May 29, 2026 - News

Dome-scraping palms will get axed

Jason Clayworth

Inside a glass geodesic dome, triangular metal frames create a lattice against a blue sky, with lush tropical plants and palm trees filling the space. — The Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden's tallest palms will be cut down Monday. Photo: Courtesy of the Garden

The Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden will cut down two palm trees Monday that would damage its iconic 80-foot Plexiglas dome if left to grow much taller.

Why it matters: The garden is using the loss to diversify its collection, with seven new palms identified for future planting.

Flashback: This may feel like déjà vu.

The garden removed a nearly 70-foot-tall Cuban royal palm in 2023 after its fronds began touching the dome.

State of play: Trimming is not a viable option because cutting the top growth point of a palm generally kills the tree, Aaron Harpold, the garden's director of horticulture, tells Axios.

One of the trees that will be removed is a spiny palm, an unusual variety that the garden has already propagated so it can remain in the collection.

Behind the scenes: Harpold shared his notes with Axios, identifying the new palm species to be introduced, including one from China or Vietnam with sweet-scented flowers.

The intrigue: One of the garden's newest palms is named Sammy CoCo, whose story began in Hawaii and included an airport TSA scare.

Sammy previously grew in a Missouri courthouse before taking root in Des Moines.

The bottom line: The dome is closed Mondays, so the next few days are your last chance to see the tallest palms before they are removed.

Friday, 10am-5pm; Saturday and Sunday, 9am-4pm.
Extended summer hours begin Tuesday.

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Dome-scraping palms will get axed

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