The rogue palm

 

A well-meaning gardener from the Seattle Parks and Recreation Department planted this Windmill Palm along the sidewalk at Alki Beach. It was saved from a nearby demolition site.

New to his position, he didn't realize that parking strip belongs to the Seattle Department of Transportation. They require permits (of course) for any new tree, so the palm is officially trespassing.

If that isn't bad enough, the Windmill is native to the mountains of China, and nasty comments soon collected on the West Seattle blog.  One of my favorite trees, who knew knew palms were so politically incorrect and disliked:

“Ridiculous. Besides the argument that they should be planting something native instead, palms are so ugly. Like telephone poles with a sickly fern on top.” 

“Personally, I’d rather see a shore pine or an indigenous tree. Salal? Even a rhododendron. Palm trees? Not whimsical, kinda stupid.”

Maybe people walk by our house, saying cruel things about our stately palm tree.  

Well, the poor little Alki palm has some defenders, like this person:

"I am usually not the sentimental type, but suddenly I feel sorry for this palm tree, so hated on by the correct-mob. Long live the palm tree. I wish it would run for city council.”

Me too. 

It's ironic to complain about a single palm when West Seattle is losing tree canopy faster than any part of the city. Most of it due to lot development like this a few blocks from us. A typical Seattle modest bungalow with a backyard of fruit trees and shrubs, fast becoming three houses on a single lot.

The new house on the left is a typical Seattle ADU, but the big 3-story box is actually an AADU (attached accessory dwelling unit) or a legally permitted "unit in the home." In other words, an addition. The tip off is the little umbilical walkway that attaches the box to the old house. Interesting aesthetic there.

That's the look of the future, since more ADU's are being constructed in Seattle than single family houses. The permitting process for these "backyard cottages" was originally pretty strict. Now they don't require off-street parking, and the owner doesn't even have to live on the property. This really opens things up for dense development. Our corner lot could probably hold six tall townhouses...

Well, enough of that. Time marches on, all of us bleary-eyed this morning from losing an hour of it to daylight saving time.