherwise impact the health, vitality and appearance of the palm on site. Here at Groundworks we have created a regimen of expert care that has been designed through decades of experience transplanting this species and we make the investments necessary to hold and nurture the inventory before its release to the public. We do this because we are determined that we will not see palms that have survived for decades die by a choice for greater profit. We do it because we are deeply engaged in the legacy our palms represent and because we understand that by our care, many of these palms will survive the move where they may otherwise have died off. It’s a labor of love that results in material that is ready for the rigors of the average construction site and that will deliver reliable value and powerful aesthetics to the client.

It is a very sad truth that a small number of palms die in our care even with everything we do to avoid loss’s but once the inventory has undergone our nurturing program, it is well prepared for the final move and the most common result is fast establishment and powerful, near term aesthetics at the client’s site.

The commitment we make requires that we harvest the palms and then hold them in one of our secure nurturing areas for many months. All totaled we have more than 200 mature Canariensis undergoing various stages of nurturing on any given day and we provide targeted intensive care during the initial shock period working continuously to reestablish a healthy new root system. Once the initial move has been successfully accomplished, the palms can be more safely relocated onto a customer’s site where a reasonable degree of care will engender prompt establishment. When you purchase a Canary Island Date palm from Groundworks, every possible precaution has been taken, the finest professional care in the industry has been rendered and the palms are well prepared for transplant into their new homes. Where losses on site do occur, your Groundworks one year limited warranty will insure that the palm is promptly replaced. No nonsense, no crying.

If you are a lover of mature palms and are thinking “Canary”, you have come to the right place. We invite you to review our extensive inventories online or to come by and visit us in Boynton Beach Florida or Houston (Alvin) Texas. We will show you a collection of specimen palms that is unrivaled anywhere in the Southern United States. We are confident that the perfect palm for you is here right now and we would be pleased to make the introduction.
 

Environmental Behavior

• Cold Tolerance: Zones 8a-11
• Drought Tolerance: High
• Salt Tolerance: Med
• Light Requirements: High
• Wind Tolerance: Med to High
• Soil Requirements: Adaptable
• Moisture Tolerance: High
• Nutritional Req.: Moderate
• Loss rate during first 90 days after transplant: 35%
• Loss rate during first 12 months on site but after first 90 days: 10%

Identifying Characteristics

• Dense heavy canopies of green to dark green fronds with a thick, pineapple like nut comprised of cut frond stems just under the fronds.
• Very heavy caliper trunk, usually 28 inches plus.
• Trunks are semi smooth and display a distinct diamond shape pattern.
• Aerial roots are often found on the lower two feet of trunk.
• Canary Island Dates have been known to reach heights of 60 feet of clear trunk but they are very, very slow growers.

Selection and Availability

Groundworks stocks a large selection of Phoenix Canariensis at our Boynton Beach Florida and Houston Texas facilities. It is a constant work in progress but we do try to maintain video clips of each palm in our PMS search engine. Because these majestic beauties are collected from residential neighborhoods all over Florida and the Southwest, we really cannot "order" specific sizes. The best that we can do is to locate them, buy them in, stock them and then make them available for your review and selection.


If you have a need for matching palms that are not in holding we can help you but need time to do our job so advance notice is a must. Please contact asales rep for more information on advance notice requirements.

We invite you to browse our inventory via PMS or come by come one of our facilities for a cup of coffee and a walk through the palms.