Fronds Forever

Ralph Velez figures it was the Tarzan movies that did it. As a kid in New York City, he used to watch those Saturday flicks all the time. And as he did, a fascination slowly developed for all things tropical--the jungle, Africa and, especially, palm trees. He even started telling relatives he was going to move to the African jungle someday, “because Tarzan was in Africa.”

Even though Velez, 65, ended up in Westminster, in a sense he has fulfilled his dream. Rather than moving to the jungle, he has brought it to him: Since locating to the Orange County city in 1962, Velez has grown more than 1,000 palm trees in and around his 60-by-100-foot corner lot.

His palm collection, according to experts, ranks among the largest for a private collector and is possibly the only one with so much packed into such a small space.

“It’s one of the best palm gardens in the world,” said Gary Wood, past president of the International Palm Society’s Southern California chapter. “It’s on a very small lot, but he’s got a good selection there.”

Arriving at Velez’s home is like pulling up to a tropical oasis in the middle of a suburban asphalt desert. From the distance, one or two palms are visible in the skyline. As you near his house, you notice a few more planted on the street nearby, and then a few more. Then, suddenly, you come across a tangle of growth that overwhelms the senses.

A dozen palms tower over his home. Hundreds of others of varying size fill every available niche in his front yard and a greenhouse he built out back. Other exotic plants like ferns and philodendrons squeeze into the gaps. Inside the home, baby palms sit in flowerpots, waiting for a place to be planted.

In all, Velez has about 560 species, ranging from the common Mexican fan palm to the rare Parajubaea torallyi, which normally grows in the dry mountains of Bolivia, 7,000 feet high.

“There’s a certain kind of elegance and majesty about [palms],” Velez said. “They’re so unique. They represent the tropics so well to me.”

As tightly packed as they are, his trees appear well-maintained and trimmed. Most are carefully labeled with signs detailing the species’ name. And no sidewalks are cracked by roots because palms are not “aggressive” trees--their roots tend to grow downward rather than out and, therefore, don’t harm sidewalks or other trees, allowing them to safely grow very close to each other.

Maintenance Is a Full-Time Job

A retired art teacher, Velez said he dedicates at least 35 hours a week toward planting, cultivating and maintaining his collection during the summer growing season.

“My most difficult problem is, No. 1, getting rid of the leaves,” he said. “No. 2 is finding a spot for another palm tree.”

He used to shimmy up the taller ones himself to trim their leaves; nowadays he hires a professional maintenance company. And when he goes on vacation, it’s not simply to relax. He always has to check out the local palms and pick up some rare seeds, even though he doesn’t have any space left to plant.

His wife, Nilda, good-naturedly puts up with his obsession but admits to feeling as though she has to compete for his attention.

“It’s a lot of work, and I do feel jealous,” said Nilda, smiling. “He spends a lot of time here [in the yard]. It’s like another wife.”

Velez is by no means alone in his enthusiasm. The International Palm Society has more than 3,000 members from 53 countries, including about 750 in Southern California, according to society president Phil Bergman.

Some members are so fanatical that they travel the world to check out rare species or impressive gardens. For the society’s last convention, 192 members from 33 countries flocked to Thailand to see the Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens. With more than 1,000 different species, that 500-acre semiprivate garden will probably be the world’s greatest collection once the trees hit maturity, Bergman said.

Even Bergman, who operates a commercial nursery near San Diego with at least 850 species, is amazed at the lengths to which people go to pursue their hobby.

“I’ve had people come to my nursery from the other side of the planet,” he said. “That’s how crazy and fanatical people get. They’ll come into the nursery and their car will look like a small arboretum as they drive away. They’ll pack more trees into their car than you thought humanly possible.”

Velez himself has had many palm tree enthusiasts from throughout the world visit his home. Last fall, a busload of French tourists stopped by. Rene Coativy, president of Manureva, an exotic plant society in France, has a simple explanation: “Everybody knows [of] Ralph Velez in Westminster.”

The Allure of the Tropics

Bergman said it is the beauty of palm trees--and the variety of textures, colors, leaf shapes and trunks--that fascinates collectors. The trees also help to create a tropical feeling in an ordinary home, he added.

There are more than 2,500 species of palm trees in the world, ranging in size at maturity from only a few inches to the 200-foot monsters found in the Andes. In the United States, palms mostly grow in California, Florida and Hawaii, although a few hardy species can be found in colder places like Pennsylvania and even Vancouver, Canada.

While the more common palms are inexpensive to buy and easy to maintain, some people go to elaborate steps to decorate their homes with palms, and industries have sprouted up specializing in relocating mature specimens.

“In the more affluent areas along the beaches of Orange County, it’s not unusual to see somebody spend tens of thousands of dollars in a new house to landscape a new yard,” Bergman said.

Velez’s collection started as a minor hobby when he and his wife bought their home in 1962. But as he realized he enjoyed watching them grow, and then joined the palm society, it turned into an obsession. Much of his collection now stretches throughout the neighborhood, since he convinced neighbors and city officials to allow him to plant palms up and down the street.

And even though he has run out of room in his yard, he hasn’t stopped collecting. Between the greenhouse he built years ago and flowerpots inside the house, he always finds room for a new variety.

“I continue to plant new ones all the time, much to my wife’s dismay,” he said. “[She says,] ‘Aren’t you going to be done with this?’ ”

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SoCal’s Common Palm Trees

Glance at the local landscape and the thing that most says Southern California is the palm tree. Some of the most common types:

Mexican fan palm, or Washingtonia robusta, is probably the most common palm in the region. With little maintenance, it can grow as quickly as 4 feet a year and ultimately can reach 100 feet in height.

The kentia palm, Howea forsteriana, is popular as a houseplant because it survives in indoor light and grows slowly in flowerpots. It can eventually grow to 30 to 40 feet tall.

The queen palm, Syagrus romanzoffiana, is a popular street tree that requires little watering. It has fuller, feathery fronds that can get as long as 16 feet.

The Canary Island date palm, Phoenix canariensis, has a thicker trunk that resembles pineapple skin. Its bushy cluster of green fronds with golden fruit in the center give it a flower-like appearance.

Sources: Ralph Velez, Phil Bergman and “Palms Throughout the World” by David L. Jones (Smithsonian Institution Press, 1998).