Issue 57 | January 2024

Sunrise Good and Green News & Updates

A Florida Native Palm Just Might be the Right Tree for Your Yard

Did you know Florida's official State tree is the Sabal Palm? Although ongoing debate continues whether palms are trees (some palm species are more closely related to grasses) the palm tree does have a significant place in our Florida landscape. Read more about Florida native palm trees below!

Photo of the canopy of a sabal palm tree

Sunrise Celebrated as a 'Clean Community'

The City of Sunrise was nominated by our local partner Keep Broward Beautiful for the statewide Keep Florida Beautiful Clean Community Award Program. Sunrise was selected for our efforts actively improving the environment through litter removal and beautification efforts for the benefit of all through initiatives such as the Sunrise Clean Team, Pass Up Plastics Pledge, and Gardening For Wildlife Workshop.

Clean Team

Recycle Your Live Tree

When the holidays are gone but your tree isn't, it's time to chip in and donate your used evergreen (pine, spruce, or fur) to the Chip-A-Tree initiative. The FREE program requires Broward County residents to remove all decorations from their holiday trees then bring the trees to a participating park. Now through January 15th! For Sunrise residents, Markham Park (16001 W. SR 84) is a participating Chip-A-Tree location, contact the park for more info (954) 357-8868.

Tree Recycling

New Year, New Throne

The City of Sunrise Utilities Department serves Sunrise, Weston, and parts of Davie and Southwest Ranches. Sunrise Utilities is committed to helping our customers conserve water at home. That's why we are part of the Broward Water Partnership - to provide you with $125 toilet rebate, and free water-devices if you are a Sunrise Utilities customer. Start off 2024 by upgrading to a high efficiency toilet, and installing water-saving devices, so you can benefit from the savings all year!

Toilet Rebate

Keep Palm And Carry On

Our 4 Favorite Florida Native Palms for Your Yard

Buccaneer Palm – this palm is wind resistant, and can survive very long dry periods and can take inundation (flooding). Bees will love it. It makes a cool feature palm for an entryway or as focal point in your yard. We like it because it's self-cleaning!

Florida Thatch Palm – this palm is hurricane resistant, fragrant, and works well in small spaces. Group several of these to make a focal point in a flower bed or stark corner of a garden and birds will eat the pea-sized white fruit. We like it because you can keep it planted in a pot!

Scrub Palmetto – this palm stays short, can tolerate really dry conditions and would be good as a border plant or to create a barrier. It is a pollinator attractor! We like it because it is cleaner looking than other palmettos, and is only found in Florida!

Sabal Palm – a.k.a. Cabbage Palm is hurricane resistant, nectar plant for Eastern Pygmy Blue, and Southern Hairstreak. This palm can live 100+ years. We like it because it's one of top 3 species for migratory birds, and provides roosting habitat for yellow bats!

Florida Palms

Florida and palm trees seem to "go together like peas and carrots." There are thousands of palm tree species worldwide, but only 11 species of palms that are actually native to Florida. Unfortunately, of those many of them are categorized as either threatened or endangered.

Florida native palms are keystone species in our State's coastal ecosystems – and support wildlife with fruits that are generally berry- or nut-like, and sweet-scented flowers attract pollinators. None of our native palms has fruit that is palatable to humans. However, native Americans and early pioneers were very fond of eating the heart of Sabal palmetto, calling it swamp cabbage; unfortunately, this harvest was lethal to the palm.

All 11 native palms are larval hosts for Monk Skippers, birds and small mammals eat the fruit, and butterflies use the flowers for nectar.

Florida native palms include: Royal Palm, Sabal Palm, Saw Palmetto, Scrub Palmetto, Dwarf Palmetto, Everglades Palm, Thatch Palms (Florida and Key varieties), Buccaneer Palm, Needle Palm, and Florida Silver Palm.

Florida Palms

Palm Nutrition

Palm nutrition and fertilizers, as well as specific mineral deficiencies, on your solution for Florida-Friendly gardening from the University of Florida's Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology.