Bugs! Wow - once again you have confirmed your status as THE gold standard of this thread.
This time not by the usual well written and photographed exploits. Oh no. This time because you took care of Mom and Dad! I'm really proud of you, my brother. Much respect!
It really looks great and I know Mom and Dad are proud as can be.
That palm is a Canary Island Date Palm and absolutely quite ferocious if not handled properly. The entire Date Palm Family has very sharp spikes at the base of their fronds and some of them have such sharp tipped leaflets I wouldn't wish them on my worst enemy!
I'll post a photo below of the same Cordyline australis at Mom's - as your folks have. I planted these in small 3 gallon pots along the side just to give some vertical accent in a very narrow bed and they've done great. Interesting because around here they aren't used that much - probably much more in CA.
Adding the lighting was a nice touch. A way of enjoying the gardens after dark in a way that provides a completely different & unique experience. Especially the last couple days with the full moon we've had - it's been just off the graph!
