Middle Eastern Date Palm Tree

Homeowners are discovering that date palms are very desirable not only for their delicious dates but also for the tropical ambience they lend to one’s yard. Many people also want to plant date palms in their yard because of the date palm’s ancient history.

Date palms grow well throughout Southern and Central California.

There are many named date palm varieties. The most popular in USA is the Medjool date palm. But our famous named varieties are Ajwa Dates, the highly valued in Islamic tradition, especially for Ramadan. Dark brown to black, soft, mildly sweet with a hint of bitterness. Best eaten fresh or in traditional iftar.

Date palms like full sun and plenty of water, although they are very drought hardy and can survive extended periods without watering once they are established. Newly planted date palms require frequent watering until they are well established. Mature date palms can withstand temperatures several degrees below freezing.

Male date palms are used as the source of pollen for the female date palm varieties, and the males are also very popular for landscaping in California. Mature male date palms flower briefly in the spring each year.