I think that's a great analogy with one caveat: it depends on the tree. For a palm, you're absolutely right. But if you were to put a straight support on a Harry Lauder's Walking Stick (admittedly a shrub), you'd lose the beauty of it by forcing it to grow straight. And around here, the rule of thumb is NOT to put supports or stakes on young deciduous trees unless absolutely necessary, and then only for a year. If you stake them too long and/or too tight, they don't get to take advantage of the bends from the wind which helps them grow strong and deeply rooted. Over-staked trees tend to come down in wind storms because they are weak and shallow rooted.

So, I guess just don't assume everyone is a palm? And in my case, I can't assume that staking palms is bad. At least not til I check it out.

namaste

gg